Multiplayer
by NeoShadows
Summary: Life is a game. In an attempt to save a friend during the Breach, Jaune Arc died. Brought back to life with powers of a Gamer, he must now attempt to beat the game called life. He's not alone though. Every win or lose ends in a Reset, so how will he beat a game that never ends?
1. Bad End

**Hello, Fanfiction world! Name's NeoShadows, and man, does it feel good to be back in the writing spirit of things.**

 **For those of you unfamaliar with me, I usually stick to writing Fairy Tail fics, but as of late, I got caught up with work and life and stopped writing, for like, a year or two. Can't remember with my crappy excuse of a memory. But, three months ago, my new laptop came back from some repairs, and while looking over my old documents, I felt the need to write again. I just couldn't get back to writing Fairy Tail yet, so I decided to see if I could get my creative juices flowing again by diving into something new that I enjoyed. Que this new story.**

 **RWBY was always an anime that I loved since stumbling onto it when RoosterTeeth had begun uploading a few of its episodes on Youtube. And after reading many a fic, I couldn't help but think of my own stories to write. Now, with my laptop all good and crispy, I decided, why the hell not? I need to get back to writing anyway.**

 **So, I decided my first fic would be on The Gamer Jaune. Which, if I was honest with myself with, was getting kinda old with all the fics here centered around it. But I couldn't stop my mind as new ideas were born. I wanted to take another spin at this new genre that's been popping up.**

 **After all, in some games, there's more than one player.**

 **I give you this fic for your reading pleasure, folks! I did my best on the first chapter. Hope you like it.**

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 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. Trust me, I would of turned this into a Harem Anime if it was up to me. Don't judge me, I know what you look at when no one's looking. And, I have to say, I'm disappointed. Shame! Shame on not sharing!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Bad End.**

Vale was in disorder. The emergency sirens were flaring and panic was spread wide onto the people of the city as Grimm emerged from the ground blown out from under them. Amidst the afternoon, the people were treated to the sight and horror of the creatures of darkness pouring out from the aftermath of what looked like train carts exploding from the earth along with four young huntresses. A short pause followed before the screams of terror erupted and the Grimm ran wild on the helpless city folk. If left alone the creatures of Grimm would spill the blood of all the civilians in the city.

It was the sight of several Grimm cornering Team RWBY that greeted Jaune and his team as their air ship flew into the scene.

Jaune took a deep breath as he readied himself. So, it wasn't a butt dial like Nora thought. It looked like Ruby had been trying to call for help but had been disconnected during the mess of whatever this was. Looked like it paid to listen to your gut. Then again, it was currently doing back flips as the air ship settled above the scene of the four huntresses fighting off the hordes all alone. He gripped the handle of his sheathed sword in anticipation, not fear! He wasn't afraid of fighting off the Grimm! Especially not those odd lizard-like Grimm with the stubbly yet powerful legs and big crushing jaws drooling in anticipation of digging into his soft, subtle flesh!

Ah, who the hell was he kidding? He was scared, so very scared of what awaited him down there. Even his team knew that. He could feel their worried gazes aimed at his back while he tried to stop his body from trembling at the sight below him. They were waiting for him to give the order, to lead them into battle. He was their leader after all! He was supposed to lead them. He was chosen to after all. So, what was he waiting for?

The truth was he didn't deserve to be their leader. He didn't deserve to be part of this team, to be a Huntsman, to even set foot on the battlefield like them. Jaune was a liar. A lucky fool that lied his way into one of the most prestigious combat schools in Remnant. He didn't have the skills to pay the bills like everyone else. He had never even completed any basic training to begin with for god's sake! All he wanted to be was a hero, one that everyone could acknowledge and look up to in awe like the ones in the fairy tales his mother and father read to him at night. But he couldn't fight, not like them. He was weak, pathetic, and way over his head. He was a sad excuse for a Huntsman, let alone a hero.

What could he do?

"Ghahhhh!"

Blue eyes snapped wide open in alarm as Jaune turned his attention down to Team RWBY's fight. They were tired, hurt, and running low on both dust and ammo, but they were still fighting. They were fighting to protect the civilians who had no power to defend themselves with, no weapons, no experience nor skill. Jaune grit his teeth before steeling himself. Now wasn't really the time to be beating himself down over his lack of skills. It was time for action.

"Nora!" he shouted in a commanding tone, catching the ginger haired girl's attention as he turned to her with a grin that quickly got her grinning back widely, "You know what to do." he nodded.

Nora's grin widened further as she readied Magnhild, "You mean it?!" she asked giddily as she jumped on the tip of her toes.

May god, or Oum, help them all. Except the Grimm. Jaune had little sentiment for what he was about to unleash.

Catching the sight of a large King Taijitu bearing down on the red hooded form of Ruby as she was fighting, Jaune pointed his finger on the new target for Nora's attention, "Yup! Nora SMASH!" he shouted in a battle cry as his team followed to jump out the ship.

Ren felt a twitch in his eye before shaking his head, his long black hair swaying back and forth with the motion. Since when did that become their battle cry? He winced slightly as his hyperactive partner yipped loudly in joy before blasting off the air ship with a loud 'wheeeee' from her grenade launching hammer. Oh well, Ren sighed as he and Pyrrha followed their leader onto the battlefield. At least she had found a few new victims to distract her for a while. Hopefully they'd tire her out when she was finished with them.

As they landed, the green clothed teen could only sigh as he watched Nora deliver a devastating one-hit K.O to the two-headed black and white snake. It went down with a mighty fall, slowly fading away to darkness in its descent. Poor thing didn't stand a chance against the endless ball of energy that was Nora. Who was he kidding, she'd probably come back as energized as before.

Adrenaline pumped though Jaune's body as Team JNPR landed onto the streets of Vale. He smiled in relief catching the eyes of Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss as they stopped their fighting for a moment to look at them. Those girls looked dead on their feet, but they were alive. A loud roar broke the moment as a horde of Grimm swarmed the two teams, barreling down on them with killing intent.

"Alright, first things first!" Jaune spoke loudly as they unsheathed their weapons, the familiar weight of Crocea Mors settling into his grasp as his teammates looked to him.

He was scared. He feared the attention falling onto him. Of the responsibility of leading his team into the fray. But like everything else, Jaune was going to swallow it back. If he wasn't a Huntsman, if he wasn't a leader, if he wasn't a hero, then he'd just have to fake it. Fake it until he made it. Until he could no longer distinguish his lies from anything but the truth, until his skills were nothing to laugh at, until they could all no longer see him as some damsel in distress. Right here and now, he was going to play the leader and hero. Until the day he didn't have to fake it anymore.

Pyrrha smiled softly as she took in the sight of her partner and leader. Jaune was standing tall despite his shaking legs and trembling arms. He had learned a lot in his short time in Beacon. Jaune didn't realize it yet, but he was truly growing into the role of a Hunter. He was leading and he was ready to fight even though he didn't believe in himself. It made her heart flutter a bit.

But it was alright if he didn't believe in himself, that's why he had his team. They could do all the believing in him for him.

"Protect the civilians!" Jaune roared as both Ren and Pyrrha quickly nodded before dashing off to pick off the Grimm chasing after the panicking groups of people running in fear. Running after them he shouted, "And help whoever needs the help! Focus on protecting the civilians first and then take out the Grimm! Don't waste your time on them when you can be saving someone!"

Pyrrha and Ren and even Nora grinned at their leader's orders, the Valkyrie firing off several pink missiles from her hammer from on top another twined Grim snake. "Understood!" they shouted back confidently before working on their leader's orders.

Jaune took another breath in as he readied himself, "Alright, I can do this." he told himself as he tried to get his blood flowing by jumping back and forth on his feet, "So, who's first!?"

A twitch in the yellow haired Huntsman's right eye popped up as a loud heavy thud alerted him to whoever answered his lone battle cry. He slowly turned around to come to the familiar, and somehow ironic sight of a black furred Ursa breathing down at him with glowing haunting yellow eyes of malice. He gulped before laughing nervously at the Grimm that stood a few feet taller than him.

"Oh, for fucks sake."

The Ursa roared, blowing back his hair before aiming a left swipe of its claws at the knight. Falling back onto the training he'd received from his red headed partner, Jaune quickly blocked the blow with his shield. He grunted as he threw the twisted black bear's paw back and quickly jumped a space back from it as it stumbled from the shock of the parry. He took another breath in, readying himself before madly swinging his sword at the Ursa with a loud cry.

"Take this! And that! And some of this! And what about this! And don't forget about this!" A left swing at its chest, right swing at its neck, two slashes at its lower abdomen, a falling strike at its center, and several wild swings at most of its upper body followed the rain of blows as he cried out his attacks. Red splashes of Grimm blood splattered the ground as the Ursa was helpless to make a move under the flurry of swings from the odd knight. And with one final swing at its neck the Ursa stumbled back from the boy, it's eye's looking back with something akin to surprise before a fountain of red liquid gushed from its numerous wounds. A low growl escaped its throat before it fell back with a thud, the ground stained a deep red as it bled out.

Jaune blinked once, twice, three times. He rubbed his eyes to get rid of any dust, and even pinched himself before remembering that his Aura kind of defeated the purpose of it as he stared at his handiwork. Holy crap! Did he do that?

"OVERKILL!"

"STAY BACK! I GOT A SWORD AND I'VE JUST LEARNED HOW TO KILL WITH IT!" Jaune yelped in fear as he turned his sword to the owner of the deep voice. His blood was still pumping and it didn't look like it would be calming down today.

The form of the monkey tailed Faunas, Sun Wukong, jumped back with a scream before shoving a gold badge at the sword swinging blond haired knight in front of him, "I GOT A BADGE AND IT'S LAMINATED!"

Sun's partner, Neptune, was a little more controlled and relaxed at the sight Jaune pointing his blade at them. It was Sun's stupid little announcement that got him jumping in the first place after killing a Grimm. Guy was still stuck on kill mode. He raised his hand and placed it onto his partner's right shoulder to calm him down, "Relax, Sun. Jaune's not going to kill you. It's your fault for startling him in the first place. Don't you know not to sneak up on a Hunter as their killing Grimm? They might end up mistaking you as one in their adrenaline fueled vision."

Sun blinked in confusion as he lowered his badge before pointing at himself, "Mistake me? But I'm so soft and cuddly. Come on, pet my tail."

"No."

"Hater."

"Wait, Sun? Neptune?" Calming his breathing down, Jaune looked back at the two Mistral students with confusion as he lowered his sword down a bit, "What are you guy's doing here?" he asked before they looked back at him deadpanned faces.

"Oh, you know. We were strolling through the neighborhood, walking our little pet Iguana, Iggy, before we took notice of-THE HORDE OF GRIMM CRAWLING OUT OF SOME CRATER FROM THE GROUND, JAUNE! WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING!?" Sun roared just as several thuds caught their attention. The monkey Faunas felt a twitch in his eye before he swung his two gun-chucks over his shoulder. He pulled the triggers and was satisfied to hear the death cries of what he guessed were Beowolves fading away.

Neptune quickly slid his goggles down and aimed his plasma rifle straight at Jaune, confusing the knight before he ducked under the three shots fire towards him. Standing back up he turned his sights behind him to see the dying wisps of three Creepers shot down before they could sink their teeth into him.

"Come on, Sun. What did we talk about your rage for?" Neptune chuckled as he slid his goggles back to his forehead. Sun grumbled to himself as he kicked a loose shell from his guns. "You're not going to rage quit again, are you?"

"One time! That happened one time! And I'm sorry, but it's kinda been stressful with all the fighting and Grimm popping out of nowhere. And to have a fellow blond point their thing at me hurts."

"Eh, sorry about that?" Jaune smiled nervously. He didn't mean to, he was just caught off guard was all. He just wished he didn't call his sword a thing. At least not in that sentence.

Sun sighed before grinning back at the knight, "Nah, it's alright. Neptune's right after all."

"Always am."

"Shut up, anyways, I shouldn't of shouted like that. I couldn't help it. That was just so cool!" Sun pumped his fist before swinging his right hand around wildly in gestures he had seen from Jaune, "That thing didn't even stand a chance! You took it out like a boss. Hey!" he shouted excitedly before jumping towards Jaune and pulling him towards him with one arm across his shoulder, "You wanna be a detective like me and Neptune here!? You know, after we save the day and kill all the Grimm."

Jaune sighed tiredly at his fellow blond's energy. How the hell could he be this full of energy in the middle of a breach? Besides, he was going to be a sheriff. That was just like a detective, only he was going to be like a cowboy that went bang bang with guns, ate beans over an open fire, and rode ponies with thick mustaches like Prof. Port. He really shouldn't be listening to Nora's explanations.

"Maybe we could talk about this later?" Moving Sun's arm off himself, Jaune finally took notice of the flying military bullheads soaring above them. That was a sight for sore eyes. Looked like the Atlas military was ready to play too.

All around them Atlas robots began to fall from the sky, their guns locked and loaded as they began to fire upon the Grimm terrorizing Vale. The thought of the military coming in to save the day should of put his mind at ease, but it didn't exactly mean he could just sit down and watch as they saved day. He could still do his own part in helping the people like he had ordered his team to. If the robots could focus on eliminating the Grimm, then they could focus on saving the people.

Hearing several close gunshots fired, Jaune looked back towards Sun and Neptune, the two already falling back to fending off the Grimm. It looked like they didn't need to be told what to do. Steeling his nerves again, Jaune took one last look back at the duo as they tag teamed against a Death Stalker and a few Creepers before running off into the city to help any trapped civilians. He had only killed one Grimm so far. Hopefully that was all he was going to have to kill today.

* * *

Through the chaos and disaster brought about the Breach of Vale, one lone Huntress was beginning to tire. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation, was silently cursing to herself as she fought off several well sized Beowolves by herself. Following the Grimm invasion, the team of RWBY split up among themselves to cover more ground in slaying the creatures of darkness. They were exhausted from their previous fighting against members of the White Fang that had planned the attack. Even so, they couldn't have been discouraged from protecting the people of their mistake. They could have stopped it, all of it. The bombs, the train, the White Fang, but they were too slow, too powerless against their new foes.

The low dark chuckle of a familiar White Fang member rang in Weiss's ears as three Beowolves jumped at her. She tsked before spinning on her feet, a white glyph produced from her Semblance spinning along with her as she cast her attack. She swung her rapier before the three Grimm, stopping them dead in the air as a sculpted arc of deadly ice cut right through them. Jumping back, Weiss quickly changed the dust on her weapon to fire. A small swarm of Creepers charged at her only to be roasted to ashes as a jet of hot flames devoured their hides. No rest was in sight though as the sound of an odd whistle caught her ears, warning her of the flock of Nevermore circling above her. Thankfully they weren't bigger than the one she had fought with her team during their initiation, but they could still kill despite their size being no more than that of a large dog. Several black feathers rained down upon the young white haired fencer, whistling through the air. Weiss weaved around the peppering assault all the while casting her ice glyphs to shoot back at the flying Grimm with deadly icicles of dust.

She huffed as the last of the annoying beasts fell to her ice. First thing she was going to be doing once all the fighting was over with was start a nice hot bubbly bath for herself. Hopefully she could beat Yang to it before she got to their dorm room.

" _ **SQUUUUUUUUUEEEEE!**_ "

 _'Dammit!'_ Weiss grit her teeth in frustration at the sound of Boarbatusk before she found herself casting a glyph to block against the spin dash the creature was well known for. The thing wasn't letting up as its tusks were slowly whittling down her defense. The glyph was flashing, fading in and out as it was slowly losing its power.

She was running out of energy to cast her Semblance. She should have known, with all the nonstop fighting she'd been going through she had been using her dust and energy without a care to survive. It wouldn't be long until she was completely empty.

 _'Looks like I'll have to reserve what little I have then. No problem, fencing it is.'_

Calling off her glyph Weiss twisted around the saw that was the Boarbatusk before it could ram into her. The beast shot past her, crashing right through the remains of a deserted store. It huffed before turning its gaze back at the white themed girl. But in the moment it was ready to curl up for another attack, Weiss dashed at the dark pig, raising it up in the air with a strong slash under it snout. A series of lightning fast fencing jabs stabbed through the under belly of the beast seconds later as she flipped its belly before her with her blade.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips before frowning at the sounds of growling behind her. Was there no end to these things? Well, this was the fate of a Huntress, she supposed as she readied herself in a fencing stance. Fighting the Grimm to the very end.

Dashing back into the midst of the Grimm, the young heiress was oblivious to the dark intent following her every move. As it watched the beautiful snow white girl cut through the pack of Beowolves with signs of labored breathing and sweat running down her face it grinned wickedly, the slow start up hum of its revving blade hiding it's amused chuckles.

And here he thought he lost his chance at killing a Schnee. While Adam had called backed the remains of the White Fang stationed at Mount Glenn the Lieutenant had stayed back to get a status of their losses. It was honestly an excuse to hunt down that snotty little Schnee brat he had taken down earlier. He was so close to ending her, to seeing the beautiful sight of her blood splashing around as it ran along the buzzing chain of his chainsaw. But he missed his shot, their plans had gone off too early and now the Breach had arrived before its time. It was time to cut their losses before it all went down without any fruit to bear.

But he couldn't leave just yet. Not when he was so close to sending a devastating blow to the Schnee family as payback for all their mistreatment of his people.

Damn the consequences of returning back to the White Fang with her blood staining his clothes, he'd take any punishment Adam dealt to him for disobeying his orders. His leader would understand, it would come as a strategic plan in weakening the head of the Schnee.

The Lieutenant's chainsaw roared to life as it's cruel teeth spun madly in hopes of tearing though the flesh of the spoiled girl.

In the end, all that mattered to him was the beautiful sight of the Schnee's mangled corpse bleeding out in front of him.

A cold chill shot through Weiss's body as her rapier's sharp blade ran through the last of the Beowolves around her. The dark furred body slid off her blade with a sick shlick before the haunting sounds of a revving chain stopped her dead in her tacks. Cold sweat ran down her forehead as she turned around only to quickly call on her glyph to shield her against the wide swing of a familiar dark gray chainsaw. Sparks flew as the shield faded in and out before eventually fading away to nothing. Weiss bit back a shout of frustration as she moved to dodge the blow only for the long length of the chainsaw to slam into her abdomen. The damn thing was like a long blade! Thankfully her aura had protected against the blade's chains gutting her and splaying her organs onto the dirty ground around her. Instead the attack had sent her flying back and slammed her into a broken wall close by.

"Heh, heh, heh! Did you miss me, little Schnee?" The Lieutenant chuckled darkly as he watched Weiss gingerly hold her abdomen with a pained wince. Poor little thing. Like a bunny wounded in a hunt. Or a Faunas. The thought made him grip the fore grip of his weapon until his knuckles cracked. Not like her kind could tell the difference.

"Does this not seem ironic to you, little Schnee? Once humans had hunted my people down, LIKE ANIMALS!" he shouted angrily, narrowing his eyes behind his mask as he watched the wounded girl summon those annoying little patterns in front of her. An onslaught of speared icicles soon fired upon him. The Lieutenant saw the attack and laughed. He swung his chainsaw with a mighty swing, smashing the poor excuses for dust to shards. A series of white glyphs quickly spammed all around him, the sight bringing back deja vu as he soon found the heiress bouncing back and forth through her semblance. "We've played this little game before! But if you want a repeat, then FINE! COME HERE!"

Watching the girl aim for his back, the Lieutenant weaved his body to the right and brought his rough hands behind him to catch the girl's face as she shot from her glyph. Icy blue eye's looked back at him with surprise and a hint of fear. The look alone brought a wolfish grin to his face, the expression hidden from view due to his mask.

Weiss's blood ran cold as she struggled to free herself from the man's grasp. She quickly spun the dust chamber on Myrtenaster to lightning dust to shock the manic man into freeing her. The horrifying empty click of the chamber made her eyes widen in panic. How was she out!? She'd been saving her dust!

"Out of dust, out of luck, huh?" the Lieutenant taunted before catching her attempt to switch to another element. He sneered before grabbing her wrist just as she moved to aim the end of her rapier at his chest. "Do you think your aura can protect you forever!? Let's find out!"

A loud snap rung in his ears as he snapped Weiss's wrist in the wrong direction, her cry of pain muffled only by his hand gripping over her mouth tightly.

Aura was a nifty little thing. It protected from some deadly blows. But physics was still physics. If something was bent the wrong way then not even aura could protect against it.

Myrtenaster dropped from her broken right hand with a clatter. A shameful tear escaped her scarred eye as she was left helpless before the maniac's hands. Not taking any chances with the girl's odd Semblance, the masked freedom fighter kicked the elegant weapon far behind him.

The Lieutenant laughed loudly at the scene. He dropped the girl from his grip only to swing his chainsaw before her feet could even touch the ground. The edge of the weapon slammed back into her abdomen as before, the sawing teeth tearing against her aura as it he ran its entire length from the fore grip to the tip before sending her flying. Her body bounced against the ground before skidding to a stop against some smoking debris.

Weiss gasped in pain as she laid on her side, her left hand moving to hold her stomach in pain before the feeling of wetness made her stop in fear. Moving the trembling hand to her face, her fears were confirmed at the sight of deep red staining her palm. The chain broke through her aura, not completely, but enough to open a sick gash on her above her stomach.

Her aura had reached its limits. With no rest since the fighting began it didn't have a chance to recover from all the damage she'd sustained from the entire day. Like static she could see the thin layer that was her aura flicker around her arm as she tried to stand back up. It suddenly stopped, leaving her with a final flicker of white. A strong stab at her wound brought her falling to her right side. It reminded her of her broken wrist as it was left bent horribly with blood trailing down her fingers.

She tried moving up, to at least try getting some space away from the deadly White Fang Lieutenant only to struggle as her legs failed her. They trembled as she raised her upper body up by her left arm so she could be sitting up before the Grimm masked man as he took his time in reaching her.

This wasn't good. Her weapon was out of her reach. Her aura was down to zero. Her right hand had been broken. And she couldn't even stand on her own feet. Pain and fear racked her body as her lips trembled at the sinister chuckling coming towards her.

This was fear. Pure unadulterated fear. The kind she thought only the Grimm could produce. The man before her was a monster. Even with all her training against the Grimm she couldn't take him down. He shrugged off her best attacks and glyph combinations as if they were nothing when she could take down dozen after dozen of Grimm without breaking a sweat. Weiss tried backing away from the Lieutenant with her only good arm only for him to reach behind his waist and take out a concealed firearm. A standard small pistol carried by members of the SDC aimed at her before he fired a round at her left shoulder.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" Weiss screamed in horrible pain as the bullet pierced through muscle and bone and exited out a small bloody hole from her shoulder.

"And just where do you think you're going, princess?" rough and cruel fingers tangled themselves in her snow-white hair before yanking her up on her feet by her hair.

Eyes once full of confidence and pride now looked back at the Lieutenant in pain. It made him laugh. How the mighty have fallen. A frown crossed him though as he noticed something else in those blue eyes. Beaten, broken, and bleeding in a dirty white combat dress the heiress still had a spark of defiance in her. She hadn't even shed a tear since he had snapper her wrist. She should have been a bawling mess of fear, begging to spare her life with promises of fortune and riches beyond his wildest dreams. Yet, despite the fear, the girl was refusing to show anymore weakness. How prideful.

The Lieutenant raised his chainsaw with one hand and leveled it against the dirty pale neck of the heiress, his voice cold as he looked the girl in the eye through the holes of his mask, "Beg. Beg for mercy, little princess."

Through the pain, Weiss smiled weakly at the masked man, "Would you even listen?" she chuckled tiredly as she felt her limbs turn to lead.

He grinned savagely, "Good question. Did your ancestors listen?"

Weiss was tired. Tired of all the fighting. Tired of all the hate her name brought her. Tired of her lineage always being what others noticed before her. How many people had died because of the Schnee name? How many uncles, aunts, close relatives and friends, even kind workers, had died because of the mistakes of people she had never met? Because of the blood running down her stomach and trickling down her feet to a puddle made up of a family that abused an entire race of people.

And here she was, Weiss Schnee, heiress to a corporation that overworked a people for having animal appendages, who had finally found a place where she could be herself with a group of people that looked at her as Weiss, just Weiss, not Schnee, who was finally free of the shadow of her father and name and only seen as a fellow Huntress in training, about to be killed for said name that had brought her nothing but a curse.

The Lieutenant's chainsaw roared madly as bits of her blood splashed off from its teeth onto her skin. She was going to die. All alone. But, if anything, she could at least die proudly smiling back at the man's face. She could at least die robbing him of seeing her dead with fear. Though her name may bring her grief, she was still a Schnee! And a Schnee lived with dignity, even to the bitter end.

 _'Ruby, I'm sorry I can't be there with you any longer. You're going to have to find someone else to keep you from dozing off in class. God knows you can be an idiot, but you were a better leader then I expected. Yang, your puns were stupid and immature. But I'm going to miss them, I hate to say it, but some of them were actually 'punny'. I really must be dying. Blake, I'm sorry for all the trouble my family has ever caused you and your kind, but I'm happy despite all that hatred between your race and my family, we could still become friends in the end. I truly wish I could help fix things between them. I'm going to miss you guys, you were as close to sisters as my own big sister, Winter.'_ Weiss looked back defiantly to the Lieutenant with a big proud smile stretching across her bloody, bruised face. The act made him roar in anger before he pulled back his looming chainsaw for a decapitating swing. The heiress closed her eyes in acceptance, still refusing to shed a tear before her demise. She would rob him of that joy no matter what.

 _'Father, Winter, I'm sorry your daughter and sister died such an ugly, unpleasant death. But know that I died a Schnee, proud until the end. I'll miss you all. And all of the people of Beacon that had become my friends. The teachers, the students, the other teams, and even-'_

The image of a nervously smiling blond in a black hoodie with blue eyes flashed before Weiss's mind before the Lieutenant swung his deadly chainsawing weapon.

 _'You, Doofus.'_

"SSSSSTTTOOOOOOOPPPPPP!"

A loud clang stopped the Lieutenant's swing inches from shredding Weiss's neck open and lobbing her sweet little head off in a gruesome tear of flesh. He was confused for a moment as he frowned at the very loud clang. The sound was close, almost as if it had come from right next to him. A dull pressure caught his attention. Tilting his head to his right side as he paused his execution, the Lieutenant was surprised to see a worn out gray blade slammed into his side. And linked to the blade was a trembling blond haired boy in a black hoodie and armor straps. Blue eyes glared at him with a rage that the boy's body struggled to contain.

When the hell did this brat sneak up on him?

"Let her go." Jaune growled hoarsely as he dug his sword deeper against the Lieutenant's side, silently cursing the miracle that was aura as it stopped his blade from doing any real damage.

A gut feeling. He was having a lot of those today. While he had been sneaking around the town for civilians in need of help, he had picked up on the faint sound of screaming. This shouldn't have surprised him seeing as the roars of the Grimm were being matched by the panicked cries of fear from the people of Vale. But the faint scream had dropped a heavy rock of lead into his stomach. The sound was hard to pick up on, but his gut was pointing him to the East of his current position. And it was telling him to not ask questions and shut up if he knew what was good for him.

So, he had run, his heart speeding up in its beats as an unbearable force gripped it tightly with every second that passed him by. His stomach felt sick as a deep laugh rung in the air followed by what sounded like the loud vroom of a chainsaw. All the running had robbed him of his breath as he stopped to lean on a wall that had been torn out by a larger Grimm. Leaning against it, Jaune caught a sight that had seared itself into his memories. The beaten, bruised, bloody, dirtied form of Weiss, dragged up by her elegant ponytail by the hands of a tall White Fang member. Her eyes closed and smiling proudly in the face of what was imminent death. At that point he didn't know what followed next as he felt an explosive white rage send him flying off his feet and swinging his family's sword at the bastard touching Weiss.

The Lieutenant scoffed at the weak pressure hitting his side, "Back off, brat!" he yelled furiously as he followed with a swing of his long chainsaw.

Jaune moved his sword back and quickly raised his shield to block the sawing teeth of the Lieutenant's cruel weapon. He grit his teeth as he felt the incredible force of strength behind the blow but dug his feet in place. Weiss was still in his filthy hands and there was no force on Remnant that would stop him from taking her away from this bastard.

 _'Jaune? What are you. . .'_ Weiss fought the weakness in her eyes as she stared weakly back at him with confusion. How the hell did he find her? Wasn't he supposed to be leading his team? Then again she wasn't with her own team either. That's what got her in this mess to begin with. Well that, and being a Schnee.

"Don't worry, Weiss." Jaune smiled back with a grimace as he caught his Snow Angel looking back at him with lidded eye's. He turned his head back at the larger man, grinning in determination he didn't know he possessed as he moved his sword hand behind his waist for a little present he picked up while charging at the Lieutenant. Looping Crocea Mors in the crisscross of his belt, Jaune swung the familiar point of Myrtenaster straight at the white tribal mask of the Lieutenant. "I promise I won't break it."

Now how the hell did this thing work?

A red dye colored the rapier's blade as it switched to a fire dust in its chamber. What quickly followed was a stream red hot flames pouring from the point of the multi dust chambered blade to devour the upper body of the Lieutenant. Even with his aura up the flames created from dust still burned the White Fang member's skin a light pink. The Lieutenant lost his grip on Weiss's ponytail as he jumped back to escape the surprise attack.

Fumbling with the controls of the elegant rapier, Jaune shut off the flames spewing from the point before quickly kneeling down towards the horribly injured form of Weiss. He grit his teeth at what he was seeing. From up close he could see just how badly she had been beaten. For god's sakes, her right hand was twisted and swollen in colors of sick blue and green. Blood was still leaking from a nasty gash on stomach. Remembering a lesson from class regarding aid, Jaune took the still burning steel of Weiss's weapon and moved it towards the bloody ripped flesh of her stomach.

"Please, bear with it for a sec." he pleaded to the heiress as he took her face in his left hand. Blue weary eye's looked back at him with a wince before nodding back as she grit her teeth. If the wound wasn't closed, then there was a chance she would die of blood loss. It wasn't the most favorable way to seal a wound, but it was all they had at the moment.

The weak cry of pain as Jaune pressed the hot steel against the bloody wound made him sick to his stomach. The burning flesh smelled horrible. And even worse he could swear he saw tears gathering in her beautiful icy blue eyes as she bared with the pain.

A bellowing cloud of smoke suddenly jumped above the Huntsman, parting away to reveal the falling long blade like chainsaw of the Lieutenant dropping down onto them with killer intent. A snarl escaped Jaune's lips as he let go of the rapier and reached back for Crocea Mors. Pooling all his strength into his both his arms, the young knight swung his sword in a two-handed swing. The mad sawing teeth of the Lieutenant's chainsaw met the ancient blade and suddenly found itself fighting to overpower the boy's battered blade.

"YOU!" Jaune roared over the buzzing of the chainsaw, his eyes wide in a rage he had never felt before. His knee's buckled for a moment before he forced them still under the almost overbearing force clashing against his own. "You did this! I swear, I'm going to end you!"

The Lieutenant laughed at the poor attempt of a threat, "Just try, kid! You're way in over your head!"

Seeing Jaune begin to struggle over the power clash, Weiss fought through the new pain of her wound being cauterized and reached with her only good hand to her weapon. She struggled for a bit as she had forgotten about her left shoulder being shot through, but forced herself to work the dust revolver of Myrtenaster through the pain. The chamber spun to the last of her dust and she was going to make sure it was well used.

"Jaune! Move back!" she yelled, catching the blond's attention before he nodded his head with a grunt. Abandoning the blade clash, Jaune jumped a space back. The long reach of the chainsaw was ready to tear into Weiss, causing the Lieutenant to grin in victory only to curse loudly as once again that annoying little toothpick that was a rapier was aimed at his body, the blade alight with a sickly green hue.

A powerful gust of wind stopped his blade's teeth from sawing the heiress to pieces, trapping him still before the strength of the wind evolved to a twister. The force tore him from his spot, the powerful winds sending him flying off his feet and crashing into the rubble surrounding them with a shout.

Dropping his guard for the moment, Jaune scrambled back to Weiss as she held back a shout of pain. Simply raising her weapon caused incredible pain to run along her arm.

"Weiss! Are you alright!?" Jaune asked worriedly as knelt down before holding her body against his chest. He winced noticing the action caused her to hold back another shout of pain as he soon found her familiar glare staring back into his own blue eyes.

"Are you really that thick headed, Jaune? What do you think?" Weiss scoffed weakly as she squirmed lightly against his grip.

Jaune smiled weakly as tears gathered in his eyes at the sight before him. He used one of his hands to rub away the dampness. "Sorry, Snow Angel. Guess I wasn't really thinking."

"Heh, you seem to do that a lot when you're around me."

"Yeah, I guess I can't think straight when I'm around someone as pretty as you." he sniffed with a weak smile. Weiss rolled her eyes. Even now when things weren't exactly bright, the idiot could still find some time to flirt with her. What a numbskull.

But, sometimes even she had to admit that his little comments were endearing.

The small little moment was shattered under the bellowing roar of the Lieutenant kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt from stabbing his long chainsaw into the ground beside him in frustration. The man was a literal tank. Then again he was fighting two Huntsman in training, one drained from constant fighting, and the other not even truly qualified to be a hunter in training to begin with.

But that didn't matter to Jaune.

He was afraid. But that fear had evolved to rage. Jaune liked to think he wasn't an angry person by nature. He was a goof, a dork, a wannabe hero with no true skills other than a large aura pool that was only recently unlocked. But even he had a breaking point. And the broken shards of that point had been reduced to ash from the burning rage that was now driving him to stand before a man that could honestly kill him on the spot with little effort. But there was a weight held against his chest. One that he couldn't lose because of his lack of talent or skills. All that mattered was that he could stand and fight, and honestly, that was all he really needed right now.

Moving back up with Weiss held in his arms like the princess she was, Jaune began to walk towards the broken shambles of a wall, all the while with the Lieutenant's eyes trailing him for any signs of running. Jaune should have honestly made a break for it with Weiss, but the Lieutenant would catch them. All he could do was distract the lunatic. Distract the Lieutenant long enough for the plan running through his head to play out.

Stopping before the slab of wall that towered over him, Jaune slowly moved the fragile form of Weiss to lay her back against it. She looked at him with confusion, noting the raw determination etched onto his face. Since when could he make a face like that?

"Listen to me, Weiss." Jaune whispered lowly to the heiress as he moved his left hand to the pocket of his jeans. He smiled, hoping to ease the look of worry on her face, "I want you stay right here. Don't move a muscle, you're beat up enough as it is. Just let me do all the fighting, help will come soon, I promise."

Weiss was at loss for words. She wanted to argue with him, but lost her voice as she winced in pain from the numerous wounds stretching across her body.

Jaune gave her one last smile before standing straight up. He turned his eyes away from the beautiful wounded angel to the lunatic wielding a chainsaw like a long blade. The man reminded him of those horror movie villains that tortured their victims with sick pleasure.

The Lieutenant chuckled at the sight of the boy. What a surprise. He had hoped to be done with his little personal vendetta and make his way back to the White Fang with the head of the little Schnee as a present for Adam. But the boy had derailed his plans like the trains that crashed through Vale. The boy wasn't a threat though. He had surprised him, but he doubted the blond boy had anything left in his sleeves to play. It would take a bit longer, but the Lieutenant was sure to walk away with the Schnee dead at his feet by the end of the day. Even if it meant another body lying next to her.

"What are you going to do, boy?" the Lieutenant sneered as he watched the boy shift the sheath tied to his side to a shield of white with golden arcs and raise it in front of himself. For some odd reason his free hand moved to the back of the shield, his fingers seeming to dance around the back of his forearms from his point of view. "A kid like yourself has no hope of taking down a man with such experience as I! I'm stronger! Faster! Tougher than you could ever be!" he pounded his scuffled chest with his free hand before leveling his chainsaw at Jaune.

"You're as good as dead as the little princess you're stupidly protecting! Do you even know what her family has done to my people!? If you believe in justice, then step aside and let me splay her remains across the ground! Or die a waste of time!"

Jaune scowled furiously at the man, sick of his words.

"Honestly, I don't understand what the Schnee name means. I know it's a big company or corporation that deals with Dust, but that's all I really know. So, I don't really have an opinion on their past dealings, and I honestly don't care. Because Weiss is Weiss. The pretty Snow Angel that I've admired since coming to Beacon Academy. Her family's name, IT MEANS NOTHING TO ME!" Jaune roared loudly before whipping out his concealed secret weapon attached to the back of Crocea Mors shield.

The see through surface of his scroll caught the Lieutenant's attention. He looked at the outstretched hand in confusion before snarling in rage at the screen's contents. A beacon like icon was flashing red as a loud beep rang in the air. The words 'Send To: All Contacts.' could be seen in red text. A small thumbnail was attached to the alert, a picture of Weiss laid against the broken wall, bruised and bleeding, and in need of help.

An emergency beacon. All scrolls had a function to send an alert to any nearby Huntsman and Huntresses for help during emergencies. The beacon bypassed any locked screens and rang in such a high volume that it was impossible to ignore unless you were dead. It sent coordinates with the built in trackers in each Beacon issued scroll. All students were taught to answer them, especially during disasters such as now.

Jaune didn't have the power to stop the Lieutenant. He wasn't stupid, he didn't have the power nor skill to fight someone beyond his level. He didn't even have a Semblance to give him an edge. But he did have friends. And they were more than enough to save Weiss for him.

All he needed was to be a distraction until they reached them. Ruby of all people would be here in no time. So, all Jaune had to do was play punching bag. If there was one thing he was good for, it was taking a beating.

"All that matters is that I stop you from ever laying your filthy fucking hands on her again!" Jaune roared as he unsheathed his sword from his shield and got into a stance Pyrrha had drilled into him.

Dead, dead, dead, DEAD! That boy was fucking DEAD! The Lieutenant was done playing games with these kids. He was aiming to kill in one blow! The alert the boy had sent out could reach the Atlas military that was flying above them with their droids. If he didn't finish things up now, then he'd never get a chance like this again. He was ending things now!

Weiss was in shock. That was his plan? To stall for time until their friends came to save them? That could take minutes he couldn't buy. Even as her Scroll let out the loud beep of the beacon alert sent to all their scrolls, Weiss knew it would be all for nothing if Jaune couldn't hold the Lieutenant off long enough for them to arrive. He'd die. And the thought terrified her more than her own death.

That stupid idiot. Her good hand gripped Myrtenaster in frustration as there was nothing she could do to help him fight. A sudden thought came to her though as she looked to Jaune's back.

While she couldn't wield her weapon anymore or use her dust, Weiss still had enough energy to use her Semblance for one more glyph. And it was just the one she needed.

Jaune and the Lieutenant aimed their blades at another, intently focused on one another and unaware of the golden wisp that shot into the knight's body. A yellow clockwork glyph spun underneath Jaune's feet, unknowingly hastening his abilities and his aura.

Weiss smiled at the now glowing back image of Jaune. If she was honest, she'd have taken anyone else to protect her than him of all people. Jaune was weak and Weiss was pretty sure he had never won a single match combat class against anyone. He wasn't fit for the image of a great huntsman like the rest of them. But he had heart. And that Weiss could admire. Her eyes grew heavy as the day's events began to catch up to her. She'd just take a small nap for a while. A few minutes. Surely the rest of team RWBY would make it back before she woke up with more help.

After all, how could they miss the shining beacon that was her knight in white armor standing in front of them?

A powerful gale blew up from the two man's charging strikes as they suddenly met head on with their blades clashing in a shower of sparks. They grit their teeth in frustration before moving back their blades for a flurry of strikes aimed to kill. The Lieutenant swung his chainsaw in a one handed side swing. Jaune quickly slammed his shield back at the blow, surprising the Lieutenant at the force as his long chainsaw was deflected away. Taking the free shot in sight, Jaune raised his sword above his head, failing to take notice of the white hue cladding his weapons and body, before dropping it in for an overhead slash. A bright white arc followed the falling slash, catching the right hand of the White Fang off guard as he suddenly found himself guarding against the arc of energy ramming into him. The blade broke his guard, knocking him away with a shout of pain.

The Lieutenant growled angrily before dashing back to Jaune with a lighting quick wide swing. Jaune once again blocked the blow but found himself pushed back as the Lieutenant enhanced the swing with his aura. The Lieutenant followed it up with an under head slash of his chainsaw, the sawing teeth cutting against Jaune's aura as it ran its entire length with the swing. Jaune stumbled back from the savage slash only to face an onslaught of wild slashes and an elbow to his face. He gasped in pain before his breath was robbed of him from a knee jab to his stomach kicking him a few feet off the ground.

Jaune didn't know what exactly had gotten into him, but he was suddenly back on the attack as he grit his teeth through the pain before grabbing the back of the Lieutenant's head with his left hand. He then delivered a savage headbutt to the man's temple that sent the faunus stumbling back in pain. Jaune didn't waste any time as he charged at the stumbling Lieutenant with his shield. The Lieutenant was rammed back from the strike and left off guard against the flurry of wild sword strikes. Each swing was followed by arcs of white aura slamming into his own aura, weakening it bit by bit with every swing.

"BACK OFF!" the Lieutenant shouted in frustration. He swung his chainsaw with a strong right to end the assault aimed at the boy's head.

Jaune gasped in pain, his reflexes failing to end his attacks to block the deadly weapon. The chainsaw got a good hit in as it slammed into the left of his face, leaving a nasty, bloody bruise. If it wasn't for his aura he was sure that would have been it. The knight quickly retaliated with a rising slash of white energy trailing his blade.

A lancing streak of aura knocked the Lieutenant up as it slammed underneath his chin from the slash. A sudden crack formed on his Grimm mask, chipping off a piece as he stumbled back to grab his face. Jaune let loose a breath he had been holding, thanking the wisp of aura cladding his body. He didn't question it, all that mattered was that it was helping him fight back. The wisp of aura suddenly began to weaken though, sending him into a panic. Unknown to him the Haste glyph was running out of time.

 _'Just a bit more!'_ Jaune openly grit his teeth as he shifted his shield back to its sheath. He didn't know where all this power was coming from, how he was able to move so quick, or how he was capable of creating arcs of aura with every swing, but whatever was allowing him to fight on even ground with the walking tank, he desperately begged to stay with him just a little longer. _'I DON'T CARE IF THIS POWER COMES WITH A PRICE! I'LL GIVE YOU MY SOUL, JUST LET ME PROTECT WEISS A LITTLE LONGER! SO, PLEASE STAY!'_ Jaune cried before his aura flared wildly. He abandoned his defense for gripping Crocea Mors two handed for more power. The gestured causing the aura whipping around him to gather around the blade as a conduit, almost as if it answered his call for one last go.

"You stupid little human! Why won't you die!?" the Lieutenant raged before gripping his chainsaw tightly by his side. He stomped his right foot in front of the other as he got into a stance. He roared loudly as he channeled his aura into the muscles of his legs and used the added boost to disappear in a burst of high speed.

Jaune's eyes moved back and forth for any signs of the deadly White Fang Lieutenant. He panicked, remembering Weiss was left wide open for an attack as she slept. He turned to run to back to her, quickly reaching her only to miss the Lieutenant appear in a blur of speed behind him, his long chainsaw raised high in a diagonal slash.

"BLOCK THIS, BRAT!"

The Lieutenant dropped the tearing edged teeth of his pseudo blade onto Jaune with little mercy. It landed across Jaune's right shoulder, fighting to tear through what remained of his aura.

Jaune openly grit his teeth as his blue eye's flew open in agony. He could feel the sawing teeth against his skin, his aura struggling to withstand the savage buzzing teeth. But he couldn't move back now. His body was all that was blocking the Lieutenant's chainsaw from Weiss! He had to take it!

Sparks flew as the chainsaw dug deeper against Jaune's aura, making some headway as it began to tear into the straps of his chest armor and hoodie, _'JUST BEAR WITH IT FOR A LITTLE LONGER!'_ he told himself as he glared furiously back at the Lieutenant. His aura began to flicker, alerting him he didn't have much time left before he was done for. But that was fine, he told himself as he moved Crocea Mors back with both his hands gripped until his knuckles turned white.

Just one second. That's all he needed.

The aura spiraling along the blade of the historic gray blade suddenly stopped, pausing still before flaring wildly like raging flames. Jaune poured everything he had into his sword as he dug his feet deep into the ground. His aura continued to flicker in the face of imminent death as he readied for one last attack. If this didn't at least knock him out for a bit, than nothing would.

Two synchronized yells startled Weiss awake in time to see the ending of the two men's fight. A flash of bright white blinded her as she watched Jaune deliver a devastating swing of Crocea Mors into the side of the White Fang Lieutenant with enough force to kick up a strong gale. The wind pressure dug up patches of earth underneath the two as the Lieutenant screamed in pain. A large white diagonal arc slammed into his gut that stretched several blocks across him. It tore through his vest and even cut into his skin as his aura desperately fought against it. In the end it was all for nothing. The arc picked the Lieutenant off his feet before carrying him away, sending him flying away like a firing bullet. It crashed him through several shops lined behind before bursting in a ray of light, leaving the Lieutenant under a rubble of broken cement and wood bearings.

A tear ran down Weiss's dirty cheek as she watched Jaune sigh deeply and drop his blade beside him. He paused, struggling for his Scroll before looking down at the screen, blinking in confusion before smiling tiredly. He fumbled to shut it close for a moment, dropping it in the end before turning back and grinning sheepishly towards her.

A numb feeling fell over the bottom half of his body, but Jaune ignored it in the face of the beautiful Snow Angel looking back at him.

Weiss smiled with teary eyes in the face of her hero. The idiot did it. He won. He beat the walking tank, a man that she had failed to defeat by herself. His favorite hoodie was torn across the shoulders and his chest armor was loosely hanging by one strap, but he was alive. The idiot pulled a miracle before their friends could reach them. All by himself.

"You big, dumb, idiot." she sniffed as she fought the tears in her eyes. The heiress was afraid to wake up to Jaune missing an arm or half dead. It was nightmare she didn't want to wake up to. Looking over him she was glad to note he only looked banged up from his fight. She made a mental note to buy the fool a new hoodie for saving her life. Hell, she'd take him out clothes shopping after today if she could. God knows he needed a new wardrobe seeing him wearing those sad excuse for huntsman gear.

And, if he wanted, Jaune could consider it a date. Maybe finally answering one of his proposals would make them even. If only a little.

Weiss tried moving up to Jaune, only to wince and sit back down with a huff. It would take some time for her aura to replenish. She just wished it would hurry up so they could leave this dreaded place and get some real help. She needed a splint for her right hand and some disinfectant for her wounds, especially her cauterized stomach and shot shoulder.

She looked back with a small grin at her knight in shining armor, "You know, you really had me scared, Jaune. I almost thought you'd mess up and fall on your own sword instead of dying by that maniac." she joked lightly before frowning in worry as she noticed Jaune had yet to take a step towards her since turning back to her. She bit her lip, fighting off the sudden dread that crawled down to the pit of her stomach before speaking again in a trembling tone.

"S-So? What a-are you waiting f-for, d-doofus? Y-You can p-pick me up! Come on! Let's g-get out of here a-already before that lunatic wakes up!"

A tear suddenly ran down Jaune's cheek as he smiled brightly at the heiress with shut eyes. A tremendous rush of numbness cut through his body. A trickle of blood ran down his lips.

The sight terrified Weiss before she reached her trembling shot arm towards Jaune.

"J-Jaune?"

"Sorry, Weiss."

A fountain of blood gushed like a sprinkler of water from a large tear across Jaune's body that stopped at the left of his hip. Blood spewed from his mouth as his lungs filled with red and he lost feeling to his legs. He fell forward with a gurgled cry only to be caught by Weiss at the last moment. The feeling in her own legs trembled in pain as she stood with the gruesomely wounded knight before falling back to back with the wall behind her.

Weiss fell into a panicked hysteria as she held the bleeding out Jaune in her arms as he continued to smile. Tears fell down her face as she shook his body, trying to get an answer out of him. She sobbed at the sight of the blood staining her combat skirt, pooling underneath them in a dark red glisten.

"Eh, heh heh, heh hehe hehehe, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

A loud crushing boom drowned out her cries as the haunting rev of a chainsaw stopped her from what she was doing. A cloud of dust blew up from a ruined shop across from her before being blown away from a great swing of the Lieutenant's chainsaw. The force parting it with a gale strong enough to break the wall behind her to pieces and smack her like a wall of air.

The Lieutenant's body shone with dark gray light, his aura brought out for all to see it in all its glory. He grunted in pain as his left hand was pressed against his bleeding stomach. Somehow, without shattering his aura's defenses, the blonde haired boy's attack had deeply cut into him. Not only that, but he was sure that his aura was reduced to a one fourth of what it had been before he took the hit. The boy had been making some small headway against his defenses, but for him to do so much damage in one hit was ridiculous! But he supposed it was worth it. Looking back at his two targets he was happy to see the large pool of blood running underneath them.

Just before the boy's sword struck him, the blond brat's aura had lost its fight against his chainsaws teeth. The Lieutenant had been hoping to completely rend the top half of the knight's body from his waist, but he'd have to settle for the sawing a large tear from the boy's shoulder into his chest. Without his aura all he needed was a second for the revving teeth to cut through bone and muscle before his long chainsaw was torn away at the bone of the blond brat's hips by the large arc of aura hitting him.

That was all he needed though. The Lieutenant chuckled darkly, letting go of his wound before dragging along his chainsaw to walk menacingly over to Weiss.

Nothing on Remnant could save the boy from a wound like that. Plenty of the kid's major organs had been torn and the blood loss he had already suffered couldn't be fixed with a simple blood transfusion. As it was he was barely grasping at the sliver of life he had left.

"What will you do now, princess?" The Lieutenant roared with laughter as he stopped a few paces from Weiss's frozen form. Tears continued to trail down her cheeks as she looked back up at him with pure horror in her eyes. The sight made him grin widely. Now this was the scene he had been hoping for. For the spoiled brat to die with such a lovely little face.

"Nothing!? A shame! I was actually having fun playing with your little meat shield! But this is fine, that lovely face you're making is more than enough to make up for all the trouble you caused me!"

He rose his chainsaw high above himself with gusto. This time there would be nothing to get in the way of his prize.

"NOW DIE!"

A loud roar entered his ears as he dropped his chainsaw towards the white heiress, confusing him as a sense of deja vu for the second time today hit him. That wasn't him roaring.

A hard knuckled fist smashed into the Lieutenant's face with tremendous force a second later, completely cracking his grim mask with little effort. And once again he was sent flying from a powerful blow off his feet. The Lieutenant gasped in pain, breaking through a slab of rubble, kicking a dust cloud up as he fell on his back.

The fuck hit him!? A truck!?

"YOU FUCKING PIG!"

Burning bright red eye's glared at the Lieutenant's slowly rising form with hellish intensity. Yang's shoulders shook with a rage she had never felt before and one she had never wished to feel. Her right hand was outstretched from a powerful right hook jab and in her left was the red screen of her scroll blaring with a loud siren ring. The scroll cracked, shattering into sparking bits as her fingers turned to a fist with a loud crack of her knuckles.

The Lieutenant sighed in frustration. Great, just fucking great! Another annoyance. The boy's stupid alert made it to someone close by. It wouldn't be long until the Atlas military responded. He'd have to end this quickly.

Two straps of shotgun shells flew up in the air before Yang swung her arms back, the shells falling into the chamber of Ember Celica with a click. A sizzle of yellow like fire bellowed from the busty girl's body as her once yellow hair dyed into a hot platinum and her Semblance roared before her. The ground underneath her cracked from the sudden rise in pressure around her as bits of rubble rose up.

"Don't move! This will only hurt until you're dead!" Yang roared madly as a single tear fell before evaporating from the intense rise of heat cladding her body.

The yellow haired boxer unleashed a flurry of left and right hooks aimed at the Lieutenant, each swing firing a shot gun shell of blazing lead. The Lieutenant quickly shot off the spot, missing having his body being turned to chunks of swiss cheese. Several rounds followed after him as he weaved through the bullet hell firing at him. He tried to swing his chainsaw to swat the shells away, only to find some black ribbon striking his wrist. It coiled, halting his attack as he soon found three shotgun shells exploding against what little aura he had left.

Smoke bellowed from the shots, parting ways to show off the three holes burned into his vest. The Lieutenant huffed as sweat rolled down his face before growling and swinging his head to his right. Looking back, the familiar sight of Blake Belladonna, traitor of the White Fang, came into his sight. Gambol Shroud in its kusarigama mode twisted around his wrist, holding him back from making another move.

Cold yellow eyes glared back into his eyes. The Lieutenant hadn't expected to be seeing her again after ruining his plans to kill the Schnee earlier. But at least this way he could kill two birds with one stone. Hunting the traitor was on his to do list.

The Lieutenant smashed his free arm's elbow into the cat faunas face, grinning in victory only to be robbed as Blake's body faded away in a shadow after image.

"I'm beginning to hate Semblances!" he bellowed madly before blocking against a vicious jab at his chest. Another explosion hit his body as the smoke parted to reveal Yang aiming another shotgun fueled punch. He swatted the girl away before she could land another hit, only to weave to the right from a bullet aimed to his head. Blake frowned as she watched the Lieutenant dodge Gambol Shroud's shot before shifting it into its dual blade from. She dashed and met her former freedom fighter in a crossing of blades. She swung the bladed sheath of Gambol Shroud at his side. The Lieutenant kicked her away before she could connect the blade. He smirked only to be reminded of her blazing partner coming in for a flurry of boxing jabs. He swung his chainsaw and countered each swing. He panted with every exchange, his prolonged fights finally taking their toll. It was made only worse as he found himself tag teamed by the black haired ninja jumping in to the assault with her own blades weaving into Yang's punches.

Weiss looked back at her two friends fighting with shock as she continued to hold Jaune's bleeding body against her chest. They found them? She was sure that the next time they saw her she would be a mangled corpse.

A hoarse chuckle took her attention away from the fighting to see Jaune looking back at the B and Y of RWBY pushing the Lieutenant back. His breath was ragged and his chest seemed to be struggling to rise with every second.

"I-I-I knew t-they'd g-get h-here in t-time." Jaune smiled weakly with blood stained lips. He closed his eyes happily as he looked back to Weiss with a grin.

"S-So d-don't w-worry. E-Everything's going t-to b-be f-fine n-now, Snow A-Angel."

The idiot. Tears splashed against Jaune's face as Weiss could only hug him tighter to her chest. Even now he was still worried about her. Why? All she'd ever done to him was ridicule him. She treated him coldly, ignored his advances, and thought of him as nothing more than an annoyance that couldn't take no for an answer. A guy like him wasn't even worthy of attending the same school as her, let alone speak to her so casually. So, why would he sacrifice himself for a girl like her? How could a guy like Jaune. . .fall for a girl like her?

"J-Jaune?"

Weiss gripped Jaune's body tighter as a familiar young voice called out his name. Turning her crying eyes up, her fears were confirmed at the sight of Ruby standing in front of them with teary eyes.

"I got your message. I told you we were on our way." Ruby sniffed before dropping on her knees. She looked to Weiss, almost asking her if there was anything she could do to help, only for her partner to sob and slowly shake her head. The red hooded girl bit the bottom of her lip as tears ran down her face.

The message was clear. There was nothing they could do to save him now.

The Lieutenant coughed in agony as Yang broke through his guard and fired off an entire clip of shotgun shells into the wound Jaune had inflicted. His aura waned, flickering as the explosive shells sent him stumbling back. He grit his teeth and raised his chainsaw back for a powerful spin slash. Blake cut him off though, switching places with her partner to take the blow. Her shadow took her place as a feint. Catching him off guard, she took the opportunity to deliver several strikes with her blades. He could do nothing as he felt his aura suddenly cut through, a powerful slash of Blake's blade tearing through his vest and skin to draw blood in vertical line of gushing red.

The pain caused him to fall back and defend. The White Fang Lieutenant brought his chainsaw's long and large frame to block the two girls charging at him.

His plans, they were falling apart! He was winning, he had been so close to killing a Schnee only to be stopped by some brats that weren't even real Huntsman! All because one boy sent out a message. A boy he could have killed like that! But now, the Lieutenant was on the losing end. All he could do was defend and try to make a retreat. Live to fight another day. Even without his aura he could still fight them off long enough to escape. He was a well-trained, grown adult! He couldn't lose to some kids!

Two teardrops flew across Yang and Blake's eyes as they charged with their respected weapons at the Lieutenant. The image of deathly wounded Jaune bleeding out with a large tear across his chest burned into their minds. Yang's left fist burned brightly and Blake's dual blades flared with purple energy. They would make sure that if Jaune couldn't get up, the man responsible wouldn't either.

"THIS IS FOR JAUNE!" They roared together before swinging at the Lieutenant's guard.

Two aura clad blades cracked the frame of the White Fang Lieutenant's chainsaw with an X slash, the force and pressure behind them smashing through his own body like an unseen force to imprint a bloody cross cut. But that was nothing compared to the fist of the busty blonde. Yang's explosive fist smashed the Lieutenant's weapon to pieces, sending the bits flying everywhere like an explosion had gone off. The huntresses's attacks continued. Several well aimed slashes tore into his body, sending his blood flying in a wild flurry. Blake then jumped back and waited for the explosive finish.

The Lieutenant began to fall back, quickly catching himself before he could fall on his trembling feet. He wouldn't go down like this! He glared hatefully back at the traitor only for his face to be knocked to the side by an explosive right hook. Again, and again a series of left and right hooks landed against his face, the yellow haired girl firing shotgun fueled fists as she bobbed and weaved in his sight, making him see multiple blondes. The world spun back and forth in his eyes, blurring to a hazy image. The Lieutenant's mind was going blank. The pain, it was too much to bear. And with one last rage fueled punch straight to his face, his teeth shattered followed by his body being slammed back to the ground with an explosive boom. The earth broke off into chunks of dirt as he laid in a smoking crater. The broken earth fell back down and pelted his now auraless body, adding on to the list of injuries he sustained.

A gurgled groan escaped the Lieutenant's lips as he looked up at the slowly setting sky. He couldn't move his body, he couldn't even feel it at this point. Blood splattered against his heavily bruised face, his teeth lying around him in shards.

He failed. He had embarrassed the name of the White Fang. Adam would tell stories of his failure to warn off any rogue White Fang members. He should of just ignored the voice inside his head telling him to hunt the Schnee down.

The White Fang Lieutenant's eyes rolled to the back of his head, the pain finally being too much for him as he passed out.

Yang sneered angrily at the downed form of the Lieutenant. Oh, no. She wasn't done yet. She cocked back her fist loading one last shell into Ember Celica. She'd be damned if he lived and Jaune died! That wasn't fair, that wasn't how the world worked! She wasn't just about to let the bastard live a life behind a cell when her own friend lost his protecting her teammate! That wasn't how things worked!

She began to march to the Lieutenant's body, only to be stopped by a hand catching her shoulder. She turned back to the hand's owner with fury burning in her red eyes, only to be met by Blake's sad frown. The bookworm shook her head with a grimace.

"Stop. There's been enough death for one day." She pleaded, gesturing her head back towards her leader and Weiss in Jaune's last moments.

The red in Yang's eyes instantly died away, replaced with regret and remorse. Her purple eyes filled with tears.

They were too late. They didn't make it in time. She tried holding back a cry seeing all the blood drenching Jaune's clothes. If they had only ran a little faster, if they had only received the message a few minutes earlier, if only they had stayed together instead, if only they had stopped this disaster from happening in the first place to begin with, then Jaune wouldn't have to be dying on the ground.

How the hell could she kill monsters when she could't even save a friend? What the hell was the point of all this power in her hands if she couldn't stop her friend from dying?

Walking towards the three, Blake and Yang knelt down to greet Jaune besides Ruby. Their leader's face was buried into her friend's bloody chest, not caring for the red liquid staining her face as she sobbed pleas for him to stay. The sight dug a knife into their guts. It drove home that there was truly nothing they could do to save him.

Jaune's heart beat was slowing, it only had a few more beats left before it finally gave out. It was taking everything in his power to stay conscious right now. But now, seeing team RWBY gathered around him with the Lieutenant fallen across from them where he couldn't hurt anyone, he could stop fighting it. There was no point in fighting the inevitable.

"Looks l-like y-you g-guys won." Jaune grinned. "S-Sorry all I could do w-was stall. Guess I-I wasn't f-fit t-to b-be a Hunter a-after all. A-All I could do was k-kill one G-Grimm." he chuckled sadly as his own tears began to slid down his cheeks.

"M-Mom and D-Dad w-were r-right. Maybe I-I s-should have s-stayed h-home."

Jaune wasn't cut out to be a Huntsman. His parents had known that from the start. He wasn't gifted or physically fit to be one. Even if he had been trained he would have still fallen short compared to the other Huntsman and Huntresses. His dreams of being a hero like his ancestors were just that, dreams that would die away with him. In the end, it was all for nothing. He had wasted everyone's time on him, the failure.

But that was fine. Listening to the Weiss's heartbeat, her living heartbeat, was more than worth it all. If someone as great as her could live, if people as amazing as team RWBY and the remainder of JNPR could live, then it was fine if he died. In his parents stories, he remembered the heroes were strong, unbelievably strong! But they were never strong enough when the time came. Someone close would die a tragic death, a hero's death, or sacrifice themselves for the greater good. And that death would push the heroes to become stronger, to break their limits to reach heights never thought of before.

Jaune wasn't one of those heroes though. He was simply the friend who died. And he was okay with that. Because that meant that everyone else would become the heroes. And they would save the day. They would become stronger, that he whole heartily believed.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT!?"

Jaune's eyes widened in stunned silence, finding himself staring straight into the silver tear filled eyes of Ruby of all people yelling at him. Her team looked to her in surprise, not believing that she of all people would shout at him with such anger.

She didn't care though. Ruby shook her head, fighting the sobs escaping her as she looked Jaune in the eye.

"You did more than stall, Jaune! You saved Weiss's life! So, don't go thinking you couldn't do anything! Being a Huntsman is about more than killing Grimm, it's about protecting people from danger!" she cried.

Yang nodded, wiping her eyes of tears, and chuckled down at her fellow blond.

"That's right! If it wasn't for you, Blake and I would have never taken him down. He was already dead on his feet the moment we got here. You really did a number on him!" she closed her eyes with a grin, hoping to hide away her sorrow and grief.

"If you'd stayed home, then Weiss wouldn't be here right now." Blake gently smiled, pausing for a moment. She reached for her bow, the only thing hiding her faunas heritage, before freeing her cat ears for all the world to see. Her cat ears drooped, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

"It's people like you that gave me hope that faunas and humans can get along together. Despite Ruby telling you and your team about my heritage, you didn't judge me. You just looked at me like another friend. It makes me sad, wishing I had gotten to know you more than just a friend of my friend." she chuckled as more tears ran down her cheeks.

Weiss smiled sadly down at Jaune as he began to sob at all the kind words. He was trying to hide it, but Jaune was scared of dying. She could feel it as his body trembled and his lips quivered. Moments ago she had planned on dying with a smile too. But he had saved her from that. So, the least she could do, is save him from dying with fear. And send him off like the hero he was.

Jaune's eyes suddenly widen in shock as the next moment he knew he found the soft, sweet lips of Weiss gently kissing his own bloody lips. It only lasted a moment, but that was all he needed as his fantasy came true.

Weiss pulled back from the small kiss with a bright smile despite her runny red eyes. His heartbeat began to die away as he finally felt deaths cold embrace take him in.

"Maybe you're right, maybe you weren't cut out to be a huntsman. But to me, you're my knight in hooded white armor. To me, you're my Hero. And I'll never forget that."

"And your my first friend at Beacon! I'll never forget my fellow awkward team leader!"

"Blonds stick together! Even in death, you'll be in my memories, Vomit boy!"

"I may not have known you well, but I'll never forget a hero like you. We're fellow book lovers! Even if comics aren't technically books, you're still a friend."

Jaune shut his eyes with a small smile. In the background he could swear he could hear others calling his name, the sounds of scrambling footsteps shaking the earth as they raced towards them. He was sad to die without saying goodbye to his team, to his partner who believed in him, and his friends who cared for him. But he was done. There was nothing to do now.

At least he died a hero to them. He didn't save the world, he didn't save the day from the bad guys, he hadn't stopped a great evil from awakening or anything as worldly important as that. But he had saved a friend, that was more than good enough for him. And, hey, he even got his first kiss from his crush! That was more than he could have ever wished for.

It was on this day that Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR, died. He didn't die alone though. He died in the company of friends, surrounded by people that loved him.

And if he had to say, death had never felt any warmer.

* * *

Blue eyes shot open in a wild panic as Jaune Arc fell back to the ground with a scream. He suddenly found himself staring up at the bright cloudy sky, gasping for sweet air.

Did he just die? Did that really happen? No, he was sure he was dead. He remembered specifically being nearly cut in half by a chainsaw wielding maniac. That was real. Really real. He could swear he could still feel its teeth tearing through his intestines. You couldn't fake a feeling like that.

So, where was he if he was dead? Jaune sighed as he tried to calm his wildly beating heart down. Looking around he could say he was in a forest. Which was weird. Was heaven a forest? No, he was sure his mom had told him heaven was made up of clouds of cotton candy, rivers and lakes of 'Everybody likes Grapes' soda, bushes of French fries and burger flowers, and his dogs and cats that went to live up north at a nice lady's farm. Which made him wonder why they would be in heaven if they were living on a farm. Hmm, food for the thought.

 _'I'm confused. So confused. I'd thought heaven would be a lot nicer than this. Huh, kinda reminds me of the Emerald Forest.'_

"Jaune!? Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

. . . .Eh?

Slowly sitting up straight, Jaune was left even more clueless to the sight of Pyrrha standing in front of him. She looked slightly winded as she panted lightly. The scene brought back a sense of Deja vu. He could have sworn he saw what looked like her aura clad her body before fading away. Looking down at his hands, he was shocked to see them clad in his white aura before they too faded.

Did. . .did she just unlock his aura? Again? Alright, seriously, this was starting to freak him out. He was dead, dead as a cookie that fell before the clutches of a hungry Ruby. He shouldn't be reliving this moment right now! That didn't make any sense! The hell was going on!?

"I, uh, yeah, I, um, yeah! I-I'm alright, Pyrrha." Jaune answered with a shaken smile.

Pyrrha frowned before shaking it away. Guess unlocking aura affected people differently. And with all the aura he had locked away, Jaune was bound to feel odd having it flowing through him. Taking his hand, she began to thank whatever force had placed him in her sights. She blushed lightly as their hands touched.

She'd been hoping to meet a boy like him at Beacon.

A mild buzzing caught Jaune's attention from his jeans right pocket. He frowned in confusion, remembering he had dropped the damn thing after fighting the White Fang Lieutenant. Moving his hand back, he smiled sheepishly at his partner, missing the slight frown as he let go of her hand before opening his scroll.

 ** _'Pyrrha's interest in you has grown! Affection leveled up! Affection Lvl: 4. Status: Happy, worried, and longing. Until next level: 13/700EXP.'_**

…..

The fuck?

* * *

 **Well, that was longer then planned for. No, really, I was planning ten thousand words at most, not fifteen. These damn fingers of mine just won't stop though. Ugh, as if they don't enough to deal with at work. It's nearly twelve at night on my end of the woods, got to get some shut eye. I got to train a new kid the ropes of coffee and Dining Room Management.**

 **So, that ends the first chapter. Death apparently isn't the end for our hero. He's breathing and back at the Emerald Forest. With his scroll messaging him odd texts. Before anyone asks, no, this isn't a dating sim kinda game, Jaune's powers simply revolves around close aspects to them. I'd say more, but that would be spoiling the surprise. There's more to this game then you'd think. And as for those of you asking about pairings, meh, I'm going to change things up a bit. It'll be a humor harem. Meaning that it'll play like a harem fic, but I'm planning of making epilogues for each of the girls paired up with him at the end. They'll still be romance here and their, but don't worry about your favorite girl not making it. Doing this not only to make everyone happy, but because harems are just plain funny to watch. Poor lucky bastards.**

 **The second chapter is already finished if you're wondering, but I got to do some spell checks and final polishing before I upload it. I'll wait till next week as I finish the third chapter which is already under way with two thousand words. Oh, in case you're not familiar with my words, I make my chapters pretty meaty, meaning their ten thousand words at least. So, their never short. And if you get bored, take a crack at my other stories about Fairy Tail if you're interested. Couldn't hurt the wait.**

 **Speaking of, I got to deal with my old fans hunting me down for my blood. They're probably not happy for seeing an update after a year and it not dealing with Fairy Tail. I got a whole lot more writing to do to meet their expectations.**

 **As I say in my other stories, Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	2. Start Over

**Good afternoon, folks! Or is it night? Morning? Fuck it! If I wanted to understand time zones, I'd of studied Astrology, or googled it. It's NeoShadows here with a new chapter up for your reading eyes.**

 **You know, I was planning on releasing this on Friday, but I finished Chapter 3 pretty early today. So I thought, what the hell? Might as well upload it before working on Chapter 4 after this. I swear, since putting off on video games, watching tv, listening to music, and reading other stories on this site, I've gotten a lot of writing down. Which is hard to do with games like Destiny, Fallout 4, Bravely Second, Monster Hunter 4, and my steam games on my laptop. That's right, I'm multi platform. I don't see brand! Honestly, it was all this glorious crap that kept me from writing in the first place to begin with. I get distracted easily. Now, onto answering some reviews. Don't think I've ever done that before.**

 **King of Plot Bunnies: First of all, love your story, Childcare and Warfare(Tales of an Irate Father of Twelve). One of my favorite crack fics. As for your question, Nope! Not even close, buddy. Gotta think outside the box.**

 **Csad21: Haven't watched Ranma, but I get the jest of it. And yes, it'll just be several girls chasing after him. There are planned romances, but I have something planned for it. After the story is complete, I'm going to write epilogues, basically one shots where they get together in the end of the story. It'll fit in with what I got planned, don't worry. And I get ya, I use to love harem stories when I was younger, you know, being a guy going through puberty and all, but as I got older I got sick of it. It was still fun to read, but, eh, unless it's written well, I won't really read it. And the game mechanics won't eat up 3/4's of the story, I always skimmed through all that text. Got annoying.**

 **MirzaHakeem98: I. Love. Your suggestion. I was having something like that planned out originally, but it got too overbearing in the end. Still, some of those aspects will remain once the story starts hitting all cylinders. Nice on ya.**

 **Hirshja: Don't worry, I got something else planned. Just because he's a Gamer, doesn't mean he'll have the same powers as the normal ones do in other stories. He won't have that ability to invite others to his 'party'. And Oc's can be annoying too, but I like them if their done right. Like Coeur Al'Aran's OC's. I love Kitsune in Professor Arc. That's doing it right. And I won't write in too many, but ya gotta have some to make it original.**

 **Private Jenkins: It's weird, when I started this fic in my head a year ago, it had originally been about time travel, but I wanted to make it more interesting, and soon gaming elements mixed in to create this story.**

 **Pyrovortex: Ugh, I know. I'll be the first to admit it, I such at spell checking my own work. I always notice other writers mistakes, but when it comes to my own, I suck. Adding names to my dictionary works, but even then I miss them. Swear I need someone to help me with this. I'm just to eager to upload a chapter to look over it. Thanks though, it's nice to hear some criticism from time to time.**

 **Alright, that's enough of that. If you all have any more questions, be sure to review. I'll get to answering whatever I can without spoiling things in the next chapter. And boy, will you be asking some at the end of this bad boy.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. But you come into my story, tracking your accusing eyes in, and accuse me? You disrespect me, you disrespect my laptop and my dead laptop, you disrespect my sweet mother who done birth me, and you disrespect my doggy Princess. I only have one thing to say to you, say hello, to my old laptop! ICE THEM!**

 **. . .Jesus Christ. I should not watch Zootopia with my baby sister while uploading. I got that little rat mob's voice stuck in there. Good flick though.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Start Over.

Pyrrha Nikos was happy.

Walking along the trees of the beautiful forest of the Emerald Forest, she was more then pleased with the blonde haired boy beside her that was now her partner. When they had first met she was sure he'd be fawning all over her. She was practically a celebrity in the hunter world, especially in the tournament sect. Every hunter and huntress in training looked to her as an idol, as a perfect image that they hoped to become one day. There expectations put her high above a pedestal, unknowingly separating her from her peers.

She had never wanted that. To be seen as some unapproachable Goddess of Victory. While she wanted to be a great huntress in her career and fight off the threat of the Grimm, at this point in her life, all she wanted was a friend. One that didn't care for her status or skills and just wanted to be her friend because she was Pyrhaa, not the four time Mistral tournament winner, but the teenage girl.

And by some unseen stroke of luck, her prays were answered in the form of Jaune Arc.

"Oww! Dammit! That didn't work, maybe this will? Fuck! Okay, that should of done something! Hmm, maybe this will-No! Nope, that's not doing a thing, oww!

Jaune didn't see her as an idol. If anything, he had only been starstruck by the fact she had been on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's cereal box. Which wasn't good. That cereal was chuck full of sugar and little pumpkin. It was horrible to ones health like all junk food. But that was more then fine with her. He didn't fawn over her like the rest did, didn't look away from her as if she was better then him, didn't ogle her as if she was some trophy to be won. He looked at her like she was some regular girl that wanted to learn how to fight monsters.

It was at that moment in the locker room as she was talking to Weiss and he had introduced himself to them with his flirty grin, that she had made up her mind! Jaune would be her partner. She didn't care what she had to do make him hers, she would make him her partner for the next four years in Beacon or die trying. Was she being a bit over dramatic, yes but his boyish charms only made her want him more as a friend. And, possibly if things went well during their stay together in Beacon, maybe a, dare she say it? Boyfriend.

She was still a teenage girl after all. And he was the first boy not to stare at her, ahem, assets. That won him major points. She did huff though, remembering Jaune's attention had been all over the Schnee heiress.

"What about this? Yeow!"

Pyrrha's eye twitched as another whispered shout of pain entered her ears.

And sure, the knight was a bit odd with pinching himself all over as if he was trying to wake up from some dream. But he did have his aura unlocked. Maybe he was just testing it out, seeing just what it could do now that he was protected from simple blows and physical pains. He was still okay in her book of friends, which was simply a single dusty worn out page with his name written in very fresh ink.

' _Okay! This isn't a dream. That should make me happy, right!?'_ Jaune was trying, really trying, to hide the panic that was taking over him. Just a half hour ago he had been fighting some chainsaw swinging maniac that wanted sweet Weiss's head lobbed off and died protecting her. The memory was still fresh as it sent a chill down his spine. You couldn't fake a memory like that, he wasn't that creative. When his parents bought him a puppy when he was five he named it Doggy. His sisters still made fun of him for that. He was five though, they should of cut him some slack. The point was that whatever just happened earlier today couldn't be made up.

Here he was again, in the Emerald Forest during initiation having his aura unlocked half an hour ago with his partner who'd he worked and studied with for a few months now, talking to him nervously as if they just became friends. She didn't know a thing about him if her questions about his likes and favorite activities were anything to go by. She didn't know a thing about him, but he did.

Her height? She was 6'0" feet, not counting her in heels. The names of her weapons? Milo and Akouo. Her favorite colors, red, gold, and recently blue for some odd reason. He even knew her cup size! Not because he was some pervert or anything like that, but when Nora shouts something like that out loudly it kinda sticks with you no matter how hard you try to forget it.

A buzzing in his pocket made the slowly maddening twitch in his eye only grow worse as he felt his sanity whittle down.

And then there was his Scroll. And the magical abilities its gained.

Reaching for the now annoying flat device, he was no longer surprised by the rustling leaves and gentle breeze blowing past him freezing still. His partner paused in her walking as well, stopped by some unseen force with a smile on her face.

Jaune wasn't sure how the hell he did it, but he had just paused reality with the press of a button. He'd been doing that several times now since he had first opened his Scroll to the odd menu displayed on its screen. The little ability took him by complete surprise. Did he just unlock his Semblance or something? Was it possible for someone to gain a Semblance that altered reality around them? Looking over the functions of his Scroll he made out five available options on the screen for him to click on.

 _ **Bonds.**_

 _ **Skill, Abilities and Slots.**_

 _ **Inventory and Special Gifts.**_

 _ **Event Finder.**_

 _ **Perks.**_

 _ **?**_

 _ **?**_

 _ **?**_

Three more options were displayed, but they were colored a dark gray with a mini lock icon blurring their words. Clicking on the Bonds option brought up three rectangle boxes with Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha's names on one of each box. He opened Ruby's box first, seeing as she was his first friend when he entered Beacon and soon found the same window screen as Pyrrha's, only with a few differences.

' _Ruby Rose. Friendship Lvl: 2. Affection Lvl: Locked. Status: Happy, slightly grumpy, frustrated, in need of a sack of cookies. Available Perks: 0. Soul Wave Link: Locked. Until next Friendship Lvl: 105/300Exp.'_

The screen showed off a little mini Ruby smiling back at him, waving her hand with a strawberry filled cookie in her hand at the bottom of the stats window. Exiting her window he brought up Weiss's next only to find an annoyed glare staring back at him from the chibi heiress.

' _Weiss Schnee. Friendship Lvl: Locked. Affection Lvl: Locked. Status: Unavailable. Available Perks: 0. Soul Wave Link: Locked. Progress through 'Players and Chess Pieces' to unlock Friendship.'_

The little Weiss tapped her foot impatiently as she continued glare up at Jaune from the screen. The scene was actually pretty cute and made him wish he could save the image for himself. Little Weiss seemed to have enough of his staring though, huffing in annoyance before somehow force closing her window back to the Bonds main menu screen.

Jaune blinked at the action, groaning in disappointment a second later. Didn't they kiss earlier today? Did his life hit a reset or something? He was pretty sure she had come to see him as a friend after the dance. Didn't any of that pass over in his next life?

Wait a minute, next life? Jaune quickly punched the left side of his face to snap him out of that line of thinking. There was no way on all of Remnant he was seriously considering he was living a new life. This wasn't some kind of game! Life was not a game to him! You can't just die and then come back to life a second later at some save point. The world didn't work like that.

"Then again, what do I know about Semblances?" he said with a sigh as he brought up his partners window next. The sight of a smiling little Pyrrha waving hello at him made him cheer up though. He couldn't complain about the chibi's though, they were just too adorable.

' _Pyrrha Nikos. Friendship Lvl: 4. Affection Lvl: 4. Status: Happy, giddy, slightly worried, really wants to hold hands. REALLY wants to hold hands. Available Perks: 1. Soul Wave Link: Locked. Until Next Friendship Lvl:450/700Exp. Until Next Affection Lvl: 13/700Exp.'_

"Okay, message received, I guess." Jaune blinked as he read little Pyrrha's status. That was weird. And very specific. A small little box popped up above Pyrrha's head, bouncing on top her red ponytail as she giggled. He pressed it, wondering what it was.

' _ **Tap that.'**_

. . .What?

Little Pyrrha gasped into her hands, turning her head to the side a second later, whistling innocently with a blush on her cheeks. Did she send him that message? How the hell was that possible? He looked away from the chibi to stare back at his partner, still frozen still with a smile on her face. She meant tapping her on the screen right? Not the other way, right? If Yang was here she'd be waggling her eyebrow.

He was going to go with the more innocent meaning. He gave the little Pyrrha a tap on her head, the action making her smile widely and blush brighter.

He was losing his mind. He truly was. At this point Jaune was wondering if he was even real. Because nothing was making sense, not even his own existence. He just died for crying out loud! And the amount of cuteness he was seeing was going to kill him all over again.

So, what was he suppose to do now? Jaune sighed in frustration as he exited out of Pyrrha's status window.

He was suppose to be dead. He was raised to believe that when you died, you went to heaven if you were seen as good in the eyes of god. Though there were a lot of people who believed in the Oum Theory, saying that all of existence had been created by a great force not unlike god that had everything planned before it. He didn't know much about Oum, but he did know Ren believed in the Oum Theory. Whatever the case was, he did know that something was suppose to happen after you died. Either you went to paradise, or hell if you were evil, or your souls just faded away to nothing. But so far none of those things happened to him.

Did that mean he was just given a second chance at life? At this point that was the only explanation he could think of. And even still it sounded ridiculous. Did he have an extra life or something? It was almost as if his life had turned into a game. That was the only explanation for his scroll giving him game like options and statuses and pausing time.

His life was now a game. When he stopped to think about it, it was actually a pretty cool thing. He did always love playing video games, especially the RPG kind. They always made him feel like a hero. Looking back to the main menu screen of his scroll, Jaune hovered his thumb over a small bubble beside the Bonds option. The bubble was blue and had a little house icon decorating it.

It was the Home button. Pressing it made the world go back to normal. He found he could still use his scroll normally if he didn't will it to its 'game menu' or receive a message regarding its new functions. If he pressed it, then he would be accepting his new fate. He couldn't go back to pinching himself awake anymore. No matter what he did at this point he couldn't deny the simple fact that he was alive again. And that he was just giving a second chance at life many would literally kill over.

Maybe it was his Semblance that had given him this chance. Maybe it was responsible for everything that was going on with him now. He didn't really understand what they were or what they could do, so all he could think of was that this was all his Semblance's doing.

Jaune could start all over. This time he could train to be a real hunter like everyone else. And maybe this time he could help them out when the Breach happened again. Hell, he could stop it all from happening if he planned things right. He wouldn't be the damsel in distress anymore, he could be the hero that saved the damsel instead.

If life was a game, then he'd play it his way. How he was going to play, he didn't know. He'd get back to that when he had the time. From his experience playing games dealing with time travel, he knew he couldn't make any drastic changes. Paradoxes and such. Not to mention he didn't exactly know too much. Maybe a few months of information dealing with hunter lessons and a few events that Ruby had told him about dealing with the White Fang. It wasn't much to work with, but he'd do what he can.

His finger tapped the 'Home' button. He couldn't stop the small grin working its way to his face as the world came back to life around. He didn't understand much about his new power, or the statuses he read dealing with the three girls he had met in a previous life, but he'd learn along the way.

This was his life now. He was given a second chance after losing it fighting to protect Weiss. He'd be sure to make the most of it.

Pyrrha blinked in confusion for a moment, her cheeks blushing lightly. Why did she have the sudden urge for Jaune to pat her on the head? She hadn't even known him for that long and already she was thinking of such thoughts. It was embarrassing.

"You okay, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked as he stepped beside her. She was starting to turn red just like her chibi in his scroll. Hopefully none of what he had done to her other self translated to the real world. He really wished his new powers came with a help guide.

The spartan themed girl smiled nervously as she shook her head.

"No, everything's fine. I just remembered something embarrassing from my time at Mistral is all. It's nothing important."

Jaune nodded his head back. She wasn't telling him the truth, her mannerisms hadn't changed since his previous life. Having sparred with, worked alongside, and slept in the same room as her all these months had made him a little more insightful with his partner. Not enough to see through her when she was hiding something important or private, but enough to tell when she was saying little white lies. He wouldn't push her, everyone was entitled to their own privacy.

The buzzing of his scroll caught his attention again. He really didn't want to pause things after testing it out over and over again. It was already getting to be annoying.

Pulling it out, he was surprised when the world around him remained moving as he looked at the message text on his screen. Huh, looked like he didn't have to pause things every time he wanted to look at the game menu. That was helpful.

' _ **Help Guide Locked. Complete Tutorial 'Players and Chess Pieces' to Unlock. 1 Perk is still available.'**_

"That sucks. I was hoping for help here." Jaune groaned. So, he did have a help guide after all. He just had to complete initiation to read it. That didn't really make sense.

"Hmm, what you got there, Jaune?"

Green eye's peered over his shoulder, startling Jaune as he found his partner peeking at his scroll. Shit, could she read what he read? He wasn't exactly sure how to tell someone that he could control the world around him like a game. They'd think he was insane.

"Hunter's Storm: Your Hero has Leveled up! New skills are available." Pyrrha read the message out loud, confused at what it was. Sounded like something from a game. "You play video games on your scroll, Jaune?" she asked the knight. She had been wondering where he had gotten it. Looked like he had his own personnel scroll with him when he entered Beacon Academy.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. So, she saw something else when he was reading his Game Menu. Man was his Semblance helpful. It thought of everything.

The knight grinned sheepishly at the redhead as he gestured to his scroll, "Yeah, I'm a bit of a video game nerd. That's why I brought along my scroll with me, the teachers said it was alright. Sorry if it sounds lame."

"Oh, no! There's nothing wrong with playing games." she waved her hands with a smile, "It's actually a nice way of relaxing. Though I'm not much into them. Never had time with all the training for tournaments."

"That sucks. They've always helped me when I've been feeling down. Playing the hero in them always made me feel like a real one." Jaune chuckled with an embarrassed blush. "You know, when this is all over, I can show you a few you might be interested in. It would be nice way to bond for starters."

Pyrrha smiled gently, "I'd like that."

Anytime spending with him would be great. She was really thankful for all her training with her weapons. She wouldn't of been able to pin him down with her spear otherwise. She would of missed out on his boyish charms.

As the two continued their way in search of the relics, Jaune took a moment to read go through one of the options on his scroll. The message did say he had a Perk available. Might as well see what that was.

Opening the Perks menu, Jaune found a long list of perks in rectangle boxes. Pretty much everyone of them was locked by a gray lock icon except for one. It was red and read 'Knight of Victory'. He selected it and read its description.

' _ **Knight of Victory. Due to your bond with Pyrrha Nikos, you have unlocked this special Perk! This Perk grants the user a 15% rise in Defense and a 10% rise in Attack. Your chances of winning a fight also rise by 5%. Deepen your bond with Pyrrha Nikos for the chance to evolve this Perk into a better Perk.**_

 _ **Until Next Lvl: 0/7000.**_

 _ **Do you wish to equip this Perk? Yes/No.**_ '

' _YES! Hell, yes!'_ You couldn't stop Jaune's finger from pressing the 'yes' button if you could. This was exactly the edge he needed if he was going to stand toe to toe with everyone else. Now he was really thankful for this new found power. He didn't know just how high his defense and attack where, but the rise with this new Perk would definitely help him. He just wished he could look at his own status. He needed to complete the tutorial even more for that help guide to see if he could look up his own stats.

Grinning happily, Jaune was too thrilled of his new power to notice that they had just stopped in front of a very familiar cave. Cave painting of old hunters fighting some odd bug like beast decorated the outside. Almost as if warning them of the hidden threat inside.

"What do you think, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked her partner, taking away his attention from his game. He must of really liked playing them. She'd just wish he'd spend a little more time on their mission then on his screen.

Could it be? Was her partner a shut in? That would explain his awkward behavior and lack of skills with talking with girls.

Jaune looked back to the cave, suddenly grinning devilishly. Oh, what luck. Things were playing out just like last time. They had run into the cave housing the large Deathstalker. And if he remembered right, he had a score to settle with the bastard for making him scream like a girl. His new Perk would do nicely in helping him get revenge. Sweet revenge!

"I think the relic's in there! I'd bet my entire collection of X-Ray and Vav on it!" Jaune pointed his gloved finger at the cave with excitement.

Pyrrha nodded back with a worried smile. His grin was freaking her out a bit and his right eye was twitching. Looked like he wasn't all there in his head. Must of been all the games he's played. Poor guy, for all his boyish good looks, he must have been a loner as a child. Looked like he didn't know how to act with regular people.

She'd humor him though. She was his partner after all. She'd slowly help him fit into society like a normal person.

Grabbing a random stick off the ground, Jaune got right into starting a fire for a torch inside the cave. This time was going to be different. He'd show that stupid bug who the boss was. And then vengeance would be his!

A sigh escaped the Goddess of Victory as she watched Jaune poorly attempt to make a torch while laughing maniacally to himself. Just how shut off from the world was he? Poor handsome idiot.

* * *

To say the least, young Ruby Rose was not having a cookie-reffic day.

Falling down the sky she began to ponder where it all had gone wrong as she waited for the painful impact with the ground.

For one, their were no cookies at the breakfast hall when she'd woken up this morning. That was bad, really bad. Just how the hell could she start the day without her glass of milk, which they had somehow run out of as well, and cookie? To make matters worse, the cafeteria had also run dry of pancakes, something about some ginger haired devil queen eating them all up before anyone else could savor a bite. So, instead she had to settle for some toast, oatmeal, and a glass of orange juice. A losers breakfast.

Second, she had learned that they going to be stuck with partners for the next four years with the first person they made contact with. Ruby was not a social creature like her sister. All her talking had been done with her precious baby, Crescent Rose. She wasn't good at talking with strangers, let alone one that she'd be stuck with for the rest of her stay at Beacon Academy. She'd hoped her sister would be her partner, but Yang wanted her to make friends with others instead of sticking with her all the time. Didn't dad say not to talk to strangers?

And finally, her new partner turned out to be the crabby rich girl, Weiss Schnee, who despite how pretty she looked and proper she acted, was not nice. So, she accidentally caused her fire dust to go off and explode, creating a small crater in front of them with her sneezing. She was the one that had been shaking it in front of her face! And even worse, she didn't even say bless you. That was rude. That didn't give her an excuse to be rude to her. Ruby was her partner now. If she was partners with someone as awesome as her, she'd feel lucky and grateful for her.

Luck was not looking down kindly at the red hooded girl. If Ruby had any choice in who her partner could be, then she would of chosen either Yang, the mysterious book reading girl, Blake, or Vomit Boy. Jaune didn't seem so bad. If anything he looked to be feeling the same way as her. Awkward and nervous at making new friends.

' _Hmm, I wonder if Crescent Rose's recoil can soften my fall.'_ Ruby thought to herself as the ground was looking too close to comfort. A loud feminine scream snapped her out of her thoughts, making her frown in worry.

' _Sounds like a girl's in trouble! Dang! I wanted to play hero today.'_

Was it her, or was the screaming getting closer?

Turning to her left, Ruby blinked in confusion as the familiar sight of her first friend, Jaune Arc, flying towards her. Well, flying was putting it lightly. Looked like he'd been shot out of a cannon. And was that him screaming? Man, did Jaune have some girly pipes.

The two hunters in training collided in midair a moment later, Jaune's force of flying picking Ruby up and stopping her fall. Together they continued to fly across the air till they crashed against the bark of a large tree.

Ruby's eyes spun in circles, the image of little baby Beowolves circling her head. Okay, so she wasn't dead. That was good. But now she was dizzy atop a tree. That wasn't good either. Shaking away the dizziness, she looked up to the sounds of cursing from the blonde headed knight. He was caught by a few branches by his legs, leaving him dangling upside down in front of her.

"God dammit! I was sure I had that bug eyed, six legged, nuts for brains bastard by the ropes this time!"

Jaune was not happy. After entering the cave and assuring Pyrrha that they would find the relic inside, they had come across the glowing stinger of the Deathstalker. And just as his last life, it was as big and terrifying as before. But they had beaten the dumb Grimm before, and with his added boost in Attack and Defense, Jaune was sure to beat it with only Pyrrha by his side.

Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten just how strong the scorpion themed Grimm was. And how tough its hide had been. Even with his team working together, they had struggled against it. Hell, it was Nora that had dealt the finishing blow by nailing its own tail into its brain with her missile launching hammer. So, when he had fearlessly charged straight at its glowing six eyes, ignoring his partners cries to stop, he was pretty surprised when his sword bounced back from his swing. He was able to cut into its mask though. That was more damage that he had ever done to it before.

When his attack failed, he panicked and grabbed at its stinger to avoid its claws ramming into him. And then he soon found himself swung around its tail as it barged out of its home before being launched once again into the blue sky. He was sad, and embarrassed to say, he screamed like a girl.

If there was anything that he learned from all this, its that he discovered both the Deathstalker's HP bar, and his own. His scroll showed a box for the Grimm and its name along with a bar for its health.

' _ **Deathstalker. 7,970/8,000HP.'**_

'I don't know what to say. Just how hard did I hit back then?' Jaune sighed in defeat. Looked like he got carried away with his new Perk and powers. His own HP had gone down from his little fly trip.

' _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. 2,780/3,000HP, 50/50MP.'**_

His own box showed off his health along with a little picture of his face beside his health bar. Sadly, that's all it showed. No stats or signs of Exp. The 'Heart of the Gamer' tag was confusing too, but it didn't seem all that important right now.

"Stupid Deathstalker, if I had a stick, I'd poke out every last one of its eyes." he grumbled to himself.

"Why not use your sword? Wouldn't that be more effective?"

"Yeah, but a stick just seems more insulting though."

"I don't think Grimm can be insulted. They don't really feel anything at all."

"Tell that to the Deathstalker. I swear he was glaring at me before it slung me away."

"I don't think they have genders either. And why were you even fighting something like that?"

"Pride and vengeance. It made me feel less of a man." Jaune sighed in depression before realizing he wasn't talking to himself. He looked down, or up, at Ruby's own amused gray eyes before smiling.

"Hey, Ruby! When did you get here?"

"About the same time you flew into me." Ruby laughed, poking the knight's nose. "Who taught you how to fly? I'm pretty sure you cut off a Nevermore before you crashed into me. Don't tell me you're flying without a license?" she glared at him mockingly.

Jaune waved his hands in front of him in fake panic, "I swear, I left my flying license in the pocket of my other jeans! I don't normally forget it, please don't write me up, officer! I'm just having a bad day."

"Sorry, but rules are rules. I'd take you in, if you weren't such pretty young thing, Vomit Girl." Ruby grinned teasingly, getting the young knight to drop his head in shame. She did smile sympathetically though.

"Having a bad day too, huh?"

"How could you tell?"

"You are hanging upside down in a tree."

"Pride and vengeance. My vendetta against the Grimm only continues to grow with each girly scream." he grinned playfully before a more somber look take over.

It was weird talking to Ruby like this again. The last time he saw her, her face was slick with his blood and tears were running down her face. He'd been dying and her team was beside him as he drew his last breaths. They said such heartwarming words to him before he died and woke up in the Emerald Forest. It made him wonder what happened to them once he passed away.

To be honest, he felt horrible dying on them like that. Especially Ruby. She was just a kid. She may have been let in two years early, but she was still a kid in his eyes. And he was her first friend stepping into Beacon. To die in front of her, knowing there was nothing she could do to save him, made him feel like a horrible friend. She wanted to be a hero so badly. Like in the fairy tales her mom had read her. To leave her feeling so powerless, it made him wish he had held onto his life.

But what was done, was done. He was alive again anyways. And this time, he would be the best friend she ever had. There was no way he was dying this time.

Ruby frowned in worry noticing the somber look in Jaune's eyes. It kinda reminded her of the look her dad had on his face sometimes when he looked at her and saw her mother. She didn't like that look. They both looked so sad.

"You okay, Jaune?" Ruby asked softly with a tilt of her head.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry about that." Jaune shook his head to clear away his thoughts. He smiled reassuringly, "Like you said, bad day. Though, do you mind getting me down from here? The bloods rushing to my head, and I don't think its a good sign to be tasting purple."

"Oh? What's purple taste like?"

"Like blue, only with a hint of green. Swear it tasted like magenta though."

Ruby continued to laugh as she helped her friend down. That's what she liked about Jaune. He had a sort of way of making her feel better and smile. She wished he was her partner instead of Weiss.

Speaking off which. Where did Weiss land to? She did jump off, right?

"Ruby!"

Hearing her name being called, Ruby quickly looked down across the tree to find her big sister, Yang waving towards her with Blake beside her. Looked like she found her partner. Lucky.

Setting Jaune down, the dark red headed girl smiled apologetically at her friend. "Sorry, Jaune. My sis's is a calling."

"Oh." Ruby suddenly paused before smiling shyly at him, "And thanks. You cheered me up. I'm really glad I have you as a friend, Jaune." she said before using her semblance to zip down and greet her sister.

Well, that was nice. _'I swear, there are times I just want to pick Ruby up and hug her like she was one of my sisters. She's too damn adorable for her own good.'_

So, Yang and Blake were here too? Jaune shook away the leaves and branches tangled in his hair before looking down the tree at the three girls. Which meant that Pyrrha was close by too.

"RUN!"

Yup, he nodded with closed eyes. Just as he predicted. And the Deathstalker was close behind. That also meant that Nora and Ren were here too.

"NORA!"

Man was she hyperactive today! Looked like someone sneaked in some coffee along with her breakfast. They tried keeping away the stuff from the bomber, but she always found a way to get what she wanted. She looked ready to explode from his view of things below. She was tittering on her toes, ready for something fun to happen.

Which also meant that his Snow Angel was falling down from heaven. And her knight in shining white armor was going to be there to catch her.

A message from his scroll broke Jaune from his fantasies. Taking it out, the world paused for a moment as he read the text over.

' _ **Your Friendship with Ruby Rose has risen! Friendship leveled up! Friendship Lvl: 3! You've just unlocked a new Perk and Ability! Iron Roses Perk, Unlocked! Teres Mors Ability, Unlocked!'**_

Whoa, a Perk and an Ability in one level? Ruby was officially the coolest girl he knew. And her Perk and Ability sounded cool too.

Jaune opened the Perks menu first to see what power ups he received.

' _ **Iron Roses. Due to your growing bond with Ruby Rose, you've unlocked a Perk! This Perk grants the user a 15% increase in Speed, and the special ability, Gale Speed. Gale Speed allows a user with a high Speed stat to run with bursts of speed, vanishing like the wind in small intervals. This Perk does not evolve as you deepen your bond with Ruby Rose.**_

 _ **Do you wish to equip it? Yes/No.'**_

Of course he was equipping it. He wasn't exactly the fastest in his team, he was more into defense and planning things out. But with this nice little Perk, he could do even more.

' _Now, onto the Abilities, Skills and Slots menu.'_

The screen brought up two separate windows side by side. On one side was the Abilities menu, showing off a little animated model of himself in his hunter armor along with many boxes. Again, many were blocked as he scrolled down a page before finding a black, red tinted, box named 'Teres Mors'. Taking a quick peek to the side of the window to its brother, Jaune found a model of Crocea Mors along with three dust icons pointed at his blade and two at his shield. Seeing as he didn't have anything for Crocea Mors, he turned his attention back to his skills section.

' _ **Teres Mors. Using MP, the user is able to channel aura into their blade and turn it into a temporary vine like blade of thorns! The user is then able to slash, stab, and whip enemies with their Teres Mors as long as they maintain enough MP. It can be used for many other uses as well.**_

 _ **MP Cost: 10 MP. Must retain at least 10 MP to use.**_

 _ **Skill Tree.**_

 _ **Teres Blade: Uproot.**_

 _ **MP Cost: 10MP.**_

 _ **Teres Blade: Coil.**_

 _ **MP Cost: 5MP.**_

 _ **?**_

 _ **?**_

 _ **?**_

 _ **Until Next Lvl: 0/800.**_

 _ **Would you like to equip this Skill? Yes/No.**_

Jaune stopped to stare at his scroll in silence for a good minute. He could tell, he could only hold his breath for a minute. And after coughing and sucking in some air, he was not embarrassed to say he squealed like a teenage girl in a Achieve Men concert.

Holy crap! This is what Abilities did!? He'd only wished he got something as cool as this when his Lvl's with Pyrrha had rose. Quickly tapping 'yes' on the skill, Jaune had to hold back another squeal as a little animation of him using Teres Mors played out. The animation showed him swinging Crocea Mors at a little Beowolf as the blade glowed white before transforming into a short sword with a green vine of thorns coiled around it. The blade cut the Grimm in a melee combo he'd have to remember before sending it up high into the air. The blade then stretched out its vine, coiling around its neck and then slammed it back down to the earth. His animation then stabbed the short blade theme of thorns into the ground, shaking the earth a bit before a long elongated spine of thorns stabbed underneath the Beowolf, killing it in one blow.

Now this was going to make a difference in his fighting style. So, this is the kinda stuff he could unlock if he raised his Friendship and Affection with others. Jaune was going to have to make a mental note of it later. After all, mom always said, 'Stranger are just Friends you haven't met yet'. It was only right that he made as many friends as he could.

Though the MP cost was going to make things hard. As cool as Teres Mors was, it took a lot of Mana to use. Hell, still couldn't believe he could use Mana! That was even cooler. He always thought that it was make believe, then again things like aura and dust existed, so why not? He was going to have to use the thing sparingly. If he could. Honestly, he wanted to bust it right now.

Turning his eye's back up, he was reminded that he had an Angel to catch. And this time, he was going to do it in style!

Hitting the Home button, Jaune quickly put on his suavest smile before running towards the end of the large branch he stood on. Weiss's screams for help were getting closer as she fell. Wouldn't be long till she was in his sights.

As before, the world around the two seemed to slow down as Weiss suddenly found herself dropping into the arms Jaune. The heiress looked at him in confusion, wondering how he had found her falling in the vast Emerald Forest.

He gave her his smoothest smile, "Hey, there. Hope your fall from Heaven didn't hurt, Snow Angel." he winked.

Nailed it! That line was so much better then his first try! Now for the razzle dazzle.

Gravity had enough of his flirtations as it sent them falling back down. Jaune didn't mind though, his smile was still intact. Even as Weiss began screaming and held onto him tighter as they fell, he was cool. Because he had Teres Mors! With a fancy twirl of Crocea Mors sword, Jaune aimed its tip at the branches above. Now all that was left was to swing down in style and rake in Weiss's blushing awe struck gaze.

' _Any minute now.'_ Yup, he had things under control. His new thorn short sword would be saving them any minute now.

. . . . . . .Why the hell wasn't it working!?

The ground got closer and he began to panic. Jaune's cool pose wilted like his absent ability, abandoning it to huddle against his Snow Angel in mid air.

Dammit! He thought if he willed Teres Mors like he did with the other functions of his powers he could use it! Just how did the thing work? Oh, right. He didn't know how to use MP.

Seeing his plan blow up in his face, Jaune settled for plan B instead.

Weiss grit her teeth watching themselves about to crash into the forest floor. Even with aura, the impact was still going to hurt. Stupid idiot! Did he not have a plan for landing? And here she thought Beacon only accepted the best of the best.

Her vision off the ground suddenly changed, her eyes staring into the chest plate of the blonde headed buffoon.

"Hello, God, are you there? It's me, Jaune, again!"

"Weiss!"

"Yup, told you she was falling."

"Do a barrel roll!"

"Nora! What did I say!?"

A large dirt cloud blew up with their crash landing along with the sound of a deafening boom. The onlookers shielded their faces, coughing slightly as the cloud blew against them. They watched it settle, waiting to see what happened to the two hunters. What they saw was a moderate sized crater with Jaune lying back, covered in small scratches and dirt, with Weiss clutched close to his chest looking alright.

' _Is it me, or was that tree higher then before?'_ Jaune groaned in slight pain. He didn't remember making a crater with his fall last time. Did he land into a different tree this time? He did not see that coming. Guessed he deserved it for trying to use his powers to look cool in front of Weiss.

At least Weiss was fine. And he didn't die this time from protecting her. That was good.

"Did you even have a landing strategy in mind when you caught me?"

Jaune's left eye flinched, sucking in a pained breath before turning his eyes down towards his chest. Icy blue eyes lightly glared back at him, bringing back memories before his death.

"Eh, kinda?" he laughed, flinching again as he sat up. "I thought something would come to me. But, this works fine too. You're not hurt, are you?" he asked with worry.

Weiss was taken back from the question. She looked up at his face with confusion. Did he not care that he had just crashed down from several feet off a tree? Gods sakes, their impact created a crater! That took a lot of force. If it wasn't for his aura, he'd be dead.

Yet, he was worrying about her?

The heiress grit her teeth, looking away from the stupid blue eyes looking down at her. He probably did it because of her last name. That's all anyone saw from her. She could protect herself. Still though, the gesture was nice.

"I'm fine. Though you did dirty up my combat dress with your fall." she huffed. She moved back up and dusted off the dirt before turning away to glare at her so called partner watching close by, hiding behind a busty looking blonde with purple eyes. Oh, did she have some words for the little red brat.

She stopped her marching, clenching her fists before relaxing them. She spun back on her foot and sighed.

"Thank you, though. The Schnee family thanks you for your protection."

Schnee family? Oh, not this again. He almost forgot that the only reason she thought he flirted with her was for her families name. He didn't know what all the fuss was about. Her family owned some big company that sold dust, so what? Then again, he was a bit of a country boy himself. He didn't know about the SDC till he entered Vale.

"I didn't do it because you're a Schnee, Weiss." Jaune lightly frowned. His words took the white themed girl by surprise as he continued, "I don't even know what the big deal is. The SDC isn't a brand I'm familiar with back at home. I did it because you needed help. That, and you're really pretty, Snow Angel." he grinned back.

Was, was he for real? Weiss didn't know how to respond. It wasn't often that she met someone that didn't recognize the SDC and the family behind it. Was he a hick, or something? Her eyes softened a bit. He really was an idiot. Still flirted like one too.

Maybe, Beacon wasn't so bad if they let in people like him. Made her think back to her own partner. She did realize she could be difficult to work with. And Ruby had been trying to work with her, even if she did try showing off.

"Well, thanks anyway." Weiss thanked with a small smile. The sound of an insect like screech and whistling thumps brought her attention back to her partner. She frowned, noticing her long red cape pinned down by Nevermore feather as a Deathstalker came close for a pinch of its claws. She was her partner, even if she was a bit childish. Looked like she had some making up to do.

Weiss looked back to the knight one last time, getting a small nod of understanding before using her semblance to dash to the rescue of the caped red head.

Jaune watched what happened next between Ruby and Weiss with a nostalgic smile. Those two would fight, and bicker like cats and dogs sometimes, but in the end they'd work together. They did it once before, he was sure it would happen again. Their whole team would become like sisters to another, and they would do some pretty cool things in the coming months.

Speaking of team, where was his soon to be team anyway?

"Jaune! Are you alright!?"

' _Deja vu just won't leave me alone today. I knew I was too good looking for my own good.'_ The familiar sight of a panting Pyrrha once again greeted him. He smiled at his partner, waving away her worries.

"I'm fine. Question is, when did you get here? I was thrown pretty far."

Pyrrha dropped her mouth open in disbelief. She huffed in annoyance, giving him a look that shouted 'Did you not just see what happened?'.

Jaune laughed softly as he got up with her helping hand. "Sorry, didn't mean to mess with you. Kind hard to miss my arch enemy chasing you from the trees."

"Arch enemy?"

"That bastard has it coming. He's had it out for me since the beginning!"

"Jaune, you two just met. And you know you're talking about a Grimm, right?"

"I swear that thing was glaring at me with hate glowing eyes! How can you explain that!?"

Following her crazed partner's finger pointed behind her, Pyrrha was surprised to find the Deathstalker's left pincer and stinger encased in a spiked block of ice. Even more so when she found its six eyes staring back at her, the nick on its face armor still intact. She hated to say it, but she could feel its eyes go through her towards its true target. It even hissed.

"See, I'm not crazy, just eccentric." Jaune nodded firmly.

"I believe him."

"See, even Nora agrees with me, Pyrrha."

Jaune blinked, suddenly noticing the grinning ginger haired Valkyrie leaning towards him on the tip of her toes.

How the hell do you not notice a presence like Nora standing next to you?

"Hiya! Names Nora Valkyrie! And I'm Queen of the Castle!" she loudly proclaimed, frowning once a thought hit her. "Hey! How did you know my name? Are you psychic or something? Quick! Tell me what sound a sloth makes!"

"Uhhh, what?"

"Calm down, Nora." Ren sighed as he walked next to his hyperactive partner. He smiled apologetically at Jaune and Pyrrha, "He probably heard you shout out your name earlier. He just put two and two together is all. Names Lie Ren by the way."

"Like a genie!"

"No, not like a genie. Where do you even get that?"

"You tell me! Now, where are my seven wishes!?"

"They seem nice." Pyrrha smiled politely. The orange haired girl sure had a lot of energy on her. Just looking at her made her feel tired.

"Yeah, as much as I like meeting new friends, we still got a problem." Jaune interrupted, bringing their attention back towards the two large Grimm in front of them. The Nevermore was circling its way back towards them, and it wouldn't be long till the Deathstalker broke free.

"Deathstalker looks really mad. Did you steal its pancakes, Jaune?" Nora glared, getting an aghast look back.

"Me? Never! I was planning on poking its eyes out with a dirty stick."

"Oh, it's more insulting that way, isn't it?"

"See!? Nora gets it."

Ren shook his head, pinching his brows with a sigh, "That's not a good thing, Jaune." Didn't they say crazy recognized crazy?

"Well, what are you waiting for then?"

Walking towards them, the soon to be team RWBY gathered along with the rest of them. Weiss crossed her arms in front of her chest as she spoke to him.

"Our objective is right in front of us. No sense in dillydallying."

"Who still says dillydallying?" Yang snorted.

"She's right though." Ruby nodded, getting a smile from her partner. Fighting the Grimm wasn't their mission. Getting an artifact was. They'd only be wasting their time with them. "The mission is to grab and artifact and get back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

"Run and live?" Jaune simplified. He could always get behind that. "Sounds good to me, but I don't think he'll give me a choice." he gestured to the thrashing Deathstalker trying to escape its icy shackles.

Blake frowned in confusion, "You act like it's actively coming after you."

"Him, and his boyfriend. I think their taking out their failing relationship out on us."

"I thought their was some tension in the air." Nora hummed.

Hearing another cry from the Nevermore above their heads, the last of the group ran towards the pedestals housing the artifacts. Jaune grinned reaching for the familiar gold Rook chess piece. The memories it brought. And he was going to be reliving them all over again. He matched Ruby's grin back as she picked the gold Queen piece.

This time would be different though. He would be the leader his team deserved. The friend Ruby deserved. With his new abilities in hand, he would make sure things ended right.

* * *

The eight hunters in training ran out the green tree tops of the Emerald Forest followed closely by the two large Grimm. The sight of the old ruins greeted them along with the cliff top that completed their mission. Their goal was right in front of them, all they had to do was cross over the large ravine by the bridge connecting the ruins to the forest.

The hunters smiled in relief as they made their way towards the bridge. Their relief was short lived though. Several sharp tipped feathers stabbed into the ground in front of them, stalling their movements. The shooter flew around them, circling back and forth before flying towards a spire facing the cliffs. The Nevermore perched itself on top the tip, shaking its wings before releasing an intimidating screech at the hunters in its sights.

"I think he wants to play." Jaune gulped as he raised his shield up. The rest followed his example, taking out their weapons and preparing for the coming fight.

"Well, we still have to try to make it to the cliff, so let's go!" Ruby shouted as they charged for the bridge.

The Nevermore let loose another screech, shaking the ruins underneath it before spreading its wings and flying into the air.

The feathers on its large wings ruffled, firing like bullets after the humans bellow. They cut through the air, taller then the average human with iron hard ends. The ground around them was peppered by the airborne assault. They dodged and weaved through the deadly feathers, cursing as it fired off another round of feathers.

"Nora! Distract it!" Both Jaune and Ren yelled in sync. They looked back at each other in surprise, smiling soon after.

"Yay! Time for some relationship counseling!" Nora grinned. Jumping through another volley of black feathered pins, Nora aimed Magnhild's sights at the circling crow Grimm. Seeing her as an easy target, the Nevermore aimed a large volley at the orange haired girl. Jaune and Ren quickly stepped in, the blonde's shield working on blocking the feathers that got close and the raven haired boy working on shooting out the feathers out of the sky.

The air space around the Nevermore was soon filled with pink explosions. The missiles knocked the Grimm around, damaging it as it abandoned offense to dodge the heart shaped missiles.

' _Sweet, we're hurting it. Now, let's see if I can bring up its health.'_ Jaune's powers worked on will, that much he could tell by now. So, if he wished to see simple things like messages without pausing the real world, then maybe he could do the same with seeing Grimm's HP bars.

"Let's see if this works. Scan!" he whispered to himself, keeping his eyes on the giant bird. Too focused on working his powers, Jaune missed Ren's pink eyes narrow at him in confusion.

' _ **Nevermore. 7,555/8,000HP.'**_

' _Alright! It works.'_ Above the Grimm's head, a black HP bar with a green bar within was displayed for his very eyes. And it looked like Nora's attacks were doing some damage. Had to love that hyperactive, pancake obsessed girl.

A loud screech from behind reminded the three of the second threat. The Deathstalker was hot on their trails and it seemed fed up with playing.

"Let's keep moving!" Jaune ordered, getting nods back from Nora and Ren.

They ran off towards the others who had already reached the front of the bridge. The Deathstalker picked up its pace, racing after the back of its closest target. It's glowing stinger rose high in the air above its head, ready to pierce through Nora's back. Jaune grit his teeth, he wasn't about to let that happen. Reaching the bridge, Jaune spun back to back to Nora, lifting his shield up to block the thrusting stinger. The bridge shook, trembling under the force of the connecting blow with his defense. "Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted back in worry, watching her partner hold off the powerful tail end of the Grimm. That was some insane pressure pressing into his shield. Could he take it?

"Keep going! I can hold it off for a sec!" he struggled to smile back as his knee's buckled. If it wasn't for her Perk, 'Knight of Victory' he was sure he wouldn't be standing. Thank god for miracles. It felt like a tree trunk had rammed into his arm.

The Deathstalker hissed, annoyed if possible. It raised both its pincers up, dropping them down onto the scrap of metal blocking his tail.

The front of the bridge cracked, the two added blows becoming too much for its old structure. And with a shout of pain, Jaune was slammed through the bridge, breaking through it as he fell into the deep, dark ravine below. Chunks of the bridge fell along with him, leaving him to stare up through the hole he fell through. The shouts of fear and panic calling his name as he grit his teeth in frustration.

"Jaune!"

' _NO! This can't be how things end! I already died once! I'm not willing to find out if I get a third chance like this again!'_ He just died earlier today for crying out loud! Not even a day had passed since his death at the hands of a chainsaw wielding maniac and here he was falling into a deep hole.

Jaune wasn't about to let them go through his death again! Never again. There had to be something he could do. Seeing a hand reach for him though the hole he dropped into, he began to wish he knew how to use Teres Mors. It's whip could reach them and pull him out. But he didn't know how to use Mana. Why couldn't he start out with the help guide? It would tell him how to use his powers.

' _I mean, what am I suppose to do? Call it out like it was some kind of spell or incantation?'_

Wait. Could that work? Mana was magic, and that's how he'd seen it done in some of his video games. They sometimes called out their special attacks or spells. And his life was a video game now. What the hell, he was going to die anyway. Might as well try something.

Thrusting Crocea Mors towards the slowly shrinking sight of the pale hand reaching out towards him, Jaune began to shout out the name of his ability.

" **T** **eres Mors!** "

Power ran through his being not a second later that the words left his mouth. The power ran down his left hand, moving towards his ancestors blade. The old gray blade of Crocea Mors was coated in white energy, shaping it to a thin dark red blade 24 inches long, a green vine of thorns coiled around the blade to it's hilt, adding to its exotic new look as the scabbard shaped into grip with a blood red rose at the bottom side of the hilt. The vine tightened around the blade before, like a spring, it shot out towards its target. The thorny whip struck the reaching hand far above, causing the owner to wince sharply before it wrapped around the arm of their wrist. The owner grunted, using all their strength to pull the knight back up from his demise.

Like a bungee, Jaune was shot back up with incredible force, sending him flying up high above the hole and up in the air. Looking down, he was surprised to see Yang grinning back at him as she held her slightly bleeding wrist. Huh, so she had reached out to him? He didn't see that coming. Hearing a screech close by as he began to fall back to the bridge, Jaune found the Nevermore opening its beak to devour him in on fell swoop.

"Sorry, but not today!" Jaune shouted back to it. The vine of Teres Mors retracted, slapping back to its place. A small blue thermos like bar appeared in his vision, seeming to represent his MP. He had to plan this out carefully. " **T** **eres** **Blade: Coil!** " The thorny appendage fired off towards the flying Grimm, snapping its neck in a noose. Pulling on it, Jaune landed onto its thrashing back. It tried to rid itself of the human riding him, flying erratically to shake him off. But he wasn't having any of that. If he was getting off, he was doing some damage before he went.

Gripping both hands onto the grip of this new sword, Jaune roared, stabbing the thin blade deep into its feathered back. " **T** **eres Blade** **: Uproot!** " Blood flew up, splatting his clothes as the blade lite up in a white glow before piercing through the Grimm's tough feathers. A white spike of energy broke through its stomach, shaping into a spine of thorns.

' _ **Nevermore. 6,120/8,000HP.'**_ Sweet! That move did some nice damage. That's more then he could ever do till today. The white spike poking though the Nevermore's body bled red as its blood trickled down its point. Flipping itself down in the air, the raven colored bird shook off the annoying pest, succeeding once the spike slid off its body. Jaune cursed as he found himself once again falling. The Nevermore took it as a chance to take him out. The deadly tipped feathers of its wings rained down upon him, shooting towards him at incredible speeds. Jaune swung his new blade at the incoming projectiles, hoping to block them. He blocked a several shots with wild swings, failing to completely stop a few as they grazed his body. Pain lanced through him, weakening his grip on his short sword.

' _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer, 1,780/3,000HP, 15/50MP'**_

' _Shit! That's not good. My aura won't hold up for long at this rate. And it looks like Thorn Blade won't last much longer either.'_ Another feather shot by his right arm, dropping his HP by 200 points. Blood soaked through his hoodie's sleeve, trickling down his fingers. He needed to get its attention away from him.

Someone must of heard his thoughts as streaks of ice, blazing shotgun shells, and high caliber bullets flew across the air into the body of the Nevermore. It recoiled in pain, shaking itself of the damage. Its HP was dropping, falling into the five thousands. Its sights turned away from him, moving to the four huntress standing on the columns of the ruins spire. It shrieked, flapping its wings as it flew off to its new targets.

Alright, he was saved. Kinda. He was still falling to his doom again. And there wasn't anything close by the front of the bridge to grab onto with Teres Mors. A loud series of booms caught his attention though, turning him away from the ground to see Nora flying towards him. She was basically riding on top of it, using the firing missiles recoil to ride the wind.

"Sup, Jaune-Jaune!?" She grinned widely as she caught him in her arms. He smiled back in relief before turning away to the sounds of fighting below them. Looked like Pyrrha and Ren were taking it on themselves. They dodged its striking tail and claws, aiming their guns at its exposed face through its attacks. Their bullets did small damage from the looks of it. It's HP was dropping down at a snails pace. At this rate, they'd die before it reached half of its health.

An idea hit him though as he found himself riding back down at the Deathstalker with Magnhild's recoil.

"Nora, I got an idea." he grinned back, getting an excited squeal out of the girl.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm loving that look in your eye!" she giggled.

"Okay, I need you to hit me with your hammer-"

"Got it!"

"Wait, let me finish!" he shouted in panic noticing her about to swing at him. "I need you to hit me with your hammer, with my shield up, and send me firing towards the Deathstalker. Think you can do that?"

"Done and done, boss!" Nora nodded with a grin.

Nodding back, Jaune raised his shield up in front of his chest before the hyperactive huntress slammed her hammer into its metal frame with an added boost from firing off a missile. The force of the impact sent him rocketing off towards the Deathstalker, more specifically, its raised stinger. He had only a few points of Mana left, so he was going to have to make it count.

Spinning around, Jaune swung his elegant blade at the midsection of the tail, the velocity of his shooting fall and the tough steel of Teres Mors allowing him to tear off a nice chunk of its HP. His swing nearly sliced through the monster's tail, leaving it hanging awkwardly close its head. He skidded on his landing, gritting his teeth as he felt his own health dropping into the red. It didn't stop him though from digging his rapier into the ground below him. " **Teres Mor: Uproot!** " The vines of Teres dug through the earth below, digging deep before stopping below the Deathstalker. The vine glowed white with aura, stabbing through the earth and through the middle of its body, piercing its boned carapace.

"Ren! Take out its tail!" Jaune shouted before flinching, slumping back to the ground as his MP dropped to five. He was already sweating and panting, his energy spent.

Looking towards the dangling appendage, Ren nodded, jumping above the Deathstalker's swing to miss it's dense pincers. He then ran along its arm, eyes aimed at its damaged tail. Spinning around the lancing spine from Jaune's blade, he jumped up and spun his body, slicing through the deep nick and chopping off its glowing stinger with Storm Flower's fanged blade. The Deathstalker squealed in pain, thrashing around and smacking Pyrrha back from it. Her shield blocked against the blow, sending her skidding back just as Nora landed beside her. Looking at red and gold round shield, Nora was gifted with an idea. Worked with Jaune.

"Hey, Pyrrha! I got an idea! Know how to pitch?" she waggled her eyebrows at the spartan. Seeing her grip her hammer, Pyrrha nodded back with a smile. "Good! Renny, Jaune-Jaune! Keep that buggy distracted! Me, and Pyrrha are going to play some baseshield."

"What does that even mean!?" Jaune yelled in exasperation. He hung his head in defeat, Teres Mors transforming back to normal as he ran to fight off the giant scorpion. He stepped to the side of a striking pincer, bumping back to back with Ren. The two looked back to another, nodding before turning back to its two claws aimed at them both. Jaune stopped the combined blow with his shield, holding his ground as it continued to slam its claws into this defenses. His HP was chipping away with the assault, draining it closer to zero. Ren stood behind Jaune, firing off several rounds into the monster's eyes with hawk-eye accuracy.

Running far back from the Grimm, Nora and Pyrrha stood a distance away from another. Pyrrha moved her round shield back, hoping for it withstand the firing swing of Magnhild. If not, then maybe Beacon had a smithy to fix it back up. Putting all her strength into her arm, Pyrrha sent Akouo spinning madly towards the ginger haired girl. It cut through air before Nora's well placed swing sent it vanishing into thin air.

"HOMERUN!"

"Oh, no." Ren groaned at the sound of an almost crazed yell and feint whistle before tapping Jaune's shoulder. The blonde looked back at him with a grimace as another claw struck his family's shield, "We need to move, NOW!"

"Good, my HP's close to zero." Jaune grumbled. The hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened with crushing force, causing him to shout out in pain. "Ow! Ren, you can let go now!" he hissed.

The pink eyed boy frowned in apology before letting go. The Deathstalker squealed in anger, raising its claws high above its head for a pounding strike. The two boys jumped far aside from the falling blow, the force breaking apart the ground the two once stood. Its eyes glowed with hatred, upset at failing to kill the humans in front of it. It was ready to go after the two again, only to fail to see the blitzing shield flying towards its face in blazing speeds, even with six eyes.

The bone mask shattered in a shower of bone and blood, the protective disc cleanly slicing through its body with unimaginable force. It didn't even have time for last breaths as it exited out its behind, destroying its insides. It slumped to the ground, dying in a pool of its own blood.

' _ **Deathstalker, Dead. Congratulations on beating the Tutorial Boss! You've earned 2,500EXP! Your level has risen by 1! You're level has risen by 1! You've learned Power Strike! Guide 'Gamers Heart Help Guide' Unlocked! Weiss's Friendship, Unlocked! Yang's Friendship, Unlocked! Blake's Friendship, Unlocked! Nora's Friendship, Unlocked!'**_

Jaune sighed with relief as he moved to meet his team near the bridge's broken steps. Pulling up his own HP, he was surprised to see 247/3,000HP left. His aura was nearly gone! If they had kept at it any longer, he wasn't sure he'd make it out in one piece, his arms were throbbing as it is. The sound of a croaked screech made him turn his eyes to the top of the cliff, just in time to watch Ruby execute it with her scythe in a petal of falling roses. _'Still as cool as the first time.'_ he smiled nostalgically.

"That, was, AWESOME!" Nora cheered excitedly as she jumped around with a grin. The three hunters looked at her with tired smiles as they watched her spin in place and reenact their own fight.

"Ren was all, whoosh, tatatatatatatat, ninja slice, and Pyrrha was all, bang, bang, bang, swish, ding, ding, fast ball! And Jaune, where do I start!? He was as awesome as me! And that's pretty hard to do." she nodded to herself, crossing her arms against her chest in front of her friends.

"Which reminds me." Pyrrha raised her finger, catching their attention before she moved towards the fading Grimm, "I have to find my shield. I really hope it survived Nora's swing." she said worriedly.

"Oh,oh,oh! I'll help! I wanna see if I broke it!"

"You shouldn't be happy about that Nora. I really love Akouo."

"And I love my hammer. Your shield knew what it was in for when it attacked me."

Jaune smiled at the two as he watched them go look for Akouo. They'd all just met and they were already on the road to becoming best friends. Now, all that was left to do was reach the cliff and complete their mission.

But, just before he could begin planning on how to cross the bridge, Ren's hand once again found itself on his shoulder. The blonde looked back to his friend in confusion, noticing a frown on his normally cool face.

"Jaune, you don't mind answering a question for me, do you?" Ren asked politely, despite his fingers digging into his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." Did he do something wrong? Jaune couldn't remember anything that had changed between them since his first life.

Ren's eyes moved back and forth around the two, looking out for anyone within in earshot before continuing, "What was it you were whispering about? Scan? And I could of sworn you said something about your HP. What was that about?" he asked.

Oh, that. Dammit, he should have been watching his mouth. How the hell do you explain your life turned into a game to another person. Especially to someone like Ren? He was the calmest, down to earth guy he knew. He'd think he was crazier then Nora.

The buzzing of his scroll broke his thoughts, thanking it for some time to think. He needed to look up his new Ability anyway. Pausing the world, Jaune looked away from Ren to read his messages.

Though, once he stopped to look them over, he frowned. He unlocked the Friendships of every one of his friends, except Ren. He didn't even see an option for him. That was weird. Did his powers only work on girls? That didn't make any sense.

' _Oh, god. Don't tell me my life's turned into a dating sim! I don't think I'm ready for that yet!'_

"Jaune, what did you do?"

The blonde knights body froze in shock, his finger stopping its scrolling at the sound of the familiar male voice. Turning around, he was speechless to find Ren standing in front of him, with wide pink eyes staring at him.

Didn't he stop time? Checking for signs of the others, he found that the girls and the world had remained frozen in place as they always did when he willed his game menu up. So, why was Ren unaffected? Did his powers really not work on guys? Nothing was adding up.

"Ren? You can talk? And move? How? I thought the game paused everything." Jaune asked frowned in confusion. A strange look crossed his friend's eyes, vanishing a second later. Ren calmly smiled at him, easing his worries.

"Calm down. I don't know how, but how about you tell me what's going on here. We're friends now, right? You can tell me anything." he reassured him as he began to lead him towards the bridge.

"Really? Anything? Because if I trust you with this, you might not believe me." The thought of being called crazy and insane didn't sound good coming from a guy like Ren. He was friends with Nora and thought she was sane.

Ren chuckled as they stopped by broken bridge. The rest of it must of collapsed during their fighting.

"Kinda hard not to when the worlds frozen still. I'm guessing you did this?"

Jaune nodded his head. Well, Ren was his best friend. Was being a key word seeing as his life's started over. But they would be during their stay together at Beacon. He was the brother he always wished for. Someone he could look up to during the stressful times at school. If their was anyone he could tell his story to, it was him.

So, he did. For several minutes, Jaune retold his tale, about coming to Beacon Academy with fake transcripts, his lack of training, somehow surviving initiation with them the first time, and his entire stay at Beacon. All the way up to his death at the hands of the chainsaw wielding maniac. Even as he began to talk about waking up alive and breathing in the Emerald Forest with Pyrrha unlocking his aura, and his new found powers that involved his scroll, Ren's face hadn't lost its cool. He just nodded along with the story, slightly frowning when he mentioned how his life turned into a game. At the end of it, Jaune looked back to him for any signs of confusion or disbelief.

But he found none. He couldn't believe it, but Ren looked like he believed him! As crazy as it all sounded, he didn't think he was crazy and lost his mind. Then again, freezing time helped to prove him his powers weren't make believe. That probably helped.

"Your life's now a game, huh?" Ren closed his eyes in thought as he moved around him. Jaune nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

"I know, hard to believe. I'm actually surprised you took that all in so well." Man, was Ren the coolest guy he met. Nothing seemed to faze him.

The sound of knuckles cracking confused him though.

Looking out towards the forest, Ren breathed in a deep breath before talking again, "Jaune, you say we're friends, right?"

"Yeah." he frowned in confusion. What was he trying to say? "Best friends, actually. You're like my brother, if I was to be honest."

"Really? Hmm, that's good to hear." he chuckled softly. "Then, you wouldn't mind doing me a favor, would you?"

"Or course, Ren. But, what's this all about?" Something was wrong. Looking around, Jaune tried to find the where the feeling of danger was coming from. Was it possible for him to be attacked by Grimm in here? Ren could move, so why couldn't they? They were genderless, so maybe they weren't affected by his powers either. He ignored his scroll going off in his hands to turn back to his friend.

That's when it struck him, Ren's glowing pink hand tightly gripping his face with enough force to break the bones in his skull. His blue eye's stared back at his friends calmly smiling face as his eyes glowed with dark pink energy.

' _ **Congratulations! PVP, Unlocked and Entered! All Four Players are now activated! Star Stillness Perk, Unlocked and Equipped to all Players! Have fun!'**_

"Good. Then listen closely. If you really are my best friend, my brother, then you'll listen to me when I say this."

Sparks of pink crawled along Ren's left arm, jumping towards Jaune's body before shocking him to a crisp. His HP dropped to zero, drained of its aura as black smoke wafted from his gruesomely burnt body. A weak wheeze escaped the blonde's body as his fading blue eyes looked back to his friend in hurt betrayal.

"Give up this game. Let your soul reset back to its NPC setting. I don't want to kill you if your memory returns." he glared before lifting his body up with one hand. Moving closer to the edge of the broken bridge, Ren didn't spare Jaune's dying body another glance before carelessly dropping it off into the never ending ravine below. His back turning away and leaving him to die was the last thing Jaune's blue eyes saw.

And, once again today, Jaune Arc died.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Power Strike[2AP]:** **A strong** **physical blow; Strength is amplified by 15%. MP Cost: 10MP.**_

* * *

 **Well, shit. I bet none of ya expected that coming, and if you did? Good for you! Ya want** **a cookie? Sorry, but we all got our own Ruby's in our lives. I'm all out.**

 **What does this mean for Jaune? He's died twice now, will he get a reset again? Or will his soul vanish into thin air? This only brings up even more unanswered questions! Tune in next time, on Multiplayer!**

 **What? Did you expect a Dragonball Z reference? Come on, I got class. I watch the abridge version.**

 **Now, to get onto other matters. If you're all wondering about my upload schedule, it goes like this. It takes me up to a week to finish one, you know with work and life keeping me busy, and I don't upload it till the next chapter is finished. Kinda like insurance if you think about it, to inspire me to finish the next on time. Or holding it hostage. Both work. After finishing that chapter, I take the day spell checking it for errors and any other corrections, and then upload it. Then repeat the process all over again. Which means that Chapter 3 is finished today, but won't be up till next when Chapter 4 is done. Hopefully with this schedule, I won't fall behind like my other fics did. Which I'm trying to get back into.**

 **As for pairings, well, like I said, it's joke harem. Think of it like Coeur Al'Aran's Professor Arc fic. But games have multiple endings, don't they? I'll work in the pairings in those endings. They'll still be romance in this fic, but they won't be final till the ending. I hope that makes sense if you didn't understand during the first chapter.**

 **If you got any more questions, don't be afraid to ask.**

 **I do want to thank you all for Reviewing, Favorites, and Follows with the first Chapter. I was kinda nervous about uploading again. It's been a while. So, thanks. Hopefully I might inspire someone to draw some fan art for my story to upload as cover art. Never done that before either.**

 **As always, Read and Review. It's common courtesy. Even if I fail to have some.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	3. Forward and Back

**One week later, and done! Chapter 4 is finished, which means I took the entire day today to clean up Chapter 3 for your reading pleasure! NeoShadows here and I'm happy to say that I've yet to hit a slump in my writing!**

 **When I was busy writing for the Fairy Tail sect. of the site, I would usually find myself cut off from completing another chapter by our mortal enemy, Writers Block. Nasty bastard, always stopped me cold. But I found my own way of slapping the bastard till it crawls away in tears for its mommy, only to find her in my bed. I keep writing every chapter in the same document. Every. Chapter. The thought and sight of an empty page always turned me away and made me nervous to start a new chapter, the number of words played with my head, man. But with this method I can keep going whenever I finish a chapter and not worry about the lack of words. It's been working so far. Hopefully it keeps up till the end of the first volume. Heads up by the way, once this story reaches the end of the first volume, I'm going to take a break from the story. Not a long one, mind you. I'll keep writing, but I won't be posting anything new to the story. Maybe upload a oneshot, or two to let you all know I'm still here. Going to need time to myself to get the story worked over. Some new ideas and premises just popped up yesterday that I've been working over while I was at work.**

 **Anyways before we get started, some Reviews!**

 **Csad21: Glad to know you enjoyed it! Always happy to hear that. No, Ren isn't really a bad guy. That will be explained in this chapter. And the harem thing was going to be adressed. I hate to say it, but I like to thing of it like HuniePop without the sex, mostly because I can't write a Lemon worth a damn. Also fixed some errors in my last two chapters. Five bucks I still missed some, but the Pyrrha one is definitely resolved. Wish I had a Beta.**

 **Otherguy14: The two Players in the Game are honestly my favorites. You can't guess who they are. Maybe. I swear I'm surrounded by psychics. Perks work like buffs. If you've played Fallout then just think of them like that. It's where I got the idea from. It will be explained a bit more in the next chapter, so don't worry. As for training, eh, I'm thinking Arcs with a mix of timeskips. Too much useless text is a turnoff.**

 **Speedy24: What the fuck indeed.**

 **TalonbnLaAhad: Oh, stop! You're making me blush, ya bastard! And thanks for recommending 'Dice: The Cube that Changes Everything.' Read a chapter and was very intrested in it. Just wish I could find the first few chapters. I did get a few ideas from what I read though.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Original indeed. That was what I was hoping to hear when writing this story as a Gamer fic. I wanted something new that hadn't been done before in the other stories. And their is more then two players, there's four in total. Who they are, you'll just have to find out as you read.**

 **Dave134: All will be explained.**

 **An Old Fan: *Sniff* It's good to be back, my fan.**

 **Zorro99: Oh, yeah. Pyrrha's name was a bitch to write, mostly because I've been saying it wrong. Got to hate it when you think you've been saying something right, only to realize you're wrong. Stupid spellcheck, added the wrong pronounce of the name to it. G**

 **Goodge12: Sh, sh, sh, my child. Old NeoShadows will dry your tears. Same way my Ma did, with a good old backhand! Always works. All will be explained of Ren.**

 **Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I can already see that this story is gaining some fans. I hope not to disappoint. Now, let get on with the show!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. All rights belong to RoosterTeeth. Kinda missing playing my video games. Hate to say it, but my the end of the year, I'll be fearing my progress as I hunt monsters in Monster Hunter Generations. The games, they speak to me! And they sound so sexy, dammit!**_

* * *

Chapter 3: Forward and Back.

The bullhead was finally quiet as it flew back to Beacon Academy with its students in tow. Well, all their students, but one. The Breach had ended with civilian casualty, many not making it to safety in time before they were attacked by the monsters of darkness. But out of all that had died today, only one of them had been a student. A hunter in training.

Locked away in the most secure cell they had, the White Fang Lieutenant let out a weary toothless grin from within a heavily guarded SDC airship.

The teams consisting of RWBY and JNPR were beyond devastated. They were broken emotionally at the loss of their friend, Jaune Arc. For Ruby and Pyrrha, the two refused to speak as they had cried themselves to sleep. Jaune was not only Ruby's best friend, but Pyrrha's crush.

Pyrrha broke down. Jaune was someone that had seen her a just some girl, and because of him, she had made friendships that would last her a lifetime. He was also the boy who had stolen her heart. Without even trying or putting any effort, he had snatched her heart the moment they met. He was weak, lacked confidence, and had no idea how to speak to a girl, but he had a charm that wormed its way into her soul. And that soul was gone, ripped away in a single day. His cold, bloody body was held against Weiss's own. She had to shout at her to hand him back to her, yelling she had no right to hold him. In the end she too had be forced to let him go. She couldn't even remember losing consciousness after that.

The red hooded girl didn't even bother to clean the blood off her face. It was all she had left him anyways. Ruby was taught to believe in heroes, that they would over come every obstacle that stood in their way. She had learned the hard way that such stories weren't true, her own mother having died fighting as a hero. That was why she trained so hard, so she wouldn't die the same way, leaving broken hearts behind as she fought against the Grimm. But that strength was useless when she came upon the gruesome sight of Jaune lying in Weiss's lap under a large pool of his own blood. All she could do was cry into his bloody chest, pleading for him to live. He was like her, all he wanted to do was become a hero. So why did he have to die like one?

Yang, well she nearly brought down the airship in her rage. For her, not only did she fail to save someone, but she had failed to save the first person her little sister could call a friend. Jaune was the one who broke her out of her awkward shell and made her take the steps to be who she was. Now, with him gone, Yang was afraid Ruby would withdraw from the world. And even worse, she had lost him as a friend too. The image of blood leaking out of his wound burned itself into her memory, no matter how many times she closed her eyes, she could still see it. It made her question why she had become a huntress in the first place. Was this what waited for her? To see friends die without being able to do anything in return?

Someone like Jaune didn't deserve to die. How could the world let someone as innocent and kind as him die without any form of justice? His killer was still alive, probably grinning his ass off as they locked him away and out of her reach. The world didn't make sense, and it pissed her off.

Blake remained quite during the whole ordeal even as she tried to calm her partner down. Inside though, she was racked with guilt.

The Lieutenant had worked alongside her during her time in the White Fang. She knew him and his strong sense of loyalty matched his hatred for the Schnee. He was a terrifying man when he wanted to be. And, sadly, she had once thought of him as a friend along with Adam. To think that the man she once looked out for and was looked out after, had killed someone who didn't think ill of the faunas, made her feel guilty. The organization she once called family had killed Jaune and many others today. And for what? In the end, it was all pointless bloodshed. She couldn't even save him, his wound was too severe. And yet, he still smiled at her as he died. Without knowing that it was just as much her fault as the White Fang.

Weiss had refused to let go of Jaune's cold body even as the SDC tried to move him. The man who had saved her life, who looked at her with nothing but admiration and love, who never thought of her as anything but his Snow Angel, was dead in her arms. Because of her, and her name. It was Pyrrha who had finally gotten her to let go of his body, pleading with her to let her partner go. Seeing those green eyes drowning in tears and sorrow, Weiss relented, releasing her hold on her knight as the medics rushed her off for immediate treatment. She was right, what reason did she have to hold him? Weiss didn't deserve to see him in his last moments, Pyrrha did. She had been the one who encouraged him, supported him, and even loved him from the very beginning. And she had robbed the spartan girl of him. It was all her fault.

The heiress locked off any visitors to her emergency room. She did not speak, she didn't even look anyone in the eye. A girl like her was meant to be alone. She closed herself off from everyone within the ship, refusing to open up to anyone till they got back to Beacon. Instead she cried into the beds pillow, a dirtied bloody brown glove clutched tightly against her chest.

Nora had gone silent for once. She didn't sob out loud like the others did, but her tears did run as she looked at the sight of her leader dead with a smile on his face. It was almost as if she didn't know how to react to it all. The thought of Jaune dying never came up when they had gone off to Vale to help team RWBY. He just seemed like the guy who'd always be there to make you smile and laugh. But to see the cold dead reality of his icy cold body lying in a pool of his own blood, made her breakdown mentally. Silent tears fell down as she called out his name, receiving no answer no matter how many times she promised him she'd stop jumping on his bed, stop eating all his pancakes, stop shouting in his ears, stop causing him trouble, stop embarrassing him in front of others, just as long as he woke up.

In the end, Nora was taken away from Jaune by Ren back to the Bullhead leaving for Beacon. And that's where she stayed as her head laid against Ren's shoulder on solemn ride back home.

Her bright, energy fueled eyes were dimmed, almost hollow as they stared off into the space in front of her inside the room she stayed. Ren had stayed with her, trying to consul his childhood friend in her time of grief.

"Ren?"

"Hmm? Yes, Nora?" Ren asked softly as he found the bubbly girl's red puffed eyes looking back at him.

"I-I'm going to take a nap. Okay?"

He nodded, noticing her eyes grow heavy before shutting close. "Okay. Just go to sleep, and everything will be fine in the morning." he smiled sadly.

A soft chuckle escaped Nora's lips before she drifted off into sleep.

"Please, don't lie."

' _ **Nora Valkyrie: Asleep. Their is no strategy or Reaction Command for bringing her out of her depression at the moment.'**_

Ren sighed in frustration as he left Nora to sleep in her bed.

Great, he was going to have to play through this world with Jaune dead. Again. How many times did that make it? Fifteen? Fifteen times he had died early in the game before the fall of Beacon? He knew he was weak early in the game, but come on! Well, he did die fighting the White Fang Lieutenant, so that was new. What was that guy's name? He swore he could never remember it no matter how many times he had made it to the end of the game.

' _Oh, well. Maybe Jaune's death would trigger everyone to grow stronger this time around. It usually did the other times that this has happened, but this death seems to of hit them a bit harder. Maybe Ruby will even unlock her ability to use her silver eyes_ _early_ _this time.'_ Ren mused to himself as he laid back in his own bed.

Was Ren devastated by Jaune's death? Nope. Having to live life like it was a game kinda desensitized you from the death of those you held dear. Especially with how many times he had lived through his life over and over again. Besides, he would come back to life in the end. All they had to do was beat the final boss, which wouldn't even appear for several years now, and then they'd start all over again. The world would reset and everyone's memories would be gone.

All except Ren's. Well, him and the other two Players in this game called a life. It didn't matter which one of them reached their Endings, it would all be reset the moment one of them won. Because they haven't found the True Ending to it all.

He had given up on reaching an Ending worlds ago, and so did one of the other Players. No matter how hard he tried, how hard he fought, how hard he struggled against immeasurable odds, it would mean nothing in the end of things. He didn't even care about the prize for reaching the True End, Ren was sick of it all.

At this point, he just cared for some time to get some sleep in. Closing his eyes, Ren tried drifting off into his dreams. Not even caring for the amazing adventure ahead of him. He'd done it all before, so things would be a little different this time around, who cares?

It was all a waste of energy. All their progress would be brought back to zero. All that mattered was that he got some shut eye in before the game started all over again.

Life was a tiring bitch.

* * *

The smell of burnt flesh hit Ren's senses as he held the body of his best friend, Jaune, up by his face. To some, the smell of burning skin was retching, the odor being too much for even some of the most hardened of men, but Ren had gotten use to it. With how many worlds he had lived through, the smell had become something he had familiarized. Especially when he had been on the receiving end of it multiple times. He couldn't count how many times Cinder had burned him alive. But, the look of betrayal, of deep pain staring back at him with confused horror, wasn't something he could get use to.

Out of all the worlds, this one was the first one where he had killed Jaune without really wanting too. Sure, this wasn't the first time his life had lead him to kill his own leader. There had been paths, paths that he had been so desperate to take, to reach an Ending, to end this never ending hell his life had been dragged into, where he had killed his friends. All, but two. He had been left with little choice, and little peace of mind. He needed to try something new that might stop the endless cycle of progress and resetting.

But looking into those blue eyes, that could see the world he saw, Ren was left with very little choice. The Eastern boy didn't want another Player added to the game, not after the last few that had been given the title. This wasn't the first time some one else had joined in, many others had as well. Usually spawning with every tenth, or seventh world that had been completed by either one of them, or by the NPC's. One of those NPC's would be given a shot as a Player like them, given the special abilities of The Gamer, and a special ability and skills along with them that separated them from the others. A Quirk, he liked to call them. But, eventually, it would be too much for them to handle, their souls would be too weak to handle the powers and once they had died, they would drop out of the game, their memories reset back to their scripted form.

It's why he had to kill Jaune the moment he had revealed himself as a Gamer. He liked Jaune, he could even say he too saw him as the brother he always wanted. But the knight was a softhearted idiot. Knowing him, he wouldn't survive the hardships that followed this cursed power. Tough decisions had to be made, sides had to be chosen and not all of them where as black and white as they seemed, and death would follow. Jaune's soul wouldn't be able to take it.

One death. One Game Over. That was all it took to rid a weak Player from the game. But those cursed with powerful souls would continue, every Game Over simply meaning they would have to start over again from the beginning of their game. Honestly, it was no different from reaching the Ending. All would be reset.

Jaune's soul wasn't strong. Oh, sure, he would grow strong in the future, filling into the role of a Hunter and Hero that he had dreamed of, but he wasn't strong enough to make the tough decisions. He was too pure, too trusting and hopeful, it made him weak. If anything, his soul might struggle, survive a few more worlds, but it would die.

A death wheeze escaped Jaune's burnt lips, his final breath drawn. Ren sighed at the gruesome sight before glaring.

"Give up this game. Let your soul reset to its NPC setting. I don't want to kill you again if your memory returns." And he'd do it. If he had to kill him a hundred times till his soul gave up on living this game, the Ren would continue to spill his blood till he gave up the title of Player. He was better off as an NPC. Jaune would live a happier life that way. There was bliss in ignorance.

Ren didn't spare him another glance before dropping his friend's body into the ruins ravine. He'd see him again in the next world, wearing that awkward smile he always wore. With no memory of the pink eyed boy killing him in cold blood.

' _Hmm, I'm going to have to make up some story for Jaune's death. Maybe explain to them he had tripped on his shoes into the ravine. Hopefully he'd made a big enough fool of himself to make the story believable. Who am I kidding? Course he has.'_ he thought to himself, turning away from the ravine back to the forest.

"Menu." Ren commanded, bringing up his own version of his game.

 _ **Status.**_

 _ **Skills, Abilities, and Slots.**_

 _ **Reaction Commands.**_

 _ **Inventory.**_

 _ **PVP.**_

 _ **Options.**_

 _ **Missions and Events.**_

' **Congratulations! You're level has risen by 1! You have Unlocked a Perk! Star Stillness has been Equipped to your Status! Cannot be removed.'**

"Perk? I've heard of that before." Ren frowned, reading the pop up message on his menu screen. Was it a special power for killing Jaune? That had never appeared before. Not one of the worlds he had lived in had ever given him a perk. He clicked the message, hoping for more information.

' _ **Star Stillness. A unique Perk granted to all four Players in the game. For now on, all Players are permanently locked with The Gamer's abilities and powers till one reaches the True End. Killing another Player is now impossible in PVP, but will reward EXP and Special Items on occasions. It will now activate an automated revival upon death. Only in Special Events can Players kill one another. Death outside these means still count in Game Over. Have fun!'**_

"WHAT!? No!" Ren roared in anger, his game menu fading away. A bright flash of light blinded him a second later from a four pointed star like cross floating in front of him.

From within the blinding star, the body of Jaune Arc stepped out. His wounds were completely healed and his HP and Mana were restored. He looked down at his hands in disbelief, moving them around his face before making a fist. A hard right by his own fist to his face snapped him out of confusion, the pain proving his existence. The star behind him blinked, fading away to nothing.

"I-I'm alive? Again? What the hell? I thought this was a once in a lifetime thing?" Jaune grumbled, wincing as his face throbbed. The added Strength from his Perks were still there, so that was good.

"You're back? How? I thought the worse case scenario would be you retaining your memories in the next world. What's going on?" Ren grit his teeth.

Jaune's knuckles were close to breaking as they cracked in anger. Even if he had died, the memory of his best friend zapping him into a smoking corpse was still fresh in his memory. Even death couldn't erase that.

He glared at his so called friend who calmed down enough met his glare with passive cool pink eyes.

"Ren, you've got a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Ruby sighed tiredly, forehead falling with a thump onto the cafeteria table. As far as first days go, she wasn't having any luck with them.

A day's passed since she and her new team had completed their first mission at initiation. And what a mission it had been. Fighting off two giant Grimm, meeting new friends, showing off her sweet darling, Crescent Rose in all its glory, and working things out with her new partner had been the highlights of the day. Not only that, but after completing the mission she was surprised to not only wind up in a team with Yang and Blake, but also be assigned leader of said team, RWBY.

She did not see that coming. Her, Ruby Rose, of all people, was now in charge of leading a team of future huntresses for the next four years at Beacon. And she would make sure she was the best, most fearless, leader they had ever seen!

If only Weiss would give her the chance.

After everything that had happened in the Emerald Forest, Ruby thought that the heiress would finally start acting like her friend. They broke some ground fighting the Nevermore, she even said she was going to try to make things work between them, to give her a chance to prove herself as her partner. So what was the difference from trying to be her partner, to her being their leader? Back in Professor Port's class all the red caped girl had done was encourage Weiss as she fought a Boarbusk. Was that worth getting yelled at? Sure, she was doodling in class on the first day, making faces at the Professor, and itching her nose, not picking! She was a lady, ladies didn't pick their noses, well, not in public at least. It still wasn't worth getting yelled at and being called a terrible leader.

Okay, once she sat down and thought about it, maybe she did have that coming. A little. _'Ugh, being leader is so hard. It's my first day, and already I'm failing at it. I just wanted to fight Grimm, not be handed a team to lead into battle. School is so hard.'_ Maybe Ozpin spilled some coffee when he was working on teams and glitched out the computer so that it read Ruby Rose as team leader. Too embarrassed about it, he probably just went with the flow instead. Yeah, that had to be the explanation. It was the only one that made any sense.

The sound of a fellow forehead smacking onto the table alerted Ruby to someone sitting across from her. Looking up, she found another person who was familiar with first days, and the bad luck they carried.

"Hi, Jaune." Ruby greeted, letting her head drop back with thud. She was too upset look back at him. "Welcome to the Bad First Days Club, how bad is it?"

"So bad, I can't even stare into the eyes of my dinosaur chicken nuggets anymore without seeing failure in their golden crisp eyes. I've been forced to drown them in my mash potatoes gravy, just to stop their judging gazes. I still hear their gurgled cries of 'why?' in my sleep." he mumbled against surface of what he believed was still a dirty table.

"Yeesh, that went dark quickly. Does it get easier?" she smiled weakly back.

Jaune moved his head up a bit to look back at her, "Nope, but the fact that they even serve dinosaur nuggets with mash potatoes and gravy makes me feel a little better." he tried to chuckle, only to sigh. He took out his scroll, hoping for a little more insight to his fellow leader's mood.

' _ **Ruby Rose. Frienship Lvl: 3. Affection Lvl: Locked. Status: Sad, frustrated, hurt,**_ _ **wants to be left alone, but really wants an open ear.'**_ Chibi Ruby was slamming her cute little head against her own mini table over and over again, a dark cloud hanging over her head.

' _Seems that she's having_ _it_ _rough too. Luckily for her, this isn't going to last long. She and Weiss will fix things by bedtime tonight.'_ Jaune thought with a slight smile. Those two were practically sisters, even if Weiss refused to admit it out loud. They would fight, but make up in the end just like last time. Whatever happens between them, they'll be able to work it all out. Because they were friends, best friends. They just didn't know it yet. _'Wish I could say the same about Ren.'_

Things between him and the long pony tailed boy were not good. Not since killing the Deathstalker and revealing to him his secret, that life was now a Game to him. And Ren believed him. That should of made him happy, to have someone he could trust with all his heart help him with his new confusing powers. But he got no help in return. Just a thrusting clawed hand to his face and a charred body.

Lie Ren, his best friend, had killed him. Like that. He didn't even look back when he threw his smoking body into the ravine below. Jaune had died twice now. Once by the hands of that crazy White Fang Lieutenant, and the other by a guy had once come to about his own feelings regarding Weiss. He had opened his heart to him, and he killed him without remorse.

And then he was alive again. The knight didn't understand what had happened. One second he was falling into the dark below, his heart stopping before he ever got close to the bottom, and the next second he was walking out of some bright light as he died. He didn't know he could do that. Did he have a set number of lives or something? If so, then why did he restart at the Emerald Forest after dying the first time? Things weren't making sense, not since he discovered his powers.

Jaune was willing to forgive Ren though. Kinda. Honestly, he wanted to punch his face for killing him like it was nothing and tell Nora on him. But he wanted answers first. Maybe he had a good reason for doing it? Jaune really hoped that was the case. He didn't want to believe that his friend had never given a damn about him. So, he had asked the eastern boy what was going on.

* * *

 ** _(Flashback.)_**

 _"No."_

 _"I'm sorry, what?" Jaune shook his head, frowning deeply. Ren nodded his head back, crossing his arms in doing so. "I could of sworn you just said, 'No', to me. Your friend, who you just killed like some mosquito in a shock trap!" he roared angrily._

 _Ren didn't seem to mind the yelling. Jaune couldn't intimidate him, he wasn't that kind of guy. Too sweet for his own good. It was actually kinda funny._

 _"Are you laughing? What the hell, Ren! What part of this is funny to you!?"_

 _"None of it, honestly." Ren stopped his chuckling, sighing soon after. He cracked his neck of any stiffness before matching his own glare back at the blonde, "If I was honest, I'm pretty pissed off right now. I'd been hoping your soul would fade away like the rest and reset to that of an NPC. Not lock itself with The Gamers power."_

 _"You're still not answering me." he said through grit teeth. The attitude he was displaying was nothing like the Ren he knew. Ren was polite, kind, and patient. The guy in front of him wasn't anything like him._

 _"And I don't plan to. Actually, we're done here." he paused, clicking his fingers a moment later with a smile. The world was released from its stasis, bringing it back to life. The sounds of running and Nora's laughter could be heard coming closer to them._

 _The hell they were. Taking out his scroll, Jaune activated the Game Menu, only to curse as it failed to pause their surroundings. What the hell was going on? He was willing it this time, why wasn't it working._

 _Ren's arm quickly found itself laid across his shoulder, dropping his weight on him as Jaune found himself carrying the green flower themed boy on his back. His mouth inched close to his neck, whispering in his ear with venom._

 _"Sorry, but the Tutorial is done. And now that our team is back, the Game won't allow for pausing so we can continue with the story." Ren stopped for a moment finding Pyrrha's and Nora's attention on the two of them. He gave them a tired and embarrassed smile before speaking again, "Unless you want them to think you're crazy, and trust me when I say they will, you'll keep your mouth shut. The Game doesn't allow NPC's to know about the Game, it will create a scenario that will lead you to a Bad End. So, keep quite, and play along. This is the last time we ever speak about this."_

 _"What's wrong with Renny, Jaune-Jaune?" Nora skid to a stop along side Pyrrha, both girls confused to finding Jaune carrying Ren by one arm. Ren didn't look that hurt._

 _Jaune held in a very nasty curse towards his so called friend. He had him in a corner. Either confront him about what was going on in front of the girls, risking a Bad End, or play along with the faking bastard. He had played a wide variety of games when he was younger, so he recognized what a Bad End spelled for him. And he didn't want to know how it turned out._

 _"Oh, Ren's just tired is all." Jaune laughed as best he could. If he was good at one thing, it was lying. "He was running all over the place. Doesn't look like he has much stamina, huh, buddy?" he patted Ren's chest, hitting him with a little added pressure._

 _Ren grunted, silently wishing he had just killed him instead. He could live on the lamb again. Did it once before. Wasn't so bad._

 _"Yeah, you know me, Nora. The only energy I have left for is sleeping." he said with a tired grin._

 _Nora nodded her head, accepting the answer. "You do love your sleep, just as much as I love your pancakes. Oh, you should totally make us all some when we get back to Beacon! Jaune and Pyrrha have never tried your cooking before! Please, Renny?" she pleaded, pouting her lips with crocodile tears._

 _"That would sound lovely after today." Pyrrha smiled at Ren. From Jaune's point of view, he could see Ren weaken slightly._

 _Ren sighed, slacking across Jaune's shoulders. Didn't matter how many times he was sent back, Nora had the power to make him do almost anything, if he wasn't going down a dark path. She was one of the few people he could never bring himself to kill in any world. Her, and Pyrrha._

 _"I'll see what I can whip up. Hopefully whatever dorms the give us comes with a kitchen."_

 _"You can always improvise!"_

 _"I'm not making a fire in the room."_

 _"Boo!"_

 _As this was all going on, Jaune could only mentally sigh as his team worked their way to the cliffs._

 _Things were not going to be any easier then his first time. If anything, they had gotten more complicated._

* * *

And that was that. Jaune had tried to corner Ren into talking about everything that had happened between them back at the forest, but he really was a ninja like Nora described. When he thought he had him to himself to talk to, Ren completely vanished from sight. In the morning, he woke up early to drag him out, not caring if he made a scene. Ren must of known though seeing as he was absent from his bed. Nora had been caught by surprise, but chalked it up to her best friend leaving for the shower. If their was anything he loved more then sleeping, it was showering. In class, he opted to sit next to him, try and get him to talk to him later. But he had showed up late to class, apologizing to the teacher before taking a seat far away from him. Even at lunch, Jaune couldn't see him. Then again, if things were playing out exactly as they did before, Ren was most likely stuck in Oobleck's class at this time. Not all their classes were together as a team.

"Well, how bad is it?" Ruby tried to cheer him up, poking his sleeve as she watched him drown another T-Rex shaped chicken in gravy. Was she seeing things, or was their bubbles rising from the gravy?

"Team trouble. Or, more specifically, teammate trouble." he grumbled, taking a large chunk of his lunch out with a bite. Oh, chicken nuggets, even when he was down they still had some way to send a shiver of delight down his spine.

"You too? And I thought I was the only one. I thought you and Pyrrha were getting along great."

"We are. It's not her though."

"Nora? She is energetic."

Jaune scoffed, wiping his mouth against his sleeve, "That's putting it lightly. But, no, it's not her."

Ruby frowned, "You mean, Ren? But he seems so mellow. The cool kid in your group. I can't see what the problem could be."

' _Problem is that my best guy friend not only killed me in cold blood, which I should honestly be livid for, but is refusing to tell me what the hell is going on with my special powers that he apparently has too.'_

"It's complicated."

Ruby sighed, reaching her hand across the table to grab a nugget from Jaune's lunch. She was too upset to grab her own when she arrived. He wouldn't mind sharing. "I feel ya. Things aren't going great with Weiss since I've become leader. Which doesn't make any sense, I'm awesome." she grumbled, munching on the nugget with gusto.

"Bronco, no." Aw, he was planning on eating that one. After dipping it in gravy, much better then ketchup. "And I believe you. You're going to make a great leader, Ruby." he smiled. And she was. He could attest to that.

"Aww, stop it. Shut up, no really, shut up." Ruby blushed with a smile. He was just trying to make her feel better is all. Or stop her from eating his lunch.

 **+300EXP!**

That was new. Looked like cheering Ruby up gained Experience in her Friendship Lvl. Guess it did pay to be nice.

"Trust me, you'd be better at it then me." Swallowing one last spoonful of mash potatoes, Jaune stood up from his seat. He pushed the decent amount left of his lunch to Ruby who looked back at him with confusion, her cheeks painted with gravy. He grinned tiredly, "I better go. My next class is coming up."

 **+150EXP!**

Maybe he was better off leaving Ren alone. He wasn't willing to talk to him, and it looked like he never would. Who was he kidding anyway, he wasn't a leader. He died a terrible one, just because he was given another chance at it didn't mean he was going to be any better at it. He wasn't like Ruby, she fit into the role perfectly.

Jaune walked away with a sigh, leaving Ruby to his lunch.

* * *

"Hey, Ren?"

"Hmm, what is it, Nora?"

Lying back on his bed back at their dorm room, Ren opened one of his eyes to turn to his partner. Nora was busy jumping up and down on her bed, a contemplative look on her face. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.

"I was just wondering something." she frowned, doing a little spin in the air. "Is there something wrong going on between you and Jaune?" she asked.

Bad thing then. Nora always could read him like a book.

"It's nothing." he tried to deny.

"Rrrrrrright." she nodded sarcastically. Nora wasn't stupid. Eccentric, yes. Crazy for pancakes, yes. Queen of the castle, fucking yes. But stupid she wasn't. She could see how her best friend acted around Jaune, he was avoiding him every chance he got.

"You know you can tell your old friend Nora what's going on. I won't judge." she suddenly gasped, a thought crossing her, "Don't tell me you're crushing on Jaune! You like him!? And here I thought I knew you. Guess that explains all the pink."

Ren slapped his face, cursing Oum for Nora's line of thoughts, "No, Nora, it's not that." And what was wrong with pink? He only had a streak of it in his hair and it wasn't his fault that it was the same color for his eyes. Not to mention his aura. He didn't have a hand in any of that. And it definitely didn't make a person gay. "Me and Jaune are simply having some. . .difficulties getting along with another. Turns out we both don't have any experience in being friends with the same sex."

"Pfft, you said sex."

' _Dammit, Nora.'_ He wasn't getting along with Jaune, so what? Logically speaking norfal people didn't become friends the moment they met each other. It took time, for fucks sake a day hadn't even passed. Why was it such a big deal that he wasn't buddy-buddy with his leader?

Nora had never asked him that question before. Then again, he was always friends with Jaune until the last reset. Even when he had given up on messing with the time line, he was still changing things. This was all Jaune's fault. Ren silently grounded his teeth. Things would have been better off if he stayed as an NPC.

"Really? I thought it was just jealousy. You know, you were my only guy friend, and now I got a new one, and he is kinda cute in a dorky kinda way. I was pretty sure that I was going to have to break you two up from killing each other over my attention."

Other then the jealousy, she wasn't wrong over killing him. Ren had already done it once. And he'd do it again if it wasn't so pointless. Jaune was locked into the Game. He was stuck in the same hell as him. But that didn't mean he was going to work with him. Ren was done trying to win the Game. Every End wound up with him having to restart again and again, and he was tired of it. Nothing would change, even with Jaune now a Player. He had already worked with the other two separately to reach the True End, and it still wound in a reset. As things were now, he just wanted to enjoy life playing through it without making any changes, like his first life. He could hardly remember his first play through, it was blurry.

The only thing that never changed was his reset point. The moment he had met his best friend.

Ren got off his bed with a sigh. He wasn't feeling like napping right now. He could use a walk about now to clear his head.

"I'll be back, Nora. I got something to take care of."

"Oh, okay, Renny." Nora responded worriedly.

* * *

Walking the halls of Beacon, Jaune wondered what he was suppose to do now. He was back at Beacon, made leader again with information on what would happen in the next few months, and had been gifted with gamer like powers that could change the fabric of the world around him. The problem was though, what exactly were you suppose to do with such knowledge and abilities? When Jaune had stopped to thing about it his powers were incredible, he had the ability to increase his strength, speed, and defense from what was available of his perks, stop time when he needed time to think or prepare himself for any situation, gain powers that altered his weapon into a new form, and even read peoples emotions, and that was only from what he had learned from his first day. There were still other options locked and he hadn't even read the manual that he was rewarded from completing the Tutorial mission. If he really trained himself, he could finally stand on the same levels as everyone else in Beacon.

But the way Ren had acted when he found out he had these life altering powers, the powers of The Gamer, Jaune began to doubt himself. Ren acted as if his powers were something to be feared. He had knowledge of what was going on with him, and it looked like he had them too. How else could he lift the pause he had called? Just what was wrong with him being a Player? It was almost as if it was a curse.

Jaune stopped in the middle of the halls, shoulders sagging. Being a Player was looking like a curse. His own friend didn't trust him, he even killed him with his back turned. And he was made leader. The knight already failed at it once, there was no doubt in his mind that he would fail again. What good did a few months worth of school knowledge do him if couldn't fix things with his own friend? What good did having the abilities of a gamer do him if he couldn't even get Ren to talk to him?

"I really am pathetic." Jaune chuckled sadly. What did Ozpin see in him that could possible make him think assigning him leader to a group of well trained Hunters was a good idea? Not only once, but twice? A fraud like him was never meant to even step foot on the ships delivering the future protectors of the world. "Guess Ozpin must of lost a bet if he chose me as leader." he sighed in depression.

"Well, no. I admit, I did lose a bet with Professor Port on whether or not Glynda would notice me switching her sweet tea with a Long Island ice tea, but even I would never bet the status of leader on something as silly as a bet."

Without even turning around, Jaune knew that the familiar voice belonged to Headmaster Ozpin. He could even smell the dark aroma of coffee behind him. Swore he never saw the man without his cup of coffee in one hand. He turned around to greet the gray haired Hunter, finding a small smirk on the man's lips.

"Headmaster, what are you doing here?" he asked in confusion.

"Wandering the halls of my school, trying to enjoy a cup of coffee before heading back to the office to be buried in paperwork." he said with a shrug, taking a sip of his beloved nectar. "Oh, and playing councilor with my students. Honestly, I should really hire someone for the job. I wished I found someone like yourself for such a thing, only more experienced."

"That, sounds like a bad idea. I don't know the first thing about leading a team, let alone talking to others about their problem. Why would you want someone like me as a councilor?"

"Meh, my own amusement perhaps. Sounds like a good read."

"Rrrright." Ozpin seemed like a good guy, but he was mysterious as hell. He could still remember how despondent he seemed when he delivered the welcoming speech to all the hunters and huntresses of the academy. He could never get a read on the man. His secrets must of held secrets.

Ignoring his Headmaster's odd words, Jaune realized that now was the perfect time to ask him a question that had been bugging him since his first official day at Beacon. "So, Headmaster, you don't mind if I ask you a question, do you?" he asked.

"Of course not, Mr. Arc. I may not teach you in any classes, but I do still consider myself your teacher as I do with the rest of my students. If you wish to know anything, or need help in any matters, don't hesitate to ask me." he smiled. Ozpin patted the blonde's shoulder reassuringly.

"Alright." Jaune took a deep breath before asking his question. "Why did you make me leader? It wasn't by mistake, was it?"

Ozpin chuckled, "Well, it seems Ruby wasn't the only one doubting her new position as leader. As I told Ms. Rose, it's only been one day. Whether or not you are a good leader has yet to be seen."

"But what if I don't become a good leader!?" Jaune shouted suddenly. He flinched, looking down in shame for yelling at the man who had even accepted him into the academy. "I'm sorry. It's just, what if, even after all my training here, after all the blood, sweat, and tears, I fail as a leader?"

It's not that Jaune didn't want to be great leader. But he didn't deserve the title like the rest of his team did. Hell, even Nora would of made a better leader then him. So, why him?

"Maybe you made a mistake. Because I don't have what it takes to be the leader my team deserves."

"Really, because every word that leaves your mouth only further proves my decision."

"Eh?"

The dumb look on the boy's face was priceless. Ozpin held back a laugh as he tried to explain. "My boy, can you tell me what requirements a person must have to be given such a responsibility?"

"Well, they would have to be fearless, strong, calm in the face of danger, smart, and an inspiration to his teammates. To name a few." Jaune counted off from the top of his head.

Ozpin nodded, "Quite a few indeed. But, tell me, Mr. Arc. Do you truly believe all great leaders in history, including a simple Headmaster such as myself, attained such requirements when they were assigned leaders?

"Well, yeah." It's not like wimps like him were poster child's for leaders. "Why else would you have been chosen for leading others into battle?"

"That's simple, Mr. Arc. Wasted potential."

Okay, he lost him. At this point Jaune was better off asking him where babies came from. He was sure the Headmaster could fine a way to convince him that all it took was some bull crap like believing hard enough for a child. When he knew the truth. The blonde shivered in disgust, the sounds of beds creaking and cries to 'don't stop' fresh in his him mind. His parents bedroom was not a good spot for Hide and Seek. Kinda made him wish he had died to forget that memory.

"Still confused, I see." Well, just this once he could tell him the answer. "Jaune, when I look at you, I see a weak, naive, pathetic excuse for a hunter."

"Ouch! I think you ran out of bullets there, Headmaster." Jaune winced. Way to be blunt. "I'm already dead on my feet. No need to say anymore."

"Let me finish. It's rude to interrupt."

"Sorry."

"Where was I? Oh, yes. A pathetic excuse for a hunter. But," he paused, catching Jaune's full attention, "That only means that your reservoir of potential is all the more deeper. When I look at you, I see wasted potential, so much that it would be an insult to leave it as so."

"You're still not making any sense." Jaune sighed in frustration.

"Then let me elaborate. The difference between you and me, along with many other great leaders, is nothing. Nobody is ever ready for the position, and those who do believe so, are always proven wrong. It's our insecurities that become a driving force for us to keep on improving, so that we can prove to others that we can do this, that we can be the leaders that they deserve."

He looked at the young man in front of him, smiling softly at the familiar image. Even a man such as himself had been a boy full of insecurities. He only wished that Jaune didn't make the mistakes he had because of them. That was why Ozpin was here, to make sure the future generations learned from their mistakes and made better decisions.

"Wasted potential is not a bad thing, it only truly becomes wasted when you decide to do nothing with it."

"But what if I die without doing anything at all? What if I die before ever truly proving myself as even a hero?" Jaune asked, looking away as memories of his time before dying played in his head. He hadn't done anything to deserve his teams respect.

"Honestly, I don't see that happening." Ozpin simply shook his head at the thought, taking a moment to sip his brew. Sighing in delight at the dark, bitter taste on his lips he continued, "You take me as the kind of young man who doesn't die easily. Despite your training as a hunter, I see a soul that refuses to quit, even when faced against impossible odds. You're an idiot, in layman's terms." he smirked, receiving a groan from Jaune at the jab, "And idiots are the kind to die doing what's right. Can you tell me what kind of death you might see in your future?"

The memory of a horribly wounded Weiss flashed through his mind. And the immense pain that brought him to his death.

"I would die protecting someone I cared about." he gripped his chest, the phantom pain of the chainsaw tearing through him fresh as day. He swore he could still feel it.

"And would you do the same for some random stranger?"

"Yes!" Jaune blinked in confusion before frowning at his answer. That was kinda automatic. He wasn't sure he was ready to answer such a question so easily.

"An idiots answer."

"Hey!"

Ozpin smiled in apology, "But it's the kind of answer a great hero and leader would make. A highly intelligent man would consider the cons of risking their life, weighing the life of a stranger with their own. A fearless man would charge straight in, not caring about their own life. A calm man would simply break under the pressure, for they are still human. And a strong man would believe whole heartily that they would win no matter what, their pride blinding them of danger. Your answer doesn't require thought, strength, sense of mind, nor bravery, it requires heart. Those with heart understand the danger and value their lives, they know how terrified they are, they know they don't have the power to to win, and know that they can't keep calm in danger, but still move their body to protect others. They do it without thinking, it comes naturally as breathing for them." he said, closing his eyes.

"I truly don't now if it was the right decision to make you leader, but talking to you about it, I believe that I might of just made the right choice. I believe that a man such as yourself wouldn't die a failure, he would die a hero, and a kind leader. Let us hope though, that we may never have to remember you as such for a very long time. As for now, well it has only been one day. You have the rest of your life to prove to yourself that you can be a great leader."

A moment of silence stood between the two. Ozpin continued drinking his coffee, his eyes closed in bliss. And Jaune? He bit his lip, embarrassed as he looked down with tears gathered in his own.

The Headmaster may not of known it, but he had struck a very vulnerable cord in his chest. He was right, it had only been a day since he made leader. A day since he had come back to life from saving Weiss. A day since he had discovered his amazing powers. And a day since Ren had killed him in cold blood. But he still had tomorrow, next week, next month, a whole years worth to fix everything. Hell, he still the last few hours of the day to try to amend his problems with Ren. Jaune sniffed back his tears, rubbing his eyes in hopes of the Headmaster not seeing him in such a sorry state.

He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he'd be damned if he didn't try! Jaune was his leader after all, he had to be strong and not back down. He was going to get answers even if it killed him again.

"Thanks, Headmaster." Jaune smiled. "I still don't know if I'll be a good leader, but I'll definitely try!" he said with gusto.

"That's all one can do, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said gently before patting his shoulder one more time. He moved away from the young knight and went back to his walk, pausing for moment to look back at him.

"Jaune, you have more wasted potential then any other person I have ever met. I do hope you work on turning it all to proper energy. I may be your Headmaster, but I am also your teacher as well. Never hesitate to ask for help."

Ozpin gave him a small grin before finally leaving the boy to his thoughts. Hopefully he gave him the answer he was looking for.

 **' _Congratulations! Headmaster Ozpin has returned your charisma back to normal! You've completed an Unknown Event! Time Moves Forward, Complete! You've gained +700EXP! You've Unlocked the Ability, Clockwork Glitch! A Side Mission has been Unlocked, Fairy Tales! You've Unlocked a secret reward! Monty's Missing Page, Page #17, Unlocked!'_**

Once the Headmaster had left, Jaune read his scroll over. A wide grin made its way to his face once he read over his new ability.

Ozpin had done more then cheer him up. He had given him exactly what he needed to talk to Ren.

* * *

Ren leaned against the front fountain in front of Beacon's courtyard, eyes closed as he relaxed with the gentle sound of the birds chirping.

Today hadn't been the best of days in his many lives. He had been hoping that things played off as normal as they usually did. Team JNPR would be formed, they would learn about the ways of the hunter, help team RWBY when they were in trouble, attend the dance, fight in the Breach, prepare for the Vytal Tournament, and then deal with the tragedy that followed. It wasn't the best play through, but it was the only one that didn't require wasting so much energy to reach. If he could, Ren would stop it all from happening again. His fingers nearly pierced his skin as he gripped them tightly. Green eyes and red hair turning to burning cinders burnt permanently into his mind.

Things might change in one world, but that event never would. So, what was the point in even trying anymore? He was better off living the little time of peace they would have left in ignorance.

The sounds of footsteps reminded him of the problem to his regular routine.

Opening his pink eyes, he found Jaune standing in front of him with a look of determination. He scoffed. He could never take a hint. Didn't even know how good he had it.

"I'm not talking, Jaune." he said coldly. He went back to closing his eyes to find some peace. "You even try anything, and I can just get you expelled. I already know about your fake transcripts." he smirked.

Jaune always did back down when his career as a hunter was in danger. It's why he was bullied every time he entered Beacon by Cardin. It might even solve his problem in dealing with him.

Except he had forgotten one thing. This wasn't the Jaune who came into Beacon with little experience. This was the one who had faced death and lost.

" _ **Clockwork Glitch!"**_

Ren's eyes snapped open wide in surprise, suddenly finding the world around him colored gray and frozen still. A large clockwork clock was painted below their feet, trapping them in a bubble of time. He cursed himself for looking down at Jaune, an idiot he may have been, but he still had a cunning mind on him. Now that he had the powers of The Gamer too, he could do just about anything.

He began to call on Storm Flower to attack, only to find some unseen force keep them back in his sleeve. What the hell was going on now!? It must have been his ability he shouted out. He hadn't encountered something like this in a long time.

"Clockwork Glitch. A special ability unlocked by completing an Unknown Quest with Ozpin." Jaune explained. He reached for his own weapon, only to struggle to take it out of its sheath. He grinned in the face of Ren's own scowl, happy to get his attention, "By completing this Unknown Quest, I've unlocked the ability that allows me to trap another Player in a mini marble of time where actions such as fighting are missing from within. You could say a glitch has stripped your ability to fight, and mine too. In other words, all we can do is talk until I drop the marble."

"That's your plan." Ren asked with a hiss, "Keep me trapped here until you give up? Because I have no reason to talk to you about any of this!"

"Then you don't have to."

Now Ren was lost, "What? Then why did you trap me in here with you?"

"Because I'm willing to wait till you tell me at least one thing, Ren." Jaune sighed, crossing his arms. He looked at him dead in the eye, "Did everyone live a happy life after I died?"

The green themed ninja dropped his arms by his side, staring back at Jaune in disbelief. That's what he wanted to know? Not why he had killed him? Or what his new powers were about? How did he even know about the reset? He knew for a fact the other two Players hadn't talked to him about it. They weren't even allowed to step foot in Beacon. So, how did he know?

"If you're wondering how I know that you're still the same Ren from my life before I died, it's because of this." Rummaging through his pockets for the piece of paper, Jaune presented his friend with the secret reward from his recent quest.

If Ren hadn't been surprised before, he was close to dying from a heart attack now. With trembling hands he reached for Monty's Missing Page, trying to calm his beating heart. "How?" he asked in utter disbelief. "Monty's Pages are nearly impossible to find! No matter how many paths I took, or things I changed, I've never gotten more then two pages in all the worlds I've completed or died in."

"So you know what they are then?"

"Yes, but only Players can find and read them. Their writings from a prophet that Oum spoke through, they tell of stories that have or yet to happen. That still doesn't explain how you know I'm the same Ren as the one in your world."

"Well, other then all the stuff I don't understand, it's because of what this page says." Taking the page back, he cleared his throat before reading it out loud.

' _73\. That's how many worlds the young raven had traveled. 21. That's how many times his pink aura had faded before the killing blow landed. 52. That's how many times all his progress was brought back to zero. No matter how many times the raven reached an End, it would all be reset. Again and again. The raven was losing hope, but he preserved. His dream was at stake. It didn't matter how many times the world rejected his vision, the raven would continue to fight, to keep his happy ending. He would do whatever it took to reach the end, so he couldn't lose hope. As he opened his eyes to the familiar sight of a ginger haired girl poking him with a stick, he smiled. The raven would at least have the valkyrie to greet him with every reset. And even though it would take years, he would meet the rest of his friends in time. Then, they could start all over again.'_

"It took me a while to understand what I was reading, and what it was saying, but Valkyrie isn't a common name." Jaune chuckled sadly. "Nora's an orphan, like you. And she told me that you both didn't have any other family left, that you had found her long ago with no memory other then her name. All I had to do was connect the dots from there." Back when they had gotten to know each other, when they had all become a team, the subject of family had been brought up. He was saddened when the bright energetic girl had revealed her past, or lack of, and Ren's dead family, killed by a Grimm attack. It was a sensitive subject, but she had said it all with such a wide smile. He learned later on though as they continued to get closer as a team, that she didn't care about losing her memory. It was the memories she made now that mattered to her, its why she was always smiling. Because every moment she spent with her friends was worth remembering.

"You've been in this game longer then I can could possibly imagine." he scowled deeply. Just how long had he had to go through such a hell? Constantly resetting whether he passed or failed. "I think I might know why you killed me when you found out about me having the same power as you. You didn't want me to live through the same curse as you did. You wanted me to live a blissful ignorance as just another NPC."

". . . .No. You're wrong about that." Ren said answered stiffly. He sighed, knowing that it hadn't been the only real reason he had killed him. His eyes stared back at him so he could see the truth of his words, "I did it to erase your soul to its original setting, but I also did it, because I hate you." he glared, his pink eyes glowing with emotion.

Jaune smiled in pain at his friend's honest words, "I know. There was always something between us, even in my first time line. You acted so polite and kinda awkward with me, and I always thought that was your thing. But I could see something behind your eyes that kept me away from getting closer. I ignored it, I thought it was because I was a crappy leader that you looked at me that way. I guess it's much deeper then that though, huh?"

"You're still my best friend though. And no matter how many times you kill me, I'll still be your friend." he closed his eyes, grinning happily.

Ren grit his teeth, closing his eyes with a grimace. Despite his hate, Jaune was still his friend. He had never done anything wrong other then being oblivious. And that was what he had hated about him. The blonde truly didn't realize what was in front of him. And it tore him apart knowing he could never create any time line where he was seen the same way. Those eyes would only see him as a friend.

A small chuckle escaped his lips, realizing how petty he was acting. In the end everything would be reset to nothing. What did it matter if Jaune joined the Game this late? One page of Monty didn't mean anything. So what harm could answering his question do?

". . .They didn't live as happily as you might of hoped." Ren said in defeat. Jaune flinched, gritting his teeth at the news. And he had hoped that they would of lived a happy life after his death. Guess he was being too optimistic. He was still their friend, as pathetic as he was, it still would of hurt them deeply. "But they pushed on till the End." he smiled. "Ruby grew into a great hero with your inspiration of heroism, Yang found her purpose as a huntress, fighting the evil of the world and bringing them to justice. Blake worked alongside her, trying to stop the White Fang and bring an end to the negativity between humans and faunas. And Weiss helped in stopping the discrimination, eventually taking over her father's company and fixing the damage of her name. Me and Nora continued to fight against the Grimm, always keeping in touch with team RWBY. And Pyrrha,"

Burning cinders flew in his vision, flying away in the night sky.

"She lived following her destiny."

"So they lived a full life?" Jaune asked. He got a nod back. A sigh of relief escaped him. "That's a huge weight off my shoulders."

"They never forgot about you, you know?"

"Really?"

Ren scoffed. Of course not. Just because Jaune saw very little in himself, didn't mean that they all did.

"You were everyone's friend. And our leader. Not a day went by where they weren't thinking about you. Ruby even dedicated our final fight against the Final Boss in your name. Your death drove them to make the world a better place, even if it was all reset in the End before it took affect."

The gray marble engulfing them cracked, breaking apart into tiny shimmering glass dust onto them a second later. Ren smirked at the sight. Looked like he was tricked.

"Scan." His left eye glowed bright pink, showing off a target cross hair in his pupil. Jaune's HP and MP were displayed in his sights. Looked like his MP was completely drained. The ability he used must have been taking away MP with every minute. "You lied to me, didn't you?" he chuckled, impressed.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head in shame, "Yeah, sorry about that. Hell, Clockwork Glitch was a one time thing. It disappeared after I ran out of Mana. But it was the only way of getting you to talk to me."

"Even though you act like an idiot, you're actually pretty smart. I just wished you'd stop acting oblivious, even if she will wait for you forever." Getting a look of confusion back, Ren kicked back from the fountain, slowly making his way back to their dorm room.

"You're still not going to tell me about The Gamer, are you." Jaune asked without looking back at the raven haired hunter.

"Nope. I'll tell you this though," he stopped, keeping his eyes on the setting sun in front of him. "It's pointless. Even if you win the Game, everything will be reset and all your progress will have been for nothing. I won't stop you though." he shut his eyes in acceptance. "I'll continue to follow you as my leader, but I'm done trying to change things for the better. It's a waste of time saving NPC's, there Non imPortant Characters for a reason." NPC's had meant Non Playable Characters long ago, but one of the other Players had a better example for them. The sly bastard was right. It didn't matter if they saved them, it wouldn't affect the story. Even important character like Ruby weren't needed to reach an End.

Jaune shook his head, refusing to accept what he was hearing. Even if everything was reset, the one life he had saved mattered. Weiss had lived a full life, that life wasn't wasted, as did any other life. If he could save everyone again and again, then he'd do it. Until he found a permanent end to the game, and continue living without resetting.

"But I'll remember. And I can't stand aside if I can save someone's life. I'm an idiot, I don't know any better." he grinned. "If all my progress is brought back to zero, then I'll just do it all over again. After all, what's the point of having all this wasted potential if we don't make something of it?"

He really was an idiot. But like Ren said, he wouldn't stop him. He'd break under the never ending resets soon enough. For now though, he'd just follow along. Jaune was his leader after all.

"Open the Help Guide you were rewarded the other day. It'll tell you all you need to know about your powers and any further questions you may have." That was all he was going to tell him for now. Jaune would have to learn it all on his own, just as he did. The idiot should of used the help guide first instead of him. Why didn't that cross his mind?

Walking away, Ren left Jaune to discover his new powers to himself. If he wanted to waste his own time, then fine. He had some relaxing to do before things got out of hand once again. Leave it to him to play hero.

Jaune smiled sadly as he opened his scroll, shutting off the world around him. He knew he could probably get the answers he was looking for from the guide, but he wanted Ren to be the one to explain it to him. He was his friend after all. And he would make sure he remembered that.

"The Gamer Help Guide, Open."

He would show Ren though. Jaune would reach the True End on his first play through. How, he didn't know, but he'd be wasting his potential if he didn't at least try.

* * *

 **There we have it, folks! The Game has begun, kinda.**

 **Jaune now has a fellow Gamer in his team that can teach him the ways of his new reality. Too bad Ren wants nothing to do with it. Left to figure things out on his own, the knight must work his way around the new mechanics and discover the secrets to the Game if he wants to complete it without resetting everyone's progress. What will our naive hero encounter on his second day of school as a Gamer. Can anyone say, Remix?**

 **If there's one thing to say at the end of all this, it's that I need a Beta to proof read. I suck at looking over my mistakes, I truly do. I just went over some in the last chapter, and I'm pretty sure I missed some still. Wish I paid in attention in school. Irony is I was nose deep in reading books during class. That, and my bad eye sight. Didn't get glasses till I was seventeen. Makes sense why I didn't see that truck coming towards me in eighth grade. Got brush up on my writing skills after being absent for almost two years. Going to re upload the last two chapters with the errors fixed. And maybe work on the summary, looks like it could do better.**

 **There is so much I want to tell you all about the story, but I can't in fear of spoiling anything. And boy, once Volume 4 comes out this fall, I'm going crazy with my writing. Hope plans work when the new volume comes out. Don't think I'll be close to volume 3's arc when it rolls out though, so that good.**

 **I feel like there's more to write to you all about, but I'm drawing a blank. Too excited to post this up. So don't be afraid to ask some questions as you review, I'll try answering them next week. Chapter 4 is done, but as always I won't be posting it up till Chapter 5 is done. Another method to keep me writing.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy after all, gentlemen. And gentle woman! Or is it fair ladies? Wouldn't know, most of the girls I know aren't exactly fair nor gentle. Kimmy once tied my hands and feet together with duct tape, along with my mouth when school ended. She also smacked me. Don't know why I didn't stop her.**

 **. . . .Am I a Masochist?**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	4. Beacon Remix

**Good Night, folks! I mean, not 'Good Night' but, you know, Good Night! Like Good Morning! Or is it morning in your zone? Why do I even try? Never mind all that, it's NeoShadows once again with your weekly dose of Multiplayer!**

 **And on today's chapter, we introduce OC's!**

 **(Dodges random items thrown his way along with booing in the background.)**

 **HEY! What ya throwing at me!? Are those nachos? Because me likey nachos. Fuck the popcorn though, that shit gets stuck in your teeth. Annoying as hell.**

 **Ahem, anyways, I know a lot of you may be turned off to that word. OC. Sends shivers down my own spine sometimes. But they are needed at times to make the story much more fresh and to add some meat to the bone. If there done right, they can actually be enjoyable. And it makes the story more unique. As long as they aren't overdone or overpowered. Egh, I still remember my time surfing through Naruto and Fairy Tail fanfiction and finding some of the worst examples out there. Including the RWBY sect too. I honestly think it's just an excuse to Self Insert yourself into the story without admitting it. Reminds me of my days as a weeboo. Yup, I was as close to those things as could be when I was fifteen. I shiver in memory.**

 **As I was saying, it's needed. Especially for the next part of the story. I won't be overdoing it though, the OC's will be used sparingly if possible, but they are part of the story too. Life's a Game after all. I just hope you all can learn to enjoy them as the story grows. I won't be making five OC teams if that's what you're thinking, hell, it's only one team that won't be introduced for some time. I count only two OC's in this chapter.**

 **I would have had this posted a little earlier today, but I didn't want to start editing this chapter until I finished Chapter Five first. I plan on uploading every Thursday, if possible. So look out every week for a chapter. I'm still going strong here, that's a first. I'll be working on Chapter Six tomorrow and have Five up Thursday like I said.**

 **On to Reviews!**

 **Otherguy14: Ya bring up a lot of interesting points. Of course, I can't shed any light on them for obvious reasons. That would be no fun. But keep on the guessing. I love reviews like this. Seeing into the minds of what my readers think is always great to read. This next arc is actually going to be a mix of what I said earlier on training and such. And boy, will it lead off into something.**

 **TalonbnLaAhad: Hey! . . .Actually I got nothing to respond with that. I can't do shit when a girl gives me that look. Even if it usually leads to me being hurt in some way. Maybe I am a Masochist. Won't admit though. It can be slow, but ya gotta move the story along. As for the grammar and junk, yeah, should of paid attention more in class. And yet I love to write. I 'll have think over the beta thing, who know? I may just take you up on that.**

 **Wandai: Huh, you may be one of the few people that caught that little nugget. Well done, damn. And there is a reason for that. After all, he's had all the time in the world to try, there must be some reason why noting ever worked. And he discovered it. In the future chapters it'll be explained a bit more. So hold on, and make your own guesses. You were able to catch this one.**

 **Dragoon109: Yup, he knows. At some point in his many lives, it did mean something. But Ren's become really jaded now. Being an NPC once really doesn't matter to him anymore.**

 **TheBurningWorld: Bah! Just knowing you enjoyed it is more then enough. Glad to know you gave this story a second chance. I'll make a great fan out of you! I say while singing Mulan.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Again, can't answer! I won't deny, nor will I confirm your guesses. But keep going, I love hearing the reasons behind them. Huh, I actually like Ciel's design. I wonder what's up with her. Details, dammit! And yeah, but ya got to remember he doesn't know many key events. He did during the Breach, and he only knows what little team RWBY told him. He'll have to figure out everything as he goes. Because Ren's being a dick.**

 **Avalanch-dragoon: Uhhhhhhhhh, my made up lawyers tell me to not answer that right now. I plead the fifith?**

 **Matrience: You're welcome!**

 **LOL: Try guessing. I like to give out little hints here and there.**

 **Lokibaki: Glad to hear!**

 **SandyLS: . . .Kay. Interesting points, can't spoil anything as usual. Hard to read, but I understood most of what you were saying. And I'm glad to know my story is different from all the other Gamer fics. Makes me smile**

 **Goddy80119: It's vague, but it's in there. Hints will be dropped ever once in a while. Though others will be able to connect the dots. Look through the looking glass, yadda, yadda, yadda.**

 **Black Silverclaw: No. I may not see that girl anymore, but she'd be more then happy to do it again. Love that girl, but damn.**

 **ShotgunWilly: Will do!**

 **I think that's all the reveiws for now. Don't be afraid to send them in! I'll answer what I can. Even the weird ones. Maybe.**

 **As always, enjoy the chapter! Next one will be up next week. Now let's get on with the show!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. They belong to RoosterTeeth. I'm on edge! I want Fall to be here already so I can watch Volume 4! Am I the only one wishing for a Time Skip? I want to see some change, but not actually go through the slow progress. That, and I want to see an older Ruby. It just feels wrong looking at her that way. What, you don't?**_

 _ **. . .Why are there cops outside? No, wait, it's the FBI. And is that Chris Hansen? Da fuck did I do this time?**_

* * *

Chapter 4: Beacon Remix.

Classes in Beacon were pretty simple, from what Jaune remembered of them. There were several classes that dealt in teaching the students the ways of the hunters and huntresses, each subject taught by a teacher he knew. There was Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch, History with Professor Oobleck, Grimm Studies with Professor Port, and other studies taught by the teachers taking turns. They didn't have many teachers to teach the classes seeing as the Juniors and Seniors were taught out on the field after two years, so they did what they could do. Jaune liked the system, he didn't have to worry about getting use to new teachers every year. It made having a relationship with his teachers something to look forward to.

So why was he sitting in a large auditorium with science beakers and equipment in front of him, next to the guy who had made his first semester in Beacon a living hell, Cardin Winchester, while some stranger he never met before stood in front of the teachers desk writing his name on the white board.

"Hello, class." The stranger greeted with his back turned to his students. His voice was dull, almost as if he was bored with his speech. The symbol of a black ornate box creaked open with shadows leaking out was painted on his back. "My name is Hope Pithos, but you will call me Professor Pithos. And I'll be your Dust Studies teacher." he introduced himself before turning to met the class.

The new teacher stood six feet tall wearing an open lab coat, brown slacks, and black military boots. His skin was dark tan, and his eyes were hidden behind the dark sunglasses on his face. He wore a black truckers cap on his head, covering his combed back dark hair from view along with a goatee. An odd dark blue satchel with dust compartments was looped around his shoulders, along with several small white thin thermos hooked to his belt. He looked bored with his class, lazily moving the lollipop in his mouth around as he leaned back against the board.

Jaune wasn't surprised to find his eye twitching again. Nora liked to call it his Spazzy Eye. It only happened when things that didn't make sense to him appeared. Like now. Who was this guy? What was he doing teaching a class Professor Goodwitch or Professor Oobleck normally took turns teaching? And most importantly, why wasn't he wearing a shirt under his open lab coat, he could see the guy's six pack for crying out loud! He knew for a fact Professor Goodwitch would have buttoned it up with her wand. Well, he was sure it was a wand in her hand, it made magic, even though it looked like a riding crop. Couldn't even recall how many times he found that thing smacking his head for making a mistake in class.

Where was he again? Oh, yeah, the new teacher he's never seen before till today. The guy didn't even look like he wanted to be here. He was just standing there, looking like he rather be doing anything else then teaching them. It was times like this Jaune wished that Ren could be helping him. The mysterious pink eyed hunter had said he would follow him on whatever path he took, but said he was done playing the Game. He didn't want to talk about it, no matter what he said to him. In a way, the knight couldn't blame him. Ren had lived through the same scenarios over and over again without end, caught in reset after reset even if he beat the Game. He now understood why he seemed so tired all the time, he was tired of doing everything in his power to change things, only to have all his progress drop back down to zero at the end. Poor guy, made him regret wanting him to follow him in his journey. Which he still didn't understand.

' _ **Welcome to Dust Studies Class! In this class, the Player will be learning the wonders of Dust, Nature's Wrath! By learning how dust works, the Player will be capable of creating their own types of dust! With nature's little miracle, attacks can be augmented with elemental damage, boost certain stats, and even create new Abilities! In here, it's okay to be playing with fire! Burn! Burn the nonbelievers!'**_

There it was again, his eye was spazzing out. Jaune's scroll went off into its Gamer setting, notifying him of his new class.

The Gamers Heart Guide. He had taken the time yesterday to read over the thing, and boy, did he have a lot to learn. He fell asleep in his uniform, not bothering to take it off as he read over the what help was available. Looked like some things were still locked out to him. An option did help him with learning about certain things, like what he could gain from his classes.

It looked like he had the power to gain abilities and buffs from his bonds with the people he was friends with. To unlock their Friendships, he had to complete certain events that ended in them seeing him as someone they could be friends with. Affection was a different matter though. Where Friendship was the level someone trusted you closely, unlocking their Affection level allowed their friendship to evolve into feelings of fondness. Only it was apparently a special level. Affection, if it reached a high enough level, could evolve into a new title, Endearment. It basically meant that he could unlock a girl's feeling of love for him along with new bonuses and Special Abilities.

Perks were buffs that also gave out special abilities. They increased his Strength, Speed, Defense, Evasion, Mana,HP/Aura, etc. He could only equip up to three at a time for now, so he'd have to think carefully on which ones he used. They could also evolve the more he used them while fighting, transforming into new Perks he couldn't unlock normally. Inventory and Special Gifts were where his items could be found and used whenever he wanted to use them. He could only carry up to ten items at a time for the moment, but as he leveled up he could upgrade his space to carry more at a time. Special Gifts were items that could be used to raise the Friendship level or Admiration level of those he gave them to, some of which could unlock Special Events that opened up chances to increase his bond with people quicker with bonuses, along with certain gifts given to him permanently increasing his stats. Event Finder was the odder of the bunch. By raising his scroll in certain areas around Remnant, he could unlock Events, situations that normally didn't appear to him that gave him the chance to met people he wouldn't met, unlock their Friendships, or learn abilities that he couldn't gain through his Bonds or leveling up. If his scroll buzzed lightly with an antenna icon on his screen, then he'd be close to finding the hidden Event. Jaune wasn't really sure he'd be using that option much, seemed kinda troublesome to drop everything he was doing to find the signal. He already knew what Abilities, Skills, and Slots were. They allowed him to perform amazing moves he couldn't do normally, like transforming Crocea Mors into a new sword. Slots were the available space for his weapons to use Dust, which he wasn't exactly familiar with. Never used them back home, even in his first life he had very little experience with the magical rocks.

PVP was what it sounded, Player Vs. Player. Players would fight till one surrendered, could no longer fight, or died. It was only activated when people with the Gamer abilities fought another. And with the new Perk he unlocked when he was killed by Ren, Star Stillness, they could not die permanently, they'd resurrect a second later in defeat. He didn't understand the whole point of it till he read more. Apparently PVP wins could unlock certain Perks, Abilities and Skills, and even Rare Items along with EXP. It all depended on the performance of the fight and other hidden factors in The Game.

Besides the information, and finding out how to call on his own Status, Jaune did learn about what the Game was. Though it wasn't much to begin with.

' _ **The Game is simple, find The End! It doesn't matter what path you take as long as you beat the Final Boss! The World is your playground, so enjoy it! To an extent of course. The Game will only truly end by finding the True End, a path hidden away from the Players. Doesn't matter what you do to reach it, reaching the True End stops the Game for all Players and allows one risk free wish that affects the World in their image. Forever. Good Luck! You're going to need it.'**_

That was confusing to say the least. The description on his screen said nothing more on what he had to do to reach the End, all it said was that he had to beat the Final Boss to beat the game. But what he learned from talking to Ren and the Missing Page of Monty, beating the game only reset the world, or time line to the beginning where he would start again at his Save Point. He'd have to find the True End if he wanted the game to finish and continue with their lives. All in all, it gave him a headache. _'_ _Simple my ass.'_ he scoffed as he read over his scroll.

"Lemon Head."

What was he suppose to do? Graduate Beacon and take on missions till he found the Final Boss? Or was there some story he was going to be playing through to get there? What kind of game was he playing anyways? It was an RPG from what he could guess.

"Hey, Lemon Head."

Didn't look like he was going to be given clues to finding the True End either. From what he could tell, it was connected by the pages he unlocked by completing Unknown Events. The one with Ozpin had happened by chance, how lucky was he going to have be to find the others? He sighed, failing to notice the odd blue marble flying towards him. If only Ren was up to helping him with this crap.

"Heads up, Lemon Head."

A small ball smacked into Jaune's forehead as he finally looked up in attention, detonating in a small puff of cold air. His teeth chattered, his entire face coated in a light dust of ice, frosting his hair back from the mini bomb. Holy hell, was that cold!

The entire class laughed at him, Cardin nearly falling off his desk as he pounded table in front of him. Prof. Pithos didn't seem amused. He stood in front of his seat from in front the first row of the auditorium, eyes narrowed slightly as he chewed on his treat. A small marble was in his hand as he tossed it up and down in his right hand.

"Lemon Head, glad you're finally paying attention. I do hope you have enough time on you to peel your eyes away from whatever game your playing on your scroll and pay attention when in my class." Prof. Elpis sighed.

"W-What was t-that?" Jaune stuttered. His teeth wouldn't stop chattering! "And my name's Jaune, Jaune Arc!"

"Eh, too boring. You look like a Lemon Head anyways. And that was Dust."

Weiss, who had been sitting in the third aisle's second row, raised her hand. "Wait, Dust? That doesn't look like any type of Dust I've ever seen." She frowned. And she knew her Dust. She wasn't heiress to one the largest distributor's of the mineral for nothing. The ball looked like a normal old gel capsule.

Dust usually came in powder form or burned crystals. There were other methods to using them, such as weaving it into clothing, and an odd style that involved tattooing it to the skin, but she had never seen anything more then ammo for weapons. That thing he threw looked like a squishy ball.

Prof. Pithos nodded his head, turning his attention away from the shivering blonde to the white pony tailed girl, "Correct, Buttermint. What I have in my hand is a reconstructed mini bomb of Ice Dust."

"Reconstructed? And my name's Weiss Schnee."

The teacher nodded his head at the girl, "I'm not surprised, this is a special method that's disapproved by many dust scientists. My weapon, Pandora over here, breaks down Dust and mixes it with other components to create new results. The SDC doesn't really deal with Dust reconstruction, it's pretty volatile and they just ship the stuff. Not to mention they don't care for fairy tales such as Alchemy." he explained as he patted the satchel over his shoulders. Weiss huffed, noticing he didn't correct himself on her name.`

"Wait a minute!" Jaune interrupted loudly. "You're saying you hit me with a bomb? Why!?"

"You weren't paying attention. What else was I suppose to do?" he shrugged, getting Jaune to look back at him with his jaw dropped.

"How about snapping your fingers in my face!? Or tapping the desk in front of me!? You can't just throw bombs of ice in students faces!"

"I'm a teacher, I can do what I want, as long as Glynda's not around." he whispered the last part to himself, peeking over his shoulder for any sign of the blonde witch. The woman was terrifying with that S&M crop of hers. Fighting back the chills, Professor Pithos moved to the front of his desk. Several jars of candies decorated his workspace along with vials and beakers of Dust. "Now that I have everyone's attention, I can get back to explaining what to expect out of this class. Originally, this class was to be taught by other teachers working here in turns, but Headmaster Ozpin has decided that the school needs a real teacher and hunter that can explain Dust in more depth. Which is why he has hired me to teach said class."

"As many of you may know, or may not know for some odd reason, Dust is an energy like mineral from within the earth. It's uses range from everyday things, to the weapons we use to fight the Grimm. It's also a limited resource, despite how much a certain companies produce." he chuckled. "In this class, I will be teaching you all how to harness that energy, from creating Dust rounds for your guns, to powder Dust to fuel your weapons, and discovering new ways of saving said Dust while on the field. I'll even teach you all some new methods of creating new Dust recipes, some of which the SDC don't even approve of." he grinned slightly, spitting out the worn out stick from his treat.

"What do you mean 'don't approve of'?" Weiss asked slowly, frowning in confusion. "If the SDC don't find the methods to be safe, then we shouldn't be using them. Dust isn't something to play around with, it's known as 'Natures Wrath' for a reason."

"But that's the whole point of science. Messing with stuff you shouldn't." Professor Pithos answered, popping a gumdrop from one of his jars into his mouth. He savored the sweet citrus flavored treat with hum before looking back at the girl, "The war with the Grimm is pretty much never ending as long as negativity exists. Which means we as hunters and huntresses have to use every method in our little play books to combat them. What's not safe to us, can be deadly to them. Besides, as your teacher, I'll make sure to teach you all how to properly use such 'volatile methods' safely." he grinned lazily.

"Like throwing bombs at innocent students?" Jaune grumbled.

"Quite in the front row." Professor Pithos sighed, throwing another of his ice Dust capsule at the nosy student.

Jaune opened his mouth for another comment, only for the Dust to pop into his mouth. His eyes widened in alarm, gulping the gel like substance in habit. _'Oh no. This is not going to end well for me.'_

A plume of cold air erupted suddenly from Jaune's seat, engulfing him from view. As the curtain of ice settled, the entire class was treated to the sight of the blonde knight encased in ice. While everyone else was stunned at the sculpture, Carding was on the verge of dying of laughter.

The idiot looked hilarious with that dumb look of confusion on his face!

"And that class, is what happens when ice Dust, broken down into gel like substance, comes into contact with liquid, even liquid such as stomach acids apparently." The candy loving Professor mused. Interesting, he thought only water worked with activating that dust's more powerful affects. Looks like Lemon Head gave him some new notes to work on later. Who knew he would make such a perfect test subject?

"Look at his face! He looks like he's spazzing out!" Cardin roared with laughter.

What do you know? Even when the kid was frozen in ice, his right eye still found some way to move. And it was twitching. Looked like his ice's affect wasn't as strong as he thought.

"Well, this is a class, not some art gallery. So after someone has taken Lemon Head to the nurses office, we will continue with some readings from 'Dust, Nature's Wrath and You'. There will be a quiz on this next week, so pay attention. We don't want another sculpture sent to the nurse, do we?"

* * *

"Where did you even find these people?" Glynda asked with a confused scowl. Two separate profiles were displayed in her scroll, each one containing a resume of sorts from the new teachers employed to their academy.

Standing in front of Ozpin in his office were Professors Goodwitch, Port, and Oobleck. Normally she wouldn't be questioning the man's decisions. Oh, who the hell was she kidding? She was always questioning his methods. If it was up to him, the academy's drinking fountains would have coffee in their plumbing. That's one of the reasons why she was his assistant, to keep him on track and not make dumb decisions like that. But this was one he hadn't involved her in.

"Oh? Is there a problem with our new teachers you would like to talk to me about?" Ozpin hummed into his coffee.

"Not me!" Professor Port smiled, "I'm simply here as an excuse to get away from teaching class. As much as my students are dying the hear the end of my tale of fighting a Goliath with no clothes on and a candlestick in my hand, they will have to wait. Even a man as magnificent as I need to take a breather from my own tales."

Glynda repressed a shiver at the imagery. Peter was a great man, but his tales were too much for even her. How did he even lose his clothes in most of his stories? "Well, for starters, one is an ex-mad scientist."

"He was one of Merlot Industries top scientist before they went under. Calling him mad is insulting to his work. I'd like to think of him as eccentric."

The blonde witch refused to believe that. Crazy did recognize crazy though. She had tried to button that lab coat of his, but Hope undid the buttons every time she turned away. Said he needed to cool off. Even though the school's air conditioning was always running. She didn't even want to get started with his sweet addiction. How did he keep such pearly white teeth when he was always sucking on a candy pop?

"And you, Doctor Oobleck? Do you have problem with one of our new teachers?"

Professor Oobleck could only sigh, shaking his head. "I do not even know where to begin. It's been years since I've seen her."

"I take it you're acquainted with Professor Antheia then?"

The history teacher nodded, "Quite so, Ivy was my partner long ago when I was but a hunter in training. Not only is she a magnificent hunter, but she also has a PhD in Botany. She is no doubt a great hunter for teaching Field Studies. Even Professor Peach would agree to that."

"Then what would be the problem?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow. He already knew about her interesting little 'quirk' but perhaps his friend would have more information on her.

"She's a romantic." the usually fast talking Professor replied dully. "Since the first day I met her, Ivy Antheia has had a rather unhealthy obsession with the idea of first love. When we met on the first day, she was head over heels for me."

"And why wouldn't she, Bart, my boy!" Prof. Port laughed, patting his longtime friend on the back, nearly knocking him down. "Such a fine specimen like yourself is practically bait for women!"

"Yes, yes, I know." Oobleck chuckled, coughing into his fist before getting back to business, "Anyway, I thought she had fallen in love with me, but it turns out it had only been a quick fling. Ivy's been known to fall in love with men quite easily, playing with them like a lovestruck girl. She has this idea that love at first sight is a real thing, but once she finds out that they lack the requirements for a perfect husband, she loses interest. Not to mention she cares deeply for her plants, if you can't even tell the difference between a Yellow Flag vs. a Northern Blue Flag, then you'll find yourself on the receiving end of her gardening tools."

"She was two year younger then the others when she entered the academy, clearly she had some growing up to do." Ozpin mused, "And it looks like she's dedicated to her work, a little reprimanding for lack of knowledge in plants isn't a bad thing. The worst she could do is maim a student." he shrugged.

"The 'worst she could do' shouldn't even be a thought when dealing with our students." Glynda sighed. The man in front of her was a genius, an excellent hunter, but she often times wondered if his skills were simply there to make up for his odd line of thinking. "Headmaster, why did you hire these two? The classes would have been handled just fine with the four of us rotating as teachers, I don't see the need for extra help."

"While true, don't you think our students deserve the best education we can offer them in our school? And while you three are more then superb hunters, can either of you go in depth to Dust or Field Studies as a professional?" They were all excellent teachers in their own classes, but even they couldn't teach as well in other fields. Bart, while a great historian, lacked knowledge in fighting despite handling well in the field. Glynda was amazing on the battlefield, but didn't understand the anatomy of Grimm too well, they all died the same when fighting her anyway. And Peter understood nearly everything about the Grimm, from their weak spots, to their habitats, but lacked much knowledge when dealing with history. They weren't jack of all trades, that's why they had their own classes. It was better to find others to help with the work load that could teach his students in ways they never could. "We all have our weaknesses. Asking for help isn't a bad thing, our students deserve the best. Besides, this should help relive some of the stress of constantly moving back and forth between classes. Can't be overworking my own staff, now can I?" he smiled.

Looking between themselves, the three teachers nodded. Having more help would take away some stress off their work. Even if said help was odd in their own ways.

Glynda wasn't too sure about the new teachers, but she would just have to have some faith in the Headmaster. "Very well. Professor Pithos, while 'eccentric', is still a respectable scientist despite once working for Merlot Industries. I just wish he would wear a shirt and stop eating so much sweets in front of the children." she rubbed her head in frustration. She could already tell he was going to be a problem.

"And Professor Antheia is well known for her work in the field of Botany, she just may teach our students a thing or two that can save their lives one day. Plus ,it would be nice to catch up with my old partner again." Bart smiled. "Let's just hope she doesn't take a fancy to one of our students, let alone find one that fits her description of a perfect husband." he chuckled.

"And what would that be, Professor Oobleck?" Glynda asked curiously. She would have to keep an eye on her as well.

"Oh, well it's a pretty specific description if I were to be honest, so we shouldn't worry too much about it."

"How specific we talking, Bart?" Peter grinned. Had to watch out just in case he fell into her line of sight. Ha! Who was he kidding? He was always in woman's thoughts.

"Let's see," The green haired teacher thought back to her list she had once shown him. Even after years of seeing his old teammate, he could still remember her requirements.

"He would have to have in eye for plant life, naive, sweet, a romantic as well, have the heart of a hero and be 'adorkable' as she would say, have to be a natural blonde, blue eyes, lived out of the city and born in the country, an excellent dancer, younger then her, and have a winning smile. Oh! And he would have to know how to play guitar as well. Pretty adamant about that one."

Peter whistled at the requirements, "Well, I'll be, that's quite a list." Looked like he was out.

"We don't have to worry about her falling head over heels for one our students, do we, Headmaster?" Glynda frowned.

Ozpin blinked as the image of a blonde haired knight came to mind. Surely he wouldn't posses all those traits, would he?

* * *

Jaune sniffed as he walked to his next class. After being slowly thawed out of the ice by a new nurse, he was still feeling cold. That damn sweet toothed professor, who threw ice bombs into their students mouths? He was lucky that it wasn't some kind of fire dust! Pretty sure that even with aura there was nothing to protect him from internal damage like that. _'_ _I'm lucky to walk out without a cold. I wonder if it;s possible to sue?'_ Probably not when they were allowed to fling students into a Grimm infested forest by launch pads without parachutes. Must of had huntsmen trained lawyers on their side.

Now that he was out of the nurses office he had to make his way to his next class. It took a long time to free him from the ice and he ended up missing the rest of the class. Weiss even came by to hand him the work he missed when had begun to leave the office. And chewed him out for swallowing something as dangerous as Dust in the first place. Hopefully that didn't do anything for his chances of choosing her as a lab partner.

He reached for his scroll. Looked like his next class was Field Studies. Didn't Professor Peach teach that class? Hopefully it was her, she had a knack for never being around much. He could hardly remember what she looked like. If she wasn't there, then Professor Goodwitch would probably be teaching the class instead.

He was almost to class before stopping in confusion as he caught sight of Ren and Pyrrha walking out. Did they take this class too? He thought he only had them for Combat Class today.

"Ren, Pyrrha? What are you guy's doing here?" he asked them, catching their attention.

Pyrrha smiled in embarrassment, holding out a book in her hand, "Hello, Jaune. I'm simply retrieving this book the Professor handed out earlier. I couldn't just leave it behind."

"And I'm here to accompany her, and check on Nora." Ren sighed. Leaving that girl by herself without anyone to control always spelled trouble. With a capital T. "Luckily Professor Antheia knows how to keep her in check. It's not much, but it'll do."

"Right, Nora can be hard to handle." Jaune nodded. He frowned a second later as his words hit him. "Wait, Professor Antheia? I thought Professor Peach taught this class?"

"Professor Peach? No, the new teacher was just explaining how the old professor had left for a trip around Remnant to discover new materials for her own personal studies. Did your schedule say otherwise?" Pyrrha asked her leader with worry. Her own schedule had said that Professor Antheia would be teaching the class. Hopefully all the games on his scroll weren't messing with eyes. Jaune did stay up last night on his scroll, he didn't even bother changing out of yesterday's uniform! She would have to fix that.

"Uhhhh, maybe?" Jaune said sheepishly. Truthfully, all he did was read what class he had next. He didn't think to check who was teaching it. What were the chances of two of his teachers being replaced by new ones he's never seen before?

Ren closed his eyes, sighing in annoyance as he felt the Pause in effect. This better not become a regular thing.

"Ren, what's going on? I thought things didn't change when the world reset?" Jaune asked once he paused everything around him. While Ren wouldn't talk about his powers or what to do with them, he could at least answer him to things that weren't making any sense.

"It's called a Remix." As much as he didn't want to talk about what was going on, Ren knew their was nothing to else to do to get Jaune to leave him alone again. Talking about it wouldn't change anything anyway. "Every once in a while The Game mixes things up. It usually happens when a new Player is added. New Enemies will appear, new characters will be introduced, new items will be dropped, and new paths can be taken. It's basically a new game plus with changes to it."

"That would actually be pretty cool, if I wasn't just recently turned into a Jaune-cle."

"You poor thing." Ren replied dryly.

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, Ren."

"And I don't appreciate you being a Player either. So now we're both unhappy."

Jaune's shoulders slacked, sighing. "You're not going to get over this anytime soon, are you?"

"No." Shaking his head, Ren crossed his arm as he aimed a glare at his leader. "You still don't seem to understand what this all means to you. Life may be a game now, but is has consequences. You're progress, as little as it is at the moment, will mean nothing in the long run of this Game, so don't bother yourself with NPC's and their problems. Better men then you have tried winning, and you'll either break under the constant repeats, or turn into a monster."

"And what about you? You don't seem like The Game has gotten to you."

Ren grinned tiredly. It did, long ago. "I'm simply sick of playing against the infinite number of odds against me. I've won and lost more times then you can think of, more then I can recall. At this point, I'm taking a very long, much deserved, vacation. One that I don't ever plan on ending as long as this game continues."

Jaune frowned sadly. Guess his lazy and tired attitude did came from his never ending resets. He had always thought that it was due to Nora's hyperactive attitude. Just how much about Ren did he know really? Not much when he stopped to think about it. But this time would be different. He had been given a new chance to change things for the better.

"Then you don't have to worry about it. I'll finish this game once and for all. I promise you that!" he grinned widely, pointing his thumb at himself.

A bitter chuckle left Ren's lips. He really did have an idiot as a leader. Made him question why, in every reset that he had gone through, did Ozpin choose him as leader of team JNPR.

"Don't waste your breath making promises you have no chance in keeping." he said with a scoff.

Knowing that Ren was done talking to him any further about the Game, Jaune hit the Home button on his scroll. It didn't matter what the ninja like hunter would tell him, nothing would stop him from fixing things.

"Well, do make sure to read over it carefully, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled, "We don't want you walking into the wrong class, now would we? You're our leader after all, you have to lead by example."

"Don't worry, Pyrrha. I'll make sure to be the best leader you've ever seen." he grinned. While it may of just come off as a simple grin to others, to Pyrrha's eyes it was like looking at the bright sun. She blushed, looking away shyly.

"We'll see about that." Ren smiled stiffly.

Was it just him, or did Ren looked even more ticked off then usually? Jaune had hardly seen that side of Ren before becoming a Gamer. All he did was grin! What about that pissed him off?

"Well, me and Ren better be heading off to class. We have Dust Studies next." Pyrrha smiled before following after the raven haired boy.

"Watch out for the professor's dust bombs! He doesn't care for comedians!" he shouted back to their retreating backs.

He rubbed the back of his head, turning back to making his way to his own class. Hopefully he wouldn't have any trouble with his new Field Studies teacher.

* * *

A bored sigh escaped Ivy Antheia's lips as she left her new students to talk over the class. She sat down in front of her class, leaning her head against her propped hand. The students were busy with reading over the synopsis of what they would be expecting in her class. She would of gone over it herself, but she wasn't really in the mood right now.

It's not that she wasn't happy with being a teacher in Beacon Academy. When Headmaster Ozpin had come to her with the proposal of teaching the next generation of hunters and huntresses at his school, she had jumped at the chance. It wasn't everyday that you were offered such a chance. Not to mention their facilities were top notch, her babies would grow nicely in Beacon's beautiful gardens. She would have to be an idiot to turn down such an offer.

But she was also doing it to take some time off her searching. She wasn't getting any younger even if she still looked great. She was wearing dark blue overalls with hunter green armor platted knee braces, a green blouse,a left chain mail sleeve decorated with autumn leafs, waterproof black boots , and nice looking straw sunhat decorated with roses. A hand with a garden sprout blooming from the palm was stitched to back of her blouse. All in all, she was pretty fine looking if she did say so herself. And men noticed. A slight smirk made its way to her lips noticing some of the male students sneak peeks at her, marveling at her orange hair tied in a nice french braid over her shoulder and the one button left undone to leave her the skin of her breast out for the world to see. They weren't well endowed like other woman but they were just right in her opinion. Even with her eyes always closed she could see them checking her out.

That was the problem though. They weren't the kind of men she was looking for. Sure, some of them were blonde, but no blue eyes. They were younger, but they acted like hormonal boys. And she could already tell that none of them could even dance. They could slay creatures of darkness with ease but would probably trip over themselves in a waltz.

While others spent their time fighting monsters or furthering their studies, Professor Antheia was busy searching the world for her perfect man. She could still remember the bedtime stories her parents read to her every night before bed about the heroes with blonde hair and blue eyes, how they fought for justice and peace, and were always noble and kind. Many woman would of given up on searching for such a man as they grew older, but not Ivy. No, she still held onto such visions and grew into a romantic of sorts, looking out for her missing half in her line as a huntresses. Even in her studies in Botany she looked out for him in the massive jungles of Remnant, hoping and praying to stumble upon him.

Another sigh left her as she straightened herself. But no, she had yet to meet him. There truly was no one out their that matched her vision. All her years had left her with false hopes. Maybe she was being a perfectionist again. She couldn't help it. Was it so wrong to chase off any man who failed to have even one of her requirements with Nadar Fearg, her personal weapon? Guess it was too much to be asking for her own knight in shining armor to just stroll into her life. Maybe she should just settle instead.

The door to her class suddenly opened, breaking her out of her thoughts as voice followed through.

"Dammit, how late am I? Hope the teacher doesn't get mad." Jaune silently cursed to himself, groaning a second later as another buzz escaped his pocket. Looked like silent mode didn't work on the scroll's Gamer functions.

' _ **Welcome to Field Studies Class! In this special class, the Player will be learning about the plant life and benefits of Remnant's earthly delights! By gaining knowledge in this study, the Player will have access to learning how to create Potions and Special Items that restore Health/Aura and Mana. Certain recipes may even temporarily boost stats for a limited time along with other to be discovered bonuses. Pay attention in class now! Being teacher's pet could never be so fun.'**_

That was weird. Jaune shivered. Why did it send him chills?

"Jaune-Jaune!" At least he had Nora with him in class. He looked towards his energetic teammate, waving back to her. That was a good thing, right? It was an honest to god question. Or Oum. Maybe Ren was on to something.

Professor raised a brow as what she guessed was a late student walked into her class. She was ready to ask him what his reasons were for being late were before freezing still. Her body stiffened and her breath stopped. Blue eyes and blonde hair greeted her, her own blue eyes opening to meet his own. He smiled sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his head in shame.

"Uh, hi there, Professor Antheia, right? Sorry I'm late, just got out of being turned into an ice sculpture from my last class." he apologized with an embarrassed chuckle. Wasn't exactly a lie despite how crazy it sounded.

"Sup, Vomit Boy!" Yang grinned from her seat next to her partner. She looked towards him and noticed him shivering slightly. "Don't tell me you got cold feet coming to class. Eh, eh?" she wiggled her brows.

"Boo! Go back to Signal!"

"Nora's right." Black chuckled as the busty blonde huffed. "That was pretty lame."

"Pfft! You all just have no taste is all." she grumbled.

Jaune smiled at his friends. At least he had them to help him out in this new class. Though partnering with Nora was going to be a hassle. The girl wasn't dumb, but she was too full of energy for her own good. The grin she was giving him was a little worrying. He turned back to meet his new teacher, hoping to make a good impression. Didn't want her burying him under mulch or something unpleasant.

He blinked, noticing that his view was now blocked by the curious blue eyes of the orange haired teacher staring at him. She was bent slightly over to meet his eyes, giving him a peek into her hidden valley. A blush rose at the sight and attention.

"P-Professor Antheia? Is something wrong? I don't have ice on my face, do I?" he asked nervously, gulping as he tried to keep his eyes on her face.

"You have. . .blue eyes?" she asked softly, tilting her head curiously.

"Yeah? Why?" Was their something wrong with that?

"And your hair, it's blonde?"

"Well, yeah. I'm a natural blonde."

"Really? How interesting." she purred, smiling in a way that sent shivers down his spine.

Yang looked towards the scene in utter confusion. What the hell was she looking at? Was it her or was the teacher purposely leaning in a way that gave Jaune an ample view of her chest? She couldn't be the only one in class seeing that.

"You're seeing what I'm seeing, right Blake?" she whispered to her partner.

"I don't know what I'm seeing. It can't possibly be what your thinking of though." Blake answered back. If she was honest with herself, it looked like some scene from one her books.

Professor Antheia fixed herself up, smiling back at Jaune as she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I never caught your name, my dear."

"Oh, sorry about that." Jaune apologized. "Name's Jaune Arc, short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." he smiled charmingly.

His hand slapped over his mouth in embarrassment as the class laughed at him. God dammit! He didn't mean to say that! The hell was going on with his mouth? He wasn't going to be living this down anytime soon. The teacher was going to hate him for sure. Hopefully she wouldn't do anything worse then Professor Pithos.

' _ **Congratulations! Ivy Antheia's Admiration for you has been Unlocked!'**_

The fuck?

A chill ran down Jaune's head to his toes. Whatever he just said seemed to of done the opposite of what he expected.

Ivy's heart stopped in the face of the blonde boy's smile. It was dazzling, innocent, and so naive. His pick up line was so cheesy she could melt it on top of corn chips. She bit her lip, stopping herself from doing anything too drastic. Not when she still had a class to teach.

But he had her attention. Oh, yes. Jaune Arc looked promising indeed.

Calming down the students laughter, Professor Antheia patted the blonde boy's cheek with giggle, "Well, this lady likes the sound of it. How about you take a seat, Mr. Arc? Class is still in session."

Jaune nodded his head, fighting another blush as he felt her soft hands caress his face. The hell did he do? He was imagining things, right? Maybe he found a glitch or something.

"Oh, oh, oh! You can sit next to me, Jaune!" Nora grinned widely, gesturing to the seat next to her. "This seats empty!"

"No, its not." Jaune frowned. A student was already sitting there. And he looked just as confused as him.

"My leg!"

A loud snap echoed in the class followed by a body flying across the left row of the room. Jaune felt a twitch develop in his eye again. Well, the seat had been occupied. Looked like Nora had solved the little issue for him. Did she have to bring her hammer with her?

"Oh my. Looks we have a problem with our seats. I thought the Headmaster had decided against the rocket propelled models." Professor Antheia smiled pleasantly. The class looked at her with skepticism. Did she not care or was she blind?

"Well nothing to do now. Someone take our poor student to the nurse. You, Mr. Arc, can head to your seat now. I believe Ms. Valkyrie is in need of a seating buddy." Her fingers lingered for a moment more before dropping to her side. She gave Jaune one last smile before walking back to her desk to start teaching.

Her fire was lite again. Now she was excited to be teaching again. And what a lesson she would be teaching.

"Oh, and Mr. Arc? Do you happen to know the high classification name for a rose by chance?" she asked without turning back. Didn't want to get her hopes up now.

Jaune frowned in thought as he took his seat next to his teammate. He knew this one. One of his sisters had a green thumb for this kinda stuff. And it even rubbed off on him.

"Rosoideae. It's also ranked as a Genus plant and has a hundred known species and thousands of cultivars." he answered.

Professor Antheia held in a pleased gasp. She was definitely keeping a close eye on him. Looked like her knight might of just walked right into her life after all.

"I'm definitely not crazy, Blake. I'm a hundred percent sure that teach over her was shaking her hips. I should know, I know it when I sees it!"

* * *

"She did what?" Weiss asked in disbelief, not believing her ears.

"She's lying, Weiss." Jaune shook his head as teams RWBY and JNPR met up for the last class of the day, Combat Class. "Yang's just seeing things. Professor Antheia probably had something in her teeth." he waved the matter away, instead focusing his attention on the screen of his scroll.

' _ **Welcome to Combat Class! In this class you will be learning how to fight against not Grimm, but your fellow Hunters and Huntresses! Here the Player will be able to practice their new skills and abilities while also building up their stats in Spars, battles against your fellow students. Don't be afraid of trying out new techniques and styles, new abilities can be Unlocked in Combat Class and some Bonds can even grow stronger with certain characters. So break a leg! Fifty Lien it'll be your own if not anyone else.'**_

The hell was up with The Game? Did it have an assholes conscious?

"So she bit her lips to get rid of some lettuce? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Yang scoffed. "Face it, Vomit Boy, the teacher's got the hots for you. Which is pretty kinky when you think about it. Who knew that cheesy pick up line would work?"

Ruby stamped her fist into her palm with a look of awe, "So it does work? Guess ladies do love it." she shrugged.

Weiss scoffed, "Yeah, right. Tall, blonde, and scraggly over her doesn't exactly come off as a ladies man to me."

Why couldn't his Snow Angel remember being friends with him? They kissed for crying out loud! If this is what Ren was talking about when he mentioned the problems of resets then he could understand why he got sick of it. He was going to have to start his progress with Weiss all over again. Hopefully he could charm her in this new life.

Field Studies was finally over with and he was relieved to be heading to Goodwitch's class. The new teacher kept shooting him looks when she was going over their lesson plan for the semester. He didn't want to believe it but it looked he did unlock her Affection. Every time he answered one of her questions correctly he gained experience towards her Affection Lvl. He had already reached Lvl 2 in the last two hours. Who knew having a green thumb would win him points in Affection?

' _She does act weird. I swear I've only seen looks like that from Yang when she's flirting. What are the chances of that though? I got better odds winning Pyrrha's heart without even trying.'_

He was kind of excited for Combat class though. With his new abilities and powers he just might win a match for once. Not against the likes of Ruby, or god forbid, Pyrrha, but against one of the regular students he could drag out a win. Now was the time to see what he could really do.

Pyrrha was not happy with what she was hearing. Her partner couldn't of attracted attention from someone like a teacher. She was hoping that the rest would miss out on how great a guy he was, but it looked like someone else was seeing what she was seeing. And Professor Antheia was a looker.

"I'm sure it was nothing. After all, teachers can't date students, can they?" she asked with a frown.

"Beacon isn't exactly a regular school." Blake chipped in. "It's an academy that trains future hunters and huntresses how to kill monsters. We may be kids, but we're being treated as adults too. Why else do you think things like bullying aren't reported? We have to deal with these kind of things ourselves. As far as their concerned, we're old enough to be treated as young adults."

"And that means teachers can date students?"

"Who knows? I didn't read the rule book on what was acceptable when it comes to student and teacher relationships."

"Oooh, I sense tension~!" Nora sang.

Alright, now Jaune needed a distraction. His life was game, not a soap opera! Fighting Yang with her semblance activated would be much better than this.

"Settle down now, class." Ms. Goodwitch smiled as she walked in. Their attention immediately fell onto her. Today was the day that they would finally begin sparring against another. The first day was simply introduction to combat and some history on the subject of fighting Grimm in general. And while all that was important and junk, they had all been eager to start fighting on the first day. Beacon was a combat school after all. The students were more then excited to be practicing their skills on another.

"Seeing as I have your attentions, we'll begin our first sparring match in just a few minutes. So I suggest you all have your weapons prepared when you're called. If not, the locker rooms are open if you need a moment to prepare yourselves. It is important to think over what you bring in to battle after all, it may even save your life on the field."

Ruby was giddy. This was her favorite class of all time. Sure, it was only her second day in said class and they had yet to do any real fighting till now, but she stood by her decision. After all, a class where she was graded on her abilities with Crescent Rose basically guaranteed her an A+! If only they had Combat class for every period instead. She'd graduate with flying colors.

"Looks like its time for the Queen of the Castle to break some legs!" Nora said excitedly.

Ren held back a sigh. It was times like this he had actually worried for the NPC's health. No one deserved what the orange haired valkyrie was packing.

"Up first, we have Jaune Arc,"

Pyrrha smiled encouragingly at her partner. "Looks like you're up, Jaune."

"If I can't break a leg, then break some for me, boss man!"

"Right." Jaune tried to smile, only to come out with a nervous laugh. He really wasn't sure just how strong he had become till he read over his status. And it wasn't exactly flattering.

' _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer, Lvl: 5.**_

 _ **3,500/3,500HP. 60/60MP.**_

 _ **Strength: 7(7.7)**_

 _ **Defense: 10(11)**_

 _ **Agility: 7(8.5)**_

 _ **Charisma: 5**_

 _ **Intelligence: 5**_

 _ **Dexterity: 5**_

 _ **Luck: 10(10.5)'**_

He shut his scroll with a sigh. Looked like he really did have his progress brought down to zero. By holding the Bonds option for ten seconds he was able to bring up his own status. And now he could look over his own stats. They weren't much. His own level must of started off as three before leveling up after defeating the Deathstalker with his team. Everyone must of have been levels higher then him. They were probably in their thirties. His perks gave him the slightest edge, but they weren't enough in the long run when compared to the others. Made him wonder how he was able to deal so much damage to the Grimm.

Hopefully his opponent wasn't too strong. Anyone other then his own team and RWBY and he might just last long enough to not be considered a loser again.

"Vs. Carding Winchester!"

Fuck it! He was screwed!

' _God, if you're there, I know your laughing at me now. You sadistic bastard.'_

A heavy hand slapped his right shoulder. Jaune winced, the sound of a familiar laugh entering his ears. Didn't need eyes to know who that was.

"Looks like you and me are up, Jauney-boy." Cardin grinned smugly. "Try not to trip over yourself. Wouldn't want you sent to the nurses twice in one day, now would we?"

Cardin smacked his back, nearly sending him falling forward. Almost forgot how strong the guy was. Was not looking forward to that. He watched his once bully walk away to the locker rooms to get his armor and weapon ready. He was going to have to luck out a win. Maybe Teres Mors came with a buff of its own. Going have to check his stats out when he had the chance later.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Ren commented. Cardin, despite how much of a jerk he acted as, was still a well trained hunter and leader of his own team. Not to mention that mace of his packed an explosive punch. He wouldn't be an easy match for a low leveled Player like Jaune.

Sounded like a good show to him.

"Just whisper 'lilac', I'm sure it's his safe word." he chuckled evilly.

Jaune gulped. May the five percent in his luck stat guide him to victory.

* * *

A quick trip to the lockers later and both hunters in training were ready for their first spar. The rest of the class stood by in the upper level of the auditorium, gated off by hologram walls as the two stood apart from another in the stadium arena floor. Cheers filled the air, anticipating the fight before them.

Jaune calmed his heart beat. He took on and defeated Grimm larger then him, fought against a White Fang member that used a chainsaw of all things as his weapon, and trained with Pyrrha Nikos of all people. Fighting Cardin should be a piece of cake. Maybe. He was pretty sure that even in his past life he couldn't beat Cardin, fight him to draw if he was lucky, but not come out a winner.

His hand gripped the sheathed handle of Crocea Mors tightly. He shook his head. No, he was done looking down at himself. It didn't really solve anything. All he could do was try. Even against impossible odds he still tried.

"You know, as much of a spazz as you look, we're not so different, Arc." Cardin rolled his neck, cracking it as he looked back at his opponent with a grin. "We both come from forgotten families of the Great War. The only difference being that I plan to make sure my family is remembered for my glory, and not an embarrassment like you." he laughed.

Jaune scowled. He wasn't going to let the cards fall the same way as they did before. He was done being bullied by Cardin. This time, he would show him he wasn't to be messed with.

"Are we going to fight, or do you want to gossip like a lunchroom full of school girls?" he challenged, sliding his sword out from its sheath.

"As a schoolgirl, I find that offensive!"

"It's a figure of speech, Yang!" he shouted back at he blonde. And where the hell did they little flags with his name on them. And were those fireworks? Who thought it was a good idea to give them to Nora?

"Begin!"

"Shit!" The shadow of Cardin's mace fell upon him as he looked up to find his opponent already on the move. He stepped to the right, swinging his blade at Cardin's left side. Cardin countered the swing, knocking the sword away with powerful swipe. The leader of CRDL then spun on his foot, swinging his heavy mace in a roundhouse swing. The titanium made weapon hit its target, slamming into Jaune's chest before he could raise his shield to defend himself. Jaune grit his teeth in pain. Looked like Carding channeled his aura through the tips of his mace. He was pretty sure his aura had taken a good hit from that swing.

The blow sent him skidding back on his sneakers, allowing him some space to gather his thoughts for a second. His right eye glowed, a target cross hair replacing his pupil.

"Scan." he panted to himself.

' _ **Cardin Winchester, 4,500/4,500HP.'**_

Looked like he had over a thousand HP over him. It still wasn't as much as he expected. Jaune really wished his 'Scan' ability could do more then show HP.

A shout broke him out of his thoughts, warning him to the charging form of Cardin. Jaune quickly rose his shield to block the powerful blow descending towards him. An echoing ring blew up in the air as the weapon dropped onto his defense.

Pain ran through his arm before he pushed his shield back, sending Cardin stumbling. He ran with Crocea Mors swinging in falling arc. Cardin blocked the blade with the shaft of his mace. He kicked his leg into Jaune's abdomen, sending him back before pressing the button above the hilt. "Guard against this!" he shouted loudly, raising his mace up high before slamming it in Jaune's line of sight.

Explosive flames blew up in a line after Jaune. His shield faced towards the blast, taking the blunt of it. The flames still passed by him, dropping his aura lower as he stood his ground.

' _Dammit, I got_ _ta_ _get a hit in at least!'_ The explosions died down, allowing him to fan away the flames with his shield. He was sweating, grimacing from the licking flames eating away at his health slowly.

Cardin wasn't giving im another second to breath as he jumped high up. He moved his mace to his side, firing off another blast to send him rocketing towards his opponent. Jaune jumped away from the spot, missing the eruption of flames breaking apart the floor to shrapnel from the dropping hammer strike. An idea struck him. Facing the blade to its flat surface the blonde knight batted the airborne broken tiles with heavy swing. The shrapnel pelted Cardin's body, causing some damage. The gray armored hunter growled in annoyance. A swing of his weapon rid him of the firing tiles. He smirked only to curse as he found Jaune inside his guard. His sword was pulled back, glowing with white aura.

Now was a perfect opportunity to use his new Skill. It did deal a fifty percent bonus to his attack.

" _ **Power Strike!"**_

The air in Cardin's lungs disappeared, leaving him gasping as the sword struck his gut, cracking his chest armor. His face grimaced angrily. The little punk could hit?! That was some swing. But like hell he was dropping after one hit! He drove his fist into the side of Jaune's face, the blow knocking him away.

Cardin grit his teeth. He underestimated Jaune. Despite how scrawny he looked, he could pack a punch behind his sword.

The two hunters dashed to the middle of the ring, locking their weapons against another. Sparks flew in between the two as they swung at another. Jaune blocked a heavy swing, batting it away before following it up with stab to Cardin's chest. Cardin weaved to the right, countering with a falling blow. The dust crystal at its top glowed, firing off an explosion into Jaune's guard. The knight found himself blown back from the close detonation, nearly falling back as smoke lingered on his body.

" _ **Teres Mors!"**_ Jaune shouted, feeling the familiar sensation of power run through his sword arm. If he wanted to have any chance at winning, he was going to have to rely on his abilities. White energy morphed the old gray blade to its red rose themed form.

"His sword can transform!?" Ruby gasped from the spectators seats. She was pretty sure he had told her that it was just a regular old sword. Why would he lie? "Jaune, you liar! You told me your sword didn't do anything! How could you play with a maidens heart like that!?" she cried.

"Now's not the time, Ruby!" Jaune shouted back, dodging a series of swift swings from Cardin. How much did that thing weigh? It felt like a ton had hit him. How strong was Cardin to wave it around with just one hand?

Seeing a wide swing coming for his head, Jaune quickly ducked under the mace, slashing at Cardin's exposed lower body. The brown haired teen growled, turning on his feet to slam his mace under Jaune's chin. The blow sent him flying up, leaving him wide open for another attack. The maces tips parted, revealing the red dust crystal glowing an angry red in response to his aura. A large fireball fired off from the center, engulfing Jaune in a ball of flames larger then his body.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted in alarm. From the screen above the battle she could see that his aura was already close to dropping into the red. A few more hits and he'd have nothing to protect him. It was already looking like a win for CRDL's leader.

Through the flames a barbed vine shot out, snapping to the hand wielding the mace. It coiled tightly around Cardin's wrist, stabbing his skin. And with a mighty pull form its wielder, the hunter was pulled up. The flames died down, revealing Jaune lightly burnt, openly gritting his teeth as he used all his strength to yank his opponent to him. He spun around, performing an aerial spin slash just as Cardin fell within arms reach.

The blow sent Cardin falling back with a shout. Seeing a chance, Jaune stabbed Teres Mors into the ground as he landed, _**"Teres Blade: Uproot!"**_

Cardin grimaced slightly as he tried rising up, only to frown as he felt the ground under him tremble. Trusting his instincts he rolled to the side. The floor tiles erupted in a cloud of dust as a vine like lance stabbed the spot his fell on. Jaune wasn't done though. He continued pumping his MP into the blade, continuously firing off his skill. Cardin was left to dodge several more vines uprooting underneath his feet, sweating as one spine had come close, grazing his nose. Fine, if that's how blonde wanted to play, then he would have to turn things up a notch. He twirled his mace, raising it high up with both hands gripping its handle. He roared as he dropped it to the ground in front of him, unloading everything his Dust crystal was capable of in his line of sight. A slight rumble below his feet was ignored in favor of standing his ground.

The mace let loose a series of rushing explosives booms aimed at Jaune, towering his body in a wall of racing flames. The blonde cursed, even his shield couldn't block such a move. Looked like he was done for.

A white bladed vine shot up from below Cardin's feet, kicking him up in the air as it rammed underneath his chin with the force of a firing piston. The line of explosions soon engulfed Jaune, his shield doing little to protect his whole body from the fire damage eating away at his aura. As the flames died down, Jaune was left on his knee's, his armor singed and body wafting with smoke from his scorched clothing. He panted, sweating from the heat as he took a look at his scroll attached to the back of his shield. _**'675HP/3,500HP.'**_ Damn, he was in the red. Didn't look like he was going to be winning.

Cardin fell back down with a grunt, rubbing his aching jaw with a scowl. Son of a bitch did that hurt! It was like getting hit with a cheap uppercut by an Atlesian Knight. He quickly got back on his feet, spitting out bloody wad to the floor as he wiped his lips. That actually took him by surprise. Who knew Jaune had something like that in his sleeves? Didn't matter though, he thought, bending his knees for a charging blow. Looked like he was just about done.

"Match set!" The booming shout of Professor Goodwitch stopped Cardin mid-charge, catching himself before he stumbled into Jaune. He frowned, the match was over already? He was just getting warmed up though!

Looking up at the hologram board over his head, he was surprised to see a fourth of his aura had been knocked down. He was sure that he hadn't taken that much damage! Cardin grumbled, had to give the scrawny blonde credit. He thought he would of gone done with two or three hits.

"Oh, thank god." Jaune gasped in relief, letting himself drop to his back. He couldn't remember his first fight with Cardin being this heated. It was mostly him being smacked around by his heavy mace like a ball. He was more then proud to say he lasted more then a minute against a trained hunter, even if said hunter was in training. More experience then him.

The class cheered for the two students, pumped for the first spar of the school year. Professor Goodwitch smiled as she made her way down to the two hunters.

"That was an excellent first match, boys. You both came at another without holding back, showing the same ferocity one must show when facing the Grimm. Though one of you is the winner, you both displayed great skill." she praised. Her face then frowned, fixing her glasses to get a better look at the two, "But you both still have much to improve upon as well." her riding crop slapped against Cardin's forehead, causing to wince with a small glare at his teacher, "Mr. Winchester, you display great strength but lack a sense of your surroundings. You could have easily side stepped out of Mr. Arc's last attack. Not to mention you charge heedlessly into the fray without planning a head. Do work on that."

She turned her eyes to Jaune next, watching him rise up with a wince from his injuries, "And you, Mr. Arc, display great skill in blocking against attacks. Not to mention your large pool of aura allows you to take heavy hits better than most. However, you lack in every other category. Your strength is sub par, your agility leaves much room for improvement, and your timing needs much work as well. And while you seem to posses a unique semblance that alters your swords appearance, you still seem to fight as if it were a regular sword when it's a short sword. You also wasted a lot of energy on that last attack when you could have saved it for later when your opponent has been worn down. You have a lot to improve upon, do take the time to think of what you could of done differently during the match."

The blonde haired knight could only sigh in defeat. "I could dodge more, that's for sure." Almost forgot about the fact Cardin's mace had a fire dust crystal. The guy never used it when they sparred against another. Guess he should feel flattered for having the honor of being roasted by his flames.

"Better luck next time, Jauney-boy!" Cardin laughed over his shoulder as he made his way to his team. "You ain't going to be killing any Grimm with that little sword of yours anytime soon!"

"I'll have you know it's not the size of the blade that matters, but how you use it!" Jaune yelled back, waving Teres Mors at his retreating back.

"Oh, really? Then how about showing me some time, Lover boy?" The blonde locks of hair cascading over his shoulders warned Jaune of the busty body pressed against his back. He gulped as he felt Yang's hot breath wash over his neck. "We can spar anytime your swords got an itch you can't scratch." she teased with a saucy grin.

Stupid jeans! Can't they hide a tent when he needed them?

Ruby quirked her brow as the two teams walked down to met the blonde knight, "Swords don't itch. You're not making a lot of sense, Yang. And why can't he do it himself, I'm sure he doesn't need you to take care of his itch."

"Yeah! That's what the bathrooms are for, and Ren's bed." Nora grinned.

"No! You take that anywhere else but my precious bed!" Ren felt his own eye twitch in annoyance. If their was one definitive thing he cherished in his never ending hell, it was his bed.

"Ignoring all that, you did rather well for your first spar, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled, pushing away the blonde girl from his back. She frowned, noticing the burns over the exposed skin of his body. "Perhaps we should take you to the nurses office. You did suffer quite a beating."

Jaune pushed away the thought, "I'm fine, really. I just need some time for my aura to heal my burns. Too bad they can't do anything about my hoodie though." he murmured sadly. It looked like it was ready to come apart at the seams. How the hell did everyone else keep their clothes from being torn or scorched? He was going to run out of clothes by the end of the semester at this rate.

"It does look to be in poor shape now." the red headed spartan nodded, noticing the large patches of smoking holes in his clothing. Taking a closer look, she gasped suddenly into her hand, catching the others attention.

"Hmm? What is it, Pyrrha?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"Jaune? What happened to your shoulder?" Pyrrha looked at her partner with worry and slight horror.

"What are you talking about?" Jaune was sure he hadn't been too hurt by Cardin's mace. It left him aching with some bruises and burns, but nothing to panic about. All that was really damaged was his pride. Again.

Now every one of his friends was staring at his shoulder with aghast expressions. Ren was still calm, but he was frowning at him, just as lost as he was. Might as well see what they were worrying about.

Moving his head down to his left shoulder, Jaune could see the gaping hole burnt into his hoodie stretching from the shoulder to underneath his breast plate where his bicep was. He was confused for a second at what the fuss was about when he saw it.

An ugly faded scar, seeming to run across his shoulder blade and bellow his hoodie. The visible flesh looked torn into, as if someone had run a sawing blade against it. The memory of his body being torn through reared itself into his head, causing the faded scar burn viciously. The intensity of it was too much, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as his partner caught him with a startled cry.

"Jaune, Jaune! Oh, my god, we have to get him to the nurses office quick!" Pyrrha shouted loudly. She nodded her head thankfully towards Yang as she found the boxer pull Jaune's free shoulder over her own to carry.

Watching on as the girls got the hurried 'alright' from Professor Goodwitch, Ren was left with his own questions as they ran off to carry their leader for medical attention.

With every Reset, they Game brought you back to a save point, reversing everything from experience, to wounds, back to what they were at the start. Even scars vanished. So why did Jaune have a scar that should have faded away when he became a Player?

' _Even when I'm done trying, this damn Game finds a way to drag me back in. Only you, Jaune.'_

* * *

 **Ohhh, mystery!**

 **An old, or new, scar has reared its head and even Ren is baffled. What does this mean for Jaune? What exactly happens to the original body, the soul, when a Player resets? The future is glitchy, and we're only just getting started.**

 **I really do hope I didn't misspell anything this time. Other grammar errors aside, I like to pride myself on spelling at least. Even if I never one a spelling bee. Hmph, I'm smart too! I simply suffer from a common disease, laziness. Sadly there is no cure nor hope for stopping it. Accept, I know I did.**

 **Next chapter leads us into the FoF Arc, Friends of Faunas. And I'm already going over the plans for this one. It will lead off into Forever Falls, where paths will cross! I'm so excited!**

 **And, on a side note, our first ever DLC will hopefully appear with next week's chapter. Remember the Side Quest, Fairy Tales? They're going to act as bonus chapters, or Omakes if you're more familiar with that term, with every occasional chapter released. They'll fit into the stories sometimes, and others will be just for shits and giggles.**

 **Now I need sleep! Got a bad habit with writing close to twelve at night. And I work five day straight, 7am-3pm. Thank god for my coffee.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy, Yup, Yup!**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	5. Lax Events

**Sup, fellow fanfic readers and writers? It's that time of the week again! A new chapter of Multiplayer is up for your reading pleasure!**

 **To begin, this chapter is where I begin to fill the hole where Jaundice would have taken place, filling in the hole with an original arc of my own. Expect new events, created by the 'The Game' from its Remix. New challenges await at the hands of a new player in Vale, foes with a misunderstood purpose in the eyes. Can you do good by doing bad? Can a problem be solved simply by removing one thing? You will question the word 'Friends' in this new arc to come.**

 **Drama aside, I'm a little nervous for next week. Monster Hunter Generations comes out on Friday I believe. And that game has sucked in more then four hundred hours of my life alone in both Ultimate 3 and 4. I'm going to have to resist the urge to play it for too long to keep my writing streak up. Pray for my pathetic soul!**

 **Oh! And RWBY Volume 4 has been announced for Oct. 22nd. Totally called the time skip! . . .Who still says totally? I feel lame right now. I can't wait for that either.**

 **Now lets get onto the Reviews.**

 **JustJustin3099: The ship to this story is odd. Think of it like a dating sim. You get the girls affections high enough and you can eventually decide which girl to date and fall in love with. Most people create multiple save files to see all the ends. That's how I'm going to play it. At the very end of the story, I'll write Epilogues with each ending with the girls he's attained Endearment with. Not all the girls of RWBY mind you, just select number of them. Maybe even add a few once the story is over with by popular demand. I don't want to make the shipping the main point of the story. That's what one-shots are for and Romance fics. Hope that answers your question, as confusing as it seems to me.**

 **Remsal Von Enili: Keep guessing! I won't deny nor confirm your guess. But their fun to read. And sure, why not? OC's if done right are fun. If it's good enough, I might just fit it in. Might have a space for it.**

 **Dragoon109: Jaune's soul is powerful in the fact The Game has allowed it to stay in the game without being reset for now. Ren believes that his soul is too weak to handle the stress and hardship of the game, that's why he believes he has a weak soul that can be crushed easily if pressured. And I would be spoiling if I said anything about Pyrrha. Keep reading and you might be able to figure it out yourself. I love guesses.**

 **Zachary2: That's a loaded question. I might do it, maybe. Don't judge me! And mystery is always a good thing.**

 **Otherguy14:I always felt that I was good at writing fighting scenes. Good to know you like it. Trust me, I got few good ones planned for the future. And the scar is a mystery. One that may or may not bite him back in eventually. Souls are a tricky thing you know. And I couldn't help but come up with the idea while playing Kingdom Hearts and its Remixes. They gave me the perfect opportunity to chance things in a way that makes some sense. You'll feel more sorry for him in this chapter. Especially the DLC bit. I can only pray that I can keep this schedule up. Had a bad habit of uploading in months at a time.**

 **TheBurningWorld: I try. It can be nerve wracking at times, but little comments like this reassure me. So thanks!**

 **TalonbnLaAhad: Thank you, but I don't eat sweets. I'm not a sweet man, I'm a bitter man. Get it? I'll shut up now. And just had to put Ivy in there. The story called for her! And I've been meaning to read Dice. Just got to find some time to read more of the chapters I found. Salem and Cinder will still be up to their old tricks, whatever the hell they are at the moment. But who knows? This is a new timeline, the future is unsure. I don't have an OC as a Player, that wouldn't make much sense to me seeing as they pop up in between remixes. Love Neo, got plans for that little minx, don't you worry about that. Love your advice, my fellow danger seeker! Live wild and dangerously, and prosper my friend!**

 **Animefan29: Knew a missed a few errors. Sorry about that.I'll be sure to work out those mistakes when I have the time. Glad you like the OC's though, it warms my heart to know that their well received.**

 **Wandai: Your guesses are my favorite. Again, can't confirm or deny anything, so sorry about that. But you make some close guesses. I wouldn't be surprised if you discover the answer. You bastard.**

 **Hey: Probably shouldn't answer this review seeing as it's basically a Guest review, but this one is actually a good one. In the show their health is displayed as aura by their scrolls, so there really isn't much of a difference. Yet. It'll change as The Game continues.**

 **Blackfirekingkoncor: Good guess. Can't say anything though. God, I feel like I'm repeating myself. Ozpin's Semblance is a mystery in itself. I wonder what it is. Qrow will have his role, just you wait.**

 **NAJP Jackson: Yeah, Ren is a dick. With good reason. It's actually fun writing him like that, something no one else has really done in any fic I've read. And it's good to know my idea of The Gamer is original. Makes me warm and fuzzy. Jaune was brought in 'abruptly' you could say. So he really has the most energy to beat the game. Except for one Player. Only two left that are a mystery. Keep guessing, I would love to hear thoughts on why you made such guesses. I will say that Cinder isn't one of them.**

 **Soulfulbard: Tell me about it. It took kissing the guy before marching off to her death for Jaune to realize Pyrrha's feelings for him. Glad to know you like the OC's enough to give them a chance. I won't let you down!**

 **Brirelan: . . .Really?(Begins smacking forehead into the wall besides his bed, cursing loudly as the dog watches.) I-I'll be sure to fix that mistake with the other chapters. I should really over that wiki more often. This is exactly what happened with Pyrrha's name.**

 **I believe that's all the reviews I can answer for the moment. Now, onto the show!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. They belong to RoosterTeeth. Another chapter uploaded, another late night of sleep ahead of me. I swear there are too many distractions in my life that wish to pull me away from writing. I miss the days when I sat in my room, alone, reading books till I fall asleep. And my guilty pleasures as a growing teen, Lemons. Man! Was I dirty bastard back then. Too much hentai bait in the world to live as a saint. How do they do it?**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Lax Events.**

"And that class, is how you take down an Alpha Beowolf with only a slipper, some tanning oil, a dirty moist towel, and a rubber glove! All while protecting and hiding your family jewels from a class of first graders!" The deep voice of Professor Port bellowed with great enthusiasm. He smiled to himself, basking in his own glory. Surely the students were in awe of his own tale as he was .

"I can't unsee the imagery!"

"Hand me the bleach! My brain needs some purging, dammit!"

"The hell did your pants go!?"

"Take it off, take it off!"

"So much oil! I can see your muscles glisten in my head and I can't make it stop!"

"Meh, could of left out the part with the parrot."

"And suddenly I'm gay now."

The portly hunter nodded to himself. Yup, they were in awe. He would be too if he was his students. They can't even pick their jaws up due to their bodies locking up at the sheer images of manliness playing through their little heads.

Jaune felt his stomach churn as he dropped his chin onto the desk. Despite what you might think of Professor Port, you had to hand it to the guy, he had a knack for story telling. A shiver ran down his back, the imagery of a naked Peter Port with glistening muscles fighting off a Grimm, surrounded by little kids, caused a bile of breakfast to crawl up his throat. He swallowed it back down in disgust, shivering again as the image refused to leave.

The first school week was coming to a close. And despite how things had started off, Jaune was pleased with how things were going so far. While his memory wasn't that great, he could still recall some of the early lessons from his first run in Beacon before his death. Classes like Combat Class didn't need any thought due to the class focusing on fighting and polishing your skills. But the ones like Grimm Studies and History were a god send to remember. He was actually paying attention this time around. Maybe he would actually pass his classes without needing any help from his team.

At the thought of his team, and by proxy team RWBY, the blonde resisted the urge to sigh as he felt the worried gaze directed at his direction. He didn't need the Gamer's powers to tell that those silver eyes belonged to Ruby. The red hooded girl must be checking up on him again.

What day was it? Monday they had all arrived to Beacon, Tuesday they completed their Initiation, Wednesday was the first day of school, and yesterday had been Thursday. So it had only been a day since he was rushed back to the nurses office after passing out from his old wound.

That was something that was still bugging him. When Jaune had died and come back to life, not to mention traveling back in time to the day Pyrrha unlocked his aura, he had though his mind had transferred to his body in the past. Did he even die in the first place? No, he definitely did. He now had a feeling how death felt like, and he wasn't hoping to experience it again. Thinking back, how was it that he never noticed the scar till the other day? He did fall asleep in his armor and hoodie after initiation, and he was running late on the first day, must of not noticed it when he was changing. Hell, he fell asleep reading the guide to his powers in his uniform. He was also too nervous at the idea of fighting Cardin in the locker rooms to notice too. He was really slacking in the sight department.

Still it was actually pretty haunting to find the ugly patch of skin running from the tip of his left shoulder to his right hip bone. And it wasn't simply a tear across his chest, it ran around his body to his back, revealing that the wound tore right through his body and internal organs. It was an honest wonder how he was alive.

* * *

 _ **(Flash Back.)**_

"How the fuck are you alive!?"

"Yang! It's rude to shout like that." Ruby reprimanded her sister with a light glare. If she was honest with herself, she would of done the same thing without the cursing. Dad taught her there was no need for such language!

The two teams of RWBY and JNPR stood around the medical bed belonging to Jaune Arc. He laid back on his pillow with an Iv bag needled into his arm. His shirt was left off as the nurse examined the hideous scar that ran into his body. He wasn't happy with his friends sticking around while the nurse looked him over. The looks of worry and disbelief weren't flattering.

Yang shook her head, her mouth open trying to form words at what she was seeing.

"I'm sorry, Rubes, but how the hell do you survive having your body nearly torn in half! My god, how old is that thing!?"

"I'd say about seven to eight years, if I'm correct." the nurse answered tersely, scowling as she tried to determine how deep the scar tissue ran. It would have been easier if their weren't any students yelling in her ear. Times like this she wished Glynda didn't monitor her office so she could smoke in peace.

"It's not that bad." Jaune tried to reassure them, smiling nervously at the bewildered stares pointed at him.

Okay, he was lying. It was bad. No wonder he had been clutching at his chest lately. Was it weird that the wound still felt fresh? A wince escaped his lips at the memory of the tearing teeth.

Weiss scoffed, "Right. And we're to believe that you simply passed out from what? Lack of a healthy diet?"

"Chicken nuggets and mash potatoes in gravy are a perfectly fine diet! At least I'm drinking fruit."

"Everybody loves Grape soda is not considered fruit." Ren palmed his face. "I'm pretty sure there isn't an ounce of fresh grape in that beverage."

"There isn't. I should know, they once came to me with the proposition of starring in one of their ad campaigns." Pyrrha agreed from her spot next to Jaune. Along with his bad gaming habits, she was also going to have to work with on his diet as well. Though it looked like it wasn't hurting his physic. A light dust of red painted her cheeks as he eyes roamed over his muscles. But the sight of warped skin ended that as she flinched. How was he alive?

"Never mind all that. You still haven't explained how you attained such a scar." Weiss pressed on, her own morbid curiosity getting the best of her. Her own scar throbbed as she looked over her own.

Jaune bit the inside of his cheek as he looked away, his fingers digging into his hospital bed sheets. That wasn't a pleasant story to talk about. Ren did say that explaining his powers and what had happened to him would result in a Bad End. Especially with the fact he had earned it from protecting said heiress.

"T-That's not something I really like talking about." he stuttered, grinding his teeth suddenly as he felt the female nurse prod his old wound. Or was it still new? Nothing made sense anymore.

"And you don't have to." Ruby nodded firmly, glaring at anyone who said other wise. Though with her face, her glare had come off as some huffy pout. She looked adorable.

"She's right. Jaune doesn't have to talk about it if he doesn't want to." Blake nodded by Yang's side. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't also curious to the blonde's old wound and how he was still breathing. From the looks of it whatever inflicted it must of torn right through his major organs as well. Death by blood loss aside, the black haired bookworm couldn't fathom how he survived. "We are all entitled to our own secrets. If he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it, then we shouldn't pry. The memory alone must be haunting for him." she said softly.

Yang raised her hands up in surrender, grinning in apology.

"Sorry 'bout that. I just didn't take Vomit Boy as the guy for scars. It makes you look really tough though. Me likey, rawr!" the buxom blonde growled playfully, scratching the air like a cat.

"Yeah! This only proves that we have the greatest leader in all of Beacon!" Nora cheered loudly. The nurse tried shushing her, only to fail as the orange haired teen bounced around her leaders bed with a grin. "After all, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger! So Jaune should be tougher then the strongest of Goliath's! With him leading our team, nothing will stand in our way towards world conquest!"

"Did she just say 'world conquest'?" Blake whispered to Yang, watching as Nora's laugh evolved into a full blown evil roar.

"All hail your queen, peasants! She demands pancakes, and if you fail to comply, she will smite thee with her mighty steed, Jaune-cena!" she hopped onto Jaune's shoulders, kicking his side as she continued to laugh maniacally.

"Nora, get off him right now!" both Ren and Pyrrha shouted in alarm, the nurse by Jaune's bedside throwing her arms up in defeat before going to work on the boy's paperwork. It was better then dealing with the craziness gravitating the blonde.

"Other then the lite burns, bruises, and low aura, you're free to go if you want, Mr. Arc." the nurse smiled tiredly, "It is strange that your medical records don't mention anything pertaining to such a grievous wound, but you seem to be in healthy shape otherwise. As old as it seems, the damaged tissue is still tender, so do be careful when in combat. If you have anymore issues with it, come back. Can't be digging you an early grave just yet." she chuckled.

"Will do, uh-" Jaune felt embarrassed, the woman's name escaping him. Second time here and he hadn't bothered to ask her name the first time.

"The names Artemis Spriggan, or just Nurse Sprig if you want." she winked. She wore a classic nurses uniform and bubble gum pink hair tied in an elegant bun and ponytail. "I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot of you kids around here, am I right?" she said dryly with a deadpanned stare.

"Not me." Yang grinned widely, punching her fist into her palm with a laugh, "I'll be the one sending people back her, Nursey."

"I immediately don't like you."

Jaune grumbled to himself. He just wanted to get out of the nurses office. He was all fine now. If only Nora would stop kicking him.

"Your time is up, my time is now~! You can't see me, my time is now!~"

And what the hell kind of song was she singing? What was he, some kind of wrestler?

* * *

Since his little trip back from the hospital, Jaune has been catching his friends concerned stares whenever he wasn't looking. Mostly from Ruby and Pyrrha. He could kinda understand. If he knew someone who had suffered as he did, he'd be looking out for them too. Hated to say it, but since Jaune had discovered the scar he had been suffering from phantom pains every once in a while.

They must of caught on to his pain. It was annoying when it flared up in class, but other then that he was perfectly fine. He didn't need to be watched over. Sneaking worried glances didn't help. His scroll could read their emotions and statuses. It was pretty impossible to hide what they were doing. Looking at the menu for RWBY's Bonds, he was surprised to see the chibi forms of all four girls hiding behind a wall, peeking their heads over another. Mini Yang was even wearing sunglasses and a mustache, trying to play incognito.

"Got to say, this is one of the things I love about my powers." he whispered to himself, smiling lightly as he watched the animation.

"He's playing on his scroll again." Ruby mumbled to her partner, receiving a roll of blue eyes as a response. "Didn't Pyrrha say we should be watching out for him? She said she was trying to break him out of his video game habit too."

Yang yawned into her hand, lying back against her desk as she twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, "Leave the poor guy alone, Rubes. Playing too much games never killed anyone, that I know of. I know Pyrrha's worried about him but spying on him isn't going to do anything. He might think you're a stalker." she smiled lazily. Her sister puffed her cheeks with an embarrassed blush.

"As his best friend, and fellow team leader, it's my job to watch out for him!" she huffed cutely, nodding her head.

"I thought Weiss was your best friend?"

"Weiss is Weiss. She's in a category of her own."

"Hey!"

"At least I'm trying to make this relationship work, Weiss!"

"Ignoring what I'm hearing, you should still try giving him some space. I know his scar was something none of us were expecting, but we shouldn't fuss about it too much. If he has a problem he'll tell us, or his team. You do know he has one of those, right?" Yang asked flatly with lidded eyes.

"I'm sure he gets enough questions from his partner as well." Blake added, rubbing her eyes to rid themselves of the images she was seeing. Why did Professor have to have such a vivid vocabulary?

"I know that." Ruby hadn't forgotten that Jaune had his own team to look out for him. He was a leader after all. It's just that seeing that kind of horrid mark left on a guy as nice as Jaune had concerned her. It looked like it still hurt if his poor attempts to hide his grimaces were anything to go by. The young red headed girl just didn't want him passing out like that again. Or worse. It was deep looking scar. It should of killed him.

Ruby shook her head to rid the awful thought, "It's just that he doesn't seem to be over it. Haven't you noticed that pained look in his eye whenever its brought up? I don't like seeing him like that." she looked down sadly.

"Then don't treat him like a child." Weiss scoffed, "He's a future hunter. I'm sure he can look out for himself."

"That's pretty cold coming from his 'Snow Angel'." Yang widely grinned.

"Don't be a pest!" the heiress scowled with a mortified blush.

The sound of the bell ringing brought the girls out of their talks, the holographic clock on their desks beeping loudly. "Well class, it seems that's all the time we have for the day!" the portly hunter bellowed, signaling his students to rise up from their seats. "Remember to look over today's work on Beowolves, their will be a test on it next week! And expect to be called forward to prove yourselves as hunters once again! And enjoy the weekend!"

At least class was over with. Jaune sighed in relief, stretching his arms with a lax grin. Four o'clock couldn't of come sooner! Now he could relax in his dorm room and. . .huh? Now that he thought about it, what could he do? With school over for the weekend he was free to do what he wanted. Jaune could train his new powers, the school did allow for trips to the Emerald Forest and Forever Fall to gain some experience slaying Grimm, so there was that. And it looked like simply hanging out with his friends increased his Bonds with them. Not to mention he could take the time to look over his Gamer guide. There were still things in it that were locked to him. He was curious to find out what Soul Link was.

"Mr. Arc, Ms, Rose!" Professor Port called out to the two leaders before they could step out of his class, stopping them in their tracks. They looked back to their professor with confusion written on their faces, "If you two would kindly stay for a few moments. I have a favor to ask of you two."

"What's up, Professor?" Ruby asked as she skipped over to his desk with Jaune walking by her.

"Well for one, I wish to say I was very impressed with both of your performances in Glynda's class. That was some mighty fine combat skills!" he chuckled in amusement.

"You saw that? How?" Jaune asked.

"Why Glynda was ecstatic to show off her students skills to the staff! It's not like I had peeked into her class like a ninja and watched the matches when I should have been teaching. Perish the thought!"

He sneaked into class? How!? Peter Port wasn't what you called a stealthy example of espionage.

"Anyhow, it was your marvelous display in combat class that has proven to me that you two are the perfect hunters to take care of a little old mission for me." Port smiled.

"Mission?!" Ruby was ecstatic. It was only the third day of school and already she was being sent off on a mission to fight Grimm? This was what she was trained for! She loved Beacon, but she wanted excitement! To go out on the field and slay the creatures of darkness with her lovely scythe and bask in everyone's awe of her skills. And here she thought the Professor was just going to talk to them about fighting the Grimm. "You bet we're the perfect hunters for the job! You don't have to worry about a thing, Professor Port! We'll take care of whatever nasty Grimm is causing you trouble!"

"And I know you would, Miss Rose. But that is not the mission that I am asking of you." the portly teacher shook his head amusingly, watching as the young redhead deflated, "Missions such as Grimm extermination aren't normally taken by first years so early. You would have to go through another month of school before you're team is allowed to undertake such missions. After all, it's only been three days since you've entered Beacon."

"Aww, I wanted to fight monsters." Ruby pouted, kicking the ground.

"If you don't want us to fight Grimm, then what kind of mission are you asking us to do?" Jaune asked with a raised brow. Definitely didn't remember this happening before. Was this the Remix?

Professor grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "The thing is, I've yet to retrieve the Grimm Anatomy books and a few other important textbooks from the store. Without them I won't be able to properly start classes next week. I would have gone off for them, but I was too occupied hunting Grimm for classes. I was actually hoping for you both to go out to Vale and bring them back and pay them off in my stead."

"Why can't you do it?"

"I'd love to, a good friend of mine run's the place, but I must go off tomorrow and hunt for Edgar. And I must have the text books by Saturday so that I may assign a copy to each of my students."

"Who's Edgar?" Ruby had to ask, immediately regretting it. An ominous chuckled left the boisterous professor as a dark shadow fell over his smiling face. It brought a chill down both leader's backs.

"Why, Edgar is the one in the hole."

Almost forgot about Professor's odd hobby of capturing Grimm down and locking them in cages. Still didn't understand why he called them Edgar. Jaune could of gone living happily without finding that out.

"But their trapped in cages." Ruby blinked.

"Never mind that! Will you two accept the mission, or not?" Professor Port asked, handing the list of text books from his desk to his student's.

Looking over the list, Jaune was happy to remember the titles he had once studied. While he couldn't recall every detail and lesson he had completed to heart, he knew enough not to struggle again as he once did before. When he stopped to think about it, he was properly trained to enter Beacon. Not as well as Ruby and everyone else but enough to just make it in without lying.

"If you only needed us to pick up some books for you, then why did you say our display in Combat class proved that we were the ones capable of taking this mission?" Jaune frowned in confusion. Was he just buttering them up?

"I was simply trying to butter you both up!" he proudly exclaimed.

At least he was honest. That was something.

"If it's any consolation, I do believe that you both have what it takes to be hunters. Though you yourself lost Mr. Arc, you displayed amazing vigor and skill against someone who outclassed you in both strength and dexterity. And Ms. Rose was a wonder to watch, speed blitzing her own opponent in a beautiful shower of roses!" he smiled proudly. "And don't worry, you both will be rewarded for your completion of the mission. I'll even pay the fair for the air ship to Vale as well. Think of it as a team outing, it'll give you both time to get along with your teams."

Ruby's pout was still intact, but even she agreed with the idea of spending time with her team. A team bonding exercise sounded nice. They could also hang out with Jaune's team too. She really wanted to talk to Pyrrha about her weapons. The thing could switch flawlessly between three weapons! Made her body tingle in ways only weapons could.

Not to mention she could pick up some new ammo for Crescent Rose. She was running a little low on the supply she brought with her from home. Kill three birds with one stone.

"I don't see why not?" Jaune shrugged, passing the list along to Ruby. He was still trying to figure out what to do with his powers anyway, maybe doing random missions would help to move things along until he figured out what exactly he was suppose to do. "We could all go out tomorrow morning. Besides, I could use some Lien. I didn't really take much with me when I entered Beacon." Games always rewarded the player with currency when they completed missions. Now he wouldn't be strapped for Lien as before. It was weird that he didn't earn any Lien when he defeated the Deathstalker.

"I'm game too! Anything's better then being stuck in our dorms and studying." Even if she was taking being a leader seriously, she still didn't like sitting still and reading about killing Grimm when she could simply go out and do it.

"Splendid! I truly do thank you both for taking care of this for me. I'll be sure to remember this if you two ever need anything of me." he chuckled happily. Now he wouldn't have to suffer Glynda's wrath. Dodged a riding crop there. "Stop by my class before you head off to Vale in the morning. I'll hand you both the payment for the books and the fair to and back. Even add a little for some food if you get hungry as well."

"That's much appreciated, Professor. Thank you." Jaune nodded with a smile.

This would also give him the opportunity to level up his Bonds with his friends. Who were all girls. Was it bad that he couldn't even count the number of male friends he had on one hand compared to the ones who were girls? Not to mention the fact that he and Ren weren't exactly on good terms. Things were strained at best. So that left him with no male friends at all. Some part of him should of considered himself lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful, pretty, cute, and hot girls, but they could all mop the floor with him if he tried anything. It was hard enough trying to woo Weiss as it is, setting his eye's on any other girl would leave him no where.

Maybe. Then again he did unlock Pyrrha's Affection long ago without knowing it. So there was a possibility that she may of liked him in this world. What were the chances of that though?

In his own dorm, a certain pink eyed Player resisted the sudden urge to strangle his team leader when he saw him again.

' _ **Congratulations! You've Unlocked 'Quests and Special Events' Option on your Home screen! Mission: Book Run, accepted! Would you like to know more?'**_

"We better head back to our teams." Jaune announced, his eyes glued to his scroll. A little blue box popped up on his screen, revealing details to his new Quest.

' _ **Book Run:**_

 _ **Professor Port needs The Gamer to retrieve his classes textbooks! The Quest begins tomorrow morning along with team RWBY!**_

 _ **Reward: 100 Lien! Unlocks Professor Port's Friendship! +500EXP!**_

 _ **Failure Penalty: Professor Port's trust in you will decrease. Good luck with that!'**_

The Game was an asshole. If it somehow had a conscious then it was a jerk. A hundred Lien sounded good though. He could buy some more comics while he was at it.

Waving the Professor good-bye, the two leaders left to meet up with their teams. They had quite a day ahead of them tomorrow.

* * *

"You've accepted a Quest, didn't you?"

Ren's flat stare was aimed at him once he set foot into their dorm room. This was probably the first time his friend had enacted a Pause around them. He just wished it wasn't to nag him. He knew that look by now. Jaune released a tired sigh. Wasn't going to be looking forward to this. Taking a look around the room, he could see Nora reading a book with her pink headphones on and Pyrrha adjusting Milo's functions.

"Yup! Tomorrow we leave for Vale to pick up the text books for every student in Professor Port's class. And team RWBY's coming with. Is there a problem with that?" he frowned. Ren turned his head away with a scoff.

"What did I tell you about wasting your time with NPC's? If you really want to 'beat' this Game you're better off practicing your skills and abilities in the training room against drones. Especially Professor Port's missions, they don't give out enough EXP till the second semester begins." First year students weren't allowed to go out on Grimm slaying missions till they proved they were capable of hunting on their own and even then they stuck close to Vale. That left them with Quests that required gathering materials and completing simple tasks. They didn't get good till they finished the first semester, so their was no point in taking the boring missions anymore. That's what Ren had done after getting the hang of his powers.

"I thought you weren't talking to me about The Game?" Jaune wasn't sure what he could talk to Ren about. Seemed everything he said to his fellow Gamer ticked him off. It was just like talking to his Snow Angel.

"When you drag me into The Game I can't help but warn you about these things." As much as he didn't want to say it, and against his own petty feelings, Jaune was still his friend. His best male friend. Which was sad when he thought about. Couldn't even count how many male's were his friends on one hand. He really needed to expand his circle more. "Seeing as we're a team now, and you've gained the powers of The Gamer too, taking Quests involving me alerts me to them too. And I can't exactly refuse them, you're my leader. I'll be dragged along regardless." Ren sighed. As much as he didn't want to talk about The Game, it was looking like it was leaving him very little choice in the matter. Even simple Quests could take a turn for the worse. And as much as he hated playing along with The Game, he hated dying even more.

"Jaune, despite my own grievances against you, I still consider you my friend. You just can't possibly understand the nightmare I've lived, it's comparable to never being allowed to sleep, to find peace. When you had revealed to me your secret, that you were now living in this hell along with me, I had no choice but to kill you. You would have lived a much happier life as an NPC."

"But I'm not an NPC." Jaune shook his head, an annoyed scowl on his face, "And just because we're living life as some game doesn't make the lives around us any less important. Their Important Characters to me. And they should be to you too. Besides, I had a feeling that you had a good reason for what you did." he grinned. He still wasn't happy about dying at the hands of his friend, but Ren had thought it would save him from experiencing what he had. He was still watching out for him, in a dark twisted way.

"I'm part of this game now, and nothing you can do can change it. We might as well work together to beat it as a team."

There was something Ren could do to change it. His eyes glowed deeply for a moment before going back to their natural pink hue. But now wasn't the time for it. If he had to, he would do what he had to. For now though he would nudge Jaune along with his powers. The last life had been a bummer with his death, didn't want to do that again.

"I'm not going to help you along with the story." Ren said in defeat, hanging his head in defeat. "That's something for you to deal with. But I will explain the basics of The Gamer to you. Can't have our leader dying a failure again." he smirked.

Come on! He just got his charisma back! Why'd Ren have to bring it down? "I'll have you know I was fighting that White Fang member on even ground! I could have won if I wasn't-"

"Protecting Weiss?" Ren scoffed with a laugh. He shook his head in humor before continuing, "How do you think you were able to stand a small chance against a literal tank wielding chainsaw? Weiss used the last of her energy to cast a glyph on you, Haste if I remember right. It granted a huge buff to your stats, raising them to a level that gave you the element of surprise. You would have died by the first two swing other wise." he said bluntly. He was exaggerating a little, with Jaune's larger then normal aura pool he would have survived a good minute. If he was lucky.

The news that his last stand hadn't been achieved by his own power, but by the helping hand of someone else, should of dropped his mood again. Except for the fact that it was his Snow Angel's touch that had granted such power in the first place. It made Jaune smile softly as he looked at his raised hand. He could still remember the incredible surge of power running over his body. And here he had thought Weiss didn't care about him.

And it was because of her that he had succeeded in protecting her. He didn't care if it may have been to save her own skin, she still trusted him to save her. His Snow Angel believed in him. Her soft lips ghosted over his own in memory of his final moments. Weiss lived, she was able to continue her career as a huntress and train alongside her team, who she thought of as family. His life was more then worth it.

The hand in front of his face tightened into a fist, "I was weak. If I had been a properly trained hunter in the first place, then there might not have been any need for me to die back there. But I can't change the past! I have to focus on what lies ahead of me now. Even if I don't know what that may be, or that it will only be reset back to what I found it." He threw his fist to the side, glaring stubbornly back at his jaded friend. "I'll keep trying till I find some small headway! This time I won't be the damned damsel in distress, I'll be the hero my family's been known for!"

This wasn't some game. All the lives he had cherished weren't useless in his eyes. Even the occasional acquaintance had their worth. They weren't NPC's, they were living beings! And he was going to make sure that they all had their happy endings. Jaune was going to win this crazy new reality he's been dropped into, and he was going to convince his fellow Player that there was still hope to be found.

Ren wasn't alone anymore. Whoever the other two Player were they didn't seem to be on friendly terms with the green garbed raven. He said he had worked separately with the other two before, but Ren hadn't mentioned who they were. Probably didn't trust them or something. Jaune was here though, and he could trust him. He was his friend after all. His best friend.

"Just trust me." he smiled softly, gesturing his hand for Ren to take. "You did it countless times before when I was an NPC. This shouldn't be any different."

A light frown stared back Jaune. The level of naivety the blonde held was stupefying. Did he truly think he was the only one to have tried everything to beat The Game? That he believed he was the only one who could try? His leader was an idiot, no matter how many lives he had lived he would never change. The guy had a hell of a hero complex on him. Looking back the smiling face reaching their hand towards him, Ren couldn't fight the stubborn smile escaping his lips. The image in front of him never changed. It was kinda nice to see with every reset. Even if he had cut it down during his darker play throughs.

Nothing would change. The Game will break him, it was only a matter of worlds before he lost that smile. Then he would see what Jaune was really made of. It always revealed a Players true colors once they lost hope in beating its cruel destiny.

All except one. A raging blade, colored in blood soaked red, cut through his thoughts.

Their Path was clear. And they fought against the reality stacked against them. Their will never wavered, no matter how many times their progress had been regressed. Till Jaune had showed up, only one player in their little group even tried winning The Game. And they would make Oum accept their vision, not the vision that was hidden away from them. Even if they had to kill Oum to achieve their dream.

If Jaune had any chance of winning The Game, then he would have to beat them. And that was a losing battle.

He could toss Jaune a bone, Ren supposed. If he was going to be dragged along, then he would at least make sure that the knight's first play through wasn't short. The lazy hunter just got accustomed to his bed again. Dealing with the drama of his leader's death was always a pain in the ass. He was more then ready to shoot himself in the head if he had to deal with that hassle twice in a row.

"I told you before, I'm done wasting my time with beating this game. Nothing you do will change that, so don't waste your own breath, hero." Ren spat mockingly. "I'll help you out with your powers, but don't expect anything else out of it. Even if you're my friend, I still hate you."

"Not for long!" Jaune nodded firmly, fist pumping his reaching hand. He grinned widely, "We'll be best friends just like we were before. I'll change the way you see me, just watch! I'll be the best leader you, Nora, and Pyrrha have ever had. Then you'll have no reason to hate me!"

At that proclamation, Ren fought the need to smack his own face. Leave it to Jaune to think the reason he hated him was because he thought of him as a lousy leader. Oh well, it wasn't like he was going to spell it out for him. His jealousy was his own problem. Guess it was the only thing that reminded him he was still human.

"Right, you do that." Ren sighed tiredly. He wasn't going to deal with that headache anytime soon. "Let's just focus on some of the basics of The Game."

"Right." Jaune nodded, glad that he finally had someone to help him out with it. "First thing's first though, what happens to our bodies when we go through a reset?"

"What do you mean?" Ren asked in confusion. Wasn't expecting that as his first question.

Jaune quickly pointed at his chest, or more specifically, the spot where his scar ran, "I mean is it normal to carry over wounds when you die or Start Over? Because I didn't know that I would be stuck with this thing."

That was odd, "Honestly, I'm as stumped as you are." Ren rubbed his forehead at the oddity. That had never happened before, "When a Player's body is sent back to their save point, a special event in their lives if you will, all damage, cosmetic included, fades away. It doesn't matter how deep or fatal the wound was, it would be reset to nothing. I've never seen something like this before. But," he shook his head nonchalantly, not really worried about the scar. It didn't seem that important anyways, "It doesn't change anything. Far as I know, when we reset our souls overwrite the us of the save point. It's as simple as that."

"Guess it really is nothing." Jaune gripped his school shirt over his chest, the scar lightly flaring. It just seemed out of place. Hopefully it really didn't mean nothing. "Other then that, I don't have much questions right now. The guide already explained how The Game works. I can figure everything out myself if I have to." he shrugged.

Ren blinked. That was it? Wasn't he nagging him to tell him all that he knew about The Gamer? He was pretty sure he was going to be stuck in the Pause for hours.

"That's it? You don't want to know anything else?" he asked slowly.

"Course there's more. But I think we've talked about this stuff long enough." he answered sheepishly, turning his attention to the rest of his team. It didn't feel right leaving them like that. And it was kinda creepy.

"Then I'll just go over a few things." Might as well go over a few simple things. That way he wouldn't have Jaune run back to him about them. "First, The Game doesn't like NPC's discovering that reality is a game. If it finds out you let them know about it, it will create a global disaster, wiping out the entire Remnant. That, or it will convince everyone that your insane, locking you away in some asylum till you die of whatever reason it can weave. It also likes striking Players dead with lightning. It has a weird fetish for that kind of crap."

"The Game really is an asshole." Jaune breathed in awed horror.

"Hmph, if only you knew." Ren whispered quietly to himself. "Second, each Player has their own Quirk that separates them from one another. We each have a title that go along with it. Each Quirk gives The Player a special Gamer aspect that affects their powers and abilites."

"Really, what's yours?"

Ren chuckled. As if he was telling, "That's a secret. This is a game after all, we are expected to fight another."

"I thought you were done trying?"

"I am. Doesn't mean I'll tell you my life's story. I am lazy."

"Yeah." Jaune grinned, his eye's moving over to the frozen music bopping valkrie, "That's what Nora's for."

"Moving on." he glared. "Third is that eventually we'll be facing the other two Players in The Game. I don't feel like sharing who they are, but you will only have to worry about one. And that Player is a monster. If you ever face them, don't bother running away. You'll be dead before the thought hits you."

Jaune shivered at the dead serious stare Ren was giving him. "Noted."

"And lastly, there are certain events and personalities we can't change." Ren's knuckles dug into his arms, the haunting sight of cinders dancing in his vision, "No matter how hard we try, some things are destined to happen. Some people can't be shown the light, there simply rotten to their core. And some people can't change who they fall in love with." his flat stare was aimed at his leader, feeling a twitch develop in his own eye at the clueless face. That one was beyond frustrating.

"I'm guessing I'm better off not knowing what those events might be?" Jaune winced. Ren was giving him that look again. He really hoped that is wasn't going to be a thing.

"I'm definitely not going to tell you those events." Ren was a hundred percent sure that Jaune would freak out and do everything in his power to stop The Fall. Which would wind up pointless. The Game always fixed everything so that it would happen. It would be a sad sight to watch Jaune try and stop it. It was kindness really.

"And that's it. That's a simple run through of the basics of you need to know right now. The rest you can find out by playing through it. It's much simpler to understand that way."

"I can live with that for now." Jaune smiled, rubbing the back of his head as he watched Ren raise his hand to end the Pause. "Thanks, I really mean it. I'll show you that there's still hope yet." he said in determination.

Ren sighed as he snapped his fingers, "What I say about making promises you have no chance of keeping?" he said quietly to himself with a sad smile.

With the Pause no longer in effect, the world around them was brought back to life. Pyrrha paused in her calibration of Milo in its rifle form to move her eyes to the sound of their door opening. She smiled happily at the sight of her partner. She was beginning to worry about him. Whatever Professor Port had been talking to him about shouldn't of taken too long.

"Hello, Jaune." Pyrrha brightly greeted, setting down her weapon to talk to her leader, "Is everything fine? I thought Ruby had said you were on your way back. You weren't held up by 'that' were you?" she asked in worry.

The blonde waved it away. Jaune was fine. As long as he didn't think about it the scar would stop burning. "I'm fine, don't worry about it, Pyrrha. I was just taking a little walk around campus." he assured her only to get a deadpanned stare in return.

"Really? Now that I think about it, Ruby did say you were playing games on your scroll in class again. You sure you didn't go off to play some in peace?" she asked him skeptically. She already made it clear how she wanted him to cut back on the stuff and study. Hopefully he wasn't addicted to playing video games as she suspected.

"No, I wasn't. Really Pyrrha, you got to let it go. There's nothing wrong with a little video games here and there."

"Until he ends up a Neet that is." Nora grinned, shutting of her music and putting her book down to look back at her leader. "He is kinda scrawny and bad with the ladies. I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up marrying a body pillow in the future."

"Hey! Have some faith in your leader, Nora! I'll have you know I'm an excellent ladies man!"

"Neet, body pillow?" Pyrrha blinked her eyes in confusion, turning to the only sane person in their team. Her green eyes looked to Ren quizzically as she frowned, "What do they mean, Ren?"

Ren was ready to go back to his plan in slitting Jaune's throat as he was forced to explain the words to Pyrrha Nikos of all people. He loved talking to her, but explaining such things would only worry her to her partners state of mind. And explaining the weird reality that there were actually grown men out in Remnant that went as far as living a fantasy that they were married to a pillow the size of their body with the picture of their favorite character on it, wasn't a comfortable conversation.

Especially with the fact they manufactured body pillows with her image on them.

* * *

The next morning had brought Ren his own groans as he quickly found himself being dragged half awake through the streets of Vale by his partner in the company of his own team and team RWBY.

After a quick breakfast with the two teams and a stop by Professor Port's class for the Lien paying for the text books and small expenses, the sleepy green themed hunter was forced to spend a Saturday that he had wished to reserve for sleep to the Quest Jaune had accepted on their behalf. Well they did put it to vote. It was no surprise that he had lost three to one. He couldn't back out of it anyway, it was like Nora had been originally designed as a being of limitless energy to force him through Events in The Game. That and he couldn't quit if he tried, The Game had a mean streak when you tried to break out of an accepted Quest. The failing results were never pretty.

' _I blame my lack of sleep on Jaune. As I do with every other problem that won't leave me alone'_ Ren would of subtly glared at the back of his leader' s head, if he wasn't being literally dragged on his slumped feet by the back of his tailcoat. Why couldn't Nora take it as a 'I don't want to go'?

"What's wrong with Ren?" Yang asked Pyrrha as they all followed their leaders to their destination. Poor guy looked dead on his feet.

"He's fine. Ren simply isn't a morning person is all." Pyrrha giggled as she remembered the state she found Ren in. "He looked like a cute cozy bed burrito under those sheets."

"I prefer a caterpillar in a cocoon, thank you very much!" he shot back, cursing himself as he tried to will down the light red on his cheeks. Hopefully no one noticed.

"Luckily we had Nora to fix that." Jaune grinned, "If she hadn't jumped on top of him, we would have never made it to breakfast on time."

Karma existed in the form of the bubbly hammer girl. That's how Jaune had seen it. Was it bad to take some small form of pleasure in watching his friend being woken up in a perfectly executed cannonball from another bed? No, not it was not.

Right now they were on their way to the address to the bookstore written on Professor's list, Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. It was a pretty nice place. He bought comics from the Faunas owner every month with the Lien left over from his parents. It was sad what happened to the poor guy. The news had said that he was gun down in his own store, shot right in the head. Apparently some crooks had attempted to rob him and the robbery ended in a dark note.

It was an event that never sat well with him. Tukson was a nice guy. He treated everyone who shopped in his store the same. What happened to him wasn't right. He still remembered how upsetting it was to land in Vale and head over to his store, only to stop dead in his tracks at the scene of yellow police tape cutting him off the door. He wasn't ashamed for the tears that rolled down his face as one of the officers explained to him what happened to the book owner. The ride back to Beacon had been somber, the memory of the man grumbling at his choice of reading material playing over his head as he gripped the fabric over his knees. He hadn't felt like talking to his team about it when he got back, pinned his mood on his motion sickness.

Maybe he could change it. If he stayed back in the store on the date of his murder, then he could have a chance in saving Tukson's life. It was an idea he was going to have to keep to himself. No telling what Ren might say if he shared it with him.

"So what are we going to do once we're done with Professor Port's chore?" Ruby asked with a hum as she skipped alongside her fellow leader. Even if it was an easy mission, the teacher was paying for it and even left them with a little scratch to treat themselves with. She shuffled through the colored laminated cards, counting up too 150L to spend on what they wanted out of 1,850 Lien.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she watched the red hooded girl play with the currency. What was it about bright colors that made kids starry eyed? She swiped the Lien away from her leader's hand, huffing as she sorted the cards in an organized form, "That can be decided by a vote later on. For now, I will hold onto the Lien. Why the Professor left it to you to hold onto I'll never know."

"I am the leader." Ruby pouted, crossing her arms.

"And you still have a long road ahead of you till you become a respectable one at that. I'm sure even Jaune acts more of a leader then you."

"Really, Snow Angel?" Jaune gushed, leaning towards Weiss with a happy smile with his hands clasps in front of his face, "Do you truly believe in me!?"

"I take it back." Weiss deadpanned, pushing the blonde's face away from her own. The guy was like a dog that wouldn't stop following you. She wouldn't be surprised if he was secretly part dog faunas. "You make a better leader then this sap."

"Why do you deny our love, my Snow Angel?!"

"There is no love between us, you dolt!" At this point the heiress was growling as she fought against his sudden embrace.

"At this point I wonder why he even tries." Blake wondered aloud as she watched the spectacle. She winced, watching as Jaune was delivered a back hand to the face and fell back with a shout. How the hell could a guy take such punishment with a smile on his face?

"I think it's endearing." Pyrrha smiled tightly. Why couldn't he just take no for an answer? There had to be a limit to this.

 **+100EXP!** Despite the sore cheek, Jaune grinned happily to himself as he got back up. That little action had earned himself some experience in Weiss's Friendship. Well worth the blow!

Fixing her combat skirt from the short tussle, Weiss fought back the annoying flush on her cheeks. The idiot had no respect for personal space! She did not like to be touched. Even if some demented part of her thought it was nice to be hugged. Just another thing to work on perfecting.

Yang laughed, bumping her shoulder against the irate girl, "Chill out, Ice Queen. I think his flirting is kinda cute. You got to respect the balls he got for courting the Schnee heiress."

"Still don't know who they are!"

"And that's also why you're considered a lovable idiot."

"And proud of it!"

A sigh escaped Weiss at the reminder. She still didn't understand how someone who had hopes to become a hunter had no clue to who the SDC were. Did he even use Dust? Going back to his fight with Cardin, she saw no signs of Dust in any of his attacks. The weapon transformation he had displayed also seemed to not utilize any either. That was quite rare to find a hunter who didn't fight with Dust.

That meant he wasn't flirting with her because of her last name. It was actually. . .kinda nice. If he wasn't such a dork about it. Who taught him how to flirt? That was bad advice on them.

A pamphlet slapped into Jaune's face, blinding him to the world as he panicked. "My face! My boy pretty face!"

"You could pull off a girl's look." Ruby mused as she watched him tear of the familiar paper. All he needed was long hair and he could be mistaken as a girl. He did have the pipes for it.

His panicking aside, Jaune looked over the pamphlet in confusion. Where the hell did it come from? "Dust for Dummies, and Other Inadequate Individuals?" he blinked, "Somehow I feel as if I've been insulted."

"And you should be." Weiss said with a small smirk and a nod, "If you truly wish to be friends, and I do mean friends." she glared at the pouting knight, "Then study over that. I can't be associated with a neanderthal that doesn't even know how to properly handle Dust. We may have hope for you yet."

"That reminds me!" Ruby suddenly gasped out of nowhere as a thought hit her. She turned her big silver eyes to Jaune, bouncing on her feet as she remembered his fight with Cardin. "How did you your sword mech shift into that cool looking short blade yesterday!? If you didn't use Dust to fuel it's transformation, then what did you do? Was it your semblance!?" she asked excitedly.

Jaune shrugged his shoulders, pocketing the pamphlet. "I guess you could say that. But that would be telling, and a man's got to have his secrets after all." he replied smoothly.

"Aww, come on, Jaune! I can keep a secret! I promise!" Ruby puffed her cheeks as she glared at him, "I showed you mine, it's only fair that you show me yours! I promise not to tell, swearsy! We can even find some privacy so you can show me your thing!"

"What did Ruby show you?" Yang gasped dramatically, leaning towards the blonde with a flirty pout and quivering lip, "Don't tell me you were planning on leaving me out of this? You're breaking my heart, Vomit Boy."

No, seriously, how did Jaune get all this attention? Ren felt a vein throb as he watched the knight sputter and blush as he fell under the eyes of the buxom girl. Blind idiot. A look to his side revealed the red headed spartan sighing at her partner. How did you not notice that? Oum truly must have created Jaune with a head thicker then the mantle of Remnant.

Their antics were suddenly cut off as a loud shout caught their attention. Coming to a stop, they looked around in confusion for the origin of the noise. Which showed itself as a man wearing a dark gray hoodie, face hidden from view from the hood raised, skidded around a corner ahead of them into their sight. The shadows of the hood hid the stanger's expression, but they seemed to be out of breath as their chest heaved. Sirens filled the air a second later, alerting the stranger to the police catching up. The stranger gripped the black polished suitcase closer to their chest, cursing loudly before making a run for it again.

The stranger grunted roughly as they pushed through the group of teens in his way like a charging bull, not caring for the shouts as a small red head fell. If they didn't lose the cops now, then they were good as dead.

" _ **Teres Mors: Coil!"**_

The strangers eyes flew open widely as they found something wrap itself around their left arm. Whatever it was it felt like a whip, tightening itself to the point he noticed barbs dig into their skin. And with tremendous strength, the wielder pulled back the whip, sending them flying back to the teens. Burning red eyes angrily glared at them as they flew into their line of sight.

"Say Goodnight!"

A hard fist slammed into the stranger's face, breaking their nose as their body slumped against the floor. They didn't even have time to form a thought, the blow breaking the on/off switch in their head to pieces. Their hood fell back, revealing the man's horribly bent nose and a tooth hanging loosely from his mouth.

"You okay, Ruby?" Blake asked as she helped the dark red headed girl up.

Ruby rubbed her back with a shy smile, sucking in a breath once she saw her sister's handy work, "Yeah, I'm fine. Bigger question is, is that guy alright? I think I see some blood on his face."

"Well he deserves it!" Yang spat, kicking the downed man in shins for added effort, "He's lucky I didn't unload one of Ember Celica's shells into this face!"

"Hmm, nice craftsmanship." Nora nodded to herself, kneeling close to the man's face. She poked his broken nose with her pinky, whistling at the angle. "I give it an 8 out of 10. I was hoping for a few more broken teeth. That's the money maker."

"Nora." Ren rubbed his head in frustration, "Please stop poking the guy. You have no idea where he's been."

"Well he's in Snoozeville now."

"Why was he running anyway?" Jaune frowned.

Weiss stared at him in disbelief, "Do you not hear the sirens getting closer? No doubt we just caught a criminal from escaping." she deduced.

"Does that mean we get a reward!?" Nora squealed excitedly. If they did, she wanted a pony! She'd name it Butternut and he'd be her third in command in her conquest to conquer Remnant.

"We're not getting a pony." Both Jaune and Ren said in unison. They turned to each other, glaring at another. Why did they both have he same line of thought when dealing with Nora? It was getting annoying.

"I call mutiny over my vessel!"

"I thought she was a queen, not sea captain. Why does no one ask these questions?" Blake questioned. When did she take over a ship?

It wasn't long till the wailing sirens made their way to the group. Three police cruiser braked in the streets aside to the students, shutting off their red and blue lights. The door to one of the cars opened, revealing a man in a white shirt, black slacks, and black suspenders walking out. The man wore dark sunglasses and had a beard and mustache meeting together along with a short dark brunette hair cut. A badge was pinned to the front of his shirt, signifying his position as an officer along with a holstered gun on the side of his waist.

"Sweet Oum! Thought we'd never catch this crook!" The officer sighed in relief as he stepped towards the teens around the laid out thief. Turning his eyes downward, he whistled at the beating his face had taken. "Damn, that is going to hurt in the morning. I'm guessing one of you kids did this?" he quirked a brow in question as he turned his eyes to them.

"He's lucky to still be breathing." Yang growled, not caring about the officer in front of her as she kicked the man's face, knocking out the loose tooth.

Nora snatched it out of the air before it could touch the ground, "Oooh, the middle most incisor! That's a keeper. The fairies will pay handsomely for its return." she grinned.

The officer eyed the odd girl, shaking his head in the end. Kids just kept getting weirder, "I don't want to even want to know what her deal is, but I will thank you for catching this guy for us." he smiled thankfully, rearing back his head to call over another office securing the area. "I'm officer Church by the way. And you just made my job a little easier."

"We still got to deal with the paper work, though." Another officer sighed as he stopped by his partner. He was dressed the same as Officer Church, only he had dark morning hair and a slack tie.

"And this is Officer Hayman, my partner in crime."

"You guy's, and gals, did a great service in stopping this crook." Officer Hayman nodded, kneeling down to flip the knocked out man over. He reached for the handcuffs hanging to his waist before cuffing the man's wrists together behind his back. "He may not look it, but he's a slippery bastard. Been on the run for the last half hour."

"What did he do?" Jaune asked the officers as they raised the man up.

"Tch, this slime ball assaulted a store clerk, left them in a sorry state." Officer Church frowned, his eyes catching the suitcase laid across from where the man laid. The case was creaked from the fall, leaking a dark red liquid onto the street. His face scrunched up in disgust, gingerly picking it up without dropping its contents.

"Hey, Joey. Get me a status on the clerk for me real quick. I got a bad feeling about this."

Officer Hayman nodded tersely, calling into his radio holstered to his right suspender.

"You kids can go move along now." Church said solemnly, waving them off as he turned away to watch the crook shoved into the back of the cruiser. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'll be sure to let Ozpin know how much of a help you kids were. I'm sure to send him a reward sometime."

"We didn't really do much, officer." Jaune smiled lightly. All they did was catch some petty criminal. It wasn't like the guy was a White Fang member.

' _You have no idea, son.'_ Church thought sadly. He shook the thoughts away with a small grin, pushing the group of teens away from the crime scene.

"Nah, old Ozzy is an old friend of mine. He worked along with the force back in the day to solve some cases. Least the station can do is give you guys and gals something nice for your trouble."

"We do have to finish Professor Port's chore." Ruby said slowly as they began to walk away from the scene.

"Yeah! Then we can go to a pancake house or something when we're done!" Nora grinned happily, running off in a skip.

"Pancake house? It's close to one in the afternoon." Weiss frowned.

"No use fighting it." Jaune sighed, following after the girl with his team. "If it's pancakes, then it's going to happen. Just accept it."

Weiss grumbled to herself as her team followed. "But I like waffles better."

Jaune winced, "It would be better to keep that to yourself. Nora will call you a heathen and declare war upon your kingdom."

"I don't have a kingdom."

"She will rally her troops and sing a war song. Do not question what that girl is capable of."

"Every sentence that leaves his mouth slowly dawns on me that we're the most normal compared to them." Blake said with a flat stare. Her partner laughed, slinging her arm across her shoulders and brought her in closely.

"Bah, normal's overrated! Now let's get this party going with a Yang!"

"I wonder if I can join their team?" Any team was better then dealing with Yang's awful puns.

Watching the students from Beacon disappear from sight, Burn's allowed himself to curse out in the open.

"Nice kids." Hayman scratched his head, scowling as his radio came to life. He listened to the report over his speaker, face twisting in restrained anger over the news. "It was a good idea sending them away. They don't need to know about this." he spat.

"Tell me about it." Church sighed tiredly, snapping the suitcase in his hands open once they knew the coast was clear.

Inside the case a pair of velvet fuzzed antlers laid in a puddle of blood. They looked as if they were torn right out of the victims head with a crude sawing instrument. A token with a deformed ox skull insignia engraved into the dark material was also found along with the true bones.

"The guys back at the store say the faunas is pretty banged up, poor girl isn't talking. Their moving her to the hospital to treat her wounds, hopefully they can stitch her antlers back to her head."

"Nah, this isn't something you can fix." Burns said in remorse. Faunas appendages weren't as simple to sew once they've been cut off. Not to mention the deer faunas had them sawed off in a horrible fashion. One of them still had part of her hair and skin on it for Monty's sake! Sadly, the crook seemed to have had time to heavily burn the endings with some fire. There was no hope in saving them now.

"Call the station, looks like The Friends of Faunas are creeping out of their shadows."

* * *

"So the kid didn't make it?"

"Pretty much, boss." A short curled blue haired girl nodded, popping the green bubblegum in her mouth as she talked. She wore a dark purple and magenta stripped hoodie, resting her hands in the pocket of the cozy hood. She also wore tight jean shorts and green sneakers, a pair of headphones hung around her neck. Music played in the room, drowning out the crackling flames of the fireplace beside her. A part of her hair hung over her right eye, showing off only one.

Her emerald eye's looked bored with talk, wishing she could leave to listen to her tunes. It wasn't everyday she got the day off.

"The guy managed to hit the target and was on his way to the meeting spot, but had be apprehended by the Vale Police. Idiot should of attacked at night, not in the middle of the damn day."

The room she stood in glowed with warmth of the fire, illuminating the many stuffed animal heads hung across the walls in plates. The furniture decorating the place was even made of the skin of dead animals, something that always creeped her out a bit. If her boss didn't pay so well, she would of left long ago.

Sitting in front of the fireplace, a man with shaggy dirty blonde hair sighed. His dark brown eye's scowled into the flames, flicking another playing card in his hands into the calm pyre. A crocodile skinned western hat rested on the red wood table next to him with a small belt adorned with bullets tied around it. He didn't bother to change out of his lion furred sleeping robes, he had a feeling the new guy would fail. Why bother getting dressed for a no show? He scratched the blonde fuzz under this chin, shrugging.

"Sad to hear, I guess. He wasn't really FoF material anyways. We don't need street punks joining our little social cause anyway. The guy was a mindless racist, I like to believe we're doing those poor animals a favor." he smiled widely.

"Eh, I don't care. I just follow your orders and rake in the dough." she shrugged. Lien was Lien. Didn't matter where it came from. In this world, that's all that mattered.

"Now, now, Annabeth." the man chuckled, sorting through the deck of cards, "You mustn't be so blunt. A gentlewoman must act with a sense of class. I know you're more then some punk like the rest of them."

"Fuck class."

"And I wonder why I found you in the street." he drawled, shaking his head before getting up from his chair. He stretched his arms above his head, letting loose a sigh before smacking his lips. Should get a drink before heading off to bed. Had a lot planned for the coming week. Didn't want to wake up grouchy with a cottonmouth.

"Put out the fire, won't you, my little orphan Ann?" he coed mockingly. The blue girl's favorite finger saluted him, leaving a pout on his face. "We got to rise early in the morning if we want to get any work done."

"Whatever you say, boss man."

"Please," he grinned, turning back to his so called right hand, the orange glow of the fire illuminating the three scarred lines across his face. He threw back a card back to the girl. Snatching it from the air, she looked down to the picture of a Bishop painted over the Joker card.

"Call me Holt, Hun."

* * *

 **Now for your viewing pleasure, I introduce to you all our first piece of DLC! These extra stories are just for fun, but some of them might connect to the main story. Hope you enjoy our first one~**

* * *

 _ **DLC 1: Little Red (Not so Innocent) Riding Hood.**_

Sitting in Headmaster Ozpin's office atop his clockwork tower was not what Jaune had been expecting for his Wednesday afternoon plans. He was actually hoping to spend it actually playing some games on his scroll instead of reading over the help guide. But his plans were derailed by one Nora Valkyrie. And her dream of Pancake wrestling.

' _And here comes Nora with a syrupy piledriver! Ooh, that's going to sting in the morning. Her opponent doesn't seem to be taking the blow well.'_

' _MY SPLEEN!'_

' _BOW BEFORE THE GREAT PANCAKE DIVA! SUBMIT, JAUNE-CENA! OR FACE MY BUTTERY WRATH!'_

' _PYRRHA! Please call off the match! I can't tap out with her bending my arm back!'_

' _Sorry, Jaune-cena! I'm only the announcer. You'll have to talk to Referee Ren.'_

' _DENIED!'_

' _FUCK YOU!'_

' _And this little piggy went, 'Please end the agony! Just put a bullet in my head and end it!' all the way home~!'_

' _Nora, Nora! What are you doing with my le-SWEET MERCY! IT DOESN'T BEND THAT WAY!'_

' _TAKE IT OFF! I DIDN'T CANCEL FIELD STUDIES FOR NOTHING!'_

A feminine scream echoed in Ozpin's office as Glynda played the video of the wrestling match on her scroll for both her and Ozpin to observe. Jaune sat in front of the desk, his face hidden behind his palms in embarrassment. At least it was quickly gaining views. That was a good thing, kinda.

No. It really wasn't. Now the whole world of Remnant could replay his girly screams for all eternity.

"Where did you even find those leotards?" Ozpin couldn't help but ask as he sipped his coffee. It was a miracle he hadn't spit it out with what he was seeing. The Headmaster was pretty sure they didn't have in storage.

"Nora knows a guy."

"And the syrup and large kiddie pool?"

"She knows a guy."

"And the calling card girl?"

"Yang was feeling like showing off."

Glynda couldn't fight off any longer as her hand lost its battle against her face. She face palmed, slowly dragging it down her face. A loud cheer broke off the crowd of students gathered in the lunchroom, with some of them even throwing Lien into the syrup ring to the victor.

' _And we have a winner! Her majesty, Pancake Dive Nora!'_

' _Thank you, thank you! Now, if you don't mind, I got a long day of licking myself off to do!'_

' _My leg, my arms, my spleen, my exposed pride!'_

A twitch found itself on Glynda's face noticing a certain orange haired teacher sneak into the ring, pay a few Lien to the referee, and then slowly drag the moaning blonde knight away while everyone was cheering. That woman was starting to grate on her nerves.

"Do I want to know what Ms. Antheia did to you once she left with your vulnerable body?"

"I don't know what she did. All I remember is waking up in a trashed classroom with her leaving with a satisfied expression on her face as she buttoned up her blouse. Pretty sure I saw her high five someone while she lite up a smoke." At that he paused, looking at the two adults in slight horror, "Am I still a virgin?" he whimpered.

"I'm done here." Glynda nodded her head firmly as she shut her scroll. They didn't pay her enough to deal with this kinda crap. "Ozpin, I leave his punishment to you. I need to take nice, long stroll to clear my head."

The Headmaster waved the blonde witch away, chuckling as the door to his office shut behind her.

"Well, Mr. Arc. It seems you have knack for drawing in the wrong kind of attention." he mused with a slight grin.

Jaune's shoulders dropped in defeat, "Why couldn't I be a chick magnet?"

"Ms. Antheia seems to like you."

"You still haven't answered my question on that."

"Normally, I would punish you for such misuse of pancakes. But banning Ms. Valkyrie for the semester form stepping foot in he cafeteria seems to be enough. Along with handing over all the Lien your show earned, your team will be left off with a slap on the wrist." Ozpin explained, choosing to ignore Jaune's question. Technically it wasn't against the rules, but for now he was just going to leave the matter behind. He didn't have a ruler long enough to touch that.

Guess that was a fair deal. At worst Jaune thought he would be suspended from classes for a week along with his team. And it was all Nora's fault anyways. Why should he suffer for her crazy ideas?

"Now that I have you in my office, I do have something I've been meaning to give to you." Reaching for his desk's drawer, the Headmaster pulled out an old, weathered book. Dusting off for a second, he handed the old book to the blonde haired knight. Jaune ran his hands over the cover in wonder as Ozpin continued to drink from his steaming mug, "This is an old book full of fairy tales from the past. It use to bring me much enjoyment during my early days as a hunter in training. I've been meaning to give it away though, I have far too much to do to give it any worth. You seem as if you might enjoy it. It would do me a great honor if you were to take it. A good book is never meant to collect dust."

"I guess I could take it off your hands." Jaune smiled. It was the least he could do for letting him off for all the mess he and his team caused. He could use a good read that wasn't full of pictures anyways.

"Good to hear. Better you then me." he whispered to himself.

"Eh? You say something, Headmaster?"

Ozpin shook his head hurriedly, "No, nothing. We're done here, Mr. Arc. Just make sure to keep Ms. Valkyrie away from the cafeteria. No further punishment will be necassairly as long your team keeps their noses clean."

"I can honestly make no promises."

"Fairy enough." Ozpin shrugged. The Valkyrie girl was harder to control then a live Grimm in a cage. "Just enjoy the rest of the day." While he could. Didn't envy the boy. At least he was safe now.

Nodding his head back at the Headmaster, Jaune bid him farewell before leaving his office for his dorm room. The blonde knight had already gone over what he could find from his game manual, might as well read it before bed tonight.

Ozpin sighed in relief once the door closed behind the boy. At long last he was free of those nighmarish stories. While a few of them were good, and the last tale a favorite of his, the others were not as kind.

' _Better him than me.'_

(Page Break.)

Pyrrha released a sigh of content as she dried her hair on her bed. While she hadn't participated in the wrestling match Nora's more explosive moves had splashed bits of pancakes and syrup onto her from the spectators box. She still had no idea how the bubbly girl had set the arena up so fast in a span of a few minutes, but she didn't want to question it. Some things were better left unknown. She just wished Nora hadn't dragged her into the shower along with her for what she called 'skinship'. The girl had no sense of privacy or personal space. The girl's hands could still be felt squeezing her assets.

At least she got to see Jaune in a leotard. It was worth it, she supposed.

Hearing a moan of displeasure from across the room, Pyrrha held back a giggle watching her partner stretch his arms around. Nora had gone a bit overboard with her match. He was lucky to have his arms healed from being dislocated. Made her wonder who had fixed him off. She lost sight of him while announcing Nora's win. Ms. Spriggan had handed him back to team JNPR in a daze, snorting in laughter with a blush. She frowned noticing her leader reach for his scroll again.

"Jaune, I thought you promised to cut back on the video games? It's unhealthy to play games before bed. The lights make it harder to fall asleep once you put them down." she chided, shaking her finger at the blue eyed boy.

"I'm just checking for messages, Pyrrha. You don't have to worry about it. I'm reading a book before bed tonight." he smiled reassuringly. "Does that sound good to you, Mom?"

"Yes. But please don't call me Mom. It's not flattering." she blushed as dirty thoughts entered her mind.

' _Mama Pyrrha, how to I impress a girl?'_

' _Simple, my sweet Jaune. All you have to do is be yourself! . . .And take off your shirt. Just like that! Now, let's skip the mushy crap and begin working on third base!'_

Dammit Blake! She should of never borrowed one of her books.

"Right, right. Might as well get started on this book. Ozpin gave it to me after handing out the punishment." Cleaning the bit of dust off the old leather book, Jaune cracked it open, his eye's squinting in irritation as a bright light burst from the pages.

' _The hell-'_

' _Congratulations! You've received Lost Fairy Tales! Enjoy the ride!'_

* * *

The familiar sensation of waking up in forest with no clue to how you got there was not lost to Jaune as he groaned on the forest floor. Once was enough! This shit better not become a regular thing. Otherwise he was going to have to invest in an iron spine.

"Where the hell am I anyways?" Jaune winced as he slowly stood up. A forest, that was a no brainer. But it didn't look like the Emerald Forest as when he first woke up to his life turning to a game. He scratched his head, frowning in puzzlement at his surroundings. "Wait a minute, these aren't my regular hunter gloves." moving his hand back, the knight found his regular brown leather gloves replaced by black leather.

All right, that was odd. Taking a quick look at his attire, he noticed that he had gone a wardrobe change. He now wore a red buttoned up long sleeve shirt, sandy khaki jeans, and a pair of black leather work boots. A worn out red ax was looped in his belt along with a red snow cap adorning his head.

"Am I a Tree Cutter? I was pretty sure that my tree cutting days were over with." Jaune grumbled to himself as he began to walk around the forest for a way out. Hadn't chopped them down since his days back home. Not since his little sister had begged him to stop. The girl had literally chained herself to a tree he was planning to cut down.

It looked The Game had few tricks up its sleeve he hadn't saw coming. Damn Ozpin. He was starting to wonder if the gray haired man knew about the game world. It would explain so much. Something to talk to Ren about when he got out of this place.

Seeing the bright light of peeking out of few trees ahead of him, Jaune pushed past the foliage in his way before finding himself walking into an open field. The hot sun bared down on his mercilessly, causing him to shield his eyes from its rays.

"Sometimes I got to hate the sun. Maybe I should invest in sunglasses like Yang. Bet Weiss would like them." he grinned in thought before a loud feminine scream entered his ears. His head swiveled left to right for the voices owner, gritting his teeth as he took a hold of his ax. Looked like he was going to play hero!

You had to feel sorry for the poor soul.

Running off from the forests entrance, Jaune quickly spotted a wooden cottage, catching another scream of terror from inside. He gulped as he prepared himself for a fight. He could already see large gashes on the outside of the house. Hopefully Grimm didn't make into wherever he found himself.

Jaune reared his ax back, shouting a war cry as he chopped down the door to the cottage. No time for knocking! It was time for action! Charging through he broken remains he began looking around the cozy home, looking for the poor girl in need of help. It actually reminded him of his grandma's house. The tables even had doilies. Whatever was causing the trouble had already busted the owner's furniture and tore up the walls.

"Oh no! She's not going to be happy about this!"

Hearing the famaliar voice close by, Jaune made his way slowly through the cottage. His back was pressed against the wooden walls. Going to have to play this like Blake. Jaune the Ninja! And his trusty new weapon, Tree Killer! Several doors were in his sight, but the one with large beast like gashes caught his attention. That must have been where his culprit lurked along with his victim. His knuckles gripped the wooden handle of his red ax. Time to see how well he handled fighting with it.

Jaune swung the ax around his hand, giving it a slight heave before slashing at the already clawed door. It fell apart in a white line cleaving the entry way in a daigonal halves. He sucked in breath, readying himself to confront the beast inside.

"Names Jaune Arc! I'm here to kick asses and swoon woman! And I don't see any woma-"

"Hi!"

Cut off from his dramatic war cry, Jaune's ax wielding arm dropped to his side with a thud, staring blankly at the familiar red caped girl grinning nervously at him.

"Ruby!?" Jaune gawked in surprise. She even had a bloody red scythe behind her back. It wasn't a mech weapon though, just a simple reapers scythe.

'Ruby' blinked at the strange blonde man addressing her, shaking her head negatively at him as her long dark red ponytail swayed behind her, "My names not Ruby. My names Red! Little Red Riding Hood!" she grinned happily.

Giving the girl a closer look, she was right. She wasn't Ruby. The girl before him was taller, close to his height. Her outfit was more racy then the little red he knew. Her dress more racy with its shoulder baring peasant top and very short scarlet skirt. She had longer hair done up in a pretty ponytail tied in a black black ribbon and her trademark cape seemed to remain the same. Silver gray eyes looked at him with curiosity, titling their head to the side as she stared at him.

"Who are you? Are you the Wood Cutter Gram-gram was a talking about?" she huffed as she cocked her hips. The simple action did marvelous things to her well endowed chest.

"She told me to watch out for you. Said you shouldn't trust pretty boys."

The hell was going on? Wasn't she in danger or something. Taking a look around the bedroom he had barged into he was horrified to find splotches of red painting the room. A mangled furry body was hidden under a creamy blanket, soiling fluffy blanket an ugly red.

His slacked jaw made Red giggle. Gram-gram was right. He was pretty. Didn't see much boys as good looking as him back at the village. Better bag him before some other village girl sunk their teeth into him.

"So what you up to, big boy?" she breathed, twirling a lock of red hair in her hand. Hopefully her mother's flirting lesson paid off. It's how she got dad. "You look tired. How about little Red helps you out of those filthy clothes. You could use a nice hot bath." she flirted with a wink.

"What's up with the dead body?" Jaune whispered in fear, noticing the drops of red dripping of the girl's blade.

"Oh?! Well Gram-gram made the mistake of forgetting to tell me that she had gone off today. Probably went out to buy another copy of her favorite game. She's a shut in with an anime fetish." she gossiped in a hush tone.

"That has nothing to do with the dying thing in what I believe is your Gram's bed."

"Dying?" Red gasped in shame before swiftly turning to the labored breathing beast slumped under the sheets. She glared at it, shouting loudly as she raised her scythe high in the air. A loud sickening squelch echoed in the air in once the blade dug deep into the furred body.

"Oh my god." Jaune breathed silently in horror. Red spun back to him, her face painted with slick blood. The bright grin on her face only painted the image of a hot, sexy sociopath.

"Problem solved! Oh, look." she said with a sultry quirk of her lips, undoing the top of her corset as Jaune gulped in both fear and arousal. "I've seemed to gotten myself dirty too. Might as well take that bath with you. I always wanted to see how strong an axman is."

Jaune sweated as the girl strutted towards him, swinging her hips as the bladed end of her weapon scrapped against the wooden floor. This chick was nothing like Ruby! Ruby was innocent, kind, and could only hurt a Grimm in self defense. This chick was some twisted version of his sweet little Ruby! And she was dangerously sexy! This shit wasn't right!

"Don't worry. The big bad wolf won't bother us anymore. That's what stalkers get for following a fifteen year old girl to her grandmother's house in the woods."

"I thought it was a forest." Wait a minute, Jaune paused in thought as he found the girl leaning on his chest. What did she say? "You're fifteen?" he shouted in shock.

"Wouldn't you like to find out." Red moaned, biting her lips as her fingers found the buttons of his grass stained pants.

The blaring sounds of sirens shattered the mood in the air. Red and blue lights peeked through the windows of the cottage as frantic shouts could be heard outside.

Red cursed silently, pouting angrily as she hastily undid her cap.

"Damn! Gram-gram must of called the cops when her alarm set off. Should of called her to tell her everything was alright. She's not going to like what I did to the place. Especially Alphonse. She's gonna kill me for maiming the guy."

"You killed a person!?"

"Person?" Red looked at him dully before bursting in laughter. "No! That's the name of her body pillow. She hasn't been right in the head since Grampa left her. Had enough with her galge addiction." she grinned as she picked up a torn apart pillow reaching up to her head with a picture of a blonde boy with yellow eyes. What he didn't understand was why the pillow had blood running from its wounds.

"Freeze! Put your hands in the air, scumbags! We don't have the right to use force, but we will beat your asses cheery red if you don't stand down!"

"Alphonse! Please answer your sugar mama!"

' _I am at lost at the situation right now'_ Jaune fell back against the wall beside the door he cut in half in total defeat. The Game was some sick twisted bastard. What part of this was a boon? He couldn't see the reason for it!

' _Welcome to Lost Fairy Tales! This creative world is filled with many strange and unique stories that you must trudge through! By completing each story without dying, The Player will unlock special abilities, skills, and permanent stat increases! Good luck! This one won't be over till someone reaches a Happy Ending.'_

Hungry hands found their way to his belt, undoing them in a lighting quick flash. Alluring silver eyes stared deep into his blue orbs, Red's lips licking in hunger.

Jaune whimpered as he found his pants dropping around his ankles. This was the third time he was wondering for his virginity. He was a shame to the male race.

"We don't have much time till they ruin our fun, Wood Cutter. Little Red's going to become a woman! And this day won't end till I got a hubby to rub into Gram-gram's face when this is over! Now ride this hood like you love it!"

A feminine shout could be heard outside the cottage, drowning the bustling police activity. Jaune didn't know what happened next, only that a bright light blinded him. He didn't know when it had happened, but all he knew was that he had gained a +7 to his Speed and very little memory to what the girl had done to him.

Was it possible to lose your virginity to a story book?

* * *

 **And that's that! The FoF, a mysterious group with ill intentions for the faunus. What can we expect is in store for our heroes! Action! Suspense! Drama! Heart Wrenching Emotions! And Friendshipping!**

 **Not as action-y as other chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it. I laughed out loud myself a few times while writing this chapter.**

 **As always, Chapter 6 is already done. But it won't be updated till Thursday after some edits and Chapter 7's completion. And the DLC bits will be spread out from chapter to chapter when one is finished. Hope you'll enjoy them.**

 **Not much to say this time. I got to sleep. Now to kick out my sister. She's been here long enough taking pictures of the dog and catching pokemon on her phone.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	6. To Cross Lines

**NeoShadows here. And what a week it has been.**

 **Since my last update, I've had my debt card frozen due to some asshole acquiring my cards information and spent $1,232, had to fix some of my bank statements because of it, cut the inside of my left fingers nail, which hurts like a bitch, and discovered some 'dirty' history on my almost nine year old brother's google history. No one has taught me how to deal with this kind of shit seeing as my own father was kicked out when he lost our third home due to lack paying the bills and being a drunk, woman beater. I have no idea how to talk to that boy about this kind of sensitive stuff. Fuck, I learned about sex from some older friends of mine when I was in second grade! All they did was tune onto the Spice network and I was educated. Which is a crappy way to discover this shit seeing as no one was there to teach me about it safely and correctly.**

 **At least I got all my money back. Now I got to have a serious talk with him about what he's seen. I literally had to google what to do. Being a big brother sucks so much ass. I will say this, I approve of what he's searched. And I hate myself for typing this.**

 **All that personal crap aside, I was able to finish Chapter 7 last night. And I finished editing just now.**

 **Now that I'm gaining a good amount of Favorites and Follows, I'm wondering if I should pay a commission for a Cover Photo for this fic. What do you all think? Should I look for one? And if I should, what artist should I ask it from on Devaintart? That's the best place to look for one from my knowledge. Let me know in your reviews if you got one in mind.**

 **Monster Hunter Generations is coming. Tomorrow. Must. Resist. Urge. To. BINGE!**

 **Now onto some Reviews!**

 **JustJustin3099: No problem. There's no need to apologize. The pairings can be a turn off to some, which is sad sometimes. A story is more then two people making out in the span of a chapter. Again, that's what one shots are for. Which I love, but it's not what I look for in story anymore. Except if it's about Neo. God, I love that silent chick. Glad you enjoyed the DLC. There will be more in the future.**

 **Enerjack: Good question, but no. The Game does not allow certain situations to be paused, such as important events and parts of the story. When a Player isn't doing anything that has an impact on the game, it's allowed. But in a situation like the one you described, it's forbidden. It does not like cheaters.**

 **Soulfulbard: Got love them DLC's! I promise the next one will have you dying as this one did. And Nora is fun to write, lets me go wild. Each Player plays The Game diffrently, Jaune's powers are linked to social aspects, and Ren's is a mystery for now. I did drop a hint to what he can do. Got his powers from a favorite game of mine mixed with a few others. The rest of the Players will also differ, one of them could be called broken. He really is. Oh, the scar! Like I said, got something in the works for this. Souls are a tricky thing. Wait till you see what the FoF bring to the table. I had a lot of fun coming up with them. I forgot about the deer girl from the ralley, it was honestly a coincidence.**

 **Megatronus89: I know right? She's a hot little number. If only she wasn't a psycho.**

 **Matrience: You're welcome!**

 **Zachary2: Lost Fairy Tales will connect with the story. But some of the other DLC's won't be relevant to the story. I had just discovered My Hero Academia when I had begun the beginning stages of Multiplayer. And I love the hell out of it. I guess it's a little nod to both the manga and anime. Tsuyo number one girl! And I love the Jaune-Cena jokes on the internet! Another little nod.**

 **TalonlbnLaAhad: I love your reviews! And your jokes to pokemon go are awesome. Might make that into a DLC. Hey, if you ever want to talk about RWBY and other crap, my PM box is open to ya! I'd love to talk to another person about this crap, don't know much people who enjoy this stuff too. And who knows if we've seen the last of Little Red Riding Hood? No said her story was over with. Ah, the FoF. I got some awesome stuff planned for them in this arc. Just you wait.**

 **Now, onto you question about Pyrrha's death. I love that girl, truly I do. I honestly thought she was a bit bland when she was introduced, but man! Did she reel me in! Her death had be all the more bitter and resonating when it happened.**

 **But I saw the death flag coming. As a writer myself, besides writing fanfiction, I've been in the works to original stories on my laptop, I sadly realized that her death could be a driving force for our heroes. That's the thing about death, it's a gut wrenching experience that pushes people to their limits or breaks them to pieces. They needed an reason to leave Beacon, and its fall would of been fine and all, but without a personal reason behind it, team RNJR would have never had a true reason to venture off to fight the bad guys. I love Pyrrha, truly I do, but I couldn't think of much to do with her once the story hit all cylinders. She was OP as fuck! It's hard to describe it in words, but it was a bittersweet move. Maybe if she was crippled, or lost her ability to use aura or something, then she would have been able to grow more and evolve.**

 **Don't take this as a clear sign that she's going to be killed off or anything. I got my own plans. This does not mean she'll die, nor that she won't die. So don't think this has anything to do with the story. Everyone is going to have to wait and see what happens next.**

 **And your insanity is welcomed! Keep them coming! Let's see how long it'll last.**

 **DNkru135: Yes, yes it is.**

 **Wandai: Nice theory. You know the drill, you bastard. But do remember, the blade is colored. And if I remember correctly, there's more then one red blade in RWBY. Whoever it is, they will be a difficult obstacle for our blue eyed knight. The Friends of Faunus is lead by a man with purposes carved onto his skin. Their ideas are pure to them, in a sick twisted sort of way. Wait till you read the upcoming chapters. I wonder if you can guess what's in store. You bastard. And the Fairy Tales aren't limited to only team RWBY. I got much more in store. I consider Fairy Tales as story from the past that are hard to believe or have been read to us as children. Even stories that inspired the character for Jaune. Oh, that one is going to be a very special tale indeed. Saving it for the end of the book for a good reason. And I'll be sure to keep up the good work with your continued support!**

 **MysticSpider: You dirty, dirty, person! . . .I like what your thinking. But I got my own ideas in the works for them. Still, I love your line of thinking.**

 **Otherguy14: You think that, but you never know. I do like to throw curve balls here and there. And this might be one. Blades come in all sorts of colors, there isn't only one red one out there. And the final Player is one of my favorites. Trust me, their strong enough to kill, and their morals only fit their needs. And Fairy Tales is going to be a fun ride. I got a lot of 'fun' moments planned out ahead. Too bad I can't write Lemons worth a damn. Now I feel dirty. And Ren is simply having some trouble with his best friend being a Player too. Who knows if their friendship will last. Drama~!**

 **Zdeath01: . . .Huh. My brain just started whirring. I may have something planned in the near future as a DLC.**

 **Goddy80119: I will never tell! You'll have to read and make up your own decision. Don't worry, this will be revealed eventually. I'd say be the end of this Volume. So keep an eye out.**

 **Whateversnowburn: Hah! No, the 'experience' ended after some time. Should of written that better, but I like how people are thinking Jaune had finished quickly. Red had her fun, trust me. And Jaune's ego is safe, for the moment.**

 **KuraiKodokuna: You just read something that can be found in one of Blake's favorite books. Gotta love that smut.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Good theory, can't confirm it or deny it. Ren has a good reason, trust me. It's petty, but it has nothing to do with attention. And the wish is a tricky prize. A wish to change the world in whatever image you desire, think about it. So much can be undone or changed, for better or worse. With no monkey's paw side effects. And only one person can win it, making The Game competitive for those still trying to win it. I'll be sure to keep this up with your support and reviews!**

 **Keep the reviews coming! I'm loving them with each one submitted. And to the one reviewer who said this story was utter shit and to stop writing, NEVER! These fingers wouldn't stop if they had a choice. Trust me, I've tried.**

 **Now let's get this story scrolling!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. They belong to RoosterTeeth. I'm pretty sure I'm only a few pokemon away from getting run over again. Pokemon Go is a dangerous mistress. So be careful out there, walking through a gang territory for that Growlith is a bad idea. You're going to have a bad time. I will mug you for your shit.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: To Cross Lines.**

"Do you think it was a good idea to send both Ren and Jaune out for breakfast?"

Pyrrha snapped her head up from her book, saving the page number and place as her eyes moved to the orange haired girl beside her. Blake had lent her one of her books a few days ago, and she was really enjoying it. Who knew people actually wrote about this kind of stuff? Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from all the blood rushing into them.

Laying back on the same bed, Nora busied herself listening to music on her headphones, kicking up her feet in the air. There was a light frown on the normally smiling girl's face.

It was Saturday once again and the team JNPR had decided to stay in their dorm for the morning. Mostly due to the fact Nora had wanted to stay in her tight fitting Pj's today, and was banned from stepping foot on cafeteria grounds. To keep her away from the roaming eye's of the male populace, and because he didn't want to get dragged into anything today like last week, Ren had voted to bring the breakfast to them. Jaune, being the nice guy he was, volunteered to help carry everything, saying it wasn't a one man job. The two had been gone for nearly half an hour now and it was a little worrying to Nora.

She didn't now if Pyrrha could feel it, but there was this odd tension between her best friend and their leader. There were times she found the two of them glaring at another when they thought no one was looking. It was odd seeing as Ren had never been the type to get angry with anyone, not even her. And she knew for a fact she could be hard to deal with. Jaune was a great guy too! A little nerdy, a total dork, a horrible ladies man, and blind to woman that actually found him appealing, but a great guy none the less. Nora couldn't find any reason for the raven to dislike him. Other then jealousy.

A gasp escaped her lips at the thought. Were they fighting over her attention? She knew it! The hammer wielder nodded her head. It was the only plausible conclusion that made any real sense. To think her looks could cause such tension one day. She truly was a bombshell.

"What do you mean, Nora?" Pyrrha asked with a raised brow. Was there something wrong with that? "Should I have gone to help them? With your appetite, they may of needed the help." she said flatly.

Ha! They would need an army to feed her. "Not that. I mean, haven't you noticed the looks those two have been throwing at each other?"

"Looks?" Pyrrha blinked slowly, the meaning quickly dawning on her. "You mean, forbidden romance!?" she gasped into her palm, her blush once again coming to life.

"That book Blake gave you is nothing but filth." Though the idea did sound kinda hot. Something to save for later. "You're telling me you haven't noticed that Ren and Jaune kinda don't like each other? I mean, Jaune seems to be trying to be buddy-buddy with Ren, but sometimes I notice how frustrated he gets with him. It isn't like Ren to glare at other people either, especially a guy like Jaune." Nora's feet dropped back down to the bed, pouting as she racked her brain.

Boys were confusing. Even when they were your best friends. Made the situation even more confusing.

At Nora's words, Pyrrha settled down her book, smiling sadly, "I'm sorry to say I wouldn't know. During my stay in Mistral, I didn't have much time for socializing with other students. I was kinda ostracized because of my status as a champion, no one thought they were good enough to hang around me. I honestly thought it was normal for boys to act like that as friends, like on TV."

"What kind of TV did you watch?"

"I'm still new to this whole arrangement myself, so noticing such behavior isn't common to me. I guess I did find it a bit odd to see Ren act stiffly at times with Jaune." She tapped her chin, thinking back several occasions the two hunters talked to another. Sometimes it felt like they were having a conversation in their own little world.

The Invincible girl's head was dragged into chest of her fellow female teammate's, causing her to blush at the close contact. It was last Wednesday all over again.

"Aww, poor little Pyre!" Nora gushed as she hugged her red head into her bosom. She swung her around in her embrace, combing her long hair back, "It's alright, your Queen will sooth your loneliness! We won't judge you on your status as some ultra cool, invincible huntress! Jaune-Jaune didn't even know what your title meant, and me and Ren were never into watching fights when we could always go out and look for one! We're your friends now." she stopped her hugging to look into her new friends eyes softly. She smiled, "And we don't plan on leaving ya. I'm sure we'll get all this drama sorted out eventually. If not, we always have option B." Nora squealed.

"We're not having a Pancake wresting contest again." Pyrrha giggled, watching as the orange haired girl crossed her arms with a scowling pout, "The head of the cafeteria is still banning you from standing several feet from the entrance. Poor Ren now has to carry your food along with his back to the dorm now."

"Well worth the fifty-thousand hits on ScrollTube."

"Where did you find all that syrup anyways?"

"I know a guy." Professor Port was a good man. He would fit nicely in her new kingdom.

Falling back to her pillow, Pyrrha reached for her book, smiling happily as Nora fell along with her, drumming along to a beat.

Friends. It was nice to finally feel like a normal girl for once. Opening the book up, Pyrrha got cozy next to her friend as she went back to the thrilling, yet erotic, adventures of two gladiators fighting in a coliseum. Her heart beat rose with every word flying across the page, lost to the world within the text. Where the hell were books like this all her life? Was it wrong to secretly enjoy such books in the company of friend?

Blake would care to disagree. And give her a thumbs up in her taste in literature.

* * *

"Oum Theory? Isn't that some kind of religion?"

Two twin towers of pancakes dripping with syrup walked the halls of Beacon, threatening to collapse with one wrong step. The students gathered watched by with questioning stares. The ludicrous amount of fluffy fried batter was topped with berries and strawberries, two separate jugs of milk and orange juice, bacon strips dug in between the morning cakes folds along with scrambled eggs beneath, and crowned with cinnamon sprinkled whip cream. No one could make out the students behind such breakfast behemoths, nor would they care as they stared with watering mouths at the delicious strolling towers.

The left stack blew a stray lock of hair out of their face as he answered their friend/enemy, "That's what I believed as well before I was trapped as a Player in The Game. With each world that passed me by, I turned to the teachings of Oum, I can hardly remember the faces of my own parents anymore but I do remember the lessons they taught me about it. Their kinda all I have left to them." the tower of pancakes on the left shrugged.

When Nora had sent them off for breakfast, Ren knew that he would find himself in the company of his fellow Gamer. The last week Ren was busying himself with the class lessons, lessons he would have memorized if it weren't for the Remix in affect. And Jaune had used the kindness he had showed him last week to ask him questions about the game. He was done following the story, but with Jaune as his leader, he would be dragged unwillingly along with no consent. Without his help, the knight wouldn't survive a month in the new reality dropped onto him. Ren was helping him with what he could only so that he didn't have go through the drama of his unsurprising death. There was no way in hell that he was getting sucked back into The Game! A few tips and questions answered didn't mean anything. He was simply looking out for himself.

"The Oum Theory states that humans and faunas were gifted the miracle of Semblances long ago by a God named Oum. Oum is the reason why both species were able to stand against the Grimm once they had discovered Dust. It also says that Oum is responsible for the Grimm, created as payment for our sins, of our ignorance and hate. Oum is basically the creator of our world, and the reason why we're stuck resetting with every death or Ending."

"Really?" The right tower jumped, shaking slightly, "My parents always taught me to believe in God itself, not Oum. Is there any real difference?"

"None that I can find. What I've learned from my many resets is that whatever is causing them is in complete control of every detail in The Game. I fact, me and the other Players have each met 'it', the being that trapped us in this hell. I'm pretty sure it only does all this for pure entertainment. It's a huge asshole and I'm sure you'll eventually met it during one of your resets."

Jaune held back his comment. He was going to say that he wouldn't have to met whatever was creating this game because he was winning this game on one life, but decided against it. This was the first time they had held a conversation without it devolving into an argument.

"So, whatever 'it' is, is the true god?"

"That's still a difficult question to answer. It's better for you to make up your own decision the day you meet it. Honestly, I blame both for my circumstances."

"Being stuck in a Game, me being a Player, the pink streak in your hair, never being allowed to sleep more then eight hours, or being forced to cater a bubbly girl with a black hole as a stomach?"

The left stack of pancakes stopped to ponder for a moment, nearly knocking off the jug of milk balanced on their tray, "All of the above." it answered heatedly.

Right stack whistled, "And here I thought I was the only one you hated. Nice to know I'm not at the top of the list."

"You don't even come close. You're more of an annoyance, Jaune. The list of things and people I hate doesn't have room for a guy like you. I hate you, but not enough to put you down my list."

"Thanks? I guess? Help me out here, Ren. What does this make us?"

"What's between us. . .means nothing."

"But I thought what we had was special!"

"You thought wrong. Jaune, you were nothing more then free experience."

Ruby munched on her cookie with ferocity, crumbs flying across the air as her face reddened. Her big silver eyes were wide in attention of the scene in front of her.

The right tower of pancakes trembled, dropping a slice of smoked bacon from its folds. Yang opened her mouth remotely, catching it before turning back to the drama.

"That's a lie! What we did together back then meant more to me then experience! Ren, you were my first!" The right tower had never had a male friend till Beacon. It was nothing but girls, which would have been nice if they weren't his sisters.

The left tower scoffed, the motion slipping off several big berries. Weiss's rapier stabbed the fruits in their descent, kabobbing them as she shared the treat with a blushing Blake.

"Sorry not sorry, but you weren't that good. I've had better. What did I expect? Your girlish screams should of tipped me off."

"Ohhh, that had to hurt." Yang hissed quietly, getting a pained nod from Weiss.

"So where does that leaves us!? I refuse to accept that's all I ever was to you!" Right tower shouted in denial.

Ruby nodded her head with a stubborn pout, "Yeah! You tell him, Jaune!"

The two towers of pancakes stopped their bickering, the voice of a young girl alerting them to the small crowd they gathered. Slowly rearing their heads to the side to peek over the heavenly stacks of breakfast, Jaune and Ren were treated to the sight of the blushing forms of team RWBY.

When the hell did they get here!?

Jaune laughed nervously at the girls, "Uhhhh, how much of that did you hear?" he gulped in fear, praying to whatever being that could show mercy they hadn't heard anything dealing with The Game. Ren had told him earlier in the week one of the things The Game liked to do is rain lightning onto Players that revealed their secrets. Gods lightning. They died every time and he was not looking forward to death anytime soon.

"We opened our door just in time to catch something about Ren hating you, or something." Blake decided to answer for her team, smiling apologetically at the two. The blonde tilted his head to the right, catching the door to his dorm. It seemed they arrived without even knowing.

"It's not what you think." Ren automatically rebutted, glaring at the leering purple eyes meeting his own.

"I believe you." Yang breathed huskily, licking her lips. The two male members of JNPR soon found the busty blonde's arms around their shoulders, pushing their heads closer to her impressive chest. Her eyes twinkled in mischief, "Now, we have two options. Option 1: We believe you, or don't,"

"Aww, I want to believe the fantasy." Ruby grumbled as she played with the hem of her skirt.

"But decide to share this little nugget of gossip with your teammates."

"They'll never believe you!" Jaune howled adamantly, his fellow blackmailed teammate nodding along furiously.

Yang disagreed, slipping out her scroll from her pocket before playing the play button on the recorded video with a cheeky grin.

" _But I thought what we had was special!"_

" _You thought wrong. Jaune, you were nothing more then free experience."_

"You bitch!" They both yelled in both anger and embarrassment.

"I'm not finished~!" Yang sang, chuckling in the face of their red faces. "And then we have Option 2: we never heard a thing. This video doesn't exist, and you both don't have unrequited feelings towards each other."

"It's alright, Ruby." Blake patted the young leader's back softly. Ruby sniffed as her little fantasy was ruined before it could ever truly take off. "That's what my books are for."

Reaching for another strip of bacon from the towering breakfast, Yang popped into into her mouth, savoring it's juicy, crisp taste before continuing, "And you both generously invite our little team to eat breakfast back at your dorms instead of us having to walk all the way to the cafeteria and wait in line to get some grub. So," she burped suddenly, smacking her lips and looking between the two guys in her arms with an innocent smile, "What's it going to be, fellas?"

Well they did have more then enough food to feed both teams. Nora would just have to settle for a single ten stack. The girl had to cut back on the stuff anyways, she was turning into a pancake junkie.

"Fine." They both grumbled with nods. As long as they didn't have to deal with such a disturbing misunderstanding. Green tinted their cheeks, shivering in disgust.

"Sweetness!" Yang cheered, ruffling the boys hair. "Looks like I just found us some breakfast. And you wanted to wait in line like a loser." she spoke smugly to Weiss who hid her face in shame.

"You extorted breakfast. I'm pretty sure I could have asked Jaune to let us eat with his team. He hardly is the type to reject anything I say to him." Weiss said with a deadpanned look.

"It's true! I'm putty in my Snow Angel's delicate, yet firm hands!"

Weiss gestured her hand to the heart eyed knight, "See? And what I say about staying one meter away, Jaune?"

"I'm sorry, what you say? I was too busy staring into the cool blue oceans that are your eyes to listen." he sighed dreamily.

"Seriously, I will drive the end blade of Storm Flower into the back of your skull if I have to put up with your puppy love anymore." Ren said flatly, kicking the bottom of their door to let them in.

"Someone's jealous." Ruby whispered to Blake as the door slammed open.

Nora grinned widely at the towers of fluffly, golden crisp, pancakes before her eyes. Stars lite up her eyes as she licked her lips.

"My precious! I've been waiting for your arrival for what feels like weeks! And I see you brought a friend." she moaned erotically to the stack Jaune hid behind. He was really glad to be out of sight, he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with whatever emotions were playing out on her face. "Are you two related? I hope you don't mind that I suggest a threesome. I brought my own bottle of syrup." Nora whispered huskily, squirting a dab from the bottle in her hand to the tip of her tongue.

"Let us in! I need to change into some baggier pants!"

Ruby tilted her head, watching Jaune struggle to fix his pants only to fail. He was still holding onto the large tray of breakfast in both his hands. "You okay, Jaune? Are your pants slipping? It looks like you have something poking out of them. Here, let me help you with that!" she smiled brightly. Leaders had to stick together after all. Her sister's hand slapped her own from Jaune's pants, staring at her with mirth.

"No. May I remind you, fifteen. Dad would kill me if I let you touch a guy's erection."

"What's that?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"And this is where my sisterly advice ends. I can no longer help you, Rubes. Ice Queen, she's all yours.

"Me!?" Weiss yelled in outrage, pointing her finger to her embarrassed red face, "Why do I have to explain to your little sister what an erection is!?"

"Oooooh, erection." Ruby slowly nodded in understanding, smacking her own head with a silly smile, "I thought you said something else. I know what an erection is. It's when a guy's di-"

Blake's hand silenced her leader's words, covering the red heads mouth, "We don't need to know!"

"The hell did she think I said?"

"Can we go back to entering our room, please?" Ren grunted. His arms were beginning to lose their strength as it was. He should of honestly stuck to making breakfast instead. It was better then dealing with this crap.

Jaune nodded his head as he calmed down his raging stiffness. He was still a seventeen year old boy! The hormones dwelling in his body were taking whatever openings they could find to exploit mercilessly. And the look Nora had been giving them, or more importantly the food in their hands, sent his blood pumping into areas he was not willing to reveal.

Nora gasped dramatically as she finally noticed the presence of the other girls behind the stacks of pancakes.

"You brought woman with you!? I don't know what to say! I feel cheated! Betrayed! Used! And a little thirsty. I thought me and Pyrrha's skilled mouths were enough to satisfy your needs!"

"Seriously, Nora! It's starting to hurt!"

* * *

Breakfast was soon over with. Despite the commotion the morning brought, Jaune was actually happy to be eating breakfast with team RWBY. Things were even better when both teams hung out with each other. The little event had even racked him in some major experience points in every girls Friendship level. After a whole week of spending time with both teams during classes and outside of school, he had gained one level in their Friendships. Except for Pyrrha's, her level was already high as it was. Looked like the more levels they grew, the harder it was to increase as time went on. Jaune's own level was easier to increase, it had already grown by two with the help of Combat Studies. Then again he was under-leveled, it wasn't that hard.

His head dropped at the thought. He was making progress, that much was for sure. But at the rate he was going at, the knight was going to hit an experience lull by the middle of the first semester. When a character in a game stayed in one area for too long to grind they were bound to hit a point in the game where the EXP they were earning would take them forever to bump up another level. They would need to explore outside that one area to look for more enemies to fight that offered more rewards and find more missions that earned them better loot.

That was the problem though. Jaune was a freshman. It had only been one week since he passed the initiation exam and started classes. Missions weren't available to him just yet. The one he and Ruby had completed from Professor Port had been the only one to find him since. Nothing else had popped up after that. It would take another week or two before the teachers were confident enough to let them take some missions in the Emerald Forest to practice their skills against Grimm.

The hustle and bustle of the cafeteria snapped Jaune out of his thoughts as he walked to the lunch line to return all the cutlery and plates he and Ren borrowed. Not to mention pay for all the food. They would of paid earlier, but their hands were busy balancing their breakfast.

At least he wasn't alone. Ren had dove back for his bed once they were done eating, refusing every attempt Nora had to get out of the cocoon of blankets he wrapped himself in. So Jaune had decided to go alone, waving away Pyrrha's helping hand. But someone had decided to tag along with him to repay the breakfast they shared with her team.

Jaune couldn't really argue with her. He never had much of a relationship with Blake till now.

"Soooo, what kinda books do you read?"

The silent ninja girl quirked a brow as her eyes continued to digest the story in her right hand, her left balancing the pile of dirty plates and cups on her palm.

"All sorts, I guess." she shrugged without looking away from her book.

"Even comic books?" Jaune asked with a rising grin.

Flat yellow eyes glanced back at him, ". . .No."

Jaune's shoulder slacked, sighing in defeat. Thing was he actually knew a bit about Blake. She loved reading books, her favorite food is tuna, she enjoys reading smutty literature, and she's a cat faunas along with once being a member of the White Fang. Unfortunately he couldn't talk to her about those things, books maybe, if he ever read anything that didn't have pictures, but everything else was hush hush. Ruby was the one who had shared Blake's secrets anyways. The two of them never really talked till he laid out in a pool of his own blood.

He was friends with Ruby, Yang, and after the dance in Beacon he was sure that Weiss was beginning to see him as one too. But Blake was different. The two of them never really connected as friends like everyone else in their little circle of friends. This was probably the most time they had ever hung out with another since his death. It really sucked to have to start over again. Except his progress with Blake before was pretty much non existent.

This time would be different though. Jaune clenched his fist in determination. Blake and him would be friends dammit! He had the powers to make it possible! The fact that he would gain Perks and a cool new Ability with her friendship was an added bonus. There was no way that he was only doing it for the gains.

But she was proving to be a difficult opponent indeed. Whatever subject he tried to talk to her about was responded with single sentences. He was never much for talking in the first place. What was the point in having Charisma if it couldn't even help him talk to a girl!? It was literally the highest stat on him and it wasn't doing shit!

Stupid Gamer powers, stupid White Fang psycho!

Blake frowned noticing the subtle grimace on Jaune's face. His breath was sharp for a moment and he grit his teeth. It looked like he was in pain again. Shutting her book, the bookworm turned to Jaune with a look of worry. He caught onto her gaze, hiding the pain with a wide smile.

"You okay, Jaune? You know it's not too much to take back, I can handle the rest on my own." she offered with a small polite smile. They both stopped just before they could reach the line, standing aside to let the other students by.

Jaune scoffed, "Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine. Besides, I still have to pay for all this. I could of done all this on my own." he reassured her.

He hated to say it, but whenever he thought back to the White Fang, or even heard their name out loud, his mind would flash right back to the sounds of madly sawing teeth and the sensation of his organs and bones ripped to shreds. The event left a scar on him, both physically and mentally it seemed. He hadn't survived as scoot free as he thought.

"Why did you help anyway?" he felt the need to ask. It was weird of her to help him without anyone suggesting she go.

Moving back to enter the line, Blake scowled in thought, almost as if she was asking herself the same question.

"I guess I felt bad for my partner black mailing you into sharing breakfast with us." she answered, setting the plates in her hand into the dish dispenser. Catching an eye of milk in the display, she reached for one before going along with Jaune to pay for their breakfast. "Yang's not the most 'discreet' in getting what she wants. She caused you and Ren more than enough trouble with that recording. Guess I just wanted to repay you clean the mess." she shrugged.

"And this makes up for the blackmail." he said flatly, "By helping me put some dishes away?"

His response earned him a slight blushing frown, "I walked with you too. I'm not really good at these kind of things, repaying kindness." Blake was use to breaking into secure buildings, stealing valuable supplies from enemy territory, and raiding companies like the SDC for all their Dust along with tearing apart their robots when they got in the way. Paying someone back for a meal wasn't something she was familiar with.

Once they reached the front of the line, Jaune talked with the cafeteria staff manning the register, paid for all the food he had taken along with the milk in Blake's hand, and then went back to talking with the normally quiet girl. "I feel ya. I'm still getting use to leading a team. I'm not exactly the best hunter in school."

"Really? From what I've seen in Combat class, you've been doing fairly well. Winning a match isn't everything, I'm sure if you continued fighting when your aura's been dropped you may be able to drag out a win." Jaune wasn't that bad, he was decent if anything else. Compared to everyone else, he was doing fine for his first week. She didn't understand where all this low self esteem was coming from. Then again she didn't know much about the blonde boy.

"Maybe. In real life the fighting doesn't stop when your aura's low. I'm lucky to even be enrolled in Beacon."

"Why is that?" Blake asked curiously, looking back to his sudden nervous expression.

Jaune began to sweat, he didn't mean for that to slip out. "Uhh, nothing! It's complicated, and I don't really like talking about it." he chuckled nervously.

Blake nodded in understanding. She wasn't going to force anything out of him, she had no right. That and she believed that whatever he was talking about might have to do with the horrible scar that tore through his body. It was probably a sensitive subject he didn't like talking about.

"Oww! Please, stop."

' _Goddammit, or Oumdammit.'_ The familiar cry of pain brought back memories. Jaune's eyes turned to the cafeteria lunch tables, not surprised to find Cardin tugging on Velvet's bunny ears as his team laughed. Sad thing was, Cardin was his lab partner in Dust studies. He was going to be seeing a lot of him in the coming years.

Cardin was an asshole when he first met him. Picked on him constantly because he was a poor excuse of a hunter. The incident with the Ursa Major had changed him though. Not by a lot, Cardin stopped picking on him but he still acted like a jerk along with being a racist against the faunas. It was some progress though, kinda. Not really, no. The real kicker though was the fact he Unlocked the bully's Friendship.

' _ **Cardin Winchester. Friendship Lvl: 1. Affection Lvl: Locked. Status: Cocky, happy with himself, enjoying picking on the animal's ears. Available Perks: 0. Soul Wave Link: Locked. Until Next Friendship Lvl: 75/200EXP.'**_

It was during the middle of the week that he received the notification that he unlocked Cardin's Friendship after another sparring match. That was surprising to say the least. He would of never thought that a guy like Cardin would see him as a friend. It did explain why he wasn't being picked on other then the snide remarks during classes. It was weird. Jaune wasn't sure how to feel being friends with a guy like Cardin. He was arrogant, self centered, cruel and then there was the fact he was a racist. A huge turn off.

Hearing another pained cry, Jaune couldn't help but sigh in regret. They guy was his 'friend', so it looked like he was going to have to get involved. He didn't want to deal with Cardin, but poor Velvet didn't deserve this. Blake was looking at the scene with repressed disgust at Cardin's behavior and the fact no one else was doing anything to stop him. He wanted to be a hero, might as well take the first small step.

"These things can't be real!" Cardin laughed loudly, tugging the right bunny ear with a mean smirk. The girl tried not to wince but another hard pull caused her to close her eyes as a whimper escaped her lips. "What a freak! I can't believe that Beacon allows animals to attend our school. This isn't a petting zoo."

His hands gripped onto the furry appendage harder, his smirk growing in the face the girl was making. A hand found itself snatching his own, gripping his wrist to let go. Sneering, Cardin twisted his head to the dead man stopping his fun only to pause catching the familiar blue eyes of his Dust studies partner scowling in disappointment. A strained smile made its way to his face with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Jauney-boy! Didn't see ya there, pal. Mind taking your hand off mine? I'd really appreciate it." he growled.

"Are you going to continue messing with Velvet again?" Jaune asked with a frown, receiving a scoff in return.

"What's it matter to you?" he sneered, snatching his hand back while rubbing his wrist. Forgot that behind that scrawny appearance that the blonde was actually strong. He could still feel the powerful strike from his blade during his sparring lessons. "All I'm doing is playing with an animal, is that so wrong?" he grinned cruelly.

"She's not an animal, her name's Velvet and you know that!" Jaune snapped angrily. If there was one thing he hated it was the treatment of the faunas. It was racism like Cardin's that caused the White Fang to turn violent. Were it not for the hate they faced, the Breach would have never happened. And Weiss would have never had to look over her back in fear of them. Dying by a White Fang member had made him regret his lack of action when he had seen Velvet picked on. She wasn't picked on because she was a failure or a loser like him, but because of the adorable ears on her head.

Jaune took a sudden sharp breath as his scar flared, gripping his chest till his knuckles turned white. He grimaced, refusing to stand down in front of Cardin even when he was in pain.

The pained glare Jaune was giving him made Cardin scoff. Through out their fights in Goodwitch's class, he had noticed that the blonde's chest was very sensitive. It was how he had won most of their matches. The looks his strategy earned him from Jaune's team and team RWBY were annoying. Wasn't it their job to use whatever advantage they could fine in their enemies defenses to win? That was what Professor Goodwitch had been teaching them. Hypocrites. If they had something to say to him, then they were better off saying it to his face rather then giving him judged stares.

From the looks of it, Jaune had some kind of old wound that had yet to heal. Why not take advantage of it? It wasn't his fault the guy didn't know how to properly protect it. His chest armor did little more then buffer some of the damage.

"That little wound acting up again, Jauney-boy?" Cardin taunted. Stepping away from the wincing faunas brunette, Cardin draped his right arm over Jaune's shoulders, patting his unprotected chest with a rough smack of his palm. "You should really watch out with that thing. Don't want a Beowolf grazing that thing. Maybe you should focus more on finding some better armor to cover your wound then ruining my fun. It's not everyday that me and the boys get to play with a bunny girl." he laughed.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune pushed the brown haired hunter off him, "I'm not going to ignore someone in pain, even if they're a faunas. Shit like that shouldn't matter!" he barked as sweat dripped down his face.

"Really? Say that to the White Fang! You think we're to blame for a bunch of wild animals going feral on humanity!" Cardin growled angrily, picking Jaune up by the collar of his uniform. "Their lucky we never sent them to live on Menagerie! And this is the thanks we get!? A bunch of terrorists bombing shops, assassinating members of government councils, robbing honest companies of their Lien and Dust, and working to kill all of humanity in a mass genocide!?" he roared madly with a snarl. Cardin's blue eyes narrowed in restrained fury at his fellow blue eyed hunter.

He didn't care what others thought of him and his treatment to the faunas. He had every right to despise them. They didn't know him. The things he's seen at the hands of those genocidal freaks. Even assholes like him had their own reasons for turning out like so. Judge him all they want, he wasn't blind like the rest of them. Animals were still animals even if they could talk and appear human.

Jaune was weak minded. And here he thought he found someone like him. Despite the fact he lost to him in every sparring match, Cardin came to respect the little fight he showed. Jaune's own family had been well known in the Great War, but like the Winchesters they faded into obscurity as time moved on. Didn't he want to bring his families name glory? To once again be remembered as heroes as the days of old? So why was he sticking up for a bunch of freaks that were one step away from tearing out their throats? It pissed Cardin off.

"Guess I was wrong about you, buddy." he muttered coldly before throwing Jaune back on his feet. He watched him cough into a fit, still holding onto his chest in pain. The sight sickened him. And here he thought he was a decent hunter, "You're just another faker like the rest of them. Fooling yourself into believing that these animals have a soul just because they produce an aura. Stop living in a fairy tale and understand that we're working alongside monsters!"

Loud murmurs filled the lunchroom air as Cardin noticed the crowd of students gathered around them. And they said he was the asshole. What did that make everyone else who stood by and watched? At least he was honest with himself. No one else had a spine to say what they thought. All they could do is watch the drama unfold in front of their eyes.

"We're done here." Cardin spat, giving a dirty look back at the blonde who found himself leaning on the shoulders of a familiar black haired girl in Professor Oobleck's class. Her cold yellow eyes stared back at him, but kept silent. Typical, he scoffed in disdain. All they would ever do is give him looks, that's all they ever did! A bunch of cowards talking behind his back. And they called themselves hunters. He turned back to his team, their faces nervous and uncomfortable at the attention he was drawing in. Even his own team seemed apprehensive. They could play along with him when he was messing with faunas, but they would back down when judging eyes fell on them. They were his team though, so he had no choice but to put up with them. At least they knew to follow him without question. "Let's go. I got better things to take care of then talking to trash."

Turning swiftly away from the pathetic blonde ready to fall on his knees, Cardin moved to walk back to his dorm.

"What are you, blind?" The heavy mace wielder paused his steps, refusing to turn back to the voice calling out to him.

Jaune fought back the pain and the memories as he addressed Cardin with tired eyes. He ignored the look Blake was giving him before continuing, "Can't you see the look of pain and sadness in their eyes when you treat them horribly? Their human, just like us!"

An empty chuckle left Cardin's mouth as he kept his eyes forward, "Get real. If anyone's blind, it's you. I'm simply facing reality. Grow up, and stop trying to play hero."

Team CRDL left the lunchroom following their leader, afraid to say anything that might anger him further. Cardin was the type to take out his aggression with physical violence. It was better to let him take it out on the training drones in the training room. The guy had a hell of an explosive swing.

Gingerly holding Jaune up as he steadied his breathing, Blake couldn't stop herself from staring in shock at the recovering blonde. Was not expecting him to stand up for the bunny faunas when he heard her cries. Everyone else simply turned their eyes away from the scene. Even she did. In a combat school like Beacon they were taught to deal with issues without the help of adults, after all if they weren't capable of dealing with troubles such as bullying then how were they expected to survive in the wilds against monsters of Grimm. Still, it was surprising to see Jaune stand up against Cardin. It was actually heart warming to see. Looked like humans weren't all alike.

"You alright, Jaune?" Blake asked gently, receiving a positive thumbs up.

"Never better. Just give me a minute to for my second wind to kick in."

The damn scar was really starting to become a hindrance! He wasn't expecting the fit of pain to sneak up on him. What a sorry sight.

Light footsteps caught his attention as he turned his eyes up to meet the dark chocolate brown eyes belonging to Velvet. Her sad smile filled his vision.

"Are you sure you're alright? Can't have you falling into an early grave now, can we?" she joked lightly with a quirk of her head.

"I'll have you know it take a lot more than some chest pains to take me down." Jaune waved with a playful grin. In fact it took a chainsaw sawing his organs to mush to end him. Not the best experience in his young life.

"I'll take your word for it." Velvet laughed. Her eyes turned somber remembering what he had done for her, "You didn't have to do that you know. Cardin would have left me alone eventually. There was no need to involve yourself in my troubles." she said in remorse.

It wasn't as if she didn't appreciate the helping hand. Velvet was actually glad that someone had stepped in. But it left a bad taste in her mouth. Her shyness and unwillingness to fight back against a first year had caused her to fall under Cardin's line of sight. It drew him in and her weakness made her an easy target. A second year like herself should have take care of the problem before it began.

Her kind was under enough scrutiny as it was. She didn't want to feed the flames of hate anymore by causing trouble with a guy like Cardin. She would just bear with it, Yatsuhashi did say violence never solved anything. Which was strange coming from a guy who could wipe out Grimm with a single swing of his giant sword.

But Jaune shook his head, grinning widely as the pain ebbed away, "Sorry, but I'd hate myself even more if I let guy's like Cardin treat others like that. Someone once told me idiots like me don't know any better. So forgive my idiot chivalry."

"And here I thought chivalry was dead." The freshman surprised Velvet. It was rare to met a human like him that didn't ogle her ears and wasn't looking at her with disdain. "Jaune, right? We share History Studies together, don't we? I want to thank you for the help anyways. I do appreciate the gesture." she smiled gently.

"Don't mention it, Velvet. I watch out for all my friends the same." Jaune nodded firmly, wincing a second later. That's right, she didn't see him as a friend yet. It wasn't until the trip to Forever Fall did team CFVY begin to hang out with the two teams. They were still strangers in this timeline.

Velvets closed her eyes once the words slipped his lips, tapping her lips in thought before a bright smile blossomed onto her face, "Friends, we've only just spoken and already you think of me as a companion? Aren't you rushing things a little too quick with a stranger?" she grinned in humor.

"Not really." Jaune shrugged, glad she hadn't thought it was too strange, "My mother always said 'Stranger are just friends you haven't met yet'. And you can never have too many friends."

"No, you can't." What a strange hunter. It was odd, but Velvet could swear the image of shining white knight overlapped his image for a split second. She rubbed her eyes, squinting at the bright smile on his face once the image faded. Strange indeed. "Then I guess we're friends now, aren't we?" she giggled into her fist, winking back at the now grinning knight.

' _ **Congratulations! You have Unlocked Velvet Scarlatina's Friendship and Admiration! +100EXP(FRND Lvl)! +100EXP(ADMN Lvl)!'**_

A buzzing in the pocket of her skirt alerted Velvet to a message to her scroll. Smiling in apology her eyes read over the message before pouting cutely. "Hate to run abruptly after becoming friends, but my team leader wants the team to meet up in the training room to go over some new strategies she's come up with. And I was hoping to finish my Carrot Cake muffins. Oh well, I do have to cut back on the stuff, a huntress can't be weighed down by love handles, now can she?" reaching behind to the table she had been peacefully eating at before Cardin showed up, Velvet gestured for Jaune to open his hands to drop something into his waiting palms. Two golden brown muffins, topped with a nice swirl of whip cream and little carrots fell onto his hands, the sweet scent of cinnamon and vanilla making even Blake salivate by his side. "I won't be able to finish them all off. Take 'em. Consider a nice little thank you between friends."

Another message blew up on her scroll causing the bunny faunas to roll her eyes sarcastically before running off, "I'll talk to you later, Jaune! Maybe we can study over some of Dr. Oobleck's lessons some time!" she shouted back with a grin, quickly disappearing into the halls of students leaving.

' _ **You received a Special Gift! Velvet's Carrot Cake Muffin (2x)! A moist carrot cake muffin with cinnamon and vanilla mixed in along with the healthy treat of carrots! Instantly recover all MP and HP and permanently increase HP by 200, Mana by 10, and Wisdom by 2!'**_

Handing one of the muffins to Blake, Jaune withheld a whistle as he read over the message. This was what Special Gifts were? Sweet, literally! As much as he wanted to eat the moist treat, it would be a better idea to save it instead. While he was doing well in Professor Antheia's class, he still wasn't proficient enough to make potions yet. He was close though. So close, she whispered warmly over his ears while biting her lips. Sent shivers down his spine, his pants had never felt so tight since taking her class. It was becoming a problem, wasn't easy hiding a stiff one from a teacher that was always leaning over your shoulder.

"That was certainly nice of her." Blake smiled before biting into the treat. Now if only they could make tuna flavored muffins. "I didn't think such a corny line would work on her though. Guess your charm does work on some woman." Who would of thought?

"Nah, she's just being generous." Jaune said with a laugh and a shake of his head.

A dull stare looked back at him before she decided against saying anything. Jaune truly was thickheaded. Blake didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. Still, it was nice knowing that he wasn't the kind to ignore blatant racism when he saw it. It made her smile.

 **+500EXP!** _**'Blake's Friendship Level has risen by 1! Friendship Lvl: 3.'**_

"Well, we better head on back. No doubt they're wondering what's taking us so long. I wouldn't even be surprised if Yang's already making up some story about us sneaking off." That girl had a very open imagination on her.

"Yeah, right." Jaune scoffed in amusement as they walked off to their dorms, "As if you and I could ever be a thing. What would you call that anyways? KnightShade, BlackKnight? Help me out here Blake, I'm brainstorming."

Blake rolled her eyes. He certainly was a dork.

* * *

A sigh of relief left Jaune's lips as he clutched desperately onto the railing of the trashcan he was bending over. Sweet air rushed into his lungs, panting as he wiped his lips of the remains of breakfast. Why the hell couldn't they invent a cure for motion sickness? They could turn a gun into a sword, power gadgets with rocks from the earth that glowed, and build robots that can fight monsters of darkness, yet they couldn't focus some of their greatest minds on a cure for motion sickness? He would pay a fortune for such an invention, along with many other people. Motion sickness was a common problem! It affected one out of four people! That was a lot in his eyes. The things he did to get into Vale.

Seeing as today was their day off again, Jaune had decided to take a nice little trip into Vale. While his parents weren't so thrilled with the idea of him attending a school like Beacon with his lack of training, they were still supportive enough to send him a nice little allowance every week to pay for the necessities, and a few guilty pleasures. If only they would stop telling him that he was free to come home if things didn't work. Then again he did have a tendency to trip over himself sometimes, a guy like him fighting against Grimm wasn't really assuring to them. Only four out of seven of his sisters really believed in him.

Things were different though. With the powers of a Gamer Jaune now stood a greater chance against the Grimm. His grades were even better then before! Now he wasn't just some weakling that was struggling to get by, he was a decent fighter that was proving his worth in school. Even if he hadn't won any matches just yet. It's only been one week. Wouldn't be long till he was kicking ass like the rest of them.

Right now he was on his way to buy a few comics, the new album by Jeffrey Will, and grab a few groceries while he was at it. Ren told him to grab some before Nora ate through their fridge again. He also gave him a pointed look to not get distracted by any random Quests popping up in town. Vale was a HUB world of NPC's that was brimming with random events, it was easy to get side tracked by their endless requests. Said they were useless anyways. You got very little EXP from saving a cat from a tree, Ren mentioned.

' _But kitties are so cute and fluffy! Why would I ever leave one hanging on a tree? That's just being an asshole. Sounds like the kind of thing Ren would do though.'_ Was it sad that his opinion of his best male friend was slowly dropping as the days passed by? Ren had seemed like such a nice guy when he had first met him. Polite, quiet, gentle, patient, and incredibly lazy. Turns out all that stemmed from a lack of caring anymore. He just didn't want to deal with all the drama the game world created.

It would have been nice to have someone come along with him on his trip. Pyrrha was more then eager to tag along, but had been dragged by Nora and team RWBY for some girl time in their dorms. Literally, they were dragging her by her feet back to their room as she tried reaching her hand to him. Maybe it was for the best. Pyrrha's talk about her status and how ostracized it made her from the other students still rung in his head from before. Some time with the other girls would do her some good.

' _For the love of Oum! Don't leave me with them!'_

A wince of regret left Jaune as the horrified shout of one Lie Ren haunted his conscious. He could understand Pyrrha, but why did they have to drag Ren along with her? Was it the hair? It must have been the hair. And the fact the guy was skilled in styling hair. How else did he keep such long raven locks silky smooth when he was always dragged along with Nora's shenanigans? It was a smart move not to mention it to the girls that he was wasn't bad at it either, came with living with seven sisters. He learned his lesson in his first life.

Spitting back the sickly taste of vomit from his mouth, Jaune thanked whatever god that created the world for the lucky sign of a soda machine in close proximity to the trashcan. Did not want to have the taste of pancakes and juice acids in his mouth all day. Dropping a few cents into the machine, Jaune waited for the mechanical clunking of the dispenser to drop down his drink. _'I don't care what Pyrrha or Ren say, Everybody Loves Grape Soda is too nutritious! It has the word grape in the title for crying out loud.'_

The sizzle of caffeinated suds was music to Jaune's ears as he took a swig of the purple beverage, swishing it around his mouth to rid the taste of vomit before spitting it out to the pavement. And it made excellent mouth wash to boot.

With another few cents down the machine, Jaune pulled out his scroll as two more soda's dropped down. It would be a good idea to add a few into his Inventory while he was at it.

' _ **Everybody Loves Grape Soda(2x)! The tasty flavor of grapes in soda form! Who doesn't like grapes? Recover 300HP and 20MP.'**_

Tapping the Inventory and Special Gifts icon on his scroll, Jaune pressed down two of his fingers on the screen, swiping them up to bring the screen floating in front of him. Fifteen open boxes were displayed in a neon blue grid, only three of the boxes were occupied by items. Four tabs separated the items if he wanted to organize them, Items, Weapons, Armor, and Dust.

The help guide had shown him how to bring up certain windows on his scroll right before his eyes, basically enlarging them to handle better. It had also taught him how to drop his items into his inventory and how to take them out. With the world paused around him, Jaune grabbed the two spare cans of soda and pushed them into the spare box next to Velvet's muffin. It now had a picture of a little can of purple soda with 2x on the bottom corner of the icon. Velvet's gift was highlighted pink compared to the other boxes. Guess it was due to it being a Special Gift.

Good to know that the little drink could heal and restore mana, as little as it could. For the time being it was going to have to do till he could create his own potions.

Calling off the pause, Jaune decided his first stop would be The Vibe Cafe, a nice little coffee hut that sold music as well. It was a new place he had never discovered before when both teams strolled around Vale after completing Professor Port's mission. He wondered if it was because he had never spotted it before or that it was due to the Remix. Either way it was a nice place to save on his map. That was another helpful feature. His HUD now displayed a little map of Vale on the top right hand corner of his sight. With a simple thought he could expand it or send it away like that. Most of the areas on the map were dark, meaning he hadn't discovered them yet or had no access to them. Not much of a problem seeing as he would be too busy to explore right now.

' _I wonder if there is a Fast Travel option? That would save me the trouble of transportation.'_ He could understand Ren's reasons for hating the power of The Gamer, but he had to admit there were some really cool perks to it too. Made life a bit more bearable.

 _Buzz, buzz, buzz!_

"The hell?" Jaune lightly frowned in confusion as he reached for his scroll again. An odd little exclamation icon was buzzing on his screen with every step. Was that the Event Finder option? Well he really wasn't feeling like participating in an event right now. All he wanted to do is download some new tunes to his scroll and enjoy the rest of the day. It wasn't as if he was stopping a bank robbery or something. Ignoring the icon, Jaune continued on his way to the little cafe.

What could go wrong in ignoring one little event?

* * *

Cardin was not having a good day.

Strolling the streets of Vale with a bag of tools and Dust for modifications to Beaufort, his heavy mace, the leader of team CRDL was not feeling in high spirits. It was all Jaune Arc's fault for his sour mood. He had been enjoying a nice breakfast with his team, even had the chance to mess around with that faunas girl in Oobleck's class. But then Mr. White Knight had to go and ruin his fun by butting his nose in his business. And here he was beginning to think that Arc wasn't much of a loser as he made himself out to be. Instead he was just another faunas sympathizer, lying to themselves that those animals were to be trusted.

What a joke. It didn't matter what kind of sheeps clothing they wore, those animals would turn into a visage wolves the moment you let your guard down.

Why couldn't they see that? The White Fang was an obvious example of what they were truly capable of. The genocide of humanity was what those freaks wanted and it was something all faunas no doubt shared. Even the ones attending Beacon were no different. At least he wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. Not a lot of people trusted those animals to begin with, ridiculing them and even refusing to do business with them. But that was all they ever did. No one was taking any action against those freaks, allowing them to live among normal people while giving them nasty looks as they passed by.

Cowards. That's all they were. They were a threat, one that needed to be stopped before it was too late.

' _P-Please, don't hate them_ _f-for it.'_

Cardin ground his teeth, frowning deeply in rage as he stopped walking. The plastic bag hung over his shoulders nearly came apart as he swung it against the wall beside him. Luckily he had stopped by an ally so no one could see him in his anger.

It was their fault. Animals. Every damn one of them.

"One day. One day I'll make those fucking animals pay." he seethed.

The shadows around the hunter seemed to darken at his remark, cutting off the light of day as a deep chuckle echoed in the air. Pushing back his anger, Cardin began to curse himself for leaving his weapon behind at school. Didn't matter, he didn't need a weapon to beat up some punk trying to mug him. He wasn't an easy target.

"My boy, that's a lot of hate you got there. Don't you know those kind of emotions can blind you? Such waste, don't tell me you're just another mindless racist like the rest of them?" the voiced mused, its owner hidden in the dark curtain hung around Cardin.

"What's it to you, punk ass!?" Cardin growled, moving his head left and right to find the bastard playing with him. "And don't compare me to those trash! My reasons are mine and mine alone! I don't have to explain myself to a coward that hides behind some shadows!"

The voice seemed to pause in thought to his words. The shadows around them dimmed, fading away to silhouettes and leaving one large shadow looming from a trashcan. A figure walked right out of the shade, revealing a dirty blonde haired man. The stranger wore a dark brown leather padded coat with fur trimming along with straps tied to the forearms, dark gray cargo pants with several pockets, a crocodile skinned western hat, and combat boots. Three scarred lines ran across his face, stretching as he grinned ruefully at the brown haired boy.

"Sorry about that, boy. Just testing you out is all. And might I say, you have a strong aura." he chuckled as he stood in front of the boy.

Cardin quickly assumed a stance, readying himself for any tricks the odd man had. Looked like he was capable of a Semblance. The man wasn't some ordinary alley mugger, he walked with a certain air around him. "Again, what's it to you? I got better things to do then stand around with some weird old man, so move aside. Unless you're feeling like an ass kicking." he grinned smugly, earning a sarcastic whistle of awe from the blonde.

The stranger nodded his head, scratching his fuzzy chin as he looked into the boy's eyes. He liked what he saw. He flashed his teeth in amusement, "Oh? Fighting some random stranger over petty looks? That's not the proper behavior of a hunter, now is it? And such hate. What a sorry sight."

"Shut up!" Cardin snapped, swinging his fist at the man's grinning face. The dirty blonde leaned his head to the right, laughing in the face of the furious boy as his fist missed. Cardin swung said fist into his face, cursing as the man bent back. Falling back onto his hands, the stranger kicked his feet under the brown haired hunter's chin, sending him stumbling back with a bloody scrap.

Damn. That actually dented his aura. Cardin growled in fury before rushing in with a few jabs at the smirking blonde. A left hook was blocked by a swatting slap, the right dodged before following up with kick to his chest, and his charging tackle was stopped dead by a foot sending him stumbling into the alley wall. The bastard was actually skilled. Finding a few broken pieces of cement blocks lying around he began throwing them back at the slowly approaching man. The firing cement shards meant nothing to the man as he broke them to smaller bits with a swing of his arm. With the dust created from the rubble, Cardin used the opportunity to rush in with a downward swing of a pipe he found.

"Not bad, kid." the stranger nodded, impressed as he caught the blow with one hand. Bringing it forward to his chest, the man began to smack Cardin's hand into his face repeatedly, the pipe in his hand creating a dong with each hit. "Even without a weapon you seem to be able to put up a fight. All kids these days seem to depend on their weapons like a life line, makes them weak when they lose them in a fight. You're not doing bad without it, though I can still end you right now if I wanted to. We're going to have to work on that, won't we?" he grinned widely as Cardin grunted in pain with each smack. Pausing the rain of blows, the stranger patted the boy's head in amusement before delivering a devastating knee jab to his stomach.

Cardin gasped as the air was robbed of him. He fell to his knee's clutching onto his stomach as he glared at the man standing before him. This wasn't some ordinary stranger, the fact he didn't use what he believed was his Semblance should of warned him of that. But this guy was toying with him like it was a game! That was insulting. So what, he thought as he tried standing back up.

He was a Winchester. And even when they were dead on their feet they never backed down in a fight!

"Shut up! I'm a Hunter! Just like my father, and his father, and his father before that! We don't back down in a fight!" he yelled hoarsely, his face bruised, blood trickling down his lip as he held his bruising gut.

Such spirit! Now this was a hunter with purpose. Holt grinned at the beaten boy. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about the streets of Vale that always caused him to stumble upon potential.

Seeing the man raise his hand for another strike, Cardin tensed his muscles to try and counter. What he didn't expect was for the man to ruffle his hair with a smile.

"Tell me, what do you think of the faunas?" he asked with a curious look in his eyes.

Cardin scoffed, batting away the hand on his hair before taking a step back. He held his stance, just in case it was some trick to lower his guard, "They're animals that are lucky to even be living along side us. I don't trust them, those freaks are only a single step away from turning on their tails and following the White Fang!" he shouted, panting as he took the moment to get his breath back.

Holt nodded his head, an unimpressed look on his face, "Meh. Nothing I haven't heard before. Those are just words though. It's easy to hate them for being different." Definitely nothing he hasn't already heard from other people. And he was hoping for something more original.

"It's more then that!" Cardin roared, taking Holt by surprise as his glare intensified. He gripped his knuckles till his aura began having a difficult time from keeping himself from cutting his palms, "You think I'm just like them!? I don't care if they have a few extra limbs or animal ears! I hate them because their feral animals that don't have any regard for the life around them! All they do is bitch and moan about how hard things are for them, thinking that the best answer to fix things is terrorism. They don't care if a few innocent people get hurt as long as their message is sent! I hate them because their nothing but genocidal freaks that are willing to kill to further their cause!"

Several machines hooked up to a woman in a hospital gown played inside his head. A worn out smile, fading blue eyes, and a heavily bandaged face. Cardin's blood boiled as his face became livid at the memory.

' _P-Please, don't hate them f-for it.'_

"My reasons are my own. And I won't let anyone else tell me other wise." he seethed.

Holt paused as he stared at the boy in front of him, blinking with a face devoid of emotion. A soft smile took over his features.

"Good enough. But you have to open your eyes more, boy. You lack an understanding, I can help you with that. And so much more." he grinned, gesturing his open hand forward to the confused hunter in training.

"I can give that hate purpose. I can help you grow stronger. I can open your eyes to the faunas, and save them from themselves. All you got to do is trust old Holt."

Trust? The guy was handing his ass to him a few seconds ago. What did he have that Beacon wasn't offering him? Then again, the teachers weren't of much help. All they did was blab on and on about things that happened years ago. Not to mention he hadn't lost a match yet. He was hardly being tested as it was. And this guy had turned all his training to nothing, playing with him as some joke to laugh at.

It was also filled with fakers like Jaune. Weak minded fools who played with the idea that everything was fine.

Cardin gazed at the smiling man, considering his offer for a moment. Well, it didn't mean he had to stop attending Beacon. If it did then he could always go back later as if nothing happened. He supposed he could see what the Holt guy could offer him. Even if the guy seemed to want to teach about the faunas and spouted some crap about saving them. He didn't seem to judge him like everyone else.

Holt's smile widened further as he found the boy taking his hand with a firm and a stern scowl.

"I'm only humoring you. I already attend Beacon Academy, I don't need to quit it to go with some weird old man with a thing for recruiting guys he just beat up. If this turns out to be a waste of time, I'm bailing." he glared as he felt his aura kick in and heal his wounds.

"Be my guest! I won't force you and you can still keep going to Beacon. I'm sure you'll understand my own cause and come to see me as a mentor of sorts. I assure you, this won't be a waste of time. . ." he left his sentence hang in the air, waiting for the boy to finish it.

"Cardin, Cardin Winchester." he introduced himself.

Holt gave his hand a firm shake, tipping his hat to him as he grinned, "Nice name, sounds like a warriors. Name's Holt Delmos. Let me introduce you to The Friends of Faunas." he laughed loudly as the shadows under their feet sprang up under their feet.

The shadows stretched around them, forming a veil of darkness before wrapping themselves around Holt and the surprised Cardin. The shadows twisted over them, condensing within themselves before leaving behind nothing in the alley.

Today was a good day. Holt couldn't wait till Ann met their newest addition. Hopefully she didn't get jealous. Where was that bubble gum popping girl anyway?

* * *

"Here you go! One Kona Mocha with lots of whip cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top! And your download shall be ready shortly." a black haired man smiled kindly as he passed Jaune his chilled drink.

Jaune thanked the worker, placing his scroll down on the counter top as the man pressed a few buttons on his register. A hollow music icon popped on the screen, dropping musical notes into the empty icon by a crane as his music downloaded.

It would have been much easier to download his music back at Beacon, but certain albums could only be downloaded in music stores. It was a way to keep them in business. The Vibe Cafe understood that it wouldn't make much business only selling music that some others might be able download in the comfort of their own homes, so the company had decided to sell coffee drinks and treats along with offering a nice lounge area to listen to free music as they sat down. The place was cozy. He was going to have to stop by again later when he bought his comics. It would be great to finish a comic without Nora's shenanigans interrupting his reading time.

The place would also be a great spot to sit down and think about The Game. He could look over his stats and other options here without being stared at by both teams. Thanks to Pyrrha they all thought he had a gaming addiction. He could still remember how Yang had snatched his scroll as he was looking over his abilities and played keep away with him. There was no chance in winning, seeing as when he did catch her in a corner she had dropped his scroll into her cleavage, winking back at him to try and reach for it. Her purple eyes had gone red, daring him to try.

Jaune sighed at the memory. Thank god for Ruby and Weiss. If they hadn't wrestled it out of her hands, or breasts, then he would have had no choice but to attempt it. He wasn't willing to find out what would happen if he lost that thing. Most of his powers revolved around his scroll. Didn't even want to imagine if it ever broke.

Heavy musical beats rang in his ears, drowning out the jazzy melody playing over the cafe. Blinking in confusion, Jaune twisted his head to the side to find a girl waiting behind him, listening to her own music loudly with her headphones.

She had light blue hair curling at the tips, a long parting strand falling over her left eye and wore a dark purple and magenta stripped hoodie with short jeans. Her green eyes stared boredly back at him, raising an eyebrow catching him staring at her. She tapped her neon green sneakers, cocking her hip as he smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stare." he scratched his cheek nervously as he gulped. "You waiting in line? I'm just about done here so you can go right ahead." Jaune moved to the side, letting the girl step right up to the register.

She spared him a glance, popping a green bubble of gum as she nodded curtly, "Thanks, Blondie." she thanked dully before speaking with the man behind the register.

"Give me a Breakfast Wrap to go and a copy of Jeffrey Will's new album, I Burn."

The man nodded his head politely, ringing her up, "Gotcha! Breakfast Wrap and Will's new album. That will be 25L, please!"

The blue haired girl frowned with a tsk, "Fuck. I only got twenty Lien on me." Should of listened to Holt. It was a bad habit to only bring what she thought she would need. Forgot to eat breakfast this morning and thought she could buy something small before heading back. "I thought the new album was 15L?"

The counterman shook his head with a sorry frown, "No, that was their last album cover, Like Roses. Their new one, I Burn, costs an extra 5L. Comes with a bonus track."

As awesome as that was it meant she was going to have to forget about that wrap. Ann's stomach growled in response, causing her to curse it out. Music ruled over food. Going to have to wait till her briefing with Holt was over with. And that old man could go on and on. It was waste of Lien anyway, a plain sandwich back at their warehouse was free.

"Fine." she sighed with a grumble, "I'll just take the new album. I can grab a bite when I find the time."

Another angry response from her stomach caused her to blush in embarrassment. She punched her gut with an angry glare. Damn thing didn't understand that it could eat later. Her tunes came first dammit!

Rummaging through her short's pockets, Ann was ready to pay for her download before a hand slapping onto the counter startled her. A green Lien card glared at her, the exact amount she needed for her breakfast. A shoulder tapped against her own, causing her to turn her head to the smiling blonde kid that stood in front of her earlier.

"Here, it's only 5L. I'm sure your stomach will thank me for it." he chuckled, earning him a growl from Ann's lips.

"That damn thing ought to shut up before it finds itself eating a knuckle sandwich."

"I don't recommend those. They aren't great for your figure unless your looking for blueberry tinted abs. Trust me, I've eaten my fair share."

Ann scoffed, her eye gazing lazily at his blue eyes, "I bet you have, Blondie." he looked like the pushover type. Staring back at the Lien card on the counter she scowled sternly, "You don't have to pay for my wrap. It's not a good idea to waste Lien on strangers."

"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. Besides, it's only Lien. I may not have much of it, but it's not that important to me."

"You're not the brightest guy, are ya?"

"Is it the blond hair? Because I find that discriminating. My kind have been belittled enough as it is!"

"And you're certainly not helping the stereotype."

"Just humor me, oh so mysterious blue haired girl."

"Fine." It wasn't looking like she was going to win this matter. Pushing the currency forward, she was allowed to begin her download. Ann looked back at the blue eyed boy, grudgingly sighing, "Thanks by the way. I'll be sure to pay ya back, Blondie."

"It's Jaune, Jaune Arc. And don't worry about it. It's only 5L."

"To you. Lien makes the world go round." Seeing the scroll beside her own and connecting it to the blonde, Ann snatched it off the counter as it finished downloading. She ignored his 'Hey' and opened his contacts page. "Here." After pressing a few buttons, she shoved the scroll back into his chest. Jaune looked at his screen in confusion.

"I'll message you sometime to met up when I have the free chance and pay you back the Lien with interest. That way I don't have to owe ya anything."

A new contact was created on his scroll. It read 'Ann' with a little picture of music note on her contact information.

That was nice. Kinda. But she didn't really owe him anything. "I told you, you don't owe me anything. I don't need the Lien."

"Too bad. What's done is done." The smell of a grilled tortilla wrap with sausage, Vale cheese, fresh greens with tomatoes, and mustard notified her that her food was ready. Seeing as her scroll was now done loading her new music, Ann quickly grabbed her meal and scroll and ran off to the exit.

"You better met me when I text you! I will hunt you down and shove those Lien down your sorry ass throat if you don't!"

Watching the odd girl run off, Jaune could only scratch his head at the turn of events. What a day it was turning out to be. At least he got the number of a cute girl. That was something.

' _ **Congratulations! You've just Unlocked an Event! Trial by Fire, Begun! More details will be unlocked as you progress with this Event. Quest Unlocked, Returning the Favor!**_

 _ **Returning the Favor:**_

 _ **The mysterious Ann wishes to payback the Lien you lent. Await for her message to met up in Vale during the next week to receive your Lien. Plus interest.**_

 _ **Reward: 5 measly Lien. And interest.**_

 _ **Failure Penalty: She will hunt you down. No joke. You'll be tasting plastic cards for weeks. Trial by Fire Event will be failed as well.'**_

Jaune was not expecting that. Reading over the message, he began to wonder if he stumbled onto an Event when he wasn't paying attention. His scroll did stop buzzing just as he got here.

Ren was not going to like this. He somehow felt that he had a long week ahead of him.

* * *

 **And that's another chapter out of the way. Sorry, but no DLC today. I decided to work on editing the past five chapters instead. Got a lot of mistakes to fix. Again, I'm seriuosly considering accepting a Beta reader. It would help me a lot down the road. Something to think about.**

 **What's in store now? Cardin has accepted a look into the FoF. Jaune has met a strange new friend. And poor Ren is in the clutches of huntresses and their gossip. That's a DLC to look forward to in the future. The wheels are turning, what will await them in the end? Lines are crossed, is conflict inevitable?**

 **You'll have to tune in next week! Got to finish Chapter 8 first. And deal with my little brother. *Sigh* I'm not looking forward to this awkward conversation. Going to need to play some RWBY: Grimm Eclipse to settle my nerves. And finish watching Ip Man. A good fighting movie always cheers me up. Now to deal with my other brother. Damn idiot is babbling about becoming a meme lord on something called Animo. A good ass whooping out to ground him back to earth. Backhand, don't fail me now!**

 **Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	7. Strangers and Friends

**Yo! NeoShadows back, and I'm currently not wearing pants!**

 **. . .The fuck you looking at? What I wear when I'm in my bed at night, editing chapters and chilling, is none of your business.**

 **Alright, I'll be completely honest with you all, I was really close to not finishing Chapter 8 yesterday. Most likely due to the fact that for two days I've been binging on Monster Hunter Generations. Luckily I stopped myself from playing anymore till I finished next weeks chapter. I was really close to not completing it in three days, and even now I'm not so sure about it. I mean, it's necessary to get the story going, but I still find it a bit dry. Good thing I got another DLC planned with it. And a few chuckles inside the chapter. Chapter 9 is where the real action is going to take place.**

 **Reminds me, we have up to 8-9 chapters left till the end of Volume 1 of this story. After that, break time! I'll most likely begin Volume 2 of Multiplayer in the middle of Volume 4 of RWBY. In the space between that time, I'll be publishing One-shots for the time being. Just to let you know. That's still a good two months away though, so no need to worry. I'll be posting a chapter every Thursday till then.**

 **As always, Review Time!**

 **Vallavaryan: That's your opinion, and I respect it. But I don't really see how Jaune and the rest of his team would follow Ruby on her quest when they're beside a wounded Pyrrha. Her death was what would push Jaune to finally get serious and become a proper hunter. Course that could also happen if she was badly hurt, but still survived. But I feel that her death would mean more. It's debatable, and something to talk about some other time, that's just my two cents.**

 **JustJustin3099: Really need to take a grammar class or something, I think I wrote much better when I was in high school. Again, Beta is starting to sound even more tempting at this point. And yes, the whole world does pause when he pauses. As do the Gamers without noticing, unless their a close distance to the Player activating it.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Yeah, Cardin's a bit more fleshed out in my story. He's actually a good character to write once you give him more backstory. And boy, does he have a story here. As for Jaune ignoring Events, the Event Finder is optional. Not all of them are important, and who's to say he didn't find one? There can be more then one. Nope, can't wish for more wishes. As for another Reset, why would they after finally ending the endless resets? That's one of the reasons they wish to end the game. And yes, they still have their abilities other the one connected to the Gamer.**

 **Vavoysh: Damn. It's just like when I use to write Dame instead of Damn. I'll get to work on that when I have the time, thanks for the notice.**

 **Wandai: Pretty much. Can't run away from this Event. And tell me about it, I hate when others simply write Cardin off as some plain old racist for stories sake. Everyone has a reason. Other then a crush on some girl. Hah! I never thought of Ren's attitude like that till I got some reviews about it. Yeah, I guess you can say that. All that's missing is him saying Idiot with a blush!**

 **DarkElucidator: Sure thing. Once I got time to actually play it again. I main as Ruby by the way. Love that girl. Steam ID is neosshadows. If I remember right.**

 **TalonlbnLaAhad: Your insanity is a breath of fresh air, my friend. And I feel like talking to you would give me more and more ideas for DLC. So keep them ideas coming! As for the Event he missed, well that's the thing, I never said there was a single one available. I think you'll like this chapter, and its DLC. I blame my Final Fantasy 13 nostalgia for it.**

 **Blackfirekingkoncor: Kinda confused with what you said there, bud. If it's about Holt being a Player, nope! No OC's are Players. The last two are kinda tricky. But they'll be revealed soon enough.**

 **Acerman: I'm not telling~! You'll find out soon enough, trust me. No idea who Buster Brocket is, going to have to google him later. And thanks for liking the story and giving it a chance. I feel like most people ignore gamer stories at this point after the huge amount that have flooded this sect. Yeah, then and than have always been tricky for me. I'll be sure to watch out for that, so don't worry about being a grammar nazi. Sadly, we are one.**

 **Soulfulbard: Eh, actually he kinda took another one instead. Can't accept more then one. Walked into another one while he ignored the other.**

 **GhostHornet: Hah! We'll see what the future holds. Caught that reference, did ya? I think you're the only one. As for Jaune and Ren, yeah, no. To the disappointment of team RWBY, this ain't that kind of fic. It just comes off that way to them, and it's hilarious.**

 **Benthino: Ah, thanks! Good to know you see promise with my fic. I won't disappoint! Glad to see you developing your own OC's, just remember not to go overboard with them. I'd like to hear about them when they're done. Yes, naughty times are certainly welcomed, I totally agree. As for Roman, well, I got plans for my favorite master criminal, don't you worry.**

 **Wbrendon89: Happy to have you onboard, I promise this will be an epic tale in length and development! Never heard of Mother of Learning, I'll have to look it up when I have the chance. Spoilers! Can't say much on Ren and Pyrrha, not just yet. Nor can I deny or confirm you theory. As for the part of the teacher 'raping' Jaune, well it was written for humor's sake. Didn't really happen, simply got a little frisky with him. Sorry if it came out wrong. Hopefully this next DLC suits you.**

 **Alright, Reviews are done with. Keep 'em coming. Also, if you got your own ideas for DLC's, write them down in the reviews along with your questions and thoughts. Who know's? I might just write one of them and credit you for it.**

 **Now let's get to scrolling!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. All this writing is keeping me away from my games. I still haven't even completed any of the ones on my laptop. Poor Huniepop, no cherry popping today.**_

 _ **. . .What? It's a good game! You have no idea how hard love making is! Litterally took me almost an hour to get laid!**_

 _ **. . .I say these things, and I'm Catholic. God give me strength. . .and patience to align those tokens quick enough to make those girls moan.**_

 _ **Yup, I've damned myself. I blame society. And the Spice channel.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Strangers and Friends.**

An audible boom echoed in the arena like a thundering clap, sending a panting Yang Xiao Long skidding on her boots across the room. Sweat rolled down her face, a thrilled grin stretching on her face as she stared down her opponent. A short girl that could give Ruby a run on her money in the short department huffed in equal exhaustion, her shoulders slumping as she reared her head back with an annoyed sigh. She wore brown Roman leather chest armor with floral designs running around the front, a knee length short skirt with silver metal plates padding over the material, and peasant sandals. A gold medallion hung over her neck with a fist clutching a lightning bolt engraved on it. The girl shook her head, her short sweaty brunette hair slapping her cheeks as she scowled.

"Not bad, Hera!" Yang panted as she took a second to recover her breath. It had been a long time since someone had pushed her back like that. All the girl was a missing was a busty chest instead of those mosquito bites she called boobs, long golden hair as silky smooth as her, a few more inches which heels could help with, and a taste in punny jokes and she would be a dead ringer as her twin sister.

Hera grumbled as she rubbed her right fist, "Damn, Cow. Making me exert myself like this." she pouted cutely. It's been awhile since she was forced to let loose some of her strength.

The grin on Yang's face twitched, "That's not very nice, Itty-Titty."

"That's sexual harassment!"

"You haven't seen sexual harassment!" Yang shouted, pointing her finger at the girl's chest. "Not yet at least. Come here! I can help you massage those poor excuse for tits!"

A golden aura erupted from the tiny girl's body with her furious shout, cracking the floor with the pressure she was exerting. Her blue eyes shined brighter as she stared down her opponent with an embarrassed blush. She raised her fist for a jab, punching the air in front of her a second later. A visible shockwave fired from her fist like a bullet, crashing head onto the busty blonde. Yang raised her arms in a cross guard, enduring the blunt air pressure hitting her like a plowing truck. A trail of carved tiles trailed from her feet skidding back from the powerful blow. Gritting her teeth, Yang unleashed her Semblance to convert the damage to raw power, her hair sizzling lightly as her eyes blazed red. Several more shock waves followed after her as she began to weave through the firing shots. Dust clouds blew up all around the girl, shrouding the arena below the class before another resounding clap cleared the dust.

The two girls fists were locked in a power struggle, their auras clashing against another. The ground broke apart into bits that floated around them. Sweat dripped down their forehead, gritting their teeth openly. A smirk broke through Yang's lips. "Guess what?" she sang smugly, earning a frown from the small brunette before winking, "You forgot about my friend, BASHY!" Her left fist swung into Hera's shocked face, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying out the ring.

Above the girls heads, Hera's Aura dropped into the red. Hera gasped as her back hit the wall, nearly breaking right through it. The girl slumped against it with a sigh. She was really starting to hate that left hand of hers. And its sister, Smashy. The big breasted blonde's Semblance was a perfect counter to her own.

A loud cheer erupted form the stands as the bell signaled the end of the match. Walking down into the crater filled arena, Glynda simply flicked her riding crop at the debris, fixing the damage back as if it never happened. Pitting those two girls at another was asking for the place to be demolished. One didn't like holding back, and the other couldn't hold back if she wanted. It was a spectacle to behold.

Tapping a few buttons on her scroll, Glynda called the two huntresses back to the center of the arena. She hid the small smile on her face watching Yang help up the beaten brunette. Despite how much of a brawler the girl was, she still had a caring heart on her. It was good to know that such power hadn't gotten to her head like others had.

"That was an excellent match you two. Despite not having your weapons on you, you both displayed remarkable hand to hand skills. I should expect no less with your Semblances." she nodded sternly before continuing on her assessment of their combat prowls. They were strong, but they still fell short on few fields, "But I still found a few flaws in your stances. Ms. Xiao Long, you tend to run into the fight without thinking. There were a number of times where you could have ended the fight but chose to throw your fists instead. And you seem to have trouble with opponents shorter then yourself. Watch out for that, there are many small sized Grimm that are quite powerful. That, and you seem to relay on your Semblance to finish the fight. Be careful of that, one wrong move and not even your gift will save you when you're left unconscious."

"Got it, Prof!" Yang grinned with a thumbs up.

"Right." Glynda drawled with a quirked eyebrow. She was sure the girl was only half paying attention now that the match was over. Turning her eyes to the smaller huntress, the blonde haired witch resisted the urge to turn her head down to meet the light blue eyes looking up at her own. If there was one thing she had learned about Hera through the last few weeks in her class was that height was a touchy subject for the small girl. "Ms. Kleos, while your Semblance allows you immense strength that can match even a Golaiths at times, your dexterity falls incredibly short on handling blows. Ms. Xiao Long was able to drop your aura into the red with only three hits, and even though the last one had been boosted by her Semblance, I would of thought to believe that you may have been able to hang in there longer. Your hand to hand is well developed, but once things start to heat up you seem to bite the bullet and start throwing your fists in hopes to end the fight. You must learn patience. A team leader such as yourself must keep a leveled head at all times. Do remember that."

"Yes, Professor Goodwitch." Hera mumbled, her eyes turned to the stands for something.

Glynda dismissed the girls, holding back a sigh of frustration. They were excellent fighters. But they lacked the drive. She was sure that they were only in it for the adventure. Well, Xiao Long seemed to be. Kleos was a different story all together. The girl didn't even want to be here. Her eyes trailed the small girl walking to her team, smiling happily once one of them handed her a small plushy toy Grimm modeled after a Griffon.

Sometimes Fate had other plans, sadly.

Leaving those thoughts behind, Glynda swiped her fingers through her scroll for the last match of the day. Flicking her hands up she brought up the hunter randomizer to the large screen above the arena.

"We have time for one last match today! Remember, today we are practicing on our hand to hand skills in combat. There will be times where many of you will be unable to fight with your weapons due to forgetfulness, being unprepared for conflict, and or when an enemy is able to separate you from it. It is important to fall back into your martial skill in times like this. So leave behind your weapons if your called up on the screen."

Ruby dropped back to her seat with a groan, letting her head fall onto her partner's shoulders. She took it back. Combat Studies was a pain in the ass. Without Crescent Rose by her side, she was nothing! They were partners! In as much as the world allowed. Stupid rules! Why couldn't they understand their love? Hopefully her name wasn't called up to fight today. Everyone else seemed to have something to fall back on when they were weaponless. Weiss had her Glyphs, Blake her Shadow, Yang her fists, and she was sure everyone else was well trained without their weapons be their sides. Ruby, not so much. You'd think with her incredible speed she would of come up with a way to fight without her beloved Crescent Rose, but no. Not much of fighter without it.

Meh, it wasn't like she would ever lose Crescent Rose. Or forget it. Or drop it.

She should stop now before further jinxing herself.

"Lie Ren and Jaune Arc! Will you please come down for the final fight of the day."

"Dammit!"

"Thank you, God!" Ruby cheered loudly as a head thumped onto their desk. Weiss smacked the girl's head to sit back down, earning Ruby a bump on her head. Her watery silver eyes turned to her friend's mortified face with a whimper, "Why, Snow Angel?" she sniffed.

Weiss growled, "Don't call me that! I swear if that doofus of a leader's nickname for me spreads out to others, I'll be sure he sees real angels up close!"

"That's right!" Yang nodded firmly as she waved an odd little flag in her hand, "Only Vomit Boy has the pleasure of calling her Snow Angel!"

"That's rig-NO!" Weiss suddenly roared with a light dust of pink on her cheeks to the whooping blonde girl. She grabbed Yang by the front of her jacket, shaking her body around like a rag doll, "The hell's wrong with you!? How many times do I have to tell you that it's never happening!? And what is that in your hand!? White Knight!? The hell is that!?"

"It's your shipping name." Blake answered calmly as her eyes stopped roaming her pages. She set the book down to turn her own yellow eyes to the arena below. She would be lying if she wasn't interesting in seeing how this was going to go. There was something going on between Jaune and Ren that hung around them. An odd sort of tension that surprised her.

Was it animosity? That couldn't be. Ren seemed like the calm type that would rather be left alone, and Jaune was the awkward boy who was as naive as a ten year old boy who wanted to be friends with everyone. There really wasn't much of a reason for them to be at odds with another. Yet there it was.

Hopefully they would be able to resolve whatever was going on in between them. At the thought she frowned lightly in confusion. When the hell did she begin to care about something as trivial as that?

Leaving behind Crocea Mors with Pyrrha, Jaune gulped audibly as he walked down to the arena besides his fellow Player. Ren didn't seem to care about the fight, his eyes just stared ahead with no real emotion.

Thing was, Jaune wasn't what you called the best fighter. Even with Crocea Mors, he was always fighting with his instincts. Without it, he wasn't sure he would last long in a fight. Especially with a guy like Ren. The pink eyed hunter knew martial arts and primarily fought with his fists with Storm Flower weaving into his combos. His aura control was also incredible, allowing him to harden his fists for some devastating blows. As his team leader, Jaune was suppose to know what his team was capable of. The only thing he never learned of was Ren's semblance. That had always been a mystery to him.

Did it have to do with his abilities as a Gamer? What was the difference between the powers of a Gamer and a semblance anyways? These were questions to save for later when Ren felt like helping him out again. The guy had already put up with him for the last two weeks. It was actually looking like he was warming up to him again. The glaring had dropped by a good 25%! Progress was progress.

' _ **PVP, Activated! Rules: No Weapons allowed! Items have been disabled. Winning Conditions: Drop your opponents HP/Aura into the red! Physical Boost Semblances allowed. Get Ready!'**_

Standing apart from another, Jaune raised his fists in what he believed was a good form he had seen from a boxing match on TV. There wasn't a thought of winning on his mind. Ren outmatched him in every field he could think of. But he could at least put up a fight. It was better then nothing.

Ren yawned into his hand. He was hoping to go the day without fighting. It was too much of a drag at this point in The Game. Not to mention he was going to be fighting Jaune of all people. The guy was never adept in fist fighting. Or fighting in general really. Not until The Fall.

If it wasn't for the fact he was trying to keep up the appearance of a moderate student to the academy, Ren would of half-assed every fight. As a student of Beacon he was expected to be well trained, enough to be allowed entrance into such a prestige school. If Nora had chosen any other school, the he would of gotten away with his lazy attitude in combat. Maybe. He would never know seeing as she always chose Beacon with every reset. And he didn't feel like being the one that made the decisions in the dynamic. He would follow, he was done leading in anything.

' _Scan.'_ The pink cross hair in his eye observed Jaune's stats, the sight actually making Ren grimace a bit. They were really pathetic. He was only Lvl 8! Everyone else in their class was at least in their thirties. If it wasn't for his abilities granted to him by The Game he would be wrecked in every fight. His Quirk must have been giving him an edge, he couldn't see any other reason Jaune could come off as half decent otherwise.

"Ready when you are, Ren." Jaune smiled nervously towards him. Ren held back an annoyed grunt as he got into a stance himself.

The fight was pointless to him. But maybe it would teach Jaune a lesson on how ill experienced he was. There had to be a limit to how much someone could try.

"BEGIN/ _ **FIGHT**_!" Both Professor Goodwitch and The Game announced.

Jaune breathed in deeply, bending his knees slightly before shooting off his feet towards Ren's waiting form. _'Let's see if that +7 in my Speed was worth the trouble!'_ Skidding to a stop in front of the raven, Jaune threw a right jab at his face. Ren slapped the flat of his hand at the blonde's wrist just before he landed a hit, twisting it around his grip. He pulled it forward, catching Jaune by surprise before punching at his exposed throat. The blow sent Jaune stumbling back with a rasped gasp for air as he choked.

Damn. Guess he shouldn't of rushed in like that. Squinting through his watering eyes, Jaune quickly spun on his right foot to dodge a dropping axle kick heading his way. If there was at least one good thing he was good at, it was dodging. Pink orbs coolly glanced back at him before several high kicks shot at him. Jaune raised his arms up for a guard, blocking the rain of blows to his face. He grimaced noticing the faint outline of pink cladding Ren's kicks. 50 points of his HP was chipped off with every blow he blocked. Wasn't looking like he was going to be able to keep this up much longer. His arms were beginning to ache. With one last powerful kick to Jaune's guard, Ren quickly jumped back a step before spinning on his feet for a roundhouse kick. It landed, breaking Jaune's guard and sending him skidding back on his feet with trembling arms. Jaune winced at the new pain before shaking his head. He wasn't done yet.

' _Scan!'_ Throwing caution to the wind, Jaune dashed towards Ren with his fist raised for another shot at his face.

' _ **Lie Ren, Mind of the Gamer. 8,700/8,700HP.'**_

Looked like he could finally see his HP. Guess that meant that he could only do that in PVP matches. Sucked that it was the only thing he could see.

Stepping aside from the flying fist, Ren swung his hand in knife hand gesture into Jaune's side. The aura coating the blade of his fingers chopped off 300 points from his health. This was becoming sad. Another assault of poor formed blows fell onto him. Ren dodged and countered everyone of them, landing every strike he threw into the blonde's body.

' _300\. 200. 200. 300. 50. And 200.'_ Ren counted off the damage he inflicted with each hit he scored. If he wanted to, he could simply end the fight now. But that would of painted a picture of a remarkable hunter in Glynda's eyes. That wasn't something he wanted. Then again, taking out Jaune quickly wasn't much of a challenge either.

Another fist flew towards his face. Ren sighed in annoyance as he swung his palms to counter the blow. Jaune never learned.

 _" **POWER STRIKE!"**_

A surprised grunt escaped Ren's lips. What he thought would be a weak punch turned into a iron hard swiping fist meeting his own. What do you know? Looked like Jaune wasn't as dumb as he thought.

Using the element of surprise, Jaune used whatever speed he was granted to turn on his foot and swing his right fist into Ren's exposed chest. Ren smirked just as Jaune was about to land a hit, his left hand glowing with pink energy.

 _ **"Power Strike."**_ A kick to Jaune's shins abruptly ended his attack as he shouted in pain. He began to fall forward only for Ren to swiftly land a glowing palm strike to his face. _**'CRITICAL HIT!'**_ The force of the blow sent Jaune falling back with a large bruise slowly forming on his face. He was left with little time to recover before he found himself rolling away from a heel drop onto his already aching face. The floor cracked in spider cracked webs as Ren missed, the action causing him to scoff. Like a roach, Jaune just wouldn't stop moving. "Why can't you just forfeit already?" Ren asked in boredom as he began dodging another rain of knuckles aimed for him. He rolled his eyes blocking a pathetic spin kick with his elbow. His hand twisted the knight's ankle before throwing his body to the side with little effort. Seriously, where the hell was his limit? "You're not going to win this fight. So why bother getting yourself beat up? You have a better chance at me with Crocea Mors." As little as it was.

Jaune panted in exhaustion as he willed himself up. A look at his own health wasn't reassuring in the slightest. _**'Jaune Arc, 1,250/4,000HP, 60/70MP.'**_

"Yeah, you're right about that." he laughed tiredly before giving his friend a strained grin, "But I won't learn anything if I don't try."

Ren glared at the blonde before vanishing from thin air. Cursing, Jaune knew that he had to move out of the way quickly. He already died to a similar move last time.

"Too slow."

Blurring right in front of Jaune just before he could step away, Ren picked the stunned blonde up by the front of his hoodie, leaving him dangling in the air. This really was too easy. Jaune would of posed a better challenge with his sword and shield, without them he was easy EXP. At least he could blow off some steam from this. A glance at everyone watching the fight from their seats in the aisle revealed a worried frown on Pyrrha's face as her green eyes were glued to Jaune's beaten body. Wasn't winning any points there. "Do you give up yet?" Ren quirked his brow as he pulled back his fist for one last power strike to his chest. The area was weak, so he could probably earn another critical hit to end the fight.

A hoarse chuckle was Jaune's answer, "Not just yet." he said with a grimaced grin.

"Jaune." Ren breathed tiredly as his fist glowed, "What else can you-"

 _ **"POWER STRIKE!"**_

Slamming his head into the stunned raven hunter's forehead with the added boost of power strike, Jaune inflicted a good 200 points of damage into his HP as Ren stumbled back. So it did work with whatever body part he was thinking of. Good to know. Now he had an opening to fight back. Charging on ahead, Jaune didn't waste another second for Ren to recover before throwing all his mana into his fists. _**"Power Strike! Power Strike! Power Strike!"**_ Three more mana powered fists slammed into Ren, depleting his health bit by bit. Ren had enough though. Catching a fist aimed for his stinging right cheek, the raven followed up with a power strike of his own into the blonde's chest. The armor protecting his chest cracked loudly and sent Jaune falling back. He clutched onto his chest in pain, gasping as he felt his aura drop into the red.

It was over. With the sound of the buzzer and Professor Goodwitch calling the match, Jaune had lost.

Guess he had done better then he had hoped for. Struggling to whisper the words, the knight scanned Ren who had taken the time to run his hand over his lightly bruising face. _**'Lie Ren, Mind of the Gamer. 7,800/8,700HP.'**_ A small smile reared itself on Jaune's face as he let his head fall back. It wasn't much, hardly anything really, but he made some headway. Didn't know how strong Ren's Defense and Dexterity were, but he had done enough damage with what little Strength he had. It was an accomplishment in his book.

' _Oum dammit! That actually fucking hurt!'_ Ren flinched from the stinging pain on his face. Jaune actually landed a hit, several ones at that. Did not see that coming. A headbutt of all things? Guess he was blinded by his own arrogance. Forgot that Jaune was a Player, no matter how weak he was. Gamers were a clever bunch. His own leader had a knack for tactics as well, even if he didn't know it yet. Bringing up his own status, he was surprised to see that the little blows that landed on him were enough to drop more then a thousand points. Ren's Dexterity wasn't exactly high, so no surprise there.

Still he had left his guard down. He may have won the fight, but the few blows were concerning.

That brought up the thought of fighting Jaune with Crocea Mors. The fight may of gone differently with his weapon in hand. Most of his more powerful attacks were only usable with that blade. If Jaune had fought him with his weapon in hand, then Ren would have had to put some effort into the fight.

Jaune was growing. Slowly, but he was definitely displaying some improvement. It wouldn't be long till he could stand on even ground with all of them. And the thought pissed him off for some reason. Ren cleared his mind of the matter with a thin line on his lips.

' _ **Congratulations! Jaune Arc's HP has hit the red! +1,000EXP!'**_

What did it matter? It would all be pointless anyways.

"That was an excellent match, Mr. Lie." Snapped out of his thoughts, Ren's attention fell onto the blonde witch standing in the middle of the ring. Her green eyes showed little emotion as she addressed them both on their combat skills. He didn't care. Other then the opening at the end of the match, he had done well. No point in listening to her babble.

"Your skills in hand to hand are amazing, seems you won't be having any trouble if you ever lose your weapon in combat. Add onto to your impressive control over your own aura, I have no doubts that you would have no problem on the subject. But your arrogance at the end left you wide open for a surprise attack." Called it. Even as her eyes narrowed slightly towards his own pink eyes faking interest, he barely paid attention. It wasn't the first time she had talked to him about such things. It had gotten old after the fiftieth run through. "Be mindful of that. Such attitude had fallen many a men."

"I apologize for the lapse of judgment." he bowed. Even if he had gotten tired of her teachings, it didn't mean he wasn't mindful of her. Glynda was powerful huntress for an NPC, that could go toe to toe with Cinder of all people. Did not want to get on her bad side.

Nodding her head at the pink eyed hunter, Glynda massaged the space inbetween her brow as she turned her attention to the nervous knight covered in bruises.

"Mr. Arc, while your large aura reserve allows you to soak in damage, it does not mean that you should. From the looks of it you have no real training in fighting without your weapon by your side. That is not a good thing. Had this been a real fight, you would most likely of died. I will say this, your reflexes do give you a slight edge along with your quick thinking." tapping down the boys individual scores from their matches, Professor Goodwitch went on to shut down the screen above them. The fight hadn't taken too long and ate enough time to end the class. It was time to call off class for the day. "Practice on your fighting skills without your weapons during the next two weeks. By that time, I will be holding another spar against someone adept enough to see how well you've done. I hope to see some actually form the next time you're called up for hand to hand, Mr. Arc."

"I'll be sure to do that, Professor Goodwitch." Jaune nodded before wincing. His aura was working on healing his wounds, but they still hurt. Even when Ren was holding back it still hurt to be at the end of his fist. The guy wasn't even trying!

Finding someone to teach him hand to hand was going to be difficult. Not in the way of finding someone who practiced with their fists. This was Beacon after all, not everyone fought with some odd weapon that was also a gun, as rare as they were to find. No, the problem came from finding someone willing enough to teach him. Pyrrha was a godsend before, teaching him how to fight with his sword and shield in style similar to her own, but they hadn't practiced much on fighting without their weapons. It didn't really come up seeing as she had been too busying building his muscles up first before they got started on swordplay.

If he was honest with himself there was only one person that could teach him how to fight with his without his weapon.

"Ohhhhhh, Vomit Boy!"

Speak of the devil and she will come.

Golden locks draped over his shoulder as Yang dropped herself onto Jaune's back with a grin. "That was quite a match, Vomit Boy. Had me on the edge of my seat." she winked.

"Really?" Jaune asked in awe.

Yang shot him down with a flat stare, "No. I was honestly surprised you lasted for as long as you did with that sad excuse of a form you got into. Where did you get it from? Some crappy action movie?" she laughed.

"Well, no. It was actually from Power Hunters and a few boxing shows."

"That crappy TV show about hunters and huntresses in one piece suits fighting aliens and demons attacking Remnant? I thought only Ruby watched that crap."

"I'll have you know it's a show about friendship and learning to overcome personal struggles!"

"It's a show with crappy acting, horrible special effects, and lousy costumes! I've seen third grade plays with better writing then that shit!"

"Heathen! Those are words of blasphemy!"

"Yeah!" Ruby jumped in alongside Jaune, high fiving her fellow team leader. Finally someone who understood how awesome Power Hunters was! "You just don't understand fine art when you see it!"

"You keep telling yourself that." Was not going to get into another argument about that show again. Ruby, she could understand with her being fifteen and all that, but she expected more from Jaune. Alright, she was lying to herself. After getting to know her fellow blonde she realized he was as big a dork as her little sister. She still remembered the blue bunny pajamas he wore on their first night at Beacon. Wasn't the most flattering bed wear to show off in public. "Onto the real matter at hand, that really was the most sorry excuse for hand to hand I have ever seen. And I've seen Ruby fight without Crescent Rose on her, she could totally wipe the floor with ya."

"I know karate!"

Yang rolled her eyes playfully as she watched Ruby karate chop the air while making kung fu noises. "Ya see?"

"Teach me 'o' great master!"

Fucks sake. Yang smacked her face at the sight of Jaune dropping on his knees and bowing to Ruby as she practiced her sad excuse for kung fu. She couldn't tell if he was joking around or being serious. Should of taught her sis how to fight like a real professional.

The act got old real quick as she pulled him up roughly be his hood. She brought his face closer to her own with a deadpanned expression. "I'm going to pretend I didn't see that and that you're just playing cute. Like I was saying, you suck at fighting with those sorry excuse you call fists. You seem to do alright with your weapons, but Goodwitch is right, you need to practice on fighting without them."

"And what do you suggest?" Jaune asked nervously. Was not liking where this train of thought was going.

"Me. You. One on one. No Crocea Mors or Ember Celica, only our fists wrapped in tape. I swear I'll make a man out of you!"

"Don't you mean decent hand to hand fighter?" Pyrrha interjected with a strained smile. The hell was the busty girl planning with her partner?

"That too!"

While that sounded nice and all, Jaune wasn't too sure about that. Yang didn't like to hold back. Even without her semblance she could still break a boulder under her fist. Being on the receiving end of said fist for practice wasn't what he liked to call a good time. Even if it did help him improve his fighting skills. Needed some time to think about it.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Is this because you're nervous about practicing in skimpy clothing with a girl who you'll be grappling with in a sweaty display of skinship?"

"Did not think of it like that, but thanks for the mental image." Jaune answered stiffly with blush on his face. That wasn't going to be leaving him soon.

"Eh, too bad then." Yang let the blue eyed boy with a nonchalant shrug. Sounded fun to her, but she wasn't going to force the guy into it. Jaune could make his own decisions. "Just know that if you ever need any help in your hand to hand that I'm right here to help. We may not be on the same team, but we're friends. So don't be afraid to ask for any help if you need it." she smiled gently at him while punching his shoulder.

"Will do." Jaune nodded with a strained smile. At this point he was wondering if he simply bruised easily.

"Why don't we all head off to lunch then?" Pyrrha smiled kindly as team JNPR and RWBY began to make their way out the class with the rest of the students. Classes for the day were over with. It was a good time as any to grab a bite to eat with the end of Combat Studies. "I hear that they're serving pizza today~!" she sang happily. If there was one thing she had come to enjoy at school, it was the pizza. Her manager hadn't allowed her to eat such greasy food in Mistral. And what a delight it was! "We'll grab a few slices and head back to the dorms to eat. Nora is still banned from setting foot on cafeteria grounds after all. We don't want to start anymore trouble then we've already caused."

"This is discrimination! My people will rebel against my oppressors and take over their land! This I swear on my title as Queen!"

"I could eat." Jaune agreed tiredly. Some food sounded nice after the ass whooping he was served.

A buzzing stopped him in his tracks though. Waving the others to go on without him with a small smile, Jaune brought up his menu to see what kind of message he received.

' _It's Ann. I got your Lien. Meet me up in Vale around five o'clock today. I won't take no for an answer.'_

Jaune blinked in surprise at the message. He almost forgot about the blue haired girl owing him Lien. It was only 5L for crying out loud! Ann must be the stubborn type.

' _Guess I should head out now then. Even The Game said she would hunt me down and shove the cards down my throat. Do not want to know how they feel passing through.'_ That and it was a mission connected to an Event. Trial by Fire. There was still no new notifications on what the Event was about, only that if he didn't complete Ann's mission it would result in an immediate failure. Besides, it gave him the opportunity to make a new friend. There was no such thing as too many friends in his book! _'Going to have to send Pyrrha a quick message then. I wonder if I should ask her to save me a slice or eat out in Vale? Nah, better to eat out. Knowing Nora, there won't be anything left, especially if RWBY joins them. Yang has as much of an appetite as Nora.'_

Sending his partner a quick message that he had something come up that he had to take care of in the city, Jaune was ready to head off to the air ships when a slight cry caught his attention. Whipping his head around for the culprit, he took a few steps around the corner of the hall and found the source.

Standing on the tip of her toes he found Hera trying desperately to reach for something ontop of the soda machine in front of her. He narrowed his eyes for a better look. It looked like her plushy doll had been tossed atop of the machine for some odd reason. She was always carrying it around with her wherever she went. The sight actually reminded him of his own little sister and how the others would tease her by taking her toy and raising it above her head to reach for. It pulled at his big brother heart strings.

Hera grunted tiredly as she tried jumping for her plushy Griffon, Pegi. Nothing was working though. If she wasn't afraid of getting in trouble for wrecking the soda dispenser then she would have had little Pegi in her arms by now. Should of stuck with her team instead of going for a drink. Then that bastard wouldn't of tossed Pegi away from her reach. Damn her genes!

A presence stepped beside her as her shoulders fell in defeat. Seemed she had no choice. A lecture and a bill for the damages wasn't new to her. A broken machine pooling with sticky soda was better then her plushy being away from her for another second. She was just going to have to try holding back a little. It wouldn't be enough to stop any sort of damage. At least their wouldn't be a giant man sized hole in the wall like the one above her head.

"This yours, Hera?"

Mid swing, Hera abruptly paused her attack. A slight breeze brushed past her as her fist came inches from meeting its target. Her head turned to the side, her watery eyes brightening in surprised joy at the soft masked Grimm staring back at her.

"Pegi!" she cried happily before snatching it into her hugging arms. The presence beside her chuckled, bringing her attention to the person who brought her back her precious.

Jaune smiled gently down at the curious blue eyes staring up at him. She really did remind him of one of his sisters. Even had the exact cute face.

"You okay there? It looked like you were having a bit of trouble." he asked as he crouched down a bit to her level. Man, she really was small. She was shy an inch or two below Ruby. Made him wonder if she was a prodigy too. A girl couldn't be that tiny at his age.

Hera nodded her head shyly at the blonde haired knight. Jaune, if she remembered right. Didn't he get his ass handed to him earlier?

"Yes, thank you, Jaune." she smiled nervously as she continued to hug her stuffed Grimm closer to her chest.

"No problem. I wouldn't be a very good gentlemen if just let a little girl struggle. Guess you must be like Ruby and skipped over a few grades. That must be pretty cool." he grinned widely.

The small girl's eyes narrowed suddenly, twitching faintly at the boy. Not this shit again.

"Little girl? Skipped over a few grades? How old do you think I am?" she asked slowly, her fist trembling lightly at the stupid grin on his face.

"Eh, what, you look thirteen from the looks of it." he answered honestly, unaware of the growing pressure hanging over the girl. To him she still looked like a cute little girl. "You must be very skilled for a girl your age. What's your toy's name? Is it Grimmy, Griffy, something with a y at the end." he continued to coo.

Ah,to be a kid again. He could still remember his own plushy. _'I wonder whatever happened to you, Sir Knightly Bear. We could of taken the world by storm.'_ Last he had seen him, his mother had promised to wash it. That was year ago. Hadn't seen his little buddy since.

Little did he know, his mother had given it to the neighbor boy who was only five. It was about time he stopped playing with stuffed animals. There something about a sixteen year old boy playing knights and dragons with a stuffed bear in a high pitch voice that wasn't right.

The smile on Hera's face tightened, the twitch in her eye going crazy as she raised her fist in front of the oblivious fool. One more word. That was all it would take.

"I bet if you continue to put all your effort into your studies, Santa will see how good a girl you are and visit you in Beacon! I'll put in a good word for you too. How's that sound?"

An audible snap broke the silence in the air. It wasn't until Jaune opened his eyes did he see the flying fist shooting for his face.

"IDIOT!"

' _What did I do now!?'_ The fist smashed into his face with enough strength and force to send him soaring to the very end of the hallway. His back nearly smashed straight through the wood, the splinters digging into his clothing as he slumped to the floor. A quarter of his HP had been knocked out with one hit! A gurgled moan of pain fell out of his lips as heavy footsteps marched towards him.

The small olympian themed girl growled once she reached the groaning blonde, picking him up by the scruff of his hoodie. She made him look straight into her eyes, "Listen closely, Jaune. I am not a little kid. I. Am. Seventeen! I'm seventeen, god dammit! So don't treat me like some little kid or you'll wind up just like that bastard I sent flying through Beacon's new window!" she shouted loudly as she gestured to the splintered hole above them.

"I was wondering if that was new." he drawled in pain. As if his pretty face wasn't beaten up enough for the day. Hera really could pack a punch behind that tiny fist.

Still though, through the haze of pain Hera looked adorable even with such an angry expression on her face. He was starting to see his youngest sister in her expression. Must of been the damage to his brain.

With a woozy smile, Jaune patted the girl's head, "I'm sorry, little Hera. Big brother didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I wuv you."

Hera pulled at her hair in frustration. The idiot didn't even seem to be paying attention! Guess even when she held back her fist was still able to knock his brain around a bit. It wouldn't be surprising if he was seeing his little sister instead of her face, if he had one. He may of gotten Pegi down from the soda machine, and she was truly grateful for it, but that didn't excuse the embarrassment and the insult she felt.

This was why she had wanted to stay back in the country. At least they knew not to mess with her there. Their barbed words were better then being treated like some preteen.

Resisting the urge to teach Jaune a lesson with her fists, Hera chose instead to walk away from the matter. Leave the idiot to groan in pain. Even if he was a nice guy that didn't excuse him for his behavior regarding her height.

"Remember this, Jaune. Seventeen! I'm not afraid of sending you to the nurses office with a broken, stupid face if you forget it!" she huffed cutely before turning on her heels and heading off to her dorm.

Once the petite huntress had left the halls, Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god for aura! Pretty sure he'd be dead by now without its help. It paid to have a force field around your body.

"Aaaaaaaaggggghhh!"

A loud shout startled Jaune as a body seemed to of fallen out of the sky and crash through the ceiling. The body of Russel Thrush fell into a groaning heap a few spaces from where he lied. He had been wondering who Hera's first victim had been.

"My everything hurts." Russel whimpered as he struggled to get back up. Who knew the girl could punch? Well, he did after watching her fight toe to toe with Yang, but he seemed to of forgotten that little tid bit of information when he was picking on her. Wasn't going to be doing that again.

An arm picked him off his feet, settling him onto the person's shoulders as they helped Russel steady himself. The yellow hair and blue eyes were a dead give away to his helper's identity.

"Jaune?" Russel frowned in confusion. Why was he helping him? Team CRDL wasn't exactly the most popular group in Beacon. It was no surprise that all the students kept a good distance from them. So it was surprising to see someone helping a guy like him up, especially a guy like Jaune. Weren't he and Cardin enemies or something? Why help him?

"Sup, Russel? Hera send you flying too?" Jaune chuckled weakly as he winced. The bruise was slowly healing, but the pain wasn't stopping anytime soon. Exact same spot Ren had hit him too.

Russel hung his head in humilation. He wasn't use to being treated like this. Cardin wasn't the most friendly team leader.

"Yeah, guess I deserved it for messing with the midget." he grumbled lightly only to receive a smack to his head. "Oww! What the fuck was that for!?" he barked angrily.

"That wasn't very nice. Midgets are people too. And midgets is an offensive word. Besides, she's not that small."

"I swore she looked like a twelve year old."

"I guessed thirteen. Now I feel like a creep."

"Welcome to my world." Russel sighed in depression. Talk about jailbait.

With his aura now finished healing whatever damage the squirt had thrown at him, Russel leaned off the blonde knight as he dusted himself off. Definitely going to head for the showers after this. Could of swore he killed a few baby Nevermores when he was sent rocketing for the sky. Even had some blood and feathers on him that were turning to black smoke.

Curiosity getting the better of him as Russel narrowed his eyes at Jaune who had begun typing on his scroll.

"Why did you help me just now?" he asked in slight suspicion. He wasn't the kindest person to help out. Most of the students thought of him as some racist for his team's treatment of faunus. He didn't hate them, but it wasn't like he trusted them either.

Jaune raised his eyebrow quizzically, almost as if he didn't understand the question. "Why not? It wasn't like I was going to leave you lying there in pain. That's just mean."

Mean? That's why he helped him? Because it would be mean not too? Russel shook his head in disbelief. The guy was an idiot. Who thought like that?

"But we're enemies, aren't we?" his face scrunched up in doubt. There teams never got along with another since Jaune and Cardin began sparring against each other regularly in Combat Studies. "Why would you help an enemy out like that?"

"Who said we were enemies? Just because me and Cardin don't get along with each other doesn't make us enemies. We go to the same school, eat in the same lunchroom, or use to, and have the same dreams. To be hunters." Jaune grinned.

It was true that Cardin wasn't the most open guy, he was a flat out racist, but it didn't mean he hated the guy. Anymore. That was the thing with dying. It opened up your mind to a lot of things. Cardin wasn't his friend, but some part of the brown haired hunter's mind had thought of him as one. It's why he was registered as one in his scroll.

Who knows? Maybe he could find some way to change Cardin's mind on the faunas. Doing nothing never did anything. It reminded him of an old saying his grandfather had once said to him.

The true sin in life was turning your eyes away from what was in front of you.

"You guys aren't enemies, your all just guys I haven't had the time to befriend yet."

Russel stared dumbly at the smiling blonde knight in disbelief. Was he for real? Where the hell did he come from, did he walk straight out of some cheesy comic book!?

But. . .he sounded sincere. As much as he hated to admit it, Jaune wasn't that bad a guy. Just oblivious. And he screamed like a girl. It made it easy for them to write him off as some kind of comic relief, the idiot that was always getting picked on. But even Cardin had said that Jaune wasn't to be taken lightly. It's why they hadn't bullied him like they had been planning on. Cardin saw something in the blonde, enough to even tolerate him. It wasn't till their argument last week when they had been picking on the bunny chick that his leader began to curse his name out. He almost sounded betrayed in some sort of way.

And then he began disappearing off to Vale at the end of every class since. Cardin would come back early in the morning with his armor battered and dented along with bruises and small cuts on his face. Something had been going on with his leader that he wasn't willing to share. Hell, for some odd reason he had even stopped bullying faunus. He simply cursed them under his breath with an odd look on his face. Sky couldn't' tell if it was one of regret or anger. His leader was changing, and it didn't look like it was in a good way. An odd vibe was coming off of him and his team didn't like it.

"You're a real sap, you know that?" the mohawk hunter grunted. But he seemed like an alright guy in his book. "No wonder Cardin can't stand you. A guy like you tends to piss him off."

"How is he doing anyways?" Jaune asked with a frown. When he thought about it, it's been a while since he's seen the mace wielder. He wasn't even in class today. Did give him the fortune of having Weiss as his Dust partner in Professor Pithos class though.

"It's complicated. He hasn't come back from Vale since last night. We got a text back from him before classes started saying he was too busy with something to go to class today. So we know he's okay." It was still worrying. If Cardin hadn't sent a message to them, then they would went off to the Headmaster.

Didn't sound good to Jaune. Vale was in the middle of dealing with Torchwick and the White Fang. Now wasn't the best of times to be strolling around the place.

"Well I'm heading off to Vale right now. I'll be sure to look out for him." Jaune nodded as he took a peek at the time. Shit, nearly half an hour had gone by. Ann was going to kill him if he was late.

Russel hesitated, but nodded back in the end. Any help was welcomed at this point. Cardin was their friend, even if everyone else thought of him as a jerk.

"Thanks for that. Guess you really aren't such a bad guy after all." Russel thanked him before turning away. It was about time he headed back to the dorms. Maybe Cardin already made it back when they were gone?

Waving at the creamy green haired hunter away, Jaune went on his way to the air ships. No time to waste now.

Swore he could of saw Russel smile for a brief moment though.

' _ **Congratulations! You've Unlocked Russel Thrush's Friendship! Hedge Fang Ability, Unlocked!'**_

* * *

An iron fist smashed the side of Cardin's face, sending him skidding on his side. He grimaced in pain before the mechanical clanking rushing towards him alerted him to his opponent. A dropping heel stomp aimed for his head. Rolling to the side he missed having his head pulverized to mush as the blow destroyed the floor to bits. He shot back up and blocked the onslaught of blurring fists with his forearms. Bits of his arm guards were chipped off and dented, causing him to grit his teeth openly. If this kept up he wouldn't be able to even lift his fists! Seeing a spinning kick coming his way. Cardin slammed the side of his fist into the ankle before it could hit him. The action sent his opponent tumbling back, cursing loudly before they found themselves lifted up in the air by a rising uppercut below their chin.

"Sneaky whelp!" Flipping in the air, his opponent landed back on their feet, wiping away the blood trialing their cut lips.

The man in front of Cardin wore a silky dark blue jacket, loose fitting pants and legs wrapped in black cloth, studded arm guards, tabi boots, and a black belt with a serpent design. His short black hair was combed back, tied in a short ponytail falling to his shoulders and multiple scars ran on his face. Green eyes narrowed back in wary, his mechanical fingers twitching as they circled another.

This fight would have been over sooner if Holt allowed him to use his damn weapons. But noooo! Had to teach the kid to fight without them to make up for missing class today. Damn little whelp, playing pet just like that little orphan brat. The hell were they? 'Social warriors' or a fucking daycare!? It was bad enough that he had them practicing in one of their warehouses, but he was not a teacher!

"That all you got, Nara?" Cardin tried to grin smugly, only for it to come out as a weary expression.

Nara spat a wad of bloody saliva in response, "Don't kid yourself, boy. I've yet to break in the gears in these arms." his gruff voice growled.

"Then start breaking them in!"

"As you wish, boy!" Vanishing from sight, the ninja themed man began to appear around Cardin in blurred after images. Each one took a shot at the brown haired teen with blurring fists, smacking him around with each blow. A palm strike to Cardin's chest was blocked and twisted around in a grappling hold. But the strength of Nara's robotic arm broke free, delivering a jab at the boy's windpipe. Cardin choked in agony before Nara followed through with a windmill of punches to his chest. If it wasn't for his armor protecting him, he was sure the metal knuckles would of broken the skin.

Cardin swatted the fist aimed for his face again, taking the opportunity to kick the man back a few steps. It didn't derail Nara as he dashed back at his opponent with a knife hand. They traded blows once they met each other, dancing around one another as they countered and retaliated each attack they threw back. Nara jumped high in the air, flipping back for an axle kick to his head. Cardin raised his arms to block the descending blow, wincing as his arm guards shattered. Kicking off from his failed attempt, Nara went on to aim for his leg only to be tackled by a rushing charge by the hunter. He snarled, punching his dense fists into the boy before being slammed into a ship crate. A pained gasp escaped his lips that evolved into a growl. Underestimating the kid wouldn't do him any good. A jab with his knee into Cardin's stomach freed him from his hold. Looked like it was time to get serious.

Blue sparks zapped around his right fist as it assumed a clawed gesture. If Holt wanted to give the boy some real training, the he would give him real training.

With a burst of speed, Nara charged right back at Cardin, zipping around in a bee line as sparks trailed behind him. If their was one thing Cardin had learned from fighting Nara the last week, it was to avoid his fists when they sparked. Even with aura shielding him, the electricity cladding the man's arms stung like a bitch. He ducked under a swipe for his head, leaned to the right to dodge a knife hand plunging for his sternum, moved further to the right to miss the spinning back kick that grazed his lips, and jumped over the rushing charge of slashing sparked claws.

The guy wasn't so tough. And here he thought he was going to learn something today. _'So much for Holt's left hand man! I bet if I had Beaufort this fight would have been done long ago.'_ Cardin smirked smugly. The glint aimed behind him aimed to differ.

An iron grip caught the back of his combat uniform, digging into his back before swinging him around in a circle above Nara's head. Chains trailed the detached hand swinging Cardin around, leading back into Nara's wrist. Having had enough of seeing the boy's face turn green, Nara grinned savagely before tugging his hand back to him. Cardin followed along and soon met the familiar iron knuckles of his so called teacher.

He flew back into a large crate, his body sparking as he dented into the metal with a loud metal crunch.

"C-Cheap shot." Cardin grumbled in a wheeze before falling onto the floor. A static buzz cloaked his body in an orange red veil before vanishing in an instant. His aura had dropped to zero. Nothing was left to protect him now.

Nara stalked forward, calling off the electricity jumping around his hands. "Don't think we're finished yet. In real life the fight doesn't end when your aura is in the red or reaches zero." he smirked cruelly, stopping in front of Cardin as he looked weakly up at him, his face dirty and bruised. The ninja grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up, raising his fist back for another knuckle sandwich, "It ends when one of us is dead and buried in the ground below!"

Before Nara could send his fist packing into the flinching brunette's face, a rather large hunters knife cut through the air and stabbed itself into his arm. Oil spurt from his limb as if it hit an artery, splashing his face. A loud whirl of gears escaped from his arm before it dropped limply by his side in a cloud of exploding smoke.

"Now what I say about trying to kill my recruits, Naragami? It's bad enough I've had to bury twelve of them already, I don't need my little student to wind up the same. That's just bad business really."

Nara grumbled under his breath as he let the hunter go. Great, looked like he knew what he was going to be doing for the next hour. What a joy.

Watching as the shaggy blonde descended down the steps of the top level of the warehouse, Nara took the moment to rip off a piece of his jacket to tie around the bleeding fluid running down his damaged arm, "A 'Stop' would have been a better phrase to stop the fight, Master Holt. Do you know how difficult it is to repair an arm that had once belonged to an Atlesian Knight? I had to fucking take a class on robotics to figure this crap out. Which isn't easy for a criminal to take." he grunted as he fastened the black ribbon bandage he made.

Holt quirked a brow, tilting his head to the side in amusement, "And do you remember who had smuggled said appendages from Atlas in the first place and surgically attach them?"

"Not you." he deadpanned, leaning back against the damaged crate as he closed his eyes, "Didn't you pay some fancy doctor to do all this shit? And if I recall, I'm the one who had to break into their Robotics Department and literally rip them off one of those bots. Which was hard to do seeing as I had no hands!"

"I fail to see how that was my problem."

"If it wasn't for your crappy men accompanying me as meat shields, I wouldn't be standing here to speak of. Hopefully this boy will make a better shield then the last batch."

"Standing right here, you know!?" Cardin barked lightly as he struggled to get back up. It was going to be a painful time waiting for his aura to regenerate. Everything hurt!

"Quite." Nara retorted blandly, knocking Cardin down with his good arm, "The adults are talking."

Holt sucked in a breath with a grimace. The assassin was never one for holding back. The concept of playing with his target never registered to him. It was a waste of time and resources. That was why he had him fighting most of his new recruits, to test their worth out and see if they were capable fighters once they passed the first test. Normally Cardin would have had to complete the first one, but Holt was saving that one for later. Wanted to ease him into the idea and his groups cause. It was a work in progress, but nothing a few more days wouldn't fix.

"Would you mind explaining to me why I'm even training this whelp?" Nara growled in annoyance, glaring back the groaning Beacon student. "He hasn't even brought us a trophy to gain entry into our little group. So why am I sparring against a boy who hasn't even hunted his first faunus yet!? Don't tell me you're going to let him join without hunting a faunus like that little orphan Ann of yours!? That would be an insult to the others who have spilled blood for you!"

"You know for a ninja, you're pretty emotional." Holt sighed tiredly before glaring right back at the livid pony tailed man, "And I never said he wouldn't hunt one down. Call this a trail run. If he's willing to join us, which I'm sure he absolutely will, then problem solved."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Kill him?" the game hunter shrugged calmly, ignoring the dropped jaw of said student. "What's he going to do? Tell the authorities that he joined an anti-terrorist group that wishes to amputate the limbs of faunus for peace and wanted out after spending a few days with them? That would leave a horrible stain on his hunter career and most likely get him kicked out of said school."

The fuck!? All this time the bastard had been leading him on! At this point it was too late to back out, the police would think Cardin was in on their plans. It made him curse loudly at the news.

Holt rolled his eyes at Cardin. He wasn't the one who had agreed to see what he had to offer. The last four days the hunter in training had been learning about his social cause and its benefits. He'd even placed bets down in the Underground Grimm Coliseum below the warehouse and won himself a nice stack of Lien. If he was thinking about backing out now, he would have to be an idiot. Or he was leading him on. The thought made him sniff. To think his heart had been toyed with like some plaything.

"Stop your mopping, Cardin. You've actually done some growing since joining the FoF. Your hand to hand has increased dramatically in over a week, your aura has grown quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure you're closer to discovering your semblance then you would have at Beacon. And you should thank Naragami for that." he grinned widely as he gestured to the now smoking man, "His constant training has pushed you to the very edge each day. Life threatening combat is way better then petty little spars. It's the kinda training that Beacon forbids due to its high fatality rate, but you've survived! It only proves how great a hunter you are."

"I don't know if 'thank' is the right word for what he's done for me." Cardin scoffed as he finally got back up on his feet. He only needed one finger to describe how he felt about the training. Was close to death the first day Holt had thrown him at Nara. If it wasn't for their medical facility then he would had died that very day.

Holt was right though. Flexing his battered fingers, Cardin could certainly feel the growth he had attained. Beacon was great, but it was full of weak minded people that believed everyone could get along. Even the students who didn't trust faunus thought better to keep their mouths shut and settle for subtle glares and mean looks. It was pathetic. Not to mention all the lame classes not dealing in combat. What good did it due him studying about the fauna of Remnant? History didn't matter to him when he could make history with a swing of his mace. And he didn't even want to get started with Professor Port's class. All a Grimm needed was a good bash and it would die like the rest.

The Friends of Faunus were different. They trained constantly and weren't afraid of what others thought. Even if he didn't really agree with their opinions.

Faunus were victims. They were poor creatures forced to live with animal ears, tails, horns, and other appendages. It wasn't right for them to live in such a state. Without those ugly parts, they looked as normal as you and me. For the last week Holt had been talking to him about his ideals, trying to make him see the other side of the story. The man still believed they were animals, but misunderstood animals. If it weren't for their appearances, then there would be no problem, not hate, no discrimination between the two species. And for that to happen, there could only be one solution for it.

Amputation. By cutting off their animal parts, they would look as normal as any human being. Sadly the faunus didn't understand that. They believed it was the wrong way to go and that humans were simply savages. That was alright though, Holt had smiled happily as he had gone over it with him. Faunus didn't have to amputate their own animal sides. They would do it for them. After all, good friend looked out for their friends and made the tough decisions for them. The Faunus weren't enemies, they were their friends, and it was their job to help them fit into modern society.

Cardin was not a fan of the faunus. Honestly, he hated their guts and wished to send every last one of them back to Menagerie. But what Holt had been talking about had recently been playing in his head. It was odd, feeling both hatred and remorse for them. He wouldn't change his mind though. Animals were still animals. And nothing would make him see otherwise.

Puffing a ring from his cigar, Nara glanced back at his master, "What are you doing up here anyways, master? I thought you'd be busy managing the cages down below."

"The last match ended almost half an hour ago. The fighter's taking a small rest while we go to intermission. So I thought I'd come up here and see how training's going. Glad I did, I seem to catch you ready to gut Cardin every time I do."

"I still don't see the point of those things. Our men could be busy hauling ass and hitting marks. The White Fang seem to of caught up about us and the Vale city police are keeping an eye out for us. If we hope to send a message about our cause, then we have to deal with the White Fang first. Those animals are starting to become a nuance."

"It's to build moral, and Lien. Every heavy gambler will come to our little hide away to bet Lien on fights and learn about our cause while they're at it." Holt explained with a smirk, "Soon they'll think about joining us. More men, less problems. Junior's great for spreading the word out about our Cages to the right kind of people who won't snitch. Not to mention the fact that I love me a good fight. Why else do hunt I hunt Grimm for captivity?"

"Because it turns you on?" Nara commented dryly.

"Accusations! And very truthful ones at that." Holt chuckled before reaching into the inside of his coat. A note was shoved into Nara's face a second later, "Now, onto business. Since we're talking about the Fang and how annoying they are, you can start dealing with them. An informant of mine has recently found one of their warehouses. Take some men and send a message. We'll make some normal humans out of them if it kills them."

"I'm a killer, I don't do well in taking prisoners." That wasn't his thing. His thing involved killing his targets dead. In the end he sighed, snatching the paper with his undamaged arm and pocketing it away, "We'll take who we can. Can't promise bodies won't be dropped."

"Then amputate them if you kill some. The point is to send a message after all. Oh, and message Cross for me, will ya? We have some loose mouths in need of putting down."

Nara nodded his head firmly. It was time to get to business again.

Putting out his cigar, Nara went off to get ready. First things first though, he was going to need to repair his right arm. Couldn't complete a mission leaking oil onto the scene.

With his left arm gone to work, Holt pulled Cardin towards him. It was about time for a break today. The boy was going to have to leave for Beacon soon. And the next match was ready to take place in a bit.

"Training is over for the day, Cardin! How 'bout we go down and enjoy a match before you head out? You got a big week ahead of you." he grinned oddly with a glint in his eye.

Cardin shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets. He could go for a drink and a snack. Also needed time for his aura to heal his wounds. His team was beginning to ask questions to where he was going everyday. "I'm game. I got a hundred Lien on that guy with the red short hair."

"Ohhhh, sorry about that, but Rex lost his match last night. Did not do well against that large Creep. Ate him up like kibble."

That was dark. Almost forgot how fucked up the games were bellow the warehouse. "Then I guess I'll have to find someone else to bet on." he said with a shaking grin.

"That's the spirit! Got to find something to do while my little Ann is off in Vale. I think she might be on a date."

* * *

"You're an hour late." Ann glared coldly at the nervously chuckling blonde walking beside her through the streets of Vale.

"I said I was going to be a little late! Something came up and I found myself trying remember my own name. Pretty sure I was calling myself Juan for awhile. Ohh, that could be my alter ego or something!"

Ann stared mutely at the now fantasying blonde for a good minute before shaking her head in disbelief. He really wasn't giving his kind a good name. And he was supposedly a hunter in training at Beacon academy? That was shocking to say the least.

After waiting as patiently as she could, Ann was ready to hunt the blonde boy down before finding him scrambling to get off the air ship docks. He made a straight line for the nearest trashcan and then proceeded to throw up what little there was in his stomach. Add on to those five minute, it took him four to pass over whatever was upsetting him before he noticed her waiting for him.

Seeing as she had missed out on both breakfast and lunch today, she decided that they should head for some place to eat. That way she could hand him his Lien and even see if the guy was interested in making more money. Holt had said to find more people to join the FoF.

"Hola, my name is Juan, Juan Arc! And I'm here to make you scream in ecstasy~!"

The hell kind of accent was that? The blonde kid really was something else. Wasn't everyday you met an idiot like him. The blue haired girl rolled her eyes at Jaune as they made their way to some noodle bar opened close by. Looked like they were having some kind of sale going on. Which honestly didn't make sense to her. They were noodles, not clothes. Cheap food was cheap food though, so who was she to complain? Stepping through the flaps, Ann took a seat along with Jaune on their red wood stalls, ringing the small table bell to get the owner's attention.

Jaune paused his practicing on his new persona to stare dully at the very familiar old man greeting them with a smile, "Wait a minute, haven't I seen you before?" Jaune asked in confusion as he scratched his head in thought, "Yeah, you work at Dust till Dawn, drive trucks around to produce stores, and even work around the Bullheads! You work here too!?"

The old man shook his head mutely, grinning widely as he took out a photo from his pocket. It showed off several other old man looking exactly the same as him down to every wrinkle on their face. On the left hand corner the words 'Annual Family Photo' were scribbled in cursive font.

"Huh? So you're all some kind of tuplets or something. I can't even begin to pronounce the word to describe what you guys are." Whatever it was must have been literal hell for the mother giving birth.

Chuckling at the blue eyed boy trying to make sense of the picture, the old man pulled out his notebook to write down their orders. Seeing as the boy was still wrapping his around him and his brothers, the old man turned to the blue haired girl.

"We'll take two small orders of the 50% off Classic Ramen. And some plain water, please."

Nodding his head, the old man was ready to walk back to prepare their meals only to be stopped by the blonde boy raising his hand. Jaune's face was buried in the menu laid out in front of him as he read over their options.

"Classic Ramen? That's two pork slices, a scallion, and something called a kikurage mushroom. I'm actually feeling like a large bowl of Shrimp Ramen, three pork slices, a seasoned poached egg, and a pork bun. Oh! And a glass of Everybody Loves Grape Soda if you have any."

"That's a 17L meal." Ann frowned before looking through her wallet. She only liked to carry twenty with her. The blonde was going to be sucking her dry, "The discount noodles only cost 5L small each, and water's free. It would be better to go with that instead."

Jaune waved the matter away with a carefree grin, "Don't worry about it, I'm paying for us. Dad always said that the man paid for the meal, even if he's flat out broke! Call it my treat."

"Is this some kind of macho thing?" Ann raised a brow quizzically with a thin line on her lips. "And I'm not going to owe you more Lien. It would be better if I paid and we ate cheap noodles instead." she argued with a glare.

"And you don't have to owe me any Lien in the first place! What's so wrong with accepting a free meal anyways?" Jaune asked curiously as he leaned his head on his fist. That was the whole reason he was here with her anyways. All over a measly five Lien.

"Nothing in this world is free." she answered passionately, turning her glare to her free glass of water the old man handed her while he patiently waited on them. Memories flashed passed her eyes, murky alley ways, cardboard shelters, knocked over scavenged trashcans, and dirty yellow grins. A bright light washed away the scenes, only to be replaced by heavy books carried on top of laid out hands, strict voices and smacking rulers, fancy dresses too tight to breath, honeyed words and stern expressions, and an overbearing presence. Ann's emerald eyes stared deeply into her drink, her blue hair momentarily flashing to red locks. "Lien makes the world go 'round. It's what defines you as a person. Without it you're better off as dirt. So nothing's free. Just like this water. It's only offered as a way to make you order something better, anything's better then tap. And even then the guy giving it away still has to pay for it. It's better to go cheap then spend your Lien on worthless crap that you can be saving for something that lasts longer."

"It's just noodles though." Jaune was not getting where Ann was going. She was making a simple little dinner more complicated then it ought to be.

"You just don't understand." Ann scoffed in disinterest. Course he wouldn't understand how things worked. Probably grew up in a cozy little home that never had to worry about bills or social standing. Daddy must of paid off the headmaster to let an idiot like him in.

"You're right about that. Guess you didn't have the most comfy childhood growing up." Jaune nodded solemnly before his eyes brightened. Switching his eyes to the old man, Jaune grinned as he held up two fingers, "Make that a double order! And make it quick before she has any say in the matter!"

Nodding happily, the old man dashed back to prep their meals. Ann growled in anger as she turned her eyes to Jaune, only to pause as his blue eyes stared into her own in a determined expression. It made her blink, caught by surprise.

"I have no idea what this crap about Lien mattering most is about, but I do know that shouldn't stop you from enjoying the joys of a large bowl of ramen and some juice!"

"Somehow I feel that sounded a lot more epic and inspirational in your head."

"It did! But that's beside the point. A kind gesture or favor shouldn't have to be repaid. It's simply done without any thought of payback. Honestly, you could have accepted the 5L and never had to speak to me again and I wouldn't of cared one bit. I simply did it because it was the right thing to do. Besides, buying a pretty girl food isn't a waste in my book. There's nothing on this world that weighs more then a girl's blushing smile."

"I'm not blushing, nor am I smiling."

"The days still early!"

"It's almost seven at night."

"Why can't you girls ever humor me?" Jaune's shoulders sagged in defeat. It still wasn't stopping him though. "What I'm saying is that Lien is important, and junk, but when you think about it negatively like that it loses its bright side." he smiled softly as their food made their way to them. The smell of rich broth and savory shrimp along with poached egg made his mouth water. A snicker escaped his lips catching the hungry growl from Ann's mortified face. "See? A nice hand crafted meal that brings smiles and pleased faces to people for a moderate price. It's alright to shell out a few extra Lien if it makes you smile even for a brief moment, it makes it all the more special. And I don't expect anything back in return like Lien for it or some kind of sinister favor, as long as it makes you even a tiny bit happy, it's all the more worth it."

The steam of Ann's ramen bowl wafted up above her face, clouding her face from the blue eyed knight. Even as a cool glass of grape soda clinked next to her free tap water she didn't show any signs of responding.

Laughter and excited barks drifted into her ears from days past, making her grip her chopsticks tightly. A warm smile blurred behind the hazy dark past peeked into her thoughts. Damn Blondie. Talking about shit he didn't understand.

Ann stabbed her chopsticks into the bowl roughly, splashing some of the broth around as she began to furiously slurp the noodles into her mouth. Done with the nicely soft yet firm noodles, she quickly worked on the pork slices then the poached eggs, chowing them down with gusto. She leaned her head back and finished off the broth, gulping it down before chugging her grape soda. The glass of water was moved aside as she sighed in content, wiping her mouth of the meal before glaring back at the stunned open mouth face of Jaune.

"If you really feel so strongly about that, then prepare to for your wallet to beg for mercy." she turned her glare to the sweating old man, shoving her bowl into his chest with a sadistic grin, "Keep them coming! I've skipped out on breakfast, lunch, and only had microwaved mini pizza's for dinner last night! I plan to make up for the lost time."

"It's just a boy!" Jaune whimpered as he watched the blue haired girl dug into another bowl. Thank god his parents sent him his allowance yesterday. The Lien he was rewarded for his first mission wouldn't be enough to pay for everything. Well, if you couldn't beat them, join them. Grabbing his own chopsticks, Jaune went to work on his own bowl. Now all that was left was to try out that pork bun.

"Hey! That was my bun!"

"I didn't see your name on it."

* * *

A quick look over his Inventory revealed that Jaune had 79L leftover from the 200 he had to begin with. His new friend had eaten six bowls, three pork buns, and a vanilla chocolate swirl ice cream. Where the hell did she put it all!? She looked the same as she did before devouring all that food. The smug look on her face was the equivalent to a middle finger as she licked her treat.

Guess it was nice. When he met her yesterday, she seemed so bored and cold. The look she wore now was better then those almost hallow green eyes staring at him. Well worth the 121L spent.

' _7:43pm, huh? Looks like dinner took longer then I expected. Better send Pyrrha a text that I'll be back soon enough. Maybe then she'll stop blowing up my scroll with worried texts.'_ He appreciated his partner's concern, but it was rude to be looking at one's scroll during a meal. Had to switch it to silent after getting an annoyed stare from Ann as noodles hung from her mouth. If only he had the courage to of taken a picture.

With another sigh of content leaving her lips, Ann closed her eyes as she took a sip from her straw in Everybody Loves Grapes soda. Normally she stuck to bottle water she carried with her from the warehouse. It was better then buying drinks, a total waste of Lien. But this grape fizz wasn't that bad. Not to mention the ice cream. It's been a while since she last had one.

And it was all because of Jaune. Green eyes glanced back at him from the corner of her eyes as he text on his scroll. She was beginning to think he was some odd figment of her imagination. After all, no guy could be that nice with no motive behind his actions. Compared to the people she usually dealt with, he was an anomaly. She didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

Ann didn't want to admit it, and she never would even with the threat of her guts opened up to a bed of burning coals, but she had fun. Another thing she had forgotten about with her line of work and past. He did spend a lot of Lien on her tonight, it was about time to do what she called him out for.

A blue Lien card slapped into Jaune's face just as he hit send. Flinching slightly from the surprise attack, he reached for it only to scowl in mild annoyance.

 **+10 Lien!**

"What did I say about paying me back?" he sighed, "It's only Lien, and not that much to begin with. You seem to care more about this stuff then I do. Guess you must be saving for something very special."

"Too bad. I'm more then willing to go through with the alternative."

Jaune gulped at the dead serious stare aimed at him. Duly noted, "Fine. But I'm not happy about it."

Ann shook her head, "It's not about making you happy, it's about getting rid of a burden. You spent a lot of Lien for some odd reason, I would feel like a damn bum if I didn't find some way to pay you back." scanning around the area, she was happy to note the streets were mostly empty other then a few people minding their own business. Reaching into her hoodie's pocket, Ann slapped an odd flier into the startled knight's chest, "I can't pay everything you spent today, but I know of a way you can make triple what you had originally. You seem like a decent hunter in need of cash anyway, this would be perfect for you."

"UGC, Underground Grimm Coliseum Matches?" The flier was designed with clawed streaks tearing at the paper with bold dark red print. Pictures of different species of Grimm locked up in creaking cages surrounding one dark silhouette of a man was painted on it. What was this? It reminded him of some kind of boxing match, only with creatures of Grimm. "What am I looking at?"

"An opportunity to make some extra Lien." Ann shrugged nonchalantly as she finished her frozen treat and tossed it in a nearby trashcan, "Keep it a secret though, the cops don't need to know about some innocent old fun. You might even be enlightened by some of the people there about a new social cause that will be making waves soon. You should at least check it out some time."

Honestly, the piece of paper was giving him a bad vibe. But he could ignore that and trust in Ann. She hadn't given him any reason not to.

"I guess the next time I have some free time, I can check it out. Where is it anyway? Doesn't seem to be an address on this thing." It didn't have anything on it that showed him where these fights were at.

"There's a map written in invisible ink on the back. All you got to do is mix some Fire Dust along with some Lightning Dust into a fine powder and flash a blacklight over the powder on the back to reveal the map. Be sure to do it in the dark though, it doesn't work otherwise." A buzzing in her jean's pockets caused her frown before taking out her scroll. She sighed as she read over the message, "Time for me to head back to work. Boss needs me now that night is coming."

"Yeah, my team must be worried sick about me." All except Ren. Lazy bastard was most likely passed out on his bed.

Turning away from the blonde, Ann suddenly paused in her steps, thinking to herself before speaking again.

"And you were right. I am saving for something special. Something only Lien can buy. So, thanks." she said deathly softly before running off form sight. For a second, he could of swore he saw a smile on her face.

Jaune smiled as he waved good bye. Everyone had their reasons. It just took some time to figure them out. She wasn't as bad as she seemed. He was actually glad she had called him out to meet. It was almost like a date.

' _Oh my god! Was that my first real date!? Wait till I tell my mom about this!'_

Today had been a good day. And nothing could bring him down.

"There he is! Get him!"

"Say what now?" Jaune blinked before he found himself being tackled by several men and woman in Vale police uniforms. What followed soon was him being beaten by night clubs, a police shield, the butt of a shotgun, and even a waffle bat.

"I'm not here to hurt you!"

"You! Have! The Right! To! Remain! Silent!"

"Stop resisting!"

"Seize and desist!"

"You like that, you piece of shit?!"

"Don't make me do it! I'll fucking end you!"

"TAZE HIM!"

Two sharp prods pierced Jaune's aura, sending several volts of electricity into his system. His body twitched wildly before his body numbed. It didn't help that he heard the snap of rubber gloves behind him.

"Check him for weapons! Leave no hole un-fingered!"

Jaune whimpered as he felt his pants torn off and his eyes rolling back. This was not how he saw his day ending.

"You guy's finally caught her? Nice! Now let's bring her in for-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING!?"

Smacking the reaching fingers ready to dig for gold, Officer Church waved the officers away from the familiar blonde boy. Damn, looked like he passed out. He checked his pulse and was happy to see it still beating healthily. Other then the bruises and nightmares he was to receive, the kid was alright.

Turning to one of the officers who for some reason was garbed in their heavy duty chest armor and helmet, Church proceeded to smack the man on the head, "The hell was that!? What I tell you idiots about jumping the gun like!? This kid's one of Ozzy's students, I'm pretty he has a right to sue for police brutality!"

"But sir!" the man countered as he pointed to the passed out blonde, "We saw this suspect hanging out with our target. Which means he must also be involved with the FoF!"

"Really?" That wasn't good. Church frowned in worry as one of the officers cuffed his wrists behind his back. At this point they had no choice but to bring him in. With a deep sigh, Church nodded his head at them to put him in the back of the police car. And fix his pants.

At least they finally had a lead. Catching a slip of paper fall out of the kid's hands, Church grimaced. It was one of the Friends of Faunus poster's. Lead to their gambling arena where they recruited new members. And the kid had this? It was sadly not looking good for him.

"Be gentle with the kid." Church barked as he watched the boy's head smack against the top of the car, "We still have to question him before we make any judgments."

Looked like he had a business call to make to Ozpin. Hopefully he answered instead of Glynda. Was not looking forward to that talk.

' _I hope it's not what it's looking as, kid. You got a lot of explaining to do.'_

* * *

 _ **DLC 2: Summon Madness.**_

"Who the hell is this?"

Jaune dog eared the page he was reading to turn to his slowly brow twitching fellow Player. And he was getting to the good part too! Blake was on to something with these Ninja's of Love books. He'd never seen gauntlets like those before. Except the ones on Yang.

The book was soon taken out his hands by armor clad fingers. The owner of said hand hummed to herself as she skimmed through the pages with mild interest. Didn't have books like this on Pulse.

Ren stared dumbly at the Valhalla garbed pink haired woman standing beside Jaune's bedside. She looked as if she walked out of some fantasy world. Which was saying something coming from a man of Remnant.

Earlier today his leader had gone off to Vale for some new comics. It didn't send any flags off when he had left. It was a chill Sunday, no signs of conflict in the city or from the White Fang. Even Cinder's faction was months away from causing any trouble. So Ren had prepared himself for a nice day of relaxing by himself. Pyrrha, bless her lovely soul, had even taken Nora out of his hair. As if he didn't have enough reasons for-

Ren shrugged off the thought as he returned his attention to the noob blonde and his pink gunblade wielding friend. Was getting of topic there for a second.

After a nice stroll around Beacon and even grabbing some exotic tea Professor Goodwitch had lent him; it was good to know a fellow tea enthusiast in school, Ren had walked back to his dorm to savor what little time he had left to himself only to find Jaune sitting back in his bed, comic book in hand, with a strange armored woman that sent chills down his spine. The woman carried an aura that terrified him, and he was best friends with Nora.

Jaune was confused to what his friend was talking about for a good second, before smacking his head dumbly, "Oh, that." he nodded before pointing to the black book in the pink haired woman's hands, "I can explain. It's not mine, it's a friends. I swear to you, I don't even know how Ninja's of Love: The Sextaliation, got into my hands. I'm completely innocent of mind, dammit."

Ren scoffed. As if he was the only one who hadn't read that smut. Even he had one hidden below several locks and mechanisms below the boards of his bed. Still didn't understand how Nora had found his copy of Ninja's of Love: Deadly Red Tails. And they said he was the ninja.

"That is not what I'm talking about, and you damn well know it." he glared as he felt the twitch in his eye start to spasm. That could not be healthy.

But Jaune still didn't seem to understand what he was talking about, "I'm lost here. Do you know what he's talking about, Light?" Jaune decided to ask his new friend.

'Light' simply quirked a brow at him without taking her eyes of her what was becoming her new favorite book. She didn't even know honey could be used like that, "I believe he's speaking about my presence, Jaune."

"Really? You sure it's not about the smut? Because I think I was fooling him with my brilliant excuse."

"You weren't fooling anyone." Both Ren and 'Light' deadpanned as Jaune hung his head in shame. It was his mother finding his secret 'stash' all over again. Wasn't his fault, Dad was the one to give him those bunny faunus magazines in the first place.

A sigh escaped Ren's lips as he rubbed his forehead, "Yes, Jaune. I'm talking about the strange woman standing next to you. She doesn't seem to be a hunter, not to mention my Scan isn't coming up with anything on her. Nothing but her name that is." The cross hair in his iris faded away as he glared at the nonchalant woman engrossed in the filthy, yet story rich, tale in her hands.

Lighting. Who the hell named their kid after natural plasma?

"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me." Jaune shrugged as he hopped off his bed. Walking to his raven haired friend, Jaune rummaged through his pockets for a bit before finding what he was looking for. A pink crystal rose marble decorated with blades, roses, and lighting was then dropped into Ren's hand, "See, when I went to Vale for my new additions of X-ray and Vav, I was stopped by this weird guy wearing a travelars cloak and for some creepy reason, a brown paper bag with a smiling face stamped onto it. He wanted me to play some weird chance game, something involving a box and colored balls. And I won, somehow. All I know is that he was really surprised, cried a bit, slapped himself in the face, and then rewarded me this. Along with a these." Two more crystals dropped into Ren's palm, catching him by complete suprise.

"How did you get your hands on Summon Gems?" Ren was slacked jaw at the little trinkets. They had the power to summon warriors, weapons, and beasts from other dimensions to fight by your side for a limited time. To get them, you had to undertake some impossible mission or find them by utter luck. How the hell did he-

The twitch grew in intensity as he slapped his forehead. Right, Jaune had a high Luck stat. Shit like that tends to attract towards him. Lucky bastard.

"Like I said, I won them." Jaune answered simply, throwing his arms behind his head. Not at all startled by the woman that now stood besides him. "After I got them, The Game had simply told me to pump some of my MP into them, and boom! Next then I know, Light's patting my back soothingly as I threw up in the nearest bush."

"It wasn't the most pleasant first meeting." Lightning lightly grimaced, recalling finding herself summoned in a ray of light to some blonde boy ready to throw up. Still better then Snow by a mile.

"I think it went pretty great. Didn't get any barf on ya, did I?" the emotionless stare received begged to differ, "Anyways, once she popped out of nowhere, Light went on about following my lead and pledging herself to fight by my side till the end of her quest. You should really hear it, because I'm completely lost once she starts talking about some place called Valhalla. I thought you saved the day after fighting that weird cherubic golden wheel thing?"

Lighting visible scowled with a groan, rubbing her own head as she felt a headache coming on, "Trust me, so did I. It's easier to stick with the original story for sanity's sake."

Did not care, Ren simply wanted answers and he got them.

"Right, as much as I would love to hear such a tale-"

"Trust me, you don't. Even I began to question what the hell was going on once my sister took my place."

"-I'm more concerned about how long her summon time will last." Ren's scroll vibrated, alerting him to Pyrrha messaging him. A quick look at it, and his thoughts were confirmed, "Pyrrha's coming back along with Nora. And I don't know how to explain the scary pink haired woman with a crushing presence to our team."

Lightning blinked in confusion, pointing to herself as she looked to her new 'master', "Do I really look scary?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"Nah! You look sweet as a pink peach!" Lightning blushed lightly at his words before turning away shyly.

' _Not another one.'_ Ren was seriously considering smacking the sense into his leader. The fuck was this, some anime?

The door to their room clicked as Pyrrha walked into their room with a cheery smile along with Nora. Today had been a better day then she expected. Nora, once she calmed down, was surprisingly a great listener. It was nice to have someone to vent to about her feeling for Jaune. And she even pinky promised not to say anything, which was sacred to the orange haired girl.

Blonde hair and blue eyes greeted her vision, causing the smile on her face to widen further. And it looked like Jaune was finally back. Maybe they could study together for a bit. Sounded like a great way to get closer to him.

Unfortunately, the smile on her face quickly vanished into a frown noticing the pink haired armored woman standing besides him with a flat look on her face.

"Huh? Does anyone else feel like they walked into a warzone?" Nora asked as the tension in the room could suddenly be cut by a broad ax.

"Jaune." Pyrrha said slowly as she glared at the woman standing really close to her partner, "Who is this?"

"This? This is-"

"I'm his new partner." Lightning cut in, suddenly hugging the blonde boy close to her chest, smirking at the response she got from the red haired girl. "Lightning. And I'll be fighting besides him from now on."

"Is that so?" Pyrrha smiled dangerously as her hands magnetized. Akouo and Milo flew into her hands from across the room, her red blade shifting into its spear form. She closed her eyes as a dark shadow fell over her smiling face, "Funny, I thought I was his partner. Guess I'll just have to fix that silly little mistake then."

Lightning's Blazefire gunblade twirled in her hand in response, loading a shell into its chamber with a click, "I suppose so. Perhaps you'll be able to entertain me for now. I do hope you'll prove a challenge, I have my mind set on trying out something involving honey, butter, flapjacks, and ropes that I've read about in a book with my new 'master'."

"I strangely dread and await what she has in mind."

Pyrrha did not like what she was hearing, both from her new 'rival' and her beloved partner. Throwing her semblance clad hand to the summoned warrior, Pyrrha yelled out a war cry as she sent her crashing through the wall as she followed. Good thing she was mainly wearing armor. This was gonna be a piece of cake.

"Thundaga!"

The large streaking bolts of blazing lighting firing out of the hole begged to differ.

Clashing steel and feminine shouts of fury broke out throughout Beacon as both proud warriors fought over the greatest prize of them all: A naive blonde with a stupid smile. Truly a prize to tear apart the landscape for!

"THAT'S MY SWEET BLONDE ASS!"

"YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!"

"AND YOU WOULD!? WHEN'S THE LAST TIME A MAN'S EVER TOUCHED YOU!?"

"HE'LL DO MORE THEN THAT TO PLEASE THIS GODDESS!"

"YOU BITCH! THAT'S MY LINE!"

Jaune whistled at the scene out the hole Pyrrha created, gesturing for Nora to pass the popcorn she had magically found. Wasn't everyday you could see woman fight so savagely. At some point Lighting had noticed Pyrrha was using her metal armor to her advantage and switched it in a flash of light to some skimpy witch armor devoid of anything she could control. And Pyrrha was starting to gain revealing tears in her school uniform. It was honestly a sexy fight to watch.

"How long is her summon time going to last?" Ren mumbled as he found his eyes glued to the battle. He gulped noticing a tear near Pyrrha's chest that flashed the skin of her breast. Hopefully long enough.

"The pink bar slowly draining by my MP says, not for a long while. I think Light's somehow forcing herself to stay here."

"Do I wanna know what the other summons are?"

"Says that the blue crystal is called, The Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, and the red one is called, The Premium Heart Angel. Should I try them out?"

The earth trembled in a thunderous roar, shaking the foundation of Beacon to its core as they found Pyrrha flying back into their ruined dorm. They blushed, including Nora who had begun to snap photos, at the remainder of her uniform. She was basically wearing rags at this point.

"Don't worry, Jaune. I think I got her by the ropes." she smiled wearily before the thundering foot clops of a horse caught her attention.

"COME FORTH, ODIN!"

An odd hooked like sword was flung towards the battle damaged red head that she quickly blocked with her shield. Using her power of magnetism, Pyrrha sent it back to its owner with a shout before firing several shots from Milo's rifle. The bullets were blocked as Lightning flew after her, crossing blades in a shower of sparks. Parrying a slash to her lower body, the Valhalla goddess snatched her defending arm and spun her around, using momentum to throw her out to the waiting blade of her Eidolon. Truly, the girl was a fine opponent.

"I'll be back for you later." Lightning smirked to Jaune with a flirty wink before feeling a familiar tug on her body, "Oh, that's just cheating." she deadpanned before being pulled back into the fight.

Ren slowly lowered the crystal balls in Jaune's hand with a flat look on his face.

"Now's not a good time."

Jaune nodded along as he pocketed the trinkets. Did not even want to think about what this little experiment was going to cost them.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Hedge Fang [4AP]: Spinning their body around like a wheel, the Player deals a blow with their weapon based on their Speed stat; Speedx50. Has a 75% Accuracy rating. Example: 5 Speed x 50= 250 Damage. MP Cost: 10MP.**_

* * *

 **Ah, Final Fantasy 13. I actually loved that game, it was honestly my first FF game. My family wasn't exactly flowing with cash when I was a kid, so I never got to play some of the classics till I was in my teens. Hell, my first Gameboy was a Gameboy Advance, and that was given to my by my best friend. He was awesome, sucks that I can't remember his name. Makes me feel like an ass.**

 **Anyways, things are starting to move along now. Jaune has be taken in as a suspect, his pretty ass now locked up. Of all the times to have a pretty face.**

 **Still thinking of a cover photo for this fic. Got a PM from one of ya that I'm looking over about an artist. So if anyone else has one in mind, let me know. I won't get it commissioned till the end of this volume, so there is plenty of time till then. And if you got any DLC ideas, don't be afraid to let me know. I could use some more inspiration. And OC's if you feel like sharing.**

 **Time for bed, got a big week ahead of me. Family yearly trip to the beach is Sunday, so I got to finish what I can before then.**

 **Till next week, Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	8. Laws and Reason

**The night has come for me, meaning it's time for another chapter of Multiplayer!**

 **Honestly, I wouldn't upload this chapter seeing as Chapter 9 isn't even finished. It's been a long week. The trip to the beach took a lot of time out of my writing schedule, had to set things up for my mother's birthday and take her out to dinner with my brothers and sisters, and have to deal with my now fucked up cell phone. Yeah, should of checked my swim trucks for my phone. Last year it was my wallet floating in the water, losing my version of Pokemon Black V2 which I kept hidden in its sleeves and sixty bucks, now it was my phone. I got crappy luck, swear to god.**

 **Don't worry about next week's chapter though, I'm 9,000+ words in already. It just needs another day of writing before it's finished. And it's an action packed one, let me tell you.**

 **Like I said last week, this chapter is as action-y as the others. But it's necessary. I think it came out better then I originally expected. I got some good moments in here that still make me laugh. And it comes with a DLC! I kinda felt dirty writing this one. Thank god the apartment was empty when I was writing this.**

 **Review Time!**

 **JustJustin3099: Thanks, man! Gotta say, this is the most reviewed chapter so far. Glad to know my skill in writing fighting scenes hasn't dulled. Don't worry, I am going to continue the DLC for Summon Madness after all the positive reviews left about it. And yeah, my grammar still needs some working on. I'll be fixing that soon.**

 **Wandai: As always, you bastard. You're theories are actually scratching at the surface of what The Gamer is. I absolutely love your guesses, but I can't confirm them, of course. But you're getting there. More of The Gamer's aspects will be revealed soon. Look out for Forever Fall, got something planned that will open up even more questions. As for Hera, oh yeah, I love her, I really do. I got something planned for her born from Atlas. And yeah, some of the characters were created out of fairy tales, except for Anabel. I'm surprised no one's found her inspiration yet. Oh, and can confirm one thing: you're right, one of the Player's is broken as hell. The nodes to some of my favorite shows and stories are little cookies to everyone else, glad you spotted them. Keep up the awesome reviews.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Go ahead, PM the OC's. If their good, I'll ask you for your permission to use a few for future chapters. Inspiration is always good.**

 **Benthino: Glad to know you enjoyed the chapter! And the other summons will be summoned in later DLC's, don't you worry. And your team, you mad man. You're not the only one wondering the identity of the Premium Heart Angel. I'll give you a hint, the game is complicated as hell and involves a meteor.**

 **WBrendon89: I guess Jaune does have the potential to be a Harem King with his powers. Did not see that coming(I did.). Ren has his reasons, but that could be said too in a way. And you know, I actually got the idea for Lost Fairy Tales from Kingdom Hearts 2. It's pretty much similar to the idea. Not bad, if you got more ideas, I'd love to hear more for ideas.**

 **Omegazeroinfi: Ey! Fellow hunter in the mix! Glad to know I'm not the only one playing Generations, when I have the time.**

 **GhostHornet: Don't worry about the bromance, it's more entertaining that it came off that way. Makes me laugh out loud. I'll think about it, not really into Bioshock but my little brother is.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: Old amigo! I didn't know you spoke mother's tongue too! Chale, should of known wey! And yeah, Cardin's still in danger of losing himself to the darkness, wait till you read Chapter 10, or was it 11? That's when shit hits the fucking fan! You DLC is very amusing, I'll mull them over as I work on the next Lost Fairy Tale DLC for next week. I of course leave you a tip for your awesome bannana hammock. I hope you too get Generations when you can. It's awesome, when I have the time to play it. Keep the ideas coming, I love them. And one day, those cherries will be popped. . .after I buy some cream for my cramping hand and wrist.**

 **Cinderfall201: Don't worry, I got plans for Neo. She may not be a Player, but she has her role.**

 **Acerman: So many questions! Sad to hear not being able to find that webcomic, but it lives on in us. I got the idea for the police from a short on RoosterTeeth with the self driving cars, I just had to put in at the end seeing as it fit just right. Holt has his own reasons which will he explained upon later, trust me, there is more then meets the eye with this bastard. In every Reset, everything is brought back to zero, nothing carries over no matter what Quirk a Player has. Still not saying nothing on the last two either, so good luck with that. One will be revealed soon. For now, keep reading. The rides far from over.**

 **SonicFanFlame: You know, typing it down makes me want to put in 'It's no use!' in there somewhere so bad, just to get your goat. Jaune's getting there, slowly. And the FoF have yet to show you what they're made of yet. I actually love White Knight, I don't know why. Guess I'm a masochist. And now I want to drink the bleach out of spite, I'm a Rebel!**

 **Zhalo Shadowcell: Don't fret, I do get reviews like this a lot. My grammar is not the best. So I'll try to work on it. As for the Beta, eh, I'm thinking about getting one.**

 **Drake187: How do you fuck someone runni-Never mind. Curiosithy aside, glad to have you as a fan! Happy to know you gave this story a chance, I know seeing all those Gamer fics can turn some people off from my own. It's been over saturated in my opinion.**

 **BlackFireKingKoncor: Yup, that was you. I sent the guy a message few days ago, hopefully I get a message back on the commission. If not, well I'll just look out for other artists. Thank for the recommendation!**

 **Soulfulbard: Yup, FoF some messed up folks. Wait till the next chapter. Got a feeling you'll get a kick out of this next DLC.**

 **Loganhunter2: It's good to be back. I was in a slump for a long time, you know, with my old laptop glitching and not allowing me to write or post anything for a long time. But with my new laptop shining and glistening, I just had to get back into writing. Right now I'm simply focusing on one story till I get my back on the horse. I don't know if I'll return to Fairy Tail though, kinda fell out of it with how things have been going in the manga. Glad to have you as a fan of this story though.**

 **Man! This chapter generated a whole lot of reviews! Thanks for the support! I really do appreciate it, I really do. Now lets get to reading! I ain't one for mushy shit anyway!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, or The Gamer. You know who they belong to, why make me say it? Does it please you, you bastards? I'm more then some piece of meat! I got bones and shit too.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Laws and Reason.**

The Vale Police Department handled many things within the city. While hunters and huntresses handled threats such as Grimm, the police were left to deal with the many threats caused by humans. Robberies, kidnappings, drug trade, abuse, and other troubles. It made you wonder which job was worse. Hunters dealt with creatures that killed for no reason, drawn by negativity. They didn't have the longest life span and many turned to vice to deal with their cruel line of work. The police on the other hand dealt with the negativity that draws in the Grimm. People were capable of cruel and sick acts that made the men and woman of the force question who the real monsters were. And it was their job to stop them from doing such things and protect the people without causing any alarm.

They were what stopped negativity from spreading. They protected the people from the dark corners of the city. They were heroes!

"They're a bunch of morons!"

Church slammed his fist atop the police chief's desk as he went over what the events of last night, nearly knocking down the chief's paperwork and coffee.

"Not only did they apprehend the wrong guy, but they used excessive force on a student from Beacon academy! I'm pretty sure the few folks wandering around at the time recorded the whole thing too. I wouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves dealing with Lisa Lavender, that woman is always searching for a new story!"

"Blane said the kid was in cahoots with our suspect. They had been trailing them for a while and when they thought they had a shot at capturing her, she bailed. Seeing as this 'Jaune Arc' kid was talking to her and even had one of the FoF's fliers on him when they apprehended him, they had every right to take him in." Chief Guz S. Rola explained as he tried to finish his work in peace. Unlike the other officers, the chief wore a dark blue police padded jacket and pants fitted for police chief. He still wore a pair of dark sunglasses and had bushy eyebrows along with a trimmed beard on his face. Stamping the sheet of paper with his approval, Chief Rola went to work on the next pile on his desk, not bothering to turn his eyes back to the man in front of him, "And don't worry about any videos. I got someone taking any down from the net. I'm sure this won't be making any headlines anytime soon."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe, sir. And we still have to deal with the fact that he's a student of Beacon. You know how overprotective Ozpin is with his kids."

"Well, one of his 'kid's' is under suspicion of having ties to an organization that wishes to humanize faunus kind by maiming them. It doesn't matter what he thinks or what position of power he has, the law is the law. Even hunters aren't above that."

"And we still don't know if he's guilty of anything!" Church shouted in anger, "I'm mean, he caught one of their recruits along with a few other hunters in training last week. For all we know he was unknowingly being recruited by her." taking a moment to calm his nerves, Church straightened his tie before looking back at the chief with a stern frown, "What we should be doing is questioning him at least. Not holding him in a cell like some criminal. He's a good kid, he doesn't deserve this kind of treatment."

Chief Rola groaned as he scratched his forehead in irritation. Church was a good man, he really was, but he let his emotions get in the way of his work. Their was nothing the man hated more then prosecuting kids. "I know how you feel, Justin, but we have to follow the rules no matter what. He could be our only lead into the FoF and I'm not going to let that go just because he may or may not of been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyday that goes by that we spend scratching our heads wondering where the hell those bastards are hiding, is another day that another faunus is hunted down and amputated. And if you haven't noticed, their little hate group is starting to gain speed." picking up the remote by his side, the chief turned on the hologram TV on the far side of his private office.

"-and with little to defend himself with, Arron Whisk, a mouse faunus, was left at the corner of HayOak Street, bruised and bloody, with his mouse ears cut right off in a gruesome display of hate." the familiar face of Lisa Lavender greeted both men on the screen, her normally calm demeanor strained by the images displayed in pop up boxes by her head. She shook her head sadly at the scene, "This marks the third hate crime to leave a faunus in such a state since Monday morning, where a sheep faunus was found in a similar state behind an abandoned building by the pier. And if local chatter is to be believed, this isn't the first time to happen either. Several more attacks have been said to of taken place, but many believe that the Vale Police Department have been keeping such things under wraps in order to keep people from panicking. And while many are outraged and appalled by such attacks, others are questioning the faunus." Switching from her point of view, Lisa played the recordings of the people of Vale that she had questioned earlier that day.

"Who's to say these animals were innocent? For all we know, they could have been part of the White Fang! But instead of questioning them, the police are treating them like victims! Bah, I say leave whoever is doing this alone. They could be some kind of vigilante that's hunting down the White Fang."

"They're probably White Fang members. You never know which of those animals is part of that hate group. The faunus probably attacked first. Serves them right, is what I say."

"People are attacked all the time. Who cares if it's a stinking faunus? Hell, they look human now. Whoever did this is doing them a favor."

"Animals! This is what happens when you pledge yourself to a group of savages that wish to wipe out humanity off the face of the earth. The faunus are all alike, a little plastic surgery is a kindness compared to what we would of done to them back in the day."

Switching the camera back to her, Lisa frowned at all the negative comments she had received on the story, "Not much is known, but a group that calls itself 'The Friends of Faunus' has recently been under the eyes of the police. We've received no comment from the Chief of Police, Guz S. Rola, but it's this honest reporters view that they're are trying to keep these matters under lock and key. Tensions between humans and faunus have lately been luke warm, but with this new player in Vale and the White Fang suspected to be hiding within as well, many are fearing a full on gang warfare between the two. We now go to our crime specialist for mo-"

Guz shut off the screen with a tired sigh. Laying down his dark shades, Church could finally see the toll the new player in Vale was taking on his boss. The chief's weary and baggy brown eyes stared back at him sternly, "The news is too focused on The Friends of Faunus to care about a little beating that barely anyone witnessed. And we're up a shit creek right now with Vale's council demanding us to take care of the situation. I've got literally zero leads seeing as what little we find are killed the next day by some unknown killer picking them off like hotcakes to some deranged pancake lover. And now that we find one, still alive and breathing mind you, you want us to let him go and go easy on him because he's a 'good kid'?" The chief looked at Church incredulously as if he was insane, "Fat chance of that happening. I'm keeping him under our protection, guarded by our top officers until he spills every little thing he knows. I'm not taking any chances here. By the end of this week, the FoF will be put away, otherwise we have to deal with outside forces barging in to finish the job."

"You're not talking about the Atlesian military, are you?" Church gawked in disbelief. A few days ago he had ran into one of their troops as they left the station. Did the council really believe that they needed to bring in the big guns for a little hate group?

Guz nodded his head firmly, "One of the council members had gotten a hold of General Ironwood and asked for his assistance in dealing with this rising threat."

"But Ironwood's men deal with eliminating the Grimm, not some petty hate group."

"And at one point the White Fang was a petty hate group before they abandoned their peaceful ways. I'm guessing they had spun that little bit to the General to get him to agree. Sadly, I can see why he would agree. If a little problem is left alone long enough, it'll have time to grow and become a disaster. Better to deal with them before they become an equal threat as The White Fang." The General wasn't able to met him in person, but he had sent someone over to relay the message by private scroll. Either they take care of the problem, or he would be forced to deal with it himself. The Vytal Festival was approaching, so it was more then understandable why he would want to step in. But having hunters fix their problems would make the police look bad. It was a local problem, one that they could handle themselves. It was also odd that the General would accept the request like that. Seemed like he really wanted his men in Vale for some odd reason.

"Kris has already taken in four men who cornered a dog faunus girl in an alley. And each one had one of these."

Catching the coin thrown to him from his boss, Church began to run his thumb over the familiar markings of the small black disc.

"It's one of the tokens we've been finding on our suspects." he scowled.

"Dead suspects. I had one of our tech guys look it over and discovered they each have a little homing chip implanted within. Not only do they track their targets, but they seem to pick up on key phrases. Every time one of our guys catches a suspect, the coin listens in for police chatter. And when it catches even a single word, it sends out a single to the ones who've programmed it. I'm guessing that's how we keep loosing our suspects. Whoever is taking them out is fast enough to assassinate them from a mile away inside our police cruisers. They've got a hell of a sniper on them."

This was more then a little hate group. Whoever was leading them was skilled and well organized. They seemed to of thought of everything. Even their best reinforced vehicles weren't safe from the sniper's bullets. They were lucky not to have lost any of their own men while they were dealing with the case. That wouldn't last long though. It was only a matter of time before they got bolder and sent a warning message to stay out of their business. Just like the White Fang had done years ago.

"Not only that, but it looks like they're gaining followers. It won't be long till their numbers rise enough to pose a serious threat to the city. The four guys Kris brought in? Not only are they resting in body bags with nice bullet holes in their foreheads, but they're the only ones we've brought in that had actual ties with The Friends of Faunus. The seven we caught hunting faunus down this week were simply trying to get their attention so they could join. The problem can't be contained any longer." The whole thing was becoming a splitting headache. If Guz hadn't stop drinking after that charity event gone humiliatingly wrong, he'd be downing a shot before moving on to his bottle of vodka. For now he would have to be content with his coffee for stress relief. Downing a nice gulp of his steaming Mistral Roast, the chief fixed his sunglasses back onto his face before speaking to his old friend, "Tomorrow I'm sending Blane down to the Vale News Station to handle the social scene. There is nothing left to hide at this point, might as well come clean."

"And the kid?" Church couldn't help but ask.

Guz stood up from his desk with a grunt, stretching his arms back as he cracked his spine, "We'll interrogate him tomorrow morning. I'm not saying we're going to lock him away like some criminal, but out of all the suspects we've apprehended, he doesn't have a token on him. What little he knows will be a great service to us. So calm down, it doesn't look as if he's in cahoots with them. Otherwise we would have to deal with an angry Headmaster about one of his students buried with a headshot." he smiled awkwardly. The thought of an angry Ozpin was not a pleasant one.

While Jaune wasn't free of any charges yet, Church still sighed in relief at the news. The kid reminded him of his own son back home. It left a bad taste in his mouth thinking about him locked up like one of the sociopaths.

"Just try and be gentle. I don't think he has a good opinion of the police after being ganged up like that. And I'll be sure to be watching over the interrogation. Who's doing the questioning anyways?"

"Hm? If I remember right, it's Ken and Barbie."

"Dear god, no." Church deadpanned with a twitching brow. "Why them? You know how Ken gets, the idiot thinks that he can play both the good cop and bad cop at the same time! And don't even get me started on Barbie! That chick has no sense of personal space and she beat the shit out of the last guy she questioned!"

Guz shrugged his shoulders in apology, "My hands are tied. They're the only ones I got left to do it. Everyone else is busying with other important matters at hand. And they get results."

Yup, he was definitely going to watch over the proceedings. It's not that Church didn't have any faith in his brothers and sisters in arms, but he questioned their mentality at times. Sometimes he wonders if they had simply failed at becoming hunters and decided to join the force instead. It was starting to look that way, explained their act now, ask questions later attitudes.

"Fine, I'll be sure to keep an eye on them." he grimaced as they both headed out the door, "But if Barbie slaps me again, I can't be held responsible for what happens next."

"Shut up, we both know she'd kick your ass if you weren't her senior."

* * *

Jaune sighed in depression as his head fell back against the wall of his cell. Two hours had gone by since they had dropped him into the little cell with no explanation as to why. If it wasn't for his aura, he was sure he would of woken up to an aching body. So that was a positive. Did bring up the question as to why he was beaten like a sack of potatoes to mind. A shiver went down his body remembering the haunting sound of rubber gloves and the breeze between his legs.

' _I feel so dirty. Now I can never be wed!'_

"You okay there, kid?"

Shoving such thoughts deep into his psyche, Jaune spun his head to the voice of the curly cotton candy blue haired officer guarding his cell. Luckily he wasn't dragged into a prison, but to the police station in the middle of Vale. The cell he was locked into was separated from the few within. It wasn't exactly big, it was half the size of his dorm back at Beacon and the walls were made of solid see through bullet proof walls. Leaving no sense of privacy.

The officer outside his cell was leaning back outside the doorway, tapping on his scroll before glancing back at the blonde. "Don't normally see kids like you in our private holding. Must of done something really crazy to get you locked up in here." he chuckled in amusement.

"But I didn't do anything wrong. I swear!" Jaune argued weakly. What was the point? The other guys didn't listen to him when he woke up. They simply branded him as some criminal. All he did was go out and eat noodles with a pretty girl! When did that become a crime?

"Really? Then why'd you get locked up?" the officer scratched his head in confusion, "It's not like we randomly go out and beat people up and throw them into a cell. Must have done something bad."

"All I did was go out and eat dinner! With a girl! If that was a crime, then this is pure irony seeing as can never get a date when I try. What am I going to tell my mom?" Jaune whimpered as he huddled into a ball. His mother was a gentle woman, but she was worse then an Alpha Beowolf when you pissed her off. There was no telling what she would do to him when she found out he got locked up in jail.

The officer grimaced in sympathy, watching as the blonde began rocking back and forth in a corner. His own mother could be a real monster too. Still got his ass kicked when he showed up late for dinner. And he was a cop!

Turning his eyes to the boy, Officer Kris knocked on the see through wall to get his attention. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure if you're really innocent of whatever is going on, they'll let you out in a few hours. You don't seem like such a bad guy to me." he grinned cheerfully.

Jaune's big blue, watery eyes looked back to Kris with a glimmer of hope, "Really?" he sniffed, getting a chuckle out of the nice officer.

"Yeah! I'm sure the chief will be sending me a message to let you out any minute now!" speaking of the chief, his scroll was buzzing. That must have been him with his orders. Kris gave Jaune a positive thumbs up before reading over the message.

"What's it say?" Jaune asked as he got back up to sit on his flat bed.

Kris cringed, the news was not good.

"Uhhhh, rain check on that release." he laughed nervously, receiving a groan of disappointment from Jaune, "Chief Rola wants to hold you for the night and bring you in for questioning in the morning. Says you have information that's crucial to the FoF case. He did say you have one free phone call for the night though. So you can call whoever you need to before lights out."

"I don't even know what FoF is! Is this punishment for taking a girl out for noodles?" Was this The Game at work? Seemed like everything that went wrong in his life was it's fault.

"Wouldn't say that. But if what he says is true, you may be the only lead we have against those bastards." Kris said with a serious expression on his face. It was draining dealing with those sick bastards and their twisted ways. That poor faunus girl he rescued today was still shaken up about her almost amputation.

"Who are they anyways? This is the first time I've heard about them." Jaune asked with a raised brow.

"Really? You don't know who they are, yet the chief says you have information on them?" The hell? If he didn't even know who they were, how was he any use to them? It would explain why he was still alive. Most of the suspects had been killed by a sniper before making it to the station. Kris shook his head in disbelief. Guess it was a good thing he didn't know.

"I guess telling you won't hurt our case. Chief said Blane was going to be spilling the beans tomorrow anyways." Pulling up a chair from the desk close by the cell, Kris took a seat as he began to explain the new player in Vale. Who know's? It might help them out if the kid knew about the people he was going to be questioned about, "FoF stands for Friends of Faunus. They're a radical group of humans, and even some faunus, that wish to humanize the faunus by amputating what makes them faunus. They've been around for years, but they've never made waves in their movement till now. Not only do they cut off their ears, tails, and horns, but those who they also kill from time to time, as a message. Either they live as humans, or die as animals."

' _What the hell kind of shit have I walked into?'_ Jaune's eyes were wide in mute horror. This did not happen before in his last life. The Friends of Faunus didn't exist, at least they shouldn't have. _'This is the Remix at work. I know for a fact that this group had never existed in my first life. If they did, I would know about it.'_

Was this the Event he started, Trial by Fire? Of all the times to be separated by his scroll! If he had it, then maybe he could figure this shit out. The Game must have sent him a message about what was going on. Right now he had nothing on him, only his hoodie and armor.

"By the your look on your face, I can see you weren't lying about not knowing about them." Kris smiled sadly, "Every lead we've had on them has been assassinated by an unknown sniper targeting lose ends. And it looks like you might know something about them. You're also not dead, so they don't seem to know about you. Yet." his face scrunched up in remorse as he thought back to the four perps he had taken in. All of them dead before they even made it half way back. It was a miracle he and his partner hadn't been gunned down. Kinda haunting to know they could of easily pulled the trigger again and killed him too.

What the hell did he know? Jaune hadn't done anything to discover any of their secrets. He only stepped out of Beacon twice now. During his mission with RWBY and his team for books, and today when he met Ann so she could repay him the 5L.

Wait, Ann? Thinking back to when they parted ways, Jaune recalled the flier she had handed him before disappearing. Did that have to do with the FoF? He grit his teeth as Ann's face came to mind. She seemed so misunderstood. She couldn't be involved with people like this, could she?

Trial by Fire had begun when he met her last Saturday. She was connected, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And the FoF was tied to the ugly Event now in play. It made sense why they brought him in if they had suspicions about Ann being part of their group, he had hung out with her and she even gave him a flier to some underground betting match. She was the reason why he was locked up like a criminal.

All because he had paid for her food. A single act of kindness had him locked up.

"Whatever information you might have could really help us, kid." Kris smiled gently before another message to his scroll caught his attention. Looked like it was time to switch shifts again. The day had been tiring, a nice warm meal and shower before bed sounded like a good remedy. His light blue eyes turned to the slumped blonde with a sad frown. The kid didn't fit in a cell. Yet somehow he had been roped into this mess. Poor guy, "Time for me to be heading out. I'll have the next night watchman let you make that call of yours. I'm sure tomorrow they'll let you out after telling them whatever you may know. It was nice meeting you. . ."

"Jaune Arc." Jaune introduced himself wearily.

"Name's Kris. Just hang in there, Jaune. I'm sure you'll be back home and you'll be able to put all this behind you."

Leaving the blonde with another thumbs up and a small grin on his face, Kris walked off to switch shifts and head home.

The guy was actually pretty cool. It was too bad that everything he said wouldn't come true. If their was one thing Jaune had come to learn about his life now that it was a game, it was that things didn't end so smoothly like that. The Event was in play, and it seemed like he was going to have to end whatever the hell he was being dragged into.

Ren was right. Life was a bitch.

* * *

"And you're sure you're alright?"

"I wouldn't say 'alright', my face stings a bit when I touch it, but I'm sure my aura will fix that by morning. Other then that, I'm good. I'm sure that I'll be back at Beacon before lunch. They can't keep me here forever for doing nothing."

Pyrrha was still worried as she bit her thumb. Currently she was speaking over the scroll to her partner who had somehow wound up locked up temporarily in Vale's police station for the night. She was starting to wonder if he was cursed with bad luck or something. It seemed like the world was always getting him into these odd situations for the hell of it. And she'd only known Jaune for almost a month now.

The police had told him that he would be freed tomorrow, but for the rest of the night he would be staying in a cell. Why, Jaune wasn't allowed to say. The Headmaster had already been notified about the situation, but the knight's own team was to be left out in the dark. Whatever the reason was, it must have been serious for them to keep her partner in a cell away from everyone else.

It was grating on Pyrrha's nerves. Her poor partner was all alone in a holding cell for common criminals. What made it worse was his boy pretty face! He wouldn't last a day in prison. Nora had even said they used guys like him as currency. She didn't understand what that meant, but it made her fear for her blonde knights safety.

"As long as your alright." Pyrrha smiled softly, picturing Jaune on the end scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do that ended you in such a predicament? You're not exactly the most threatening individual out there." How could you think such a boy with such a sweet smile was a criminal?

Jaune didn't answer. His hands gripped the loaned scroll in restrained frustration as Ann's face flashed in his mind. "It's. . .complicated." he sighed weakly.

"Well, I trust whatever it is will soon be resolved shortly. I'm not happy about what's happened, but I'm sure that you'll be safe and sound with us soon."

"Tell him not to drop the soap! He can't afford it with his pretty ass!"

"Nora says not to-"

Jaune grumbled over the scroll, "I heard her." This wasn't some crappy jail flick. And he was separated from the other inmates that were in the station. Not to mention there was no need for a shower. Though he could still hear the sound of a rubber glove slapping onto a hand. Made him shiver in disgust. Thank god the officer on duty had told him that he wasn't cavity searched. "Anyway, my times about up. They're about to call nights out. Now I can see why Ren loves his bed so much. The crappy flat bed in my cell makes my back ache."

"Stay out of trouble then." Pyrrha chuckled light heartily before a worried frown took over her features, "We'll be waiting for you. And I'm sure team RWBY wishes for your safe return if they knew. I haven't told them yet, I'm worried that they would exaggerate. Ren and I have already had to restrain Nora to her bed with chains."

"My loyal stead! Your majesty will soon come to your rescue! I'll topple whatever government has imprisoned my trusty Jaune-cena!"

"Where did you even get chains?"

"Nora had some hidden under her pillow."

"That only raises more questions!"

A stern muffled voice carried over Jaune's end of the scroll, causing him to talk back to the voice. Looked like they wanted him to finish his business.

"Got to go, Pyrrha. My times up." he sighed.

"I understand. Don't want you getting in any more trouble" She would just have to hold out for now. Tomorrow she would see Jaune again and everything would be back to normal.

"Tell everyone not to worry when they ask where I am. I promise to see you all tomorrow. Goodnight, and say goodnight to Nora and Ren for me."

"Right. Goodnight." The end of Jaune's line soon hung up, leaving Pyrrha staring into her scroll with worried lines.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Ren reassured her from his bed, lying back with shut eyes. It was really surprising how well he had taken it all. He truly was the calmest of their group. Which wasn't hard seeing as it consisted of a bubbly girl that swung a grenade launching hammer. "For all we know it could be an example of mistaken identity. Jaune's a resourceful guy, I'm sure he can talk it over with the police."

Nora nodded as she stopped struggling from her bindings, "Don't worry, Pyre. Our fearless leader will be back in our hands soon enough. And if one hair on his pretty little head is misplaced, I will rain Valkyrie justice onto their sorry asses! Now, undue these infernal chains!"

Ren shook his head as the orange haired girl bucked up and down on her bed. Yeah, there was no chance in hell that they were letting her loose onto the public. It was a wonder that her bindings were holding up. Normally she would have been able to break free. Made him question what she was doing with such strong material. Even after all the lives he's lived in The Game, his best friend could still find ways to both surprise and terrify him.

"Keep this up, and I'm withholding pancakes for meals."

"You wouldn't dare! . . .Would you? Please, don't! It's worse then withholding sex!"

Nope. Was not going to continue that line of dailogue. Ren chose to ignore Nora and focus his attention on meditation. There was no greater challenge then finding peace in the company of a being that could not be silenced.

Knowing The Game though, Ren could already guess that Jaune had somehow found himself in the middle of an Event. He warned him Vale was a hive of random Events popping up wherever he went. The Game didn't treat Events as they normally did in regular games. Each Event was special in their own way. Some were pretty simple and you wound up with some nice gear and Lien for completing them. But others tend to affect the progress of events to come. In good ways and bad. He wasn't deaf, Ren already knew about the whispered chatter of an organization that went by the name The Friends of Faunus. Looked like The Game created some new antagonist to fill in the space of Jaune's bullied arc. It was reasons like these that he had refused to stray from the scripted path in The Game. One simple change resulted in drastic ripples in Events.

And Jaune was well aware of his life now being a game. He wanted to change things, even though he had no idea of the horrible events to come. Nothing would change, why couldn't he see that? He was playing The Game blind. The little things that would change wouldn't even matter in the long run. All would be reset.

Soft footsteps made their way to Ren's bed, catching his attention as he turned his conflicted pink eyes to the gentle emeralds that were Pyrrha's eyes. She stood by his bed side, not knowing what to say as she stared at him with worry.

"Are you alright, Ren?" Pyrrha asked softly, tilting her head to the side as Ren shook his head.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that you had that look on your face again." she answered, rubbing her right arm nervously. Every once in a while, Ren would have this odd expression on his face that he tried to hide from the team. It looked conflicted, strained, as if he was repeating something over and over in his head desperately. Quite honestly, the expression didn't fit on his normally calm demeanor. And she didn't like it.

Shit, Ren internally cursed. Where his thoughts starting to leak out onto his expression? Just another problem that rose up with Jaune's status as a Player. Everything had been running smoothly before, now with the blonde trying his hand at winning, everything was changing. Now Pyrrha was worrying about him. His eyes softened as he turned away from the invincible girl.

That was so like her. Every life she had been the one to fret about their little team, like a mother hen to newborns. Something that had never changed with every repeat was her fond smile. Made meeting her every time all the more worthwhile.

' _Do you believe in destiny?'_

And it made her death all the more heart breaking with every reset.

"Ren, you know I'm also your friend. If something's bothering you, you shouldn't be afraid to tell me." Without turning back to her, Ren could still feel her warm smile pointed at him.

No emotion. He couldn't be showing any emotion. It was what The Game wanted. For him to find hope once again and try beating it. Only to kick him down every fucking time he tried to save her! He wasn't falling for it again, he was done playing the hero. The Game had had another sap to play the role.

Instead he would simply enjoy what little time they all had together. Turning back to Pyrrha, Ren duly noted Nora's snoring form. About time she tuckered herself out.

"I'm fine. Guess I'm also worried about Jaune too." he said with a faked smile.

Ren wasn't telling the truth, but Pyrrha wasn't going to push him. She just wished that he trusted her enough to let her into his problems. They were friends now, right? And that was what friends did for another, they helped each other out with whatever was bothering them. Ren was a nice guy, even if he seemed cold with his calm demeanor. She didn't want anything bothering him if she could help it.

Laying her hand on his shoulder, Pyrrha withheld the sad expression on her face when he flinched slightly to her touch. "Well, I'm here if you ever need anything. Nora's not your only friend anymore, I'd like to think we can be just as close as you are with her. So don't be afraid to come to me when you're having troubles. I'm your friend too." her pearly white teeth grinned kindly at him. And try as he might, Ren couldn't fight the warm blush making its way to his face.

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Ren smiled gently in return. "I treasure your friendship as much as I do Nora's. It's nothing to worry about though. If I have any trouble, I'll be sure to look for you. Nora really can't keep a secret, and Jaune wouldn't be much help. You're the only one I can trust, I guess." he shrugged.

"I'm happy to hear that. But I'm sure Jaune and Nora can help you too. I know Jaune is a bit. . .awkward, but I think he has the makings of a great leader in him."

He did. All Jaune needed was a push to become a leader that could wipe out Grimm with a single swing of his sword. And that push would cost her life.

"It's getting pretty late. We should go to sleep too. The quicker we fall asleep, the quicker the morning will come and we'll be able to see Jaune again. He's probably got a good story to tell when we see him again."

Pyrrha nodded her head. It was about time she go to bed. The longer she stayed up, the more her mind worried over her leader.

"Right. I am curious to hear Jaune's tale. Just don't forget that I'm here if you need me, okay?" Pyrrha smiled before heading off to ready herself for bed.

"Goodnight, Ren."

Nothing would change. It was his mantra. But no matter how much he killed his emotions, why did it still hurt to hope for change? Ren shut his eyes as he pulled his covers over his face.

The Game was a cruel being giving him hope. The higher one's hope, the harder the impact once they fell. And looking into Pyrrha's green eyes always dug up some grain of it no matter how much he tried to resist it.

Nothing would change. So why couldn't he stop hoping for it?

"Yeah, goodnight, Pyrrha."

* * *

A tired yawn left Jaune's lips, smacking them as he grimaced from the nasty taste in his mouth. Sleep had quickly found him once the lights had gone out. The day had been exhausting and took a lot out of him. Not to mention his aura had drained him of energy once his injuries had healed, as minor as they were. Guess it was good thing he had fallen asleep so easily, didn't want to be up staring at the ceiling of his cell all night.

It was around the early light of morning when Officer Kris had knocked on his door with his baton with an apologetic grin. Said it was time for him to go over to the interrogation room. They did give him some time to use the restroom and clean himself up. Too bad they couldn't give him some breakfast first. His stomach was growling for something to eat.

Guess it was time to answer some questions. The only thing he knew dealing with the FoF was the flier he had on him. Ann did tell him about the secret map written in invisible ink that only became visible under a special mixture of dust and light. The location must have been their secret base or something. Downside was that it would mean Ann would be caught under the fire to come. Knowing that she was connected to the sinister group added on to the nasty taste in his mouth. And he had begun to think of her as a friend too.

"Here we are." Kris gestured to the guarded heavy duty door leading into the interrogation room. "Two officers will be meeting you shortly to ask questions. Word to the wise though," he winced, thinking back to who was to be questioning the poor boy, "Don't play along with their act and try to answer their questions as clearly as possible. Ken's a pushover, but it's Barbie you should worry about. That chick has a screw loose in that pretty little head of hers."

Jaune nodded along before entering the room. Did not want to cause any trouble. All he needed to do is tell them what he knew and he'd be free. Nothing complicated about that. Seeing a chair pulled out for him and the metal table in the middle of the empty room, Jaune took a seat while he waited. _'Okay, stay calm and everything will be alright. The police aren't bad people._ _One bad experience with them shouldn't say anything about their mentality. All you have to do is answer some questions, grab some breakfast, and head back to Beacon. If only my Gamer powers could help me out of this. Maybe my Charisma will help me out for once. Has to be good for something.'_

The door to the room slammed open, the loud bang startling Jaune as two officers walked in. Just like every other officer he'd met, they wore the same detective uniform down to the sunglasses and tie. Which was weird, the police in all the movies and TV always wore blue. The first officer had slicked back brown hair with a couple of strands over his forehead, standing out from the others with his pretty smooth face. And the other had long strawberry blonde haired falling over her shoulder, looking as if she was a model posing for the law. Honestly, they looked like paid modles then they did police. The male officer on the right smiled brightly at him, "Nice to you meet you, Jaune Arc. My name is Officer Ken Mattel and this is my sister, Barbie Mattel. We'll be conducting your questioning today on the subject of the Friends of Faunus. So please, don't leave out any important details, alright?" he said kindly, his teeth sparkling in the dim light.

He could do that. Didn't exactly know much other then the flier. "Gotcha. I'll tell you what I know."

"Good to hear, Jaune. That reminds me," reaching for something behind his back, Ken slid a plate of glazed doughnuts to the middle of the table, grinning at the hungry look on the blonde's face as he wiped a dab of drool off his mouth, "You didn't get a chance to eat breakfast yet, have you? Go ahead, don't want you sitting there answering questions with a barking stomach."

"Really? Thanks!" Licking his lips Jaune reached for the top doughnut. And here he was worrying for nothing! The cops weren't so bad. Much better then the ones that beat him up yesterday.

The hand slapping away said treat cared to disagree.

Two rough hands picked him up from the front of his hoodie, dangling him above his seat as he stared in surprise at the kind brown haired man shaking him around like a rag doll.

"Alright! Where the fuck did you hide the body!?"

Why him?

"Start talking, tough guy! I got enough evidence on you to put you away for a long time! How's two hours sound to you!?"

Jaune was seeing stars as the officer stopped shaking him, lolling back his head as he tried to still his shaken thoughts, "Not long, really." he mumbled dizzily.

"Smart guy, HUH!?" Ken sneered before slapping the boy's right cheek, "Well, I got ways to make your kind talk! Barb's! Give him the business!"

Shoving her brother off the table, Barbie sat in front of the flinching blonde gingerly holding his cheek. He was just how she liked them, sweet and squirmy. Barbie licked her lips, her right hand pulling Jaune to stare directly into the shades of her glasses. He could faintly make out the honey brown color of her eyes as she grinned widely, "In the name of the law, I will make you spill the beans! This I swear on my trusty pimp hand!"

"Please, be gentle!" Jaune whimpered before receiving barrage of slapping left palms to his face. This was not turning out how he thought it would! It was last night all over again!

"Hey! Be gentle on the kid. He's innocent! And he's just a boy~!"

"Why are you playing the good guy now!?" Jaune shouted over the sound of his face being slapped silly. A surprisingly sharp smack brought his attention to the sadistic female officer panting with a blush on her face. The fuck!? Was this turning her on!? They'd only been at it for a few seconds!

Barbie threw her head back with a sigh, grinning oddly, "My, you have such a slappable face on ya. I haven't heard such sweet musics since our bible retreat as kids! I could do this all day!" she laughed in a husky yet creepy tone, "Now, are you going to talk? Or will I be forced to whip out my 'talking shtick'?"

"OH NO! NOT THE NAILED BLOODY BAT, WIGGLES!"

"WHY IS IT CALLED WIGGLES!?"

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Barbie growled before somehow removing his chest piece from his hoodie. With that out of the way, the strawberry blonde ripped off what was left.

Silence engulfed the room a moment later as the two officers were left to stare at the ugly scar cutting through the boy's body. Was not expecting that. All Barbie wanted to do is make the boy squirm some more and try covering his body like some embarrassed chick. Ken whistled in awe at the sight. Didn't see scars like that often, and on a kid that wasn't even old enough to drink yet no less. Must have seen some messed up shit.

He quirked his eyebrow noticing his sister's shoulders tremble. For the love of god, she wasn't-

"Ken, please, leave us for a bit." his sister said lowly as she let Jaune fall back to his seat. Barbie's back straightened as she kept her eyes fixed on the dizzy blonde boy with a scary glint in her eye. Sent shivers in his spine, in the wrong way.

Backing away slowly to the heavy reinforced door with a sweating forehead, Ken chuckled nervously as he made his way out, "Just don't do anything drastic. We still need to get the information on the FoF out of him. He's our only lead."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure his mouth is still functional. For the most part."

Eh, as long as they got something useful out of him. Leaving his sister with the cowering shirtless blonde, Ken whistled a jaunty tune as a shrilly scream followed out the door.

' _I wonder if I can still grab a coffee? They usually run out of Butternut Crunch around this time.'_

* * *

Church grumbled to himself as he made his way through the station. He was running late due to a flat tire and a painted frog on his uniform. Should have never bought his son those paints for Colors day. Why couldn't he understand that his white shirts were not a canvas of creativity!? Chugging down his steaming mug of coffee crudely made of clay, Church quickly stopped by the front office for a cinnamon twist. Couldn't work on an empty stomach.

Hopefully Ken and Barbie didn't start the questioning without him. They tend to get out of hand with their work. Especially Barbie, the girl was a sadistic freak. There was a good reason why she wasn't allowed to patrol the streets anymore. Crime may of dropped a bit with her roaming the streets, but the number of police brutalities she had caused wasn't worth it.

Passing his ID to the officer guarding the way, Church quickly made his way to the Interrogation room, only to stop with a furrowed brow catching Ken leaning back by the side of the door to the room, sipping out of his own mug.

Church was relieved. Looked like they hadn't started yet. Ken must have been waiting for his sister then. Well in the mean time they could get started without her. Made things easier with only Ken. Out of the two, she was the worst.

"Waiting on Barb, Ken?" Church chuckled good naturally as he stopped by the odd officer. His keys jingled as he went to unlock the door to begin the questioning. Didn't want to keep the boy here any longer then he was needed, "Let's just get this over with. Poor kid probably hasn't eaten yet. We'll ask him what he knows, hopefully get something useful out of him, and send him on his way. We got a big day ahead of us."

But before he could turn the knob Ken's hand had stopped him. The look on his face was not reassuring. "I wouldn't do that, boss. Barbie hasn't given me the signal that she's done with the kid."

Church slowly turned to the nervous brunette, his face devoid of any emotion as he took off his glasses. His blank stare made Ken gulp.

". . .What did you say?" He must have been going deaf because he was not hearing right.

"Yeah, thing is, Barb's kicked me out so she can interrogate him in private. Won't be long now, I'm sure he's just about ready to crack!"

Speaking of crack, the see through window on the far side of the door cracked from a chair nearly breaking through it. Creeping slowly to the damaged window, both men were left with hanging jaws at what they were seeing inside.

With a chair in his hand, Jaune tried desperately to keep the long haired blonde officer at bay as he backed into a corner. Light scratches adorned his already scarred chest and odd wet bruises trailed his neck, sweating in fear of the woman reaching for him. Said woman was shirtless as well, her lacy white bra free for the world to see, her belt undone leaving her pants hanging around her hips and raised above her head to whip. Her glasses had been tossed away, the honey brown eyes staring back at Jaune sending goosebumps crawling over him. And not in a good way.

Even with the sound proof walls blocking any noise from escaping, Burns could still make out the girly yelp as he began dodging his fellow blonde leaping for him.

"What part of you thought it was a good idea to leave Jaune with her?"

"The part that didn't want his ass handed to him early in the morning."

"We should do something."

"Yeah. . .we should-Not it."

"Not-Dammit! Best two out of three?"

"Nope. Good luck with that."

Church was beginning to wonder why he was even an officer at this point. Didn't get paid enough to deal with all this insanity. Whining as he opened the door to the room, Church quickly ducked under the plate soaring over his head. Was not paying for that crap.

"STAY AWAY! I already got enough shit to deal with at Beacon! I don't even know if I'm a virgin anymore!" Jaune cried as he tried defending himself with the only weapon he had left, a half eaten doughnut.

"Take your sexy lumps like a man! I'm so close, god dammit!"

"SO CLOSE TO WHAT!?"

' _I wonder if I can sneak some vodka from Guz's secret stash. Coffee's not going to be enough to deal with this shit.'_ With a tired sigh, Church smacked the top of Barbie's head before she could trap her prey again.

Barbie growled wildly as her head whipped to the dead man interrupting her fun. Couldn't they see she was working? She blinked noticing Church tapping his foot at her. When did he get here?

"Hello, Sir!" she smiled cheerfully with a salute. If there was one thing Church could say nicely about her, it was that she at least had some respect for her seniors. "What are you doing here? I thought you had left this interrogation to us?"

"Who told you that?" Church frowned before smacking his head in realization, "It was Ken, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"I'm going to kill that guy." There was a nice spot by the pier that no one would notice a dead body. And he could send the guy's mother roses along with a ham. That woman loved her dead meat. "Look, I can take it from here. You've done enough damage as it is. Leave now, and I won't have to punish you for this."

"What did I do?" Barbie pouted.

Church looked at her with a deadpan before gesturing to the room. The place was a wreck with dents and cracked walls along with several doughnuts splattered everywhere. One of the lights was hanging above their heads by its wires. It was amazing what that girl could do with a simple belt. And terrifying.

"But I was so close!"

"Close to wha-Never mind! We can talk over this later. And remind Ken that if he does something like this again, he's on cafeteria duty again. That goes double for you if you do this kind of crap again."

Barbie huffed but relented. Didn't want to disobey him when he was using that tone of voice with her. Last time she was stuck on graveyard shift. Lost days worth of beauty sleep.

"Fine." she grumbled as she picked up her shirt. Buttoning it up, she sent a glare back at the relieved hunter in training. Bet your ass she wasn't done with him just yet.

Walking out, Barbie looked back at Jaune with a large grin, "We're not done, Jaune. I still haven't decided if you're innocent of the crime. Watch your back." she mouthed with a wink before sashaying out the door.

There was no doubt in Jaune's mind anymore, The Game was a sadistic bastard that loved toying with him. How else could you explain the crazy chick whipping him while moaning? If only he had his scroll on him, maybe he could have paused everything and escaped. Then again, Ren did say that while they were in a pause, The Game created an invisible barrier that limited their movement. Prevented any kind of cheating in its eyes. The welts on his skin were quickly healing with his aura kicking in as he sat back down on the same chair he was using earlier. Officer Church seemed like the only normal cop around here, excluding Kris. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his safety with him.

"Sorry about that." Church smiled weakly as he fixed the slightly damaged table in front of them. Taking his seat, he set down his mug and breakfast. "Ken and Barbie are very passionate about their work."

"Too passionate if you ask me." Jaune grumbled as he slacked in his seat.

Could not deny that, "Yeah, again sorry. Hope this doesn't affect why you're here."

"You guy's think I know something about The Friends of Faunus." It wasn't a question. And they were right, in a way. If Ann's flier was connected to them, then he could hold the secret to finding the bastards. An Event didn't have to end with violence, life may have been a game but it still seemed to follow regular logic. The FoF could be stopped with a police raid and everything would be done. Simple as that.

"Well, from what we know of you were seen with a suspect that's been connected to The FoF, Anabel Warhaul. Recent reports have put her under our raider after finding her sneaking around some private establishments. And what little witnesses that have seen her have noted that she's been handing out these fliers." the familiar UGC paper slapped onto the metal table, "We don't know much about where they're hiding, but we believe their base of operations is located wherever these fights are being held."

"Fights?" Jaune frowned as he read over the flier again. Didn't have much time when he was having his ass handed to him.

"Yeah, fights. If you can call them that. While we don't have much information on The FoF, we do know what the Underground Grimm Coliseum is about. We've caught a few heavy gamblers out drunk nights before, blabbing on about underground fights held in secret locations all around Vale. Each location changes and can only be found with secret messages. Unfortunately for us, the guys and gals were only one time goers who've been killed before we could get any real info out of them. Those who've been deemed worthy by whoever is holding these things are kept up to date on where each fight can be found somehow. If we can only find one of their fights locations, then I'm sure we can find someone who can spill the beans on the FoF. One of those drunks had recalled recruiters talking about joining some new movement called The Friends of Faunus."

"And they bet Lien here?"

Church nodded his head with a scowl, "These fights aren't exactly legal. Fighters are pitted against deadly Grimm for sport, to the death. Lien is placed on whether they win or lose, making these things even more twisted then they already are. And it's where we'll find the lead to break open this case." Jaune was their only hope at this point. Church didn't understand just how the Jaune had acquired the flier without the tracking token but he wasn't going to question it at this point. If he had the flier, then he must know the directions to the next match.

"You must know something, like the directions to where the UGC is being held today. Did Anabel say anything at all when you were with her about it?"

' _I can't pay everything you spent today, but I know of a way you can make triple what you had originally. You seem like a decent hunter in need of cash anyway, this would be perfect for you.'_

' _There's a map written in invisible ink on the back. All you got to do is mix some Fire Dust along with some Lightning Dust into a fine powder and flash a blacklight over the powder on the back to create to reveal the map. Be sure to do it in the dark though, it doesn't work otherwise.'_

Ann did tell him how to find the UGC. Because she had trusted him. Why did that make him hesitate? All he had to do is tell them what he knew. Wasn't much, but it would do. Friends of Faunus will be taken in and stopped before they could do anymore damage.

' _And you were right. I am saving for something special. Something only Lien can buy. So, thanks.'_

"If I tell you how to find the UGC," Jaune struggled, Ann's green eyes and faint smile popping up in his head, "What will happen to Ann? If you guys catch her with the FoF?"

That. . .was a tough question to answer. "Anabel will be taken in to custody. This isn't her first offense. She's under conviction of multiple thefts, assault, grand theft auto, and dealing with dangerous criminals. Not to mention she's no longer underage. They won't go easy on her once they convict her. She's out of chances this time." Church sighed sadly, "I don't know how many years she'll be put under but I know she won't be lucky if we find her there."

"Do you know her?" From the way he was talking about Ann it seemed like he had history with her.

"Yeah, you could say that." Church answered solemnly as he leaned back, "I've been dealing with her since she was a kid. That's personal though, and it doesn't have anything to do with what we're discussing."

"But she's my-" Jaune flinched back with a frustrated frown. What was she? Was Ann his friend? He hadn't known her for long, they've barely been around another for a day! All they did was eat noodles once, did that constitute as friendship?

What good did saving a criminal do him? Nothing but trouble would follow. So why hesitate? Why was it so hard to tell them what they needed to know? It wasn't like she thought of him as a friend. Jaune hadn't even unlocked her Friendship. There was no point in stalling. The longer he kept silent, the longer he was away from Beacon. The event could be finished like that. Right?

' _Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet, Jaune! There are friends all around you, you just don't know it yet! So, be sure to be the first one to make the first step. All someone needs is an open hand. So give them something to hold onto.'_

Jaune's hands gripped tightly onto his seat, gritting his teeth as his mother's words rang in his thoughts. Ann wasn't a bad person, he didn't see a criminal behind those eyes. She wasn't like the Friends of Faunus, or even the White Fang! Something inside of him was screaming at him not to throw her to the wolfs, consequences be damned. It was foolish, stupid, utterly moronic of him to try to save some girl he had only met, but the idea of Ann being locked away with other criminals made him sick to his stomach.

A hero didn't abandon others, even criminals. They tried to save whoever they could. And that was the kind of hero Jaune wanted to be. He didn't see an NPC that he would never have to deal with again, that had little matter to his life or the world around him.

Jaune saw a stranger that was only a step away from being a friend. It made him want to laugh. Ren was right, he was too soft for his own good.

"I know where the next match will take place." Jaune nodded firmly as he came to a decision. Time to see if his Charisma can make itself useful for once. Life was a game, time to start playing it like one, "But I'll only tell you it under one condition."

"Condition? You know you aren't exactly in the position to be asking for them."

"Just hear me out. After all, once you know where the UGC is being held today, who's to say that will be it? If your suspects were being tracked the whole time, then the people that will be of use to you will most likely be as well. The moment you bust them down, the sniper that's been taking them out will do the same to everyone involved with the FoF. Including some of your own men." Jaune's mind was working over drive as he worked his Intelligence over its limits. What he had for now would do as he began to think of a plan that would benefit them both. Once this was all over with, the next stat to work on was definitely going to be his INT. It was amazing what he was actually capable of when he stopped to think, "You'll lose your only lead and the FoF will stop playing games and see you all as threats on their tails. You need an inside man that can gain their trust, to spill the beans on their whole operation and find where the FoF is really hiding. If someone can gain that kind of trust, then maybe you'll be able to take them down without any kind of casualties."

Church felt his jaw tighten at what he was implying, "And you think that inside man can be you? Kid, that's not going to happen. This isn't some kind of game you can just jump into for crying out loud! Not only are you not trained for this kind of crap, but there is no doubt in my mind that you'll wind up dead! What do you have that any officer in his station doesn't have that can get you in with those bastards!?"

"Ann's trust! Along with a mark on the front of my head!" Jaune shouted loudly as he got up from his seat to stare down the older man. "If Ann's connected to all this, then she must have trusted me enough not to hand me a bulls-eye! That means that I can run back information to you all without the threat of a sniper gunning me down in cold blood. And with enough trust, she can introduce me to the leader of The Friends of Faunus. She was a talking about a boss earlier last night, he must be the guy organizing everything, even the fights. I even have her number on my scroll."

At lost of words, Church was left to grind his teeth at the idea. It was stupid. There was so much wrong with what he was proposing, there was little doubt that he could lose his badge if things went sour during the mission. But he was fucking right. Jaune knew Anabel closely, enough for her to tell him about the UGC and not mark him down as a liability. Any undercover officer sent in wouldn't be able to yield the same results as the kid and might even wind up dead. They would probably be marked with a token, watched closely.

Was he seriously considering this? Dear god, he was. What the hell was it about the kid that made him listen? Looking into Jaune's eye, Church was surprised to see determination shining in his blue eyes. Why? Why the hell was he doing this? All he had to do is tell them what they needed to know, he'd be free and never have to worry about the matter ever again. Why would he throw himself into the lions den?

' _But she's my-'_

A sad smile found itself on his face as Church shook his head. And here he thought Anabel had no one watching out for her anymore.

"Say I do take what you're saying seriously, what's this condition you're speaking about? What do you want out of this if you help us and tell us the location of their base?" he asked sternly as he crossed his arms.

"You let Ann go."

"No can do. Like I said, she's exhausted her chances. She's a wanted criminal at this point, I'm not exactly some hot shot here at the prescient, I can't exempt her of her crimes."

"Then knock a few years off her sentence or something! She's not as bad as you think. It's not like she's killed anyone or cut off someones ears off like those bastards!" Ann didn't deserve the same punishment and treatment as them. Even if she worked for them, she had to have her reasons. She said she'd been saving for something, something that only Lien could buy. It had to be the reason why she had stooped so low to work with psychos like The Friends of Faunus.

How the hell did some kid not even half his age have him backed into a corner? Alcohol was the only thing to cure his headache at this point. Sadly, Church wanted to agree only to help out Anabel. Never liked treating kids like criminals. Not to mention he had grown attached to the little blue haired trouble maker the last few years. He blamed himself for allowing her to fall into such bad company.

Guz did owe him a few favors. Good thing he had never used them and saved them for a rainy day. Maybe he could work something out with his old friend. Jaune was right, Anabel had never been charged for anything worse then assault. Hopefully she had never killed behind his back. It would be impossible if she was convicted of first degree and such. Guz was also going to have a fit when he told him about the plan. It was career suicide if things failed, not to mention he would have to deal with Ozpin for getting one of his students killed.

In the end, Church had come to his own decision. It was completely moronic as well, but sometimes you had to use unorthodox methods to get the best results.

"Anabel's not going to get off lightly, but I'll see what I can do." Church grumbled. Inside he was actually relieved. Maybe it wasn't too late to save her. He already messed up twice, they said third time was a charm, "As for you crazy plan, we'll discuss it over with the Chief for approval. I'm not saying he's going to accept it." he stalled the happy grin on Jaune's face with his hand before smirking to himself, "But I'll see what I can do. He's my old friend, I'm sure I can get him to see that it's the best, and only, option we got at this point."

"Really? Thank you, Officer Church." Jaune grinned in gratitude as he shook the man's hand happily, "I promise that you won't regret it!"

"I somehow doubt that." But what choice did he have? Kid made good points. And he was watching out for Anabel. He was two for two.

"This does mean that you won't be heading back to Beacon anytime soon. If the chief agrees, we begin this immediately. From what we know, another match is scheduled today. So you'll call up Anabel and let her know you'll be coming over. We'll do our best to get you ready for what's to come."

Jaune nodded, "I just need my scroll back. It's kinda important to me." After all, all his powers dealt with it.

Making their way out of the room, Jaune could only hope that he was making the right choice. He was heading off into the Event with little experience and skill. All to save someone who didn't even see him as a friend.

Eh, he needed something to do, he supposed. Might even gain a few levels while he was at it. Playing undercover cop did sound like fun.

* * *

 **DLC 3: RWE, Remnant Wrestling Entertainment.**

Glynda sighed as she hid her face in her hands. Ozpin was a great man, intelligent and wise beyond his years, not to mention he could be monster on the battlefield with his incredible abilities. The man was truly the picture perfect example of a hunter. As a headmaster though, he was anything but.

Said man calmly sipped from his coffee mug in a shared booth along with her lifted above the arena of the auditorium class. The place was packed with nearly every student on campus and their teachers for the show about to start. Cheers filled the air, popcorn was munched, soda and even some alcohol that had been sneaked in without anyone responsible noticing was sipped, and various knickknacks were being sold. And all the money being spent was going towards Beacon.

Glynda supposed that allowing one of their students to hold a wrestling event while raking in the Lien from the tickets sold was a good idea. Along with all the Lien made from selling food and beverages. Beacon wasn't made of money and they would need plenty of it with this years rowdy student body.

Still, having someone like Nora Valkyrie hold the event was more then worrying. Not to mention all the maple syrup she had used for the wrestling ring had drained them quite a bit. A good niche of the Lien would have to be used restocking all they had lost.

"Calm down, Glynda. While I know that Ms. Valkyrie's last attempt at this had gone. . .messy, I'm sure that this time everything will be fine under our supervision." Ozpin tried to reassure her as he relaxed back into his velvet chair. Last time the girl had made 10,000 Lien in less then an hour, which he may of already spent on new coffee machines without the witch's consent, there was no doubt in his mind that they would make a fortune with the school funding her idea.

"I somehow doubt that, Headmaster."

"Have some tea, Glynda. You get cranky when you're thirsty."

The lights in the auditorium suddenly swiveled to the center of the maple arena to the grinning orange haired girl standing on a platform above. Nora was wearing an odd outfit bikini top and tight shorts designed after pancakes. In her hand she held a rather large microphone as they spotlight fell onto her, "Welcome Beacon Academy and other weirdos to the first live event of RWE, Remnant Wrestling Entertainment! Sponsored by Everybody Loves Grape Soda, Beacon Academy, and Pumpkin Pete's Cereal! For our first match of the day, we have everybody's crowd favorite, the man with a woman's squeamish scream, the blonde goofball and self named Ladies Man, Jaune-Cena!"

"There is so much regret right now." Jaune grumbled as he posed while strutting out of the two large entrances beside the arena ring. The Game had him trapped into a mission requested by Nora of all people to help her raise some money for the school. Paid 300 Lien and offered a new Ability just for agreeing, Can't See Me. Too bad that the move was locked due to his Strength and Speed not meeting the abilities requirements.

Reaching the ring, which was designed after an honest to god authentic wrestling ring, Jaune hopped over the bungee like rope into his corner. He flexed his muscles to the crowd, surprised to actually find some of the female body whistling and calling out his name. The hell? Was that a large life size body pillow with his wrestling outfit printed on it? Nora had just given him his new jean pants, orange trucker cap with his grandfather's crest stamped on, and two orange wristbands and chain necklace! How the hell did they have merchandise already!?

Ozpin hid the smirk on his lips as he read over his scroll. Looked like his stocks in RWE had gone up three points. Knew it was a good idea to start funding that merchandise line. Nora had a gift in business. Who would have thought?

"And in the right corner, weighing in a 'I don't know, she threatened to kick my taco', with golden locks of blazing yellow hair, the puntastic, Yangtastic!"

A catchy tune began to play as Yang walked down the ring, shaking her hips with every step as she blew kisses to the crowd. She wore a semi revealing yellow top and skimpy pair of flaming shorts that hugged tightly to her bottom. A dragon tattoo circled her waist, slithering up to her neck where it bit down on the skin.

Note to self, Jaune reminded himself as his eyes stuck to the sexy blonde jumping over the rope, her breasts jiggling with the motion, thank Nora for the baggy jeans.

"When did you get a tattoo?" Jaune couldn't help but as ask he tried to keep his eyes anywhere near her lower body. A body like her's was cheating! How was he suppose to fight against that!?

"Eh, it's temporary. Nora said it would spice my outfit up. And I'm actually liking it." Yang craned her neck, showing off the nicely done fake tat with a grin, "What do you think? Do you like it?"

"Uhhhhh,"

"I'll take that as a yes." she said in a husky tone.

Unfair, unfair! How the fuck do you fight sexy!?

"Now that we have our opponents set and ready, let's get RWE's first match going with a Yang! Wrestler, are you ready!"

"Where the hell am I suppose to put my hands!? She's a landmine with a Cheshire grin!"

"Be a man and show me some balls, Jaune-Cena! Or else I'll make you a real man in front of the entire student body! And the people of the internet."

"I'll take that as consent! FIGHT!"

The crowd exploded in cheers as Yang shot off the sticky mat. Leaning back, Jaune missed the swiping fist passing his nose, only to groan as she kicked up her tapped feet into his stomach. He grimaced, taking the chance to grab onto her exposed foot for his secret technique!

"Coochey, coochey, coo."

"Y-You b-bastard!" Yang suddenly snickered, roaring in laughter as she fell back to the syrup soaked ground. Who the fuck used tickling as a grappling move!?

Jaune had her by the ropes, or foot. He grinned evilly, moving his skilled tickling fingers further along her leg. If there was one thing he had learned from fighting with his sisters, it was that all woman fell before a feathery hand.

Willing herself through the fit of laughter, Yang hooked her other leg into Jaune's, shouting in victory as she toppled him on top of her. His face fell into her breasts, freezing deathly still as his hands found themselves squeezing the heavenly mounds in confusion. Blue eyes looked to her in horror, his blush burning brightly as she grinned widely.

"You going to leave the job half done, Lover boy?" she purred, earning her a shaking head, "Thought so. Now, time for mama Yantastic to have her fun."

Flipping her fellow blonde over onto the sticky ring, Yang sat upon his crotch, grinding deathly slow with a teasing wink before raining a barrage of backhands to his face.

"Talk about mixing pleasure with punishment! Yangtastic has our underdog by the ropes! I can't even tell if we're watching a wrestling match or some hardcore porn!" Nora announced amidst the hollering and chanting of the spectators.

"Note to self, add a rating of 18+ to future broadcasts." Ozpin mused, typing the note in his scroll as Glynda sunk into her seat, hiding herself in shame.

The Headmaster shrugged as the blonde downed a long island ice tea handed to her. What could you do, sex sells.

Jaune was having enough of the odd mix of pleasure and pain. He was pretty sure he was at half mast despite how hard he was trying to keep his erection down. Bucking his hips in one powerful thrust, Jaune sent the busty purple eyed huntress flying off his waist. Yang flipped in the air, landing back on her feet as she panted with a blush. Was getting a little out of hand there for a second.

Sliding on the syrup coating the ring, Jaune took Yang by surprise as he came in with a sweeping clothesline. With an added spin, the knight sent Yang off her feet into the ropes. Time to finish her off.

Yang grimaced. Did not see that coming. Jaune actually had some muscle, guess it wasn't for show. But she'd be damned if she went down like a bitch!

"Oh no! Here come's Jaune-Cena's special move, The Punisher!"

"The Punisher?" Yang frowned in confusion as she tried to regain focus on her sight, "That sounds so gay-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?"

Twisting Yang out of the ropes, Jaune seated himself on them as he sat her down over his knee. Her rear was raised in the air along with his straining palm, ready to rain justice!

"TAP OUT, OR FACE PUNISHMENT!"

"You don't have the balls!" Yang growled as her eyes went red.

Jaune shook his head in pity, "I warned you, please remember that."

With no remorse, Jaune rained the smacked down onto the tight ass, drawing winces and blushes from the audience as each slap rung in the air. Even Glynda peeked her eyes from in between her fingers at the sight.

' _The hell is wrong with me!?'_ Yang thought to herself incredulously as she bit the bottom of her lip, her red eyes dying back down to purple as they rolled up in pleasure, _'Am I really getting a kick out of this? Oh my god, I think I found my turn on!'_ Each slap to her cheeks was sending tremors to her core, teasing her in a way she had never felt before. She was doing everything in her power as it were to keep herself from moaning loudly.

"Do you give up yet?" Jaune asked as he paused his smacking for a second.

Yang panted, her tongue peeking out of her mouth as she slumped on Jaune's knees. She couldn't keep this up. Anymore and they would be cleaning more then sweat and pancake syrup off the ring.

"I-I give, please, n-no more." Yang whimpered before rolling off his lap. She weakly tapped the sticky mat, struggling to raise it with the lack of energy.

Splashing his feet in the syrup, Jaune stood proudly in victory over the roar of applauding fans. Could have sworn there were a few scroll numbers flung into the air like roses.

"And there we have it, folks! The great Jaune-Cena has won by tap out! What a brutal victory!" Nora shouted with giddy, her own cheeks red from the ultimate move.

Scratching his chin in mild awe, Ozpin noted his stocks rise another few points. This show was a literal goldmine. Hello continental coffees.

"Glynda, are you alright? You seem a little red there. Tea too hot for you?" he teased with a grin.

The smacking crop to his face didn't appreciate his comment.

"Stay tuned, folks! We got a lot more action in stores! We have wrestlers like Cold Stone Renustin, Weiss Royal, The Reaper, Blake Shaddy, and many more! Along with your host, Nora the Pancake Diva! So don't go anywhere, the nights only just begun!"

Jaune winced as his scroll buzzed as he waved goodbye to the exhausted Yang moaning lightly as they carried her away in a stretcher. Ren was messaging him.

' _ **Stay. The Fuck. Away. From Me. I swear to Oum if you even raise your hand like that to me, I will kill you on the spot. Game be damned!'**_

Looked like he couldn't use his special move with Ren. That was for the best, did not want to spank a man. With great power comes great responsibility.

"Up next, we have Weiss Royal readying herself against Jaune-Cena! And she does not look happy."

Raising his trembling hand, Jaune gripped it as he tried to calm it down.

' _Down, Spank Hand! Snow Angel will kill us we fight her like that! Our honeymoon will mean nothing if she castrates me on the spot!'_

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **And we're done for the night, or day.**

 **Chapter 9 is almost done, I'll be sure to take the rest of the afternoon tomorrow after work to finish it up and then get to work on Chapter 10. Things are about to go crazy! I knew it was a good idea to have a chapter saved up just in case I didn't finish one. The system works.**

 **Bed is calling me. Me need shut eye. I got to train a new girl coffee and dining management. I'm going to need two cups in the morning.**

 **If I missed anything, let me know.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	9. Grimm Games

**It's Thursday, you all know what time it is. Because I don't! I ain't got time for a watch and shit, that's why I have a phone. Or had one. Goddamn salt water, what am I suppose to watch po-**

 **Ahem! Ignore that, my sleep deprived mind doesn't know what it's talking about right now.**

 **NeoShadows here, and once again, the system works! Chapter 10 isn't finished yet, like last week, I've had a lot of shit to deal with. Sadly, I couldn't even finish the DLC fo this chapter today, had to edit this chapter. So now I have to work on finishing Chapter 10, DLC #4, and start on Chapter 11. I like to say that I'm thinking about a beta from time to time, but it's only hitting me now that I REALLY should start looking for one. I need more time to finish chapters and editing takes a hell of a lot of my time up. Some people would say that I should make my chapters shorter to cut back on the work load, but I can't do that. It's not just about writing 10,000+ chapters for you all to enjoy, its about how the chapter is written. They simply come out that way and it feels wrong to upload it as a 4-5,000+ chapter. It's not done until its done, no matter how many words it has.**

 **I've also been in a grudge match with a cold, so that's been affecting my work too.**

 **Thank god I finished this chapter. The Trials By Fire Event is nearing a close, only 4-5 chapters left! And their going to be crazy.**

 **Now, while I still have the energy, Review Time!**

 **GhostHornet: Yeah, coffee is the shit. Too bad I'm only allowed one cup a day; caffeine addiction, nearly died from overdosing on Monster Energy drink a few years ago. Ann, or Anabel, is trying to buy something very expensive. It has nothing to do with family, nor her freedom. Kind of. It's not like she's being forced to work for Holt, she has her reasons. You'll just have to wait and see, or guess. Get cracking on them theories!**

 **SonicFanFlame: I'm a man, a big, strong, tan, man! Just trust me on this, I know its hard to trust anyone on the internet. So many guys playing as girl avatars, how the fuck do I know who to flirt with!? Anyways, it's alright to ramble, I do it all the time. As always, can't answer most of the questions, just now I got some great plans in the works. Wait till Volume 3. Keep on theorizing. . . Wait, the fuck did you just say? WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT GETS ONE INCH SMALLER!?**

 **Jdkdbddd: I plan on writing till the end of Volume 1 of this story, which won't be till November, I think. Then I'll take a break, work some more stuff out on the story as Volume 4 hits, and then upload more chapters around its end. How long will I plan on writing this story? Don't know, but I do know I have the end envisioned in my head already. I'll be around for a long while though, so don't worry about it. The pairing for this story is odd, since its a game, the pairing won't be finalized until the very end where I'll write an epilogue for each one. In dating sims, a player creates multiple save files just to reach an end with each girl. So, yeah, it is kinda a White Knight fic. It's a joke harem right now, with some romantic development thrown in every once in a while. So enjoy the wild ride for now, our favorite pairing will get the spotlight eventually.**

 **Dragoon109: Sorry, I'd be spoiling things if I revealed anything on Ren and Pyrrha right now. But it will be brought up before the end of Volume 1. You'll have to wait till then.**

 **Benthino: I have no idea who Ms. Punch of Death is, but I think you got it right. Maybe. Keep up the ideas, I need something to get my brain juices pumping.**

 **Drake187: Yeah, RWE made me feel shame. . .and other things. I actually wasn't making it canon, but I just might change that seeing how everyone loved it.**

 **Wbrendon89: I like it. I think I might just have something planned for it now. Thanks for the idea! If only I had time to write Pyrrha's scene. A wasted moment.**

 **Wandai: That would have made the situation even more funny. Should have thought of it. As for the Mattel siblings, yeah, they're related, not married. We ain't done with the Mattel family, you can bet on that. As for Ann's inspiration, I can see why you haven't found it yet. The girl she's inspired with looks nothing like her, but then again Ann looks a lot different nowadays. Good luck figuring that out. Her character inspiration does sing, a lot. I like your idea for Ren as DLC, I might just do that in the future. But I wouldn't say he's possessive of her. And Glynda is pretty much the only sane woman on campus.**

 **TalonbnLaAhad: Wasted potential indeed. If only I had more time to write the DLC, I might have put that in there. I get pretty swamped editing things that I sometimes rush the DLC and miss out on some quality gold. One day, Yang's kink will be fully fleshed out. Too bad, I never watched a Bond film in my life, now Austin Power on the other hand. . .I think I just came up with a new piece of DLC. Save that for later. Ann's situation is a bit tricky at the moment, her fate is undecided~! Honestly, the more you write about the Neomorph thing, the more I realize I wouldn't be able to write such a master piece. You should take a crack at this piece of crack, it would be a good read. And I like your version of Weiss, I'll think about it with another piece of DLC I have planned for the future, I really like it. And I bid you a fond farewell, hermano! Now I need to drink my tequila, can't fall asleep any other way.**

 **Loganhunter2: The pairing isn't the main part of the fic, it's a joke harem for comedy's sake. I will be writing epilogue's with each pairing at the end of the fic, along with romantic development throughout the story. It's why we have multiple save files in dating sim games. I do love White Knight and Lancaster though. And Pyrrha's love for Jaune was a bit odd, but I still loved her.**

 **H20 Ferrum Dominus: No offense taken. Glad you enjoyed them. Sorry about the lack of it in this chapter, haven't finished it yet. Hope you enjoy the chapter none the less.**

 **Acerman: Eh, anything can happen. As for Ren, yeah, he does tone himself down while fighting. He's too lazy and unmotivated to go all out. For now. So much to say, so much not to spoil. Keep guessing, a new Player is right around the corner of this arc.**

 **Killerbeats359: The Punisher is a broken move, I admit it!**

 **I. Am tired. Along with being sick, I've been lacking in the sleep department for the last few days. Editing can take a lot of time out of your night. So, before I head to bed, let's get to reading this new chapter, it's an action packed one if I do say so myself.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. RoosterTeeth does. I'm lucky to even own this laptop after all the shit I did in the past. Wasn't the kindest man out there, now I'm a Pacifist! And it's fucking hard as shit to remain peaceful. Life angers up my fist! At least I don't have to deal with the police, or god forbid, the FBI like some of my relatives.**_

 _ **. . .Da fuck? Why am I sitting down in a table for two? Is that Chris Hansen, again!? We've been over this shit! It's an Anime! She'll be a year older by the end of the timeskip! You should see Nowi from Fire Emblem Awakening, she looks like a thirteen year old! . . .Yes, I did marry her in one of my playthroughs, why do you ask?**_

 _ **. . .Are those handcuffs? Dammit, not this shit again.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Grimm Games.**

"You think Jaune's been shanked yet?" Yang asked as the two teams ate breakfast in team RWBY's dorm. It was a good question to ask in her opinion, despite the aghast looks she received. A guy with such a fine face and high pitch scream wouldn't last long in prison. Made her wonder what he did to get locked up in the first. Guy wasn't exactly the high picture profile of a criminal.

Apparently it wasn't the best question to be asking, seeing as her partner bumped her shoulder with a disproving look in her eyes. Nora was still chained down to her bed for the time being until classes started in an hour. No need to rile her of all people up.

Ruby didn't appreciate the thought, "Yang that's very insensitive. It's bad enough that he isn't the most masculine guy out there, no need to put those kind of thoughts in our heads."

"You don't actually think someone would do such a thing to him, do you?" Pyrrha asked in worry.

Weiss waved it away as she took a bite out of her apple, "I'm sure the doofus is just fine. You said it yourself, he wasn't going to a prison, and that he was secured in some kind of personal cell. There's no doubt in my mind that only one 'shanking' Jaune would be himself." Probably from tripping on his own two feet onto his spoon or something like that. It was a wonder that they made him leader of all people.

Ren nodded his along as he fed Nora her breakfast, carefully feeding her less she bite his hand again, "She's right. Whatever reason they have for keeping Jaune, it's not enough for them to lock him up as some common criminal. And he did say that he should be back at Beacon by the time second period starts." he gave a slight glare to the orange haired valkyrie. Her teeth grazed his fingers again, couldn't she eat normally instead of wolfing down even the fork. He still needed his fingers! "Again, it's probably nothing major. Who knows? Jaune probably tossed some soda and missed the trash can near the sight of an officer that took their job too seriously. Probably took him in to try and teach him a lesson."

"That does seem like the kind of trouble Vomit Boy attracts." Yang agreed. The guy had terrible luck.

Ironic seeing as his highest stat was Luck.

"That still doesn't make sense to me." Pyrrha couldn't see the logic behind that. The police were suppose to be professionals. Why would the take in an innocent guy like Jaune? Couldn't be for something as silly as Ren had suggested. "He would have been let out by now if that was the case. Why keep him there for so long if it was a minor case?"

"Probably to scare him straight. I remember when the Patch Police had done a similar thing to me back when I was younger." Yang shrugged as she popped a berry into her mouth, "I say it's discrimination towards my kind! We blondes have been given a bad rap as of lately for reasons I don't understand."

"That most likely has to do with you." Blake deadpanned, earning her a surprised gasp from the blonde. Yang wasn't the most innocent of people out there. The girl liked to party, Hard. Wouldn't be surprised if she already made a name for herself with the law enforcement in town.

"Lies! You can't prove anything with no evidence!"

"That's what you said to the police when you wrecked that bar in town a few months ago." Ruby said flatly as she recalled the night she found her sister in Vale. If it wasn't for Ozpin pulling a few strings, Yang would have spent a few weeks in prison herself for all the trouble she caused.

Still, they were right. Ruby herself didn't understand how the law worked, but nothing Jaune of all people could have done would keep him locked away for so long. This all must have been some sort of conspiracy! Maybe Jaune had discovered some kind of super secret plan to overthrow Beacon Academy and the whole of Vale! And now it was up to him to save the day all by himself!

Dammit, she wanted to be a hero too! All the blondes got all the fun.

Blake was curious to the trouble Jaune had gotten himself in too. Out of everyone in their little circle, she had the most experience dealing with the law. She wasn't ex-White Fang for nothing. Had to deal with the police in multiple towns after their tactics had become 'drastic' to say the least. Blake had never dealt with the Vale city police in her time with the Fang, but she knew all too well that they wouldn't just take someone in for no good reason. Like they all said, Jaune wasn't the type to be categorized as a criminal. She didn't want to say it, but if he was taken in then he wasn't as innocent as he appeared.

' _What am I thinking? I shouldn't be thinking like that.'_ Jaune was a nice guy, a little awkward and dorky yes, but he wasn't a criminal like she had once been. Vale was filling with tension after the latest news that dropped onto its lap yesterday.

The Friends of Faunus, a radical group of humans that opposed the faunus and wished to humanize them for their own good. The White Fang was one thing, but now it looked like a new group of criminals had risen up in their wake. Sad thing was that they weren't a new group that had risen up over night. Years ago when the White Fang had been carrying more violent methods they had come across a small group of people that attacked them. They were easily taken care of but the initials FoF were scribbled onto their vests. Wasn't the last time they had seen such letters, through the years before she departed from the group they had encountered small numbers from the new human radicals and had even lost some of their people to them. They hadn't been killed, no, they had a more sinister punishment in mind. The limbs that made them faunus were amputated cruelly in ways that would never allow them to be reattached by even the most skilled doctors.

Adam no longer considered them one of them. She supposed that things would have ended on a crueler note, he didn't kill them or anything of the like. He simply banished them from their organization. Blake had thought that maybe the old Adam was still there, but he simply didn't care about those who had been hunted down. All he ever cared about was spreading their message to the world and wiping out humans from the face of Remnant. He was lost to the bloodshed by then.

Their was a time long ago when Blake could recall the good man Adam had once been, back in the early days of the White Fang. He smiled back then, laughed without a care and had hope for the two species to come together peacefully. Actually, when she stopped to thing about it, Adam had once been like Jaune in a way, just without the lack of confidence and awkwardness.

And one day, like a switch, he had changed. The kindness he had once had was diminished like a candle light blown out. He became crueler and spilled blood with little care, relishing in the fight and challenge of those he killed. Adam had transformed into a beast in a day. Her partner had gone down a path that she wasn't willing to follow anymore. Not at the cost of her soul.

Blake shook her head to clear herself of such thoughts. Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on the past. After all, Jaune wasn't Adam.

Finishing the last of her breakfast, Weiss went to work on gathering up everyone's dirty dishes before they went off to class for the day. Just because a friend of there's was absent didn't mean they had an excuse to be tardy. She had a perfect attendance to keep up dammit, "While it's fun talking about Jaune and his troubles of the day, we should get ready for our morning class. Pyrrha did say that the Headmaster was notified of the situation even before her, so I'm sure the teachers will understand his absence. Not to mention seeing as he is your leader, I'm sure he want's you all to be on time to class as well." she said to the NPR of JNPR like a mother to her children. Someone had to watch out for them seeing as they were leaderless. And it looked like she would have to take the burden of leading his team. Because that was just the kind of kind hearted person she was.

"I smell a takeover." Ruby whispered to Yang. Weiss had gone on about wanting to lead a team. And like a shark to bloody water she was jumping at the chance. Maybe Weiss had framed Jaune so she could takeover as leader of his team! Conspiracies were floating all around her.

"Now, you should all change and get your books ready. Your leader wouldn't wish for you all to be tardy because of him, now would he?" Weiss nodded firmly.

Pyrrha could see that, Jaune was the kind of guy to blame himself. "I suppose you're right." she sighed as she got up and went to gather her things.

"And someone untie Nora from her chains. I'm sure she's cooled off long enough not to go on a rampage throughout Vale." The copious amounts of pancakes the girl had eaten should keep her from going crazy for the moment. Not even Nora could cause mayhem and destruction on a very full stomach.

Ren didn't argue. It wasn't like he was going to lead their team. And Pyrrha was a little too shy despite being a four time Mistral tournament champion to order them around. Not to mention Nora would lead them to hell and back with a grin on her face. Sometimes Ren had to admit that making Jaune leader of their little team was for the best. Only sometimes.

"Does this mean I have to call Weiss 'Mom' now?"

"Why in the world would you call me that?" Weiss quirked an eyebrow in confusion as Nora shrugged off the beaten chains. The hell were they made of, the mantle of Remnant?

"Because Jaune's the leader of our team, and you're taking over."

"That's make no sense and does not answer my question."

Nora gasped suddenly as a thought struck her, "Does this mean Jaune's divorced Pyrrha!? The people are not going to like that one bit."

Ren shook his heat towards Weiss, "Don't, just don't. There are times that even I can't follow her path of logic and thought. It's best just to leave her in her own world instead of being dragged into it." his features became weary as he looked to his old friend shaking Pyrrha around with dramatic tears overflowing from her eyes, "Trust me on this."

The heiress chose to follow his advice. Maybe leading Jaune's team wasn't the best idea.

* * *

Jaune gulped nervously as he stood in front of some old rusted metal warehouse located in the lower end of the residential area of Vale. The area around here wasn't the best looking, it was run down and filled with some abandoned factories and businesses from long ago. The crime rate around this area was actually low, probably due to the few people that gathered around the lower end. It was a ghost town to the naked eye.

But the Vale city police knew otherwise. The lower end was home to many hidden illegal actives. If it wasn't for the place being a hidden hive of criminals, they would have raided the area years ago. No amount of criminals locked behind bars was worth the number of officers they would lose taking them all down at once. Better to slowly take them out then rush in.

It was here that they had discovered the next location for the UGC. Whoever was running the fights was connected to the FoF, and they were smart enough not to stay in one area for long. Their investigators on the case had come to the conclusion that they were using the abandoned buildings around the lower end, which they dubbed 'Crime Haunt' due to the haunting atmosphere and the criminal activity hidden in the shadows. No one was allowed to enter the area seeing as it was gated off from the rest of the residential area but others had found ways to sneak in. The police knew of one way in without drawing any attention to themselves by a hidden sewage drain connected to the sewers below. Using that path along with a map they had made up to navigate the tunnels below, Jaune had made his way through the damp and dark maze to the manhole leading up to an alley out of sight from anyone watching for any activity.

Chief Rola didn't want to send a hunter in training into the thick of the criminal den, but they didn't have much choice at this point. Their undercover officers would stick out like a sore thumb and the kid had connections with the girl handing out the fliers. He had earned more trust then an officer would have through months of hard work. They pretty much had little choice, Jaune was now a key part in the case and their only hope for stopping the FoF before it began spreading out as the White Fang did.

So after a quick briefing and run down of what the plan was, Jaune was sent out to begin the mission: earn the trust of the leader of the UGC and give them what information he could gather about the FoF.

' _I'm beginning to have second thoughts on this.'_ What was he getting himself into? He was literally steps away from walking into a den of gamblers betting on people fighting to the death against Grimm and surrounded by members of an organization that preached equality by amputation. When the hell did his life begin spiraling into mess like this?

Oh, yeah, dying. Who would have thought that death would lead to his life becoming a game?

A buzz in his pockets alerted him to his scroll. Looked like he got a message.

' _ **Welcome to the UGC! The Underground Grimm Coliseum is a special arena where fighters are pit against the creatures of Grimm for bloody sport! Advance through the challenges that await you for Lien, recognition, and even special abilities, or gamble on the progress of the fighters for Lien! Progress far enough and impress the master of the UGC, and you'll be rewarded with a seat on their organization! Items are disabled in the UGC. Now ready your fists! By the end of the day you'll be lucky to even have fingers to flip anyone off. Or have anything to fly home with.'**_

That wasn't reassuring in the least. What the hell was controlling The Game? Whatever it was must be a sadist at heart. None of the games he had ever played had ever sent him helpful information with such dark glee.

Sighing Jaune gazed at his surroundings. There was nothing but old, beaten, buildings and stores everywhere he turned. Trash littered the ground, rusted cars were left parked in neglect, and he could hear nothing but the sound of wind in the air. How was this place home to a hive of criminal activity? There was nothing to look out for! Scratching his head, Jaune waited on the message from Ann to arrive. She did say to wait on her signal before entering the warehouse that was addressed on the flier.

Well, seeing as he was going to wait on Ann, might as well look over his stats. If he was going to be betting on Lien and dealing with criminals, it was a good idea to prepare himself. The thought of betting on lives didn't sit well for Jaune, but he had a mission to carry out. All he needed to do is gain the trust of whoever was in charge and bring back what he could to the police. He was going to have to stomach the hell that awaited him.

' _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. Lvl: 8.**_

 _ **4,000/4,000HP. 70/70MP.**_

 _ **Strength: 18(19.8)**_

 _ **Defense: 20(23)**_

 _ **Speed: 20(23)**_

 _ **Charisma: 15**_

 _ **Intelligence: 17**_

 _ **Dexterity: 17**_

 _ **Luck: 24(25.5)**_

 _ **Abilities:**_

 _ **Teres Mors.**_

 _ **Power Strike.**_

 _ **Hedge Fang.**_

 _ **Perks:**_

 _ **Knight of Victory, Lvl: 1.**_

 _ **Iron Roses.**_

Not bad. Compared to what his stats were a week ago it looked like he was doing great, better then his first run through. At least he hoped. Seeing as he didn't have the ability to read the stats of those around him, Jaune had no idea how he stacked up against everyone else. If the fact that he hadn't won any matches in class were anything to go by, then he wasn't at their levels yet. But he was definitely much better then before, while he hadn't won a spar against anyone back then he was at least dragging out the fights longer by actually fighting back. Wasn't able to do that before.

As Jaune continued to look over his stats, the slight sound of something whistling through the air caught his attention. It stood out in the deathly silence that plagued the Crime Haunt. And if there was one thing he had learned since his death, it was to watch out for the things that cut through the air.

On instinct, Jaune spun the sheath of Crocea Mor in his hands before shifting it into its glorious white shield. Blocking his body from the direction of the ominous sound, Jaune's knees buckled before the impact of the bullet aimed at him. He was nearly knocked back from the force!

"Who's there!?" Jaune shouted with a grimace as his health dropped by 100 points. It was great his shield could damper the damage he received but it sucked that he still took any at all.

Several more shots were his answer as Jaune was forced to continue to block the rain of gunfire. From the firing rate and impact against his defense, it looked like he was dealing with a sniper. He bit back a shout as one of the shots grazed his right leg, opening a gash that dealt 200 points to his chipping health. If there was one thing he had learned from Ruby, it was that you should never stay in one place when fighting a sniper. That was just begging to be killed.

Jaune kept his shield up to the incoming sniper bullets as he began to run around. It was harder to hit a moving object then one standing still.

What the hell was going on? Ann said to wait on her signal to enter the UGC, she didn't say anything about some lunatic taking shots in broad daylight! Several more bullets whizzed by as he spun back, digging his feet in as a more powerful shot exploded against his shield in a plume of flames. Oh, that was just cheating! Using Dust elemental rounds was not fair!

Where were the shots being fired from? The sniper seemed to have ran out of ammo as they took a moment to reload their weapon, giving Jaune a chance to breath and try to find the sniper's location. His eyes scanned the top windows of the run down building surrounding him, looking out for signs to the enemy. A loud shot from his right alerted him to the sniper as his head swung to the direction of the incoming attack. Unfortunately for him, a bullet didn't come for him.

The sniper did.

Flying through the air a man in in a padded bulletproof vest swung their longsword in a sweeping side arc into his shield. Jaune struggled against the heavy blade only to lose the fight and be sent flying to the side of a building. He grunted in pain as his back slammed into the wall, his eyes squinting to the slightly blurring image of his sniper.

The man was dressed in a very dark blue gi like top protected by a matching bullet proof vest and baggy white and black cameo pants, dark gray armored sleeves, wooden sandals, and hood over their head. What looked like a rabbit skull themed mask hid the sniper's face along with a pair of trifocal bright red goggles hiding their eyes. The sniper's silver long sword was nearly the length of his body and had a brick like frame with three lined vents running along both sides of the blade, releasing steam as he swung his blade by his side. With a click, the pointed edge of the sword collapsed to reveal the hidden barrel. A trigger flipped from within the hilt, allowing him to aim the barrel of the blade and fire at the stunned blonde.

' _Scan!'_ Dodging the shot, Jaune scanned his new opponent as he once again tried to evade the sniper shots.

' _ **Cross Hare**_

 _ **12,000/12,000HP.'**_

Holy shit, that was a hell lot of HP, he even had a small overlapping blue bar over his regular health! The guy had more health then the tutorial boss! Having had enough of his bullets blocked, Cross shifted his sniper rifle into its longsword form and prepared himself to cut the boy down himself. He stopped himself though as he remembered something. Relaxing his stance for a second, Cross sheathed his sniper rifle longsword into his oak sheath by his side with an audible click. Had to follow procedure after all. He reached into his sleeve with his metal tipped gloves and took out a black token coin with an ox skull engraved on its surface and gestured it to the blonde boy.

Jaune frowned in confusion at the awaiting sniper. What, was he suppose to do something? All Ann said was to make sure no one followed him and wait for her signal. Pretty sure he wasn't the signal. If he was, then Ann had a crappy way of signaling.

"Uh, do you need something?" Jaune asked as he took the moment to regain his breath.

The damn creepy mask and goggles weren't showing him any emotions. He didn't know if the guy was rolling his eyes or nodding. Either way, Cross didn't look happy. The man pocketed the coin and swiftly drew his weapon, collapsing the point as Jaune cursed. Whatever he was suppose to do, it looked like he failed.

' _ **WARNING! Boss incoming, Cross Hare, The Far Death! Get Ready!'**_

From the corner of his sight, Jaune could make the odd sight of what looked like see through data like walls create an arena around them, trapping them in a space to fight in. That was new.

' _ **FIGHT!'**_ Cross reared back his longsword, firing a heavy shot to send him flying towards Jaune in blurring speeds. Just as he reached him, Cross swung his blade in a roundhouse sweep. Even Jaune's shield had trouble blocking the clashing steel. His arm felt like it had snapped! Pushing Cross back, Jaune crossed blades with the sniper in a shower of sparks. If all he did was block, then he would only be prolonging his death. He was going to have to fight back if he wanted to survive.

Jumping back, Cross stabbed his longsword forward. Crocea Mors shield blocked the attack. Flipping the trigger out, the assassin fired a point blank shot. A spike of pain stabbed through Jaune's shield arm, causing him to drop his arm to regain feeling. Without his shield, he was left to dance around the weaving slashes. Nicks and tears cut into his clothing with every swing. The man was very skilled with his longsword. Jaune ducked under a chopping swipe to his head and channeled his mana into his battered sword.

" _ **Power Strike!"**_ Jaune charged into Cross's open guard and stabbed his sword into his chest. His own powerful strike sent Cross skidding back with an odd grunt. The boss's HP was knocked down by 500 points. Clenching his fist, Cross sheathed his longsword and aimed the bottom of its end back at his opponent. From the looks of it, the bottom was designed like a blocked iron muzzle. With insane speed, Cross vanished from sight in a swirl of dust and litter. Jaune swiveled his head back and forth to find the sniper like samurai only to wince as a weak breeze grazed his cheek. Blood ran down the cut running along his cheek to his ear as another 100 dropped from his health. The bastard could give Ruby a run for her money. He jumped back from the spot, Jaune missed the pot hole that exploded from the sniper shot. That was some quality ammo Cross held. It was strong enough to easily dig up the street. From all corners, the sniper began to fire away, concealed in the windows of the abandoned buildings. Jaune's HP kept dropping slowly as he did his best to dodge the near accurate shots.

Times like these he wished he could wield a gun like the others could. If he knew where the boss was sniping him from, he could fire his own shots right back. Instead, all he could do was avoid the attacks and wait for his shield arm to regain feeling.

Several shots fired off in quick succession leaving Jaune sweating as he began to struggle through the bullet hell. Too caught up in the rapid assault, he missed the one glowing yellow shell aimed for his chest. Jaune's whole body lite up in a beacon of sparking lightning, burning his skin as he shouted in pain. The lighting quickly died down, leaving him smoking slightly as he reared his head back, gasping in labored breaths. Cross wasn't done as he rode the wind with the recoil of his weapon to finish the blonde off.

Jaune grunted as he forced himself to raise his throbbing shield arm up to block the wide swing threatening to separate his waist from his upper body. "Think again!" Jaune rasped before smashing his fist into Cross's masked face. It was enough to send him stumbling back in surprise, leaving him wide open for attack.

" _ **Teres Mors!"**_ Waving off the energy morphing his ancestral sword, Jaune commanded the vine of his blade to coil around Cross's neck. With a mighty tug he flung Cross up in the air above. Time to try out his new ability. With a running start, Jaune built up momentum before jumping after Cross and tucked himself in like a ball, all while his blade coated with buzzing white energy. _**"Hedge Fang!"**_ Spinning his body rapidly, the blade of Teres Mors elongated into a sharp toothed edge as it slashed into Cross's aura like a sawing disc. Stopping in midair, Jaune finished off the attack by coiling the vine around his waist and slamming the assassin down to the streets in a spin throw. Cross's body cracked the pavement below him as his HP dropped like a rock. _**'CRITICAL HIT!'**_

' _ **Cross Hare**_

 _ **10,250/12,000HP.'**_

Jaune grinned woozily as he landed back to the streets with five stars dancing around his head. Hedge Fang was an awesome ability he learned from Russel that allowed him to spin his body around like a hedgehog and slice enemies as if he was a saw blade. The only downside to it was the Dizzy status it created afterword. Kinda left him wide open. Steadying his feet as he tried blinking away the stars in his vision, Jaune stepped to the right as Cross jumped back on his feet to rush in with another stab of his long blade. Missing, the assassin simply swung it to the left and sent the blonde flying back. Cross reloaded his weapon quickly, loading a green pointed round into the chamber. Seeing Jaune slammed into an old rusted truck, Cross took aim and fired. The green bullet cut right through the air like butter as Jaune finally got a hold of himself to see it aimed for his forehead. He tilted his head to the left, earning himself a nasty red line cut into the side of his forehead as the bullet whizzed by. The shot took out a baseball sized chunk from the truck as it continued to fly by, puncturing holes through whatever got in its way. _**'Jaune Arc, 2,955/4,000HP, 30/70MP.'**_ Jaune grimaced as blood trailed down the side of his head. The boss already had him close to half his health at this point while Jaune's had only shrunken the blue bar on his own. If he could see levels and stats, there would be no doubt in his mind to confirm just how under leveled he currently was.

Again, Cross flew in with his longsword's recoil, his blade raised high above him to cleave him in two. Jaune blocked the falling long blade, only to shout as he felt a powerful pressure cut right through his body. The truck behind him groaned, suddenly exploding in cloud of black heated smoke as it was cut cleanly in half by some unseen force. Three red glinting dots pierced through the smoking veil engulfing the two. The metal blocking Cross's blade slide out from underneath him in the commotion. The boy must be hiding in the smokescreen created by the trucks explosion.

Jaune stumbled out of the toxic cloud while trying to suppress his coughing fit. Just great, that last attack nearly took out a thousand of his health! Willing his Gamer Inventory up with his scroll, Jaune snatched a can of Everybody Loves Grape Soda from its box slot and drowned in a seconds. It wouldn't heal much, but his MP would recover more then enough. If it dropped all the way to zero, then a red bar would take its place and slowly fill his Mana back up, leaving him Manaless. And he was going to need all the MP he could dish out in this boss fight.

The firing shot of Cross's weapon set Jaune on edge as he found himself shielding his face from the parting cloud of smoke rushing by him. He held in his breath, reaching for his shield to block whatever may jump out of the heated cloud. Through the haze of smoke, Cross appeared out of thin air rearing his long sword back right in front of him. Jaune wasn't giving him the chance to attack as he swung his short sword into the side of his head. The swing kicked Cross off his feet, but before he fell back to the ground he flipped in mid air and fired off a shot to send him high up. He then used the momentum and force of his next shot to send him spinning madly back like a top towards Jaune in a round swing of his longsword. No way was he blocking against that! Jaune jumped back from the spot hoping to miss the deadly bladed top. It was for nothing seeing as Cross kept firing his weapon to keep him spinning on the ground as he followed after him. The two danced around another in game of cat and mouse, Cross's sawing blade coming ever closer to slicing him into fine Jaune chops.

Sweat drenched Jaune's hood as he sucked in a breath, the slicing blade missing it's chance to gut him like a pig by a hair. He had to think of something to escape this psycho's attack or it wouldn't be long till Cross cornered him. What did he have on him that could stop a spinning human disk of blades? Going to have to improvise and hope for the best. _**"Teres Blade: Coil!"**_ Using whatever leg strength he had, Jaune jumped high above the passing bladed top, launching the vine of his elegant dark red blade to Cross's blurring head. He grinned feeling the vine tighten around the assassin's neck, hook, line, and sinker! "Come here!" Always wanted to say that!

With a mighty heave, Jaune threw Cross high in the air within his air space before releasing his dizzy form and raising his sword high above his head, _**"Power Strike!"**_ Jaune dropped his Teres Mor like a thundering hammer into Cross, cutting right through his padded vest and even cracking two of his lenses as he sent him crashing back down. "One more time! _**Power Strike!**_ " Falling after the boss, Jaune swung another Mana fueled slash into Cross's guard before he could regain his footing.

Even in his daze, Cross had enough of a clear mind to block the attack with his sheath. The ringing clang filled the air between them.

Jaune was panting as he locked his short sword with Cross's sheath. How much longer could he keep this up? A quick look at his HP told him that if this kept up, he wouldn't make it back to Beacon in this life.

Cross had enough of the games as he swept the blonde's feet from under him. With a shout, Jaune fell back. He flinched as his head hit the pavement. That was going to bruise horribly. Propping his elbows up to jump back up, the blonde knight was kept down by a butting jab from Cross's heavy sheath. The sound of a familiar click was his only warning to what would follow next if he didn't act fast. _**"Teres Blade: Uproot!"**_

Several glowing white spines pierced the ground below Cross's feet, stabbing right through his body as he aimed his sniper barrel of his longsword at Jaune's forehead. The multiple vines meant nothing to the assassin, shrugging them off without any signs of pain. The sniper barrel lite up with green glow.

Life may have been a game, but even Jaune wasn't sure his powers could save him from a point blank headshot from a sniper rifle.

' _I regret so much. I only wished I had won over Snow Angel's heart. And finished X-ray and Vav.'_ Sadly there was no escaping this one, that last attack had drained him of all his MP.

But just before Cross could splattered Jaune's brains onto the pavement with a simple pull of the trigger, two green sneakers planted themselves against the sniper's damaged mask. The twin kicks sent him flying away from his target with an odd grunt, cracking the weathered wall he slammed into.

' _ **Congratulations! You've survived against Cross Hare! +1,900EXP! You're level has risen by 1! You've learned Hyper Blade! You've learned Air Slash!'**_

You mean he wasn't suppose to win!? If Jaune could form a coherent thought, he would be cursing the damn game for leading him on. And here he thought he was suppose to win! At least he leveled up and unlocked some new abilities. Who saved his bacon this time?

Flipping onto her feet, Ann glared sent a frigid glare to the silent assassin that would put a certain heiress to shame. She sent a discreet peek to the injured blonde behind her. The dried blood sticking to his hair and splattered on his outfit only served to drop her glare further.

"Didn't I tell you that I was expecting someone, Cross?" Ann questioned as she tapped her foot with a scowl.

"Failure to represent FoF Marker leads to immediate elimination." Cross answered in an emotionless metalic voice. He cracked his neck loudly, flexing his fingers as his one good lens dulled and switched to a calm green hue, "Master had informed me of a suspicions stranger near the vicinity and commanded me to test the boy for any potential if he failed to present a Marker. He was never in danger, if he survived."

"The many cuts and gashes littering my body beg to differ." Jaune pointed out as he struggled to get up.

Cross simply shook his head as his lens shrunk, "Targets in my sight never escape. If master ordered you dead, then all I would need is one bullet. Just like the rest."

"And then you would have to answer to me." Ann growled as she helped Jaune up. From the looks of it, his aura was working on healing his wounds. The gash on the side of his head was slowly fading by the second. Must have a large aura pool on him to heal so quickly, "And what's this about Holt testing him? I told the boss that I had someone heading this way for the UGC. He even allowed him to enter Crime Haunt. Why would he test him out, and with you no less?" The assassin was just like Naragami, didn't know how to hold back. Made her wonder if he was still human.

"I follow master's orders to the letter. I do not answer to you."

"Is that so?" Ann grinned cruelly as she cracked her knuckles, "Then how about I make you listen? I ain't his right hand for nothing, deadman."

"My orders were to test the boy, if he failed then he would be unworthy of breathing any longer. I have yet to come to a final conclusion on his skills. Step aside, Anabel." Cross droned, drawing his longsword out slowly, its metal rasping hauntingly, "Master will understand if I must incapacitate you for meddling in his orders any further."

Jaune grit his teeth as he found the familiar end of the deadly blade aimed to him again. His HP hadn't regenerated enough to go another round with the assassin. He'd be lucky to keep blocking a few more swings with his shield arm bruised as it was. Wouldn't be surprised if it was sprained now that his adrenaline was leaving him.

The two teens prepared themselves to fight back against the menacing sniper as Cross reloaded his weapons ammo, several shells clattering to the ground.

"Now, now, what's all this then?"

The shadows all around the three bent to the middle of the space between them, pooling into a large shadow. A deep chuckle filled the air as a Holt slowly emerged from the dark pool. He grinned widely as he stepped out, calling off the webs of darkness sticking to his body, "Stand down, Crossy. The boy's more then proven himself he can stand up to even you, even if you were holding back."

Cross stiffly nodded, collapsing his longsword before swiftly sheathing it, "Understood."

"And Ann, what did I tell you about fighting with family? It's unlady like to threaten others with such a savage grin on your pretty face."

"Fuck off!" As if she had forgotten who ordered the emotionless killer to mess Jaune up. She narrowed her eyes at her employer as she supported the blonde hanging off her shoulders, "Didn't I tell you not to attack him? I thought you trusted me enough not to try and kill the guy I owe."

"But I had to, my little orphan Ann!" Holt pouted dramatically, "It's not everyday that you bring a boy home. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't made a mistake is all. After all, he's lucky to even step foot here without a Marker on him." he smiled with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"He's not a rat if that's what you're thinking. Guy's too much of an airhead for an act like that." Ann scoffed as she knocked her knuckles against the empty blonde hair, "And aren't you the one that taught me to always repay a favor? Blondie payed for my meal, spending a whole ton on me in one night, the least I could do is help him make triple what he spent. Not to mention he's shown potential holding out against Cross for as long as he did." And here she thought he was nothing more then a pretty face. Kid had skill, who would have thought?

Walking to the two teens, Holt inspected the dirty, dried blood, face of his fellow blonde, "You're right, the kid does hold some potential on him. And I could always use another fellow blonde around the place. Tell me, kid," Holt stood back as he grinned widely, "What do you think about the faunus?"

Was Jaune suppose to act racist now that he had Ann's boss's attention? They were a hate group after all, made sense that the man would want to hear how lousy and disgusting the faunus were. The thought of saying the same horrible things that people like Cardin said all the time made Jaune sick to his stomach. He wasn't like them, he didn't see faunus as animals. A simple set of animals ears or horn, or whatever, shouldn't be reason for such hate and animosity.

"They're misunderstood. I think it's sad how people treat them, like they're some sort of disease." he scowled, earning him a wider grin from the dirty blonde.

Well, well, what do you know? The kid wasn't some racist like the rest of them. And he seemed to be a hunter, just like Cardin. "And don't you think that those poor faunus deserve a chance at living a normal life, just like the rest of us?"

"Well, yeah." Jaune nodded as he steadied himself on his own two feet.

Holt chuckled to himself as he rubbed the stubble of his chin, "Pretty simple words there. Do you think it's as easy as that?"

"No, it probably isn't. But we have to at least try."

"Try, huh?" The kid wasn't bad a fighter, if he was molded right then he would be a great asset. Not to mention Ann herself had put some trust in him if she hadn't placed a Marker on him. What could it hurt? More men meant more man power. If they were going to go through with Phase two of their plan, then the more the merrier.

Patting the dirtied blonde on the head, Holt turned back to his trusty little assistant with a look of acknowledgment, "Kid can stay. I've a missing slot in the next match anyways, one of the guys found out he was a rat and 'kindly escorted' him out before any real damage could be done. The White Fang are starting to pick up our scent." he curtly nodded back to Cross, "Send a message to Naragami. I'm sure he'll be happy to 'play' with some of our old friends again." The ninja was tired of running their recruits into the dirt anyways. He was better off picking the little nest of the White Fang that hide in the city.

"Understood, master!" Cross saluted before vanishing into thin air.

Jaune couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the man disappear from sight with pure speed. Guess he wasn't kidding when he said he could have killed him if he wanted to. Scary.

Wait, did the shaggy haired guy say something about a missing slot? What was that about?

A heavy hand smacked his sore back, bringing him closer into Holt's chest as he lead him into the warehouse with Ann in the rear. Did the guy ever stop grinning?

"Seeing as you've proven yourself in a fight, how about making some extra Lien. . .what's your name?"

"Jaune." Didn't want to give out his full name just in case things went downhill.

"Jaune, huh? Artsy, I like it! Now how about doing old buddy Holt a favor? It would mean a lot to me."

Well he was trying to earn the guy's favor. What could go wrong with one little favor?

* * *

' _I hate my dirty stinking mouth.'_

After being lead into the warehouse and into some secret lift elevator hidden by some false floor panels beneath a large crate that slid back with a secret series of knocks, Jaune was introduced to the UGC, an underground cavern beneath Vale. Well, a series of caverns. The many networks of caves were apparently connected to the old underground railway system that lead into Mountain Glenn. They had somehow managed to build their own bases below, scattered all over the city. With so many hideaways at their disposal, the FoF were able to hide away from the local law enforcement easily. They were in their main base today, gathered around for another UGC match held only here. Another method to keep the cops off of them was holding each of the games in random locations everyday, to keep them from ever pinpointing their locations.

And it just so happened that today's match was missing a fighter, mostly due to said fighter's brains spilling out the back of their bloody skull, and Jaune had agreed to fill in. Yay him.

Jaune frowned from within one of the backrooms of the illegal coliseum. His regular clothing had been replaced with a white shirt and brown peasant vest. They let him keep his pants seeing as they weren't armored, but had also taken Crocea Mors and lent him a large hunter's knife in its place.

The rules were simple, fight to the death. No armor was allowed and no special weapons were permitted. Each round had you going up against a Grimm, fighting it till one was killed. The further ahead you went along, the more challenging the games become. Only five rounds were allowed for each fighter a day until the end of the week where Holt pit them against a very powerful Grimm he himself had caught, allowing you to fight it with your original attire and weapons. Lien was awarded for each round won, though it didn't matter if you couldn't make it to the fifth round seeing as a deadman had no use for Lien.

Pretty sure even the White Fang didn't do crap like this. The hell were they thinking caging live Grimm? Professor Port even said that Grimm couldn't survive long in captivity. He also said they they were drawn to negativity and many researchers believed Grimm could be sustained by dark emotions. Keeping them underground in a cesspool of criminal activity might explain how they could survive. Jaune shivered, the kind of destruction the monsters could do if they were let out in the city. It would be like the Breach all over again.

A sigh left his lips as he turned the large knife over in his hands. Going undercover was proving to be a pain in the ass. As if he wasn't a bad enough fighter with his fists. Should have taken Yang's offer of teaching him hand to hand. Would really come in handy right about now.

' _Why must I pay for being the nice guy? All I wanted to do was pay for a pretty girl's food, how the fuck does that earn me a cage match against a Grimm!? Everyday I'm starting to sympathize with Ren and that's not a good thing! I don't wanna end up like him and have to follow after some bubbly girl obsessed with sloths, addicted to flapjacks, and wields a grenade launching hammer!'_

No time to whine about his life now. He had a mission to do, and that involved fighting for the sick gambling pleasure of a bunch of drunks and members to a group of limb cutters. How inspiring.

Three knocks rapped against the door to the room, "Hurry your ass up! The match is about to start, Blondie!"

Must be Ann. He really wished she would use his name, he was more then a mop of blonde hair! "I'm coming, I'm coming. Can't a guy get some privacy around here?" he grumbled as he reached for the door handle.

Opening the door, Ann's bored green eyes greeted him as she stood by crossing her arms over her chest, "Sorry, but this ain't a powder room to get dolled up in. You're about to fight against Grimm for sport and entertainment, it really doesn't matter how you do your hair when its caked in blood."

"I wouldn't have to worry about it if I had known I was going to be fighting a monster without my weapons or armor on hand." he glared as he shut the door behind him. The two walked the dimly lite halls leading to the arena as cheering and hollering bounced off the crudely welded walls. If he had known before hand he would have better prepared himself. How little it may have been.

Ann chose to shrug at his comment, looking away to the side, "You're the one who agreed to the boss's favor without getting any details about it. You should know better."

"What sane man asks a favor like this!? I don't even know if the Lien is worth it, if I survive."

"You'll survive, Blondie." Ann nodded firmly as they stopped in front of a gated entrance. The light of the coliseum carved into the ground peeked through the holes of the gate, the voices of the spectators growing louder. "Not everyone can keep up with Cross like you did, must would have either run away or die trying. For a lanky idiot you're not that bad. Just treat this like any other fight. You're a huntsman, right? Isn't this your job? The only difference is that your death will be witnessed by hundreds if you fail. No pressure."

"You're a ray of sunshine, you know that?" Jaune deadpanned only to receive a hard punch to his stomach, "My spleen!"

"Don't call me 'Sunshine'!" she growled in anger as she rubbed her knuckles. The guy must have been hiding rocks under his shirt.

"Pretty sure I didn't." Jaune groaned, "I compared you to one-Stop aiming for the spleen!"

Pulling back her aching fist, Ann huffed. Smart ass.

"I said I'd pay you back with interest. Once you've collected your winnings, you don't have to stick around anymore." she said as she turned her eyes to the earthly ceiling above her. Ann's visible eye narrowed, "As long as you keep quiet about all this, then I'm sure I can talk the boss into leaving you alone. An inspiring hunter like yourself doesn't need to be hanging around low life's like us."

Ann may be considered a criminal for all the things she had done to stay alive, but she wasn't below dragging some idiot into the underworld of crime along with her. Jaune wasn't a bad guy, annoying as hell and touched in the head, but he wasn't like the rest of them. He had potential, even Holt had seen it. A bright future awaited him if he stuck to his path in Beacon. He could live a normal life, raise a normal family, and never have to worry about supporting them with his work as a great hunter.

Unlike her. Nothing awaited her if their plans went to shit. She would be locked up, or worse. The dumb blonde didn't have to take the heat for associating with people like her. And besides, it wasn't like she would be sticking around the FoF for long. Once she gathered all the Lien she needed for her dream, she would escape this hell hole and make a life for herself. Away from all the pressures that followed this damned society.

' _You really aren't such a bad person, are you?'_ Jaune grit his teeth as he stared at the back of the blue haired girl. Why did someone like her have to hang around people filled with so much negativity? Lien wasn't worth losing your soul like this. There had to be some way to get her to see reason, to leave all this mess behind before the police had everything they needed to take them all down.

But she still didn't see him as a friend, just a dept to be repaid. He was just another problem that she believed she could repay and never have to deal with again. It was too much to bear.

The grip on his hunter knife tightened as his blue eyes steeled themselves. That was fine, if she didn't see him as a friend, it wouldn't stop him from reaching out a hand to her. He could see it in her eyes, the grain of hesitation. Ann wasn't too late to save from this dark world she walked into, and he would do whatever it takes to drag her out of there.

Jaune was her friend, and that's just the kind of things friends do.

Patting Ann's shoulder, Jaune awaited the gates to open up as he stood ready for whatever monster he had to face.

"Don't worry, I won't be leaving anytime soon." he grinned cheekily.

Ann scoffed as she looked away. It was his career's funeral. Who was she to stop him?

So why did she suddenly have the urge to smile?

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the UGC, The Underground Grimm Coliseum of Slaughter! I'm your kind host, Holt Delmos! And do I have a show for you!" From above a floating platform, Holt boisterously announced to the hundreds of people seated in the coliseum below.

The coliseum was carved out of the stone and dirt of the large cavern, the arena centered in the middle designed after the arena's found in fighting tournaments above ground. Several large Dust crystals connected by rods created a bubble force field trapping the fighters within and preventing the spectators from the harm of the Grimm. A large hologram screen floated above the arena right behind Holt as he held a mic in his hand.

Cheering and screaming filled the air in response to Holt's announcement, making the shaggy dirty blonde sigh in content. Gotta love the atmosphere of the place, "Today's match, we have a newcomer to the scenes, an aspiring hunter in the making, Jaune!" he chanted, gesturing to the large gate lifting up on the far left of the field below.

Jaune stepped out of the entrance, eyes straining at the bright light bombarding his vision. The place was packed with people leaning out their seats for the fight to come. Most of them looked like heavy gamblers, shouting bets on his life, while the others simply sat back for the carnage to take place with malice grins. It was a wonder the Grimm surrounding Vale didn't storm the place with all the ill emotions flowing from below. They must have guards protecting the arena's from the subterranean Grimm at all hours. Jaune's blue eyes narrowed at Holt's laughing form above the arena. There was no doubt in his mind that Holt was masterminding everything here, even the FoF. A guy as charismatic as him seemed to be capable of drawing in a crowd.

All he had to do was to survive the gauntlet themed matches and gain his favor. If he trusted him enough, then their would be no need to place a Marker on him. Leaving him to safely relay whatever intel he gained back to the Vale police force. Shouldn't be too hard.

' _I have feeling it's going to be a long day today.'_

"Seeing as he's new to our little games, how about we start him off with some foreplay! Let's send him the grunt of the Grimm world, a Beowolf!"

Amidst the cheers and jeers, the sound of mechanisms lifting a battered cage could be heard. From the middle of the dirt arena, the cage holding the Beowolf emerged to the awaiting spectators. It growled in irritation from the light overhead, swiping madly at its containment cell.

The amount of bone spine on the dark wolf was enough to tell Jaune he wasn't fighting anything as major like the Alpha. That was assuring at least.

Jaune steadied his breathing as he readied the large hunter's knife. Glynda did say he should practice wielding a short sword, the knife was as close to any practice as he was going to get. Time to see if he was capable enough to fight Grimm without Crocea Mors by his side.

Holt whistled loudly at the sight below him, "Look here, folks! Our boy seems to be ready to begin the games! Let's not keep him waiting any longer! Let the first match of today's UGC, BEGIN!"

' _ **Round 1: Lone Menace(1x Beowolf). Items and Spells have been disabled. Good luck!'**_

The metal cage fell apart with the loud sound of a buzzer, unleashing the howling bone platted wolf from its prison. It craned its neck, snarling at all the human voices in the air before its ears perked up the close sound of a beating heart nearby. It wasted no time charging at its only prey within arm reach.

Dodging the wide sweep of claws to his chest, Jaune slashed at the bone mask as he scanned the HP of the Grimm, _**'Beowolf, 900/1,200HP.'**_ Sweet! That one attack knocked off 300 points. Even without Crocea Mors, he was still able to deal more then enough damage against a simple Grimm.

The Beowolf snarled angrily before swiping its claws in an uppercut slash, earning itself a retaliating swing from the large knife in the blonde's hand. It jumped back from the attack, pouncing back and forth around its prey. Jaune dodged the snarling slashes, picking it off with his knife as it passed by. Slowly he was cutting down its HP, dropping it to the red.

Jumping back from the blade nearly grazing its nose, the Beowolf howled madly before jumping high up for a descending swipe.

Perfect shot for his new Ability, _**"Air Slash!"**_ his hunting knife gleaming with a bright light, Jaune cut the air aimed for the Grimm, flinging a condensed arcing blade of physical energy. The blade split the Beowolf in half, a whimper escaping its jaws as its remains fell to the ground.

' _ **Winner!'**_ **+500EXP!**

The crowd roared with approval as both halves of the monster returned to oblivion. Holt nodded his head with a disinterested look, "Not bad, you are a hunter in training after all. I expect no less from a man my little Ann has recommended. So, why don't we turn things up a notch!" Snapping his fingers, two more cages sprang up from the ground, flying high into the air as another lone steel box stood in the center, "No rest for the victors! Round 2, coming at ya!"

Jaune grit his teeth. Holt didn't seem to be the type to play fair. He gripped his knife tightly as the two descending cages rattled, threatening to burst as the earthbound cage bucked wildly.

' _ **Round 2: By Air, Death! By Land, More Death!(2x Nevermore, 1xBoarbatusk)'**_

Breaking their steel confines, two twin feathered Nevermore's screeched loudly as the spinning form of a Boarbatusk bashed out of its own prison, its sight set on the scowling blonde. It tore apart a trail of dust in its pursuit, twisting in and turning in its rotation. Dodging the tusked pig was made even harder with the flying forms of the two Nevermore's firing pins around his form. The birds weren't bigger then the one he had fought in the Initiation Tutorial, but they were big enough to pick up small dogs for dinner. One of the feathered tips dug into his right arm as he struggled by the passing sawing tusks. The pain made him stumble, allowing another three sharp tipped quills to pin him.

The Boarbatusk saw a chance. Turning mid spin, it barreled into the blonde boy, ready to mow him down. Jaune sucked in the pained breath as he blocked the rushing attack with his knife, the large blade doing its best to stop the spinning bone tusks threatening to tear into him.

How do you go from one simple Beowolf to two Nevermore's and a Boarbatusk!? This game was rigged from the start. Peeking over his shoulders, Jaune could make out the smug smirk on Holt's lips as he watched the fight below on his platform above. A large screen floated behind the man, showing off his Aura and number of the round including the Grimm fighting him. When had they synced his scroll to their screens? The knowing glint in the shaggy blonde's eyes seemed to tell all.

Holt didn't trust him, it explained why he had taken his scroll along with his armor and weapon. Thank god he didn't have anything on his scroll that would lead them back to his connection to the Vale Police. Throwing back the Boarbatusk, Jaune fired another Air Slash at the circling dark ravens picking off his HP. The slicing blade clipped one of the Nevermore's wings, sending it falling down in a spin. Rolling to the side of another spin charge, Jaune ran after the descending bird, rearing his knife back for a heavy swing.

" _ **Power Strike!"**_ **+200EXP!** Shaking off the smoking blood, Jaune readied himself for the second Nevermore dive bombing after him. He spun the handle of the knife in a reverse grip, digging the blade into the passing flying monster, tearing through its side and killing it off in one slash. It's death cawed was drowned under the snorting squeal of frustration from the pigged beast stampeding in an angered charge. Jaune jumped over it, landing behind it as it crashed into the far end of the arena. In its dizzy state, it was left with no way to defend itself as Jaune ran to its stumbling form. He dropped onto the ground, skidding under its belly to kick it up in the air. No special move was needed as he flipped the blade to point above his head, letting physics to do the rest of his work for him.

Red drops of blood splattered over him as the dark pig was skewered onto the blade of his knife. If he wasn't trying to show weakness in front of a coliseum full of gamblers, drinkers, and hate minded people, he would have cringed at the brutal display. It was actually pretty nifty that Grimm blood faded away along with its remains. No need to worry about stains.

' _Wait, I'm wearing borrowed clothes. What do I care if this shit stains?'_ Jaune blinked as he tossed the decomposed Grimm off to the side.

Holt still wasn't impressed at with the display. He yawned into his hand as the uproar of approval of the people deafened the the victory bell. Wasn't anything he hadn't already seen. Time to up the ante.

"That was fine, I guess. You hunter's don't seem to know how to hold back. Then again, fighting Grimm is what you're being trained for. So, how about we continue to raise the stakes, huh?" he grinned widely as he whipped out his scroll from his jacket. Swiping through the options on the screen, he was happy to find what he was looking for. "Now, let's get this party going with a bang! I paid good Lien for this little freak. Let's see how it fares against a real hunter!"

An odd large green cubicle cage slowly raised from below the arena with a silhouette of a human sized growling Grimm snapping from inside. An odd neon glow lite up from within before the front of the cage fell, revealing the strange Creeper slinking out on its two feet. Large neon green spikes poked out from its back, its green mask lighting like a beacon.

' _ **Round 3: Creepy Danger(1xMutated Creeper),'**_

The hell was he looking at? Jaune went on edge as the odd Creeper burrowed into the ground. It was a subterranean Grimm, it could dig under the ground to pop out like a groundhog for a punishing assault of claws and snapping jaws. Had to be careful, his senses were going crazy at its odd design. Did not want to know what that thing was capable of.

The ground underneath trembled, signaling Jaune to jump back to miss the snapping glowing jaws flying out of the hole. The Creeper snarled, shaking off the dirt as it moved for a charge. Jaune tensed as he readied his knife, _**'Creeper(M), 200/200HP.'**_ Didn't have much health on it, better to take it out before it did anything surprising.

The smirk on Holt's face turned into an open mouth grin of white teeth. He was hoping for that.

Like a spark meeting oil, the blade of Jaune's hunter knife dug into the glowing bone mask of the odd Grimm, creating a detonating explosion that engulfed the blonde knight in a large plume of neon flames. The force of the blast sent Jaune slamming back into the far end of the coliseum in a flaming fireball. The blonde spat a wad of blood, panting heavily as his HUD displayed the major hit his HP had taken. 700 points flew away from the surprised detonating Grimm. A normal person without their Aura unlocked would have been a splattered mess of burning remains, never before had he been thankful for Pyrrha unlocking it for him.

Jaune fell to his knee's as he tried to shake away the ringing in his ears. What the hell kind of Grimm was that!? One of his eyes shut in pain as he aimed a glare to the wolfish grin on the shaggy announcer as the crowd roared in enjoyment. Professor Port had never said anything about Grimm capable of exploding like some bomb. It was like some dust explosion.

No EXP was rewarded with the Grimm's death as the victory bell sung. Guess there was no reward in a suicide bomb.

"Now that, was an explosive show!" Holt laughed boisterously, watching closely as Jaune slowly raised himself back up on his struggling feet. Had to give Ann the benefit of the doubt, he was pretty sure the blonde kid would have gone down after that one. That crazy doctor, Merlot, was right about the mutated Grimm. It was worth every Lien. Too bad it was short lived, "But we can't stop now that things are getting good. I'll tell you what though, kid." Holt smiled widely as the screen behind him flickered to Round 4. Somehow, the smile wasn't reassuring in the least, "How about we just skip Round 4, and get to the real show stopper, HUH!?" with a wild flash of teeth, Holt slammed his finger down onto his screen, replacing the fourth round with a battered and torn black numeral five.

The crowd approved with a thundering applause. So far, the rookie was doing well. And the carnage was alright, but they wanted more! They had thousands of Lien on his death. The final round ought to finish him off in his beaten and bloody state.

The lights went off in the coliseum, leaving the only light source coming off the red screen above. Made Jaune wish for an ability that could allow him to see in the dark, like a faunus could. Anything that hid in the dark was never a good thing.

"Now, you'll all have to forgive me for our final opponent. It's not exactly a Grimm, but I've been meaning to test out the little bugger after my buddy Naragami snatched in from a broken down train cart. It's not in the best of conditions, but it should be more then enough for a good time."

Odd red lines light up in the middle of the coliseum over the bulky body of some unknown being. The sound of whirring mechanics and gears entered Jaune's ears as he called out his inventory for the last of his recovery soda. Dammit, forgot about items being disabled. _'Probably wouldn't do much for my crappy health, but_ _t_ _he added MP would have been a life saver. I'll just have to use my abilities carefully. I mean, what's the worst Holt can bring out?'_

' _ **Final Round! Black: From Shadows, Reborn! (1xAtlesian Spider) WARNING! Boss Incoming, Atlesian Spider, The Stalking Knightmare! Get Ready!'**_

Not another Boss!

With the lights lifting up the darkness, Jaune was able to finally see the new boss staring straight ahead at him. The mech like robot stood on four pincer like legs, its entire frame colored black with red glowing lines running along its body. Jaune could make out six bulky cannons on its frame, four attached to its hands, and two mounted on its shoulders. It's bulky narrowed head twitched lightly, sparks flying off parts of its body, specifically around its midsection where it seemed to be weld together as best it could.

' _ **Atlesian Spider, 8,000/8,000HP.'**_

Jaune bit back a shout as he jumped from the side, missing having a laser cannon beam melting a hole into his chest. _**'Jaune Arc, 3,105/4,200HP'**_ Several more scorching volleys fired after Jaune as he ran around the coliseum to avoid the attacks. Dust clouds blew up around him as every miss punched craters into the ground.

How was he going to fight a cannon wielding robot with a knife? Another salvo shot after him, nearly tripping on his own two feet as he could feel the glow of the plasma come ever closer. His mind whirred as he tried to think of a way to defend, no time to dodge, the array of shots would engulf with his Speed Stat failing to get him out in time. There had to be something, what did a video game character do when they were forced to fight back some magical shot or energy?

A thought struck Jaune as he suddenly grinned. Intelligence was pretty nifty when he stopped to actually think. Maybe studying late at night wasn't a waste. His knife hand was clad in magical energy as he prepared to met the salvos head on. Time to put his little theory to the test.

" _ **Power Strike! Power Strike! Power Strike! Power Strike!"**_ Madly swinging his knife at the balls of energy, Jaune was able to strike back the blue salvos back to the Atlesian Spider. Each shot hit their marks as the boss's HP began to fall.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as the mech's body was clouded by smoke. And who said you couldn't learn anything from playing video games?

Twin beams of blue fired in reverse from the smoke cloud, blowing it away as the spider mech rode on the force of its shoulder cannons. It raised its right cannon barrel, slamming into the blocking blonde with enough force to kick up a small gale. There was no fighting the blow as Jaune was sent flying off his feet. He grit his teeth. Didn't see that coming from such a bulky body. Two balls of energy the size of his body followed after him as he slammed back into the edge of the battleground. They went up in plume of smoke mixed with blue sparks upon impact, shrouding his body from sight.

The Atlesian Spider stalked to its prey, raising its front leg high in the air. It dropped the pincer like appendage into the smoke ruthlessly only to hit nothing. The force of the drop cleared the veil, revealing the missing knight.

Rolling to far side of the wall, Jaune huffed as a bead of sweat fell down his chin. The nonstop fighting was taking a toll on him. It didn't matter if his body was that of a video game character, this was still real life. His body could still feel the exhaustion of all the energy he had spent the entire day fighting.

Turning its head to the right, the Atlesian Spider simply aimed its shoulder cannon to Jaune's direction. A brief light flashed from its barrel before firing a bladed beam of energy to cut down its prey. Weaving his body to the left, Jaune ran alongside the slicing beam with his knife held in reverse. Didn't have much MP left after the barrage of Power Strikes earlier, he needed time to recover what he spent. Better make this next attack count. Dodging another blast, Jaune leaped high in the air to meet the crudely melded upper body of the mech. The Atlesian Spider punched its barrel at the airborne boy only for Jaune to flip over it, landing a slashing strike to its arm. And with all his strength he planted both his glowing feet into its frame, _**"Power Strike!"**_ A resounding boom broke out from the heavy clad double kick managing to send the large mech skidding back on its hind legs. The last of Jaune's MP drained to zero, leaving behind a crimson red bar blinking rapidly as it slowly filled the bar back up. For the mean time, he was simply going to have to dodge the rest of the shots till he was filled back up.

All six barrels gleamed with a twinkle of azure energy before rapidly firing off large salvos at its locked on target. Nothing to do but run and dodge. _'Let's see if my Speed's high enough for that ability attached with Ruby's Perk.'_

Twinkling lights danced in the air as Jaune's body blurred from sight, leaving them to be scattered by the large plasma ball passing through. He grinned in excitement as his body phased all around the spider mech, confusing its systems as it tried to shot him down. More craters littered the arena with every missed fire.

When this was all over, Jaune was going to pull Ruby into a massive bear hug for her awesome ability!

Seeing another blast aimed for him, he willed his body to phase by the attack. His eye's widened in alarm noticing his ability failed to activate, leaving him wide open for the shot. He braced himself with openly gritting teeth as he took it head on. The blast lowered a good 500 points as he hissed from the burns created. Patches of his vest and pants were scorched, showing off the angry pink burns on his skin.

Halfway full, the red bar was drawing ever closer to filling back up. Just needed a little more time to kill. Looked like the ability Gale Speed didn't last long, another bar displayed by his portrait on his HUD, colored pink with red roses decorated along it as it filled up at a snails pace. Seemed about right, the best abilities always came with a catch. He couldn't abuse Gale Speed whenever he wanted or he would be left open for another cannon shot.

Rocketing off on its shoulder cannons, the spider mech came flying in with a wide swing of its barrel. Jaune docked under, spinning on his feet to slash at its body. Unfortunately, he failed to realize he wasn't wielding Crocea Mors, the hunting knife while large still failed to reach its mark with its length. The Atlesian Spider kicked its feet into Jaune's chest, sporting a critical hit as Jaune was sent rolling far on his side.

"What's this!? Has our fighter finally been kicked down for good? He doesn't seem to be looking too hot, folks!" Holt chuckled to the jeering audience. In all honesty, he was pretty sure that the mech would have fallen apart by now. Naragami did say that it was in complete shambles while he was haunting for leads concerning the White Fang. He found a shipment of broken down Schnee train carts by Forever Fall and discovered a whole shitload of Atlesian Knights in diced shambles. It was a good thing the ninja had taken that robotics class after all, the guy actually had a gift in dealing with fixing pieces of junks to working order.

Another cloud of dirt and smoke rose up as the battle below continued. The kid was actually good. At first glance, he seemed scrawny and air-headed. But he was proving to be so much more. Should not have doubted his little Ann. And here he thought she had fallen for his boy pretty face. The girl may be rough around the edges, but she was still a girl. How they grow so fast.

If this 'Jaune' kid made it out alive, he was sure to put the effort in luring him to his organization. Shouldn't be too hard seeing as he was brought in by Ann. He could use that to his advantage. Having more hunter's like Cardin would be a big benefit to his cause. Made him wish his little protege was here right now. Too bad, Cardin had to attend classes today, it would be suspicious if he continued to skip class while his men caused trouble in Vale. Wouldn't be long now, he had planned for his initiation at the end of the week to welcome Cardin in to their cause as an active member, but that would have to wait till next week. Too many White Fang spies to deal with. It was a wonder the Vale police didn't send any rats into the mix.

A stray ball of energy smashed into the forcefield around the coliseum, drawing even more applause from the crowd. Hadn't seen them this fired up since the first time he set these games up. This was going to draw in some more supporters and members without a doubt.

Another volley followed after Jaune as he struggled to keep up. He was just about ready to collapse from exhaustion. It was surprising that he was even able to stand after all the attacks that hit him. Once this was all over, he was going to get to work on training his powers and skills. Pretty sure his Luck was the only thing to keep him breathing at this point.

The Atlesian Spider had enough of the little game they were playing. Cocking all six of its cannons, it began to shift its body around to create a larger barrel from the combined pieces attached to its damaged chest. A deadly hum filled the air as its barrels gathered energy, glowing with erratic sparks around its body. Its fixed frame shook, struggling to contain all the power in its crudely welded state.

' _That doesn't look like something I'll survive. As if having six cannons wasn't crazy enough, I can't believe it can create a bigger one! That's just overkilling it, or me.'_ Just a bit more. Jaune's MP was only a few seconds away from filling all the way up. Then he could work on finishing things. The HP on the Atlesian Spider was down to half of what it originally started with. He just needed a few more hard hits and try for a critical, and that would be it.

Finished charging its shot, the Atlesian Spider surprised everyone watching as its lower body stretched its metal limbs apart, digging itself deep into the ground. The upper body then spun on its midsection like a top, firing away the deadly beam of energy from its large cannon. The action created a wide ring that spun against the walls of the coliseum, digging a trench in its walls. Jaune didn't even need to think of what to do as he dropped to his stomach, missing the scorching beam by a hair.

It continued its laser spin for a good minute, putting strain on the forcefield generators preventing it from hurting the audience. Eventually its attack died down, parting its cannons as smoke leaked from its joints and static jumped around its damaged frame.

With a bell like ding, Jaune's MP was fully restored. Now was his only chance to finish it off before its systems went back online. There was still one last ability he needed to try out.

" _ **Hyper Blade!"**_ With incredible speed, Jaune phased through the Atlesian Spider in after image blurs, slashing at its exposed weak spots with his glowing knife. Back and forth he passed its body, dwindling its health further with every strike. The spider mech could do nothings as it struggled to regain control of its functions.

Slashing at its right arm, Jaune ended his bladed blitz by chopping off one of its cannons. He skid back on his feet from the Atlesian Spider, the sounds of its gears running smoothly and the glitching lights steadying telling him that it was back to fighting condition.

Dammit! The mech's health was at 700HP. He just needed one more heavy hit to end it all. Just like Gale Speed, Hyper Blade couldn't be spammed, it needed to charge. Speaking of which, the Atlesian Spider retaliated with several firing salvos, forcing him to activate Gale Speed. He evaded the bullet hell of cannons, phasing by as he tried to think of an attack to end it all. Hyper Blade used up 50MP, that was more then half of what he had. He was more the sure that he wouldn't be able to avoid its salvos much longer, he was beginning to breath heavily as it were.

Power Strike dealt two hundred damage, but he couldn't risk getting hit with another cannon shot again. If only he could combine Air Slash with it, the he could fire away from a good distance.

Iron Roses's ability died down, leaving him jumping to the left from another salvo. Well, now was as good as any to see if he could combine abilities.

" _ **Power Strike+Air Slash!"**_ Calling out the combined combination of abilities, Jaune was thrilled to see the result of his idea fly from his knife in the form of a whistling crescent blade of arcing energy. The arc spun in the air before landing. It flew by the mech's body, evaporating into the air harmlessly. For a second Jaune worried if his attack worked, cursing as he found what remained of its cannons charging at him.

Ready to fire another barrage, the Atlesian Spider ceased its aiming as a gleaming thin white line shined on its body.

' _ **Critical Hit!'**_

With a mechanical whine, the Atlesian Spider fell apart as its body was cleaved in a horizontal slash. Smoke bellowed from its sparking body before exploding in a bellowing cloud of flames. The explosion blew past Jaune, engulfing him in the hot sulfur veil.

' _ **Congratulations! Atlesian Spider, The Stalking Knightmare, defeated! +4,500EXP! You've created a new Ability! Crescent Blade, Discovered!'**_

Jaune cleared away the smoke with a wave of his knife, falling back on his backside with a loud sigh. He didn't care for the roaring sea of cheers and applause, the tossed cards of Lien, or the victory bell as Holt announced him as the winner. He was just glad it was over with. Too bad he hadn't leveled up, his EXP was a few hundred points away from reaching Lvl 10.

First thing he was going to do after his aura healed his wounds and he debriefed with Officer Church, is head back to Beacon and take a nice long relaxing shower. Then eat a shit load of whatever they were serving at the cafeteria.

Holt couldn't stop grinning as he loudly clapped his hands. Now, THAT was a fight! Never judge a book by its cover. Jaune would make a great asset to the FoF as frontal soldier. They weren't ready for battle yet, but if his troops had a trained hunter fighting alongside them, then they would have some inspiration. Oum knows that Naragami, Ann, or even Cross weren't chuck full of it. Made him wonder if Jaune knew Cardin, the kid could use someone his age to hang with. Ann was two years older then them and kept to herself. Still confused him how Jaune had caught her interest.

Raising the platform to the coliseum floor, Holt stepped off as he made his way to the heavily panting blonde boy. He whistled at the battered and wounded state Jaune was left in, boy could tank a hit.

"I was wrong about you, Jaune. And here I thought you would have lost in the first round. Way to prove me wrong." Holt chuckled softly, gesturing his open hand to his fellow blonde. He smirked at the weak suspicious glare aimed back at him in return, "Don't worry, your little gauntlet trial is over with. You've proved your worth. And I'll take Ann's word, you can be trusted. Welcome to the Friends of Faunus, Jaune Arc."

Alright, so it looked like he won over the leader's trust. He had a feeling that Holt was the one behind everything, the man had a certain air around him. Well, better not keep him waiting. Taking Holt's hand, Jaune was taken by surprise as the shadows underneath them spiraled around them in a cocoon. There was nothing to do as they swallowed them up in the darkness.

What now!?

* * *

Lunch had ended and class was over with for the day. And Yang was feeling pretty great right about now. The life of a hunter was exciting, but she could do without the boring classes. Not to mention dealing with Professor Antheia on the subject of her favorite student's absence wasn't fun. The orange haired woman was obsessed with the dorky blonde, how could no one else see that? Pretty sure she had seen a body pillow designed after Jaune's wrestling outfit hidden in her desk. Made her wonder how she got it. Nora was really pushing for that wrestling event in the auditorium, maybe she should think about her offer of playing along. Lien was Lien, what could go wrong?

If only she knew.

Yang's thoughts soon turned back to Jaune, wondering what he had gotten himself into. Now she was starting to worry. It was past five now and he hadn't returned to Beacon. The messages Pyrrha had been sending him were going unanswered. Jaune usually messaged back soon after, but they hadn't heard word from him since his scroll call to his team last night. What was going on?

Jaune wasn't exactly her best friend, if anything he was a friend by extension. He was nice guy despite being an awkward dork and seemed fun to hang around. There was something about him that drew in trouble in the most hilarious way. As of late she was even beginning to enjoy the time their two teams spent together, times were fun when they all hung out. Not having him around was actually a bummer. It had barely been a day.

They weren't the best of friends, but she still saw him as a good one. And she was just as worried about him as everyone else was, even Weiss despite how much she denied it.

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon as Yang walked around the courtyard of the school. It was time to head back to the dorms, still had to finish Port's homework. _'I'm sure Vomit Boy's fine. The guy probably got lost in Vale, seems like something he would do.'_

Turning back to the school, Yang was ready to head back when the sound of running footsteps stopped her. She recognized that familiar wheeze behind her anywhere.

"Jaune?" Yang blinked in surprise suddenly finding the blonde knight panting as he leaned on his knees. The guy looked a little disheveled and dirty, their was even dried spots of blood on him. The hell had he been doing? _'Don't tell me he actually got shank?'_

"Sup, Yang?" Jaune greeted with a tired grin.

After being teleported in the shadows of Holt's semblance, Jaune had been dropped into a lounge like area to rest before he left the criminal nest. Once he was all settled in, Holt had given him the next locations of the matches for the week to come, said to stop by whenever so he could get better acquainted with his organization. A quick stop by the police station and a debriefing later, and he was finally free to head home to Beacon. What a day it had been. Went up a level and learned a few new abilities, so he supposed all the trouble had been worth it.

Even got a cool hunting knife out of it. But the little adventure made him think about how pathetic he was without Crocea Mors, he had barely gotten by with his new knife. What if they made him fight without any weapon at all? There was no way he would survive five straight rounds against Grimm like that. If he was going to beat The Game, he was going to have to expand his field of skills. And Yang did offer to teach him to fight with his fists.

Calming his breathing, Jaune stood straight up, looking to Yang with a determination. Yang may be rough and a bit of a loose cannon, but if there was anyone who could teach him hand to hand, it had to be her.

"Where you been, Jaune?" Yang asked as she cocked her hip. And what was with that look in his eye?

"Just dealing with a case of mistaken identity." Had to come up with a lie, and if there was one thing he was good at, it was lying. Even a lousy one, "Anyway, I got a question to ask you."

Yang shrugged, "Sure, go ahead. Anything I can do for you?"

"Yeah, do you remember when you said you could help me learn hand to hand?"

For a moment Yang was confused at what he was asking before a slow grin made its way to her face. No way! Was he asking what she thinks he was asking?

"Can you teach me?"

Yang was a proud huntresses, she would not squeal in excitement!

"Fuck yeah! Let's get started!"

There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, she didn't really believe him about the mistaken identity, though she wouldn't completely disregard it with his crappy luck, but all that was thrown into the closet as she grabbed his collar and dragged his tired body to the training rooms. She was fired up now!

' _What did I get myself into?'_ Jaune inwardly sighed as he kissed his hot shower and meal goodbye. Should have asked her in the morning.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Air Slash [4AP]: An airborne blade of condensed physical strength that deals an amplified 10% in damage based on the Player's Strength. MP Cost: 10MP.**_

 _ **Hyper Blade [5AP]: Based on the Player's Speed stat, the Player rushes in a high speed raid of attacks, landing in multiple hits on the target. Also buffs a 10% in Evasion during the activation of the Ability. MP Cost: 20MP.**_

 _ **Crescent Blade [5AP]: An evolved version of Air Slash. The Player fires a whistling crescent blade of energy at their target with a 20% Critical Hit Ratio. MP Cost: 15MP.**_

* * *

 **Bed. Time. And once again, I don't have time for a shower. That's a bad habit I need to** **work on, as if I don't already feel dirty with some of the things I write.**

 **Again, sorry about not finishing the DLC today. It's only 1,500+ words right now, I'll be sure to finish it later after I'm done with Chapter 10 which is almost done. I hope all the action in todays chapter will be enough for now. We got a whole lot more coming. The next chapter isn't action packed, but its reveals a lot and even a shocking secret about the FoF. I'll have the next piece of DLC up with it, that I can promise you.**

 **I need sleep. So if you got any questions, don't be afraid to ask. While I'm busying writing chapters for this story, I've actually been brainstorming some short fics when Multiplayer is on a break. I'll be telling ya'll about it at the end of Volume 1, so look forward to that.**

 **Read and Review, it's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	10. Scars

**Sweetness! I just finished DLC #4!**

 **. . .Jesus Fucking Christ! I don't think I've ever written anything so dirty. I mean, really. I'm a dirty son of a bitch.**

 **NeoShadows here, and it's time to upload another chapter of Multiplayer!**

 **The week so far has been pretty alright. My replacement phone recently came in, the only problem being that I've lost all my contacts. Should have written them down. My old man is out of the wayward home, so that's a thing. Never really cared much for him, siblings think I'm an ass for it, but I got my reasons. And due to personal business getting in the way, again, I've yet to finish the next chapter. The system has done its job, now I got to focus on Chapter 11. It's almost done, but I'm not sure if I'll have a DLC for next week. Editing takes a lot of time.**

 **So, I'll say this. I am officially looking for a trustworthy Beta Reader to look over my work so I can have more time to work on chapters and DLC. If you feel like you can do a good job, PM me.**

 **Onto Reviews!**

 **GhostHornet: Anabel wants something REALLY expensive. The next chapter will reveal it, but try if you like. I don't think anyone will be able to guess it. And thanks for the wash cloth tip. I appreciate it, I swear I put off my shower due to time restraint. I miss the days I could just chill under the hot water.**

 **Dragoon109: I guess I can answer you that. The reason Ren is fixated on Pyrrha was kinda revealed already, it's because The Game has her destined to die with every world. For reasons that won't be revealed yet, Ren sees her differently from the others. He can save anyone in the world, except her.**

 **Wandai: Holt's Semblance is pretty tricky, wait till you see it in action. And yeah, some DLC do connect with the story, mostly the ones dealing with Lost Fairy Tales. As for the RWE, well, just keep reading. I have a feeling you'll have some questions at the end of this chapter.**

 **SonicFanFlame: If I can't shower, then you can't sleep! The Atlesian Spider was found in the wreck of the Black trailer, and as for the gun, we'll see in the future. WeissxPyrrha? I hate you, because now, it's all I can think about! Hot threesome! If it doesn't get bigger, then I'm fine with that. As long as it doesn't shrink, I could careless.**

 **Benthino: I can't wait to write her, I think you got her right. I actually just started watching One Punch Man, and I got to say, it's fucking awesome! I think you'll like the DLC, if you're into that kind of thing. I need baggier pants, dammit.**

 **Zackary2: Nope, he doesn't have the kill switch on him. I love writing fighting scenes, I feel that's where I excel at. As for the 'talk', sadly, my mother found out. Boy got chewed out. Better then when she caught me. I'm sad to say, she got me with my pants down. The shame.**

 **Wbrendom89: I ain't spoiling nothing! . . .This chapter will do it for me. The forth player though, it ain't Ozpin, no. The forth is a bit of a surprise. Keep guessing.**

 **NAJ P. Jackson: Eh, it's just my opinion. Don't worry about it, what's done is done. But I believe Pyrrha's actually gone. That's the thing about death, whether we like it or don't, it happens to those we love most. And their gone. What you do when those you've failed to protect are gone, is up to you. Either wallow in sorrow, or grow stronger so you'll never lose another person again. That's how I think they'll do with Jaune. I loved Pyrrha, but I hope she doesn't come back, even though that would be great. Death can't be taken lightly, things like that happen as Jaune has learned. As for OC's, I never liked them either, but they're necessary from time to time. Keeps the story fresh as long as you don't overdue them, which I try not to. And Ren, I got nothing to say. This is my story, what happens, happens. I can't confirm, nor deny what will happen as we learn Ren's reasons for placing Pyrrha's fate over others besides Nora. I do hope you'll continue to read it despite your issues.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: Jesus, you write a shit load, hombre! Your ideas. . .I can't process the insanity you put out. What are you, some insane man with thoughts that can shatter sanity. Because my own are on the floor, it's hard to pick them up while typing. My friend, if you ever do decide to write them down, I would love to read them. I think you'll love todays DLC, you drunk drug fueled, magnificent, bastard.**

 **Prustan: Wish you would stick around, but I understand. Some fics just don't click. Glad you gave it a chance though. As for your idea, I don't know. Multiplayer was made with the idea of diffrent minded players competing for The End that matched their ideals, having a team as Gamers doesn't give me much ideas for a a plot with JNPR. I wouldn't be able to write the way you described, maybe someone else might be able to.**

 **Acerman: No, Jaune has no idea Cardin is involved. Jaune's Mana Recharge rate is three minutes, which sucks in a fight. The Boomer is a mutated Creep from RWBY: Grimm Eclipse. That thing has given me many ideas. Holt is an interesting character, which you'll see in this chapter. Huh, might just save that idea for a future piece. Cross is also interesting, keep reading, you'll see.**

 **That's reviews for today! Still haven't found a cover for this fic. Sad, but I hope that I can get one eventually. It's about time to hit they hay for this old horse. Got a lot more work ahead of me. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights belong to RoosterTeeth. If I did, well, let's say that it would be rated a hard +18. There would still story and action! But more sexy time. Ehh, ehh~?**_

 _ ***Sigh* This is why I'm not allowed near school anymore. So I pelvic thrust at a few teachers while walking by? That does not mean I am a predator. That simply means I got teacher fever! . . .And that my internet is down and have nothing else to ogle.**_

 _ **Try cuffing me now, Hanseen!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Scars.**

A pleasant hum played beside Jaune as he walked back from Professor Oobleck's class with his new study partner, Velvet. He shut his eyes as he listened to the nice little melody played by the bunny faunus, enjoying the small moment of peace he had for once.

For almost two weeks now, Jaune had been sneaking away into Vale to attend the UGC while working under the Vale Police Department. And for almost two weeks he's had to survive a gauntlet of matches whenever Holt felt the need to work up the crowd. Without Crocea Mors or even his armor to defend himself. The hunting knife now strapped to the back of his waist in nice sheath Ruby had designed for him was really starting to come in handy. He even began to familiarize himself with its weight and handle, it wouldn't be long till he had some form of mastery over short blades.

Working undercover was difficult to say the least. Having gained Ann's trust, Holt didn't see reason to place a Marker on him, an odd black token coin with an ox skull, allowing Jaune to safely meet with an undercover officer to go over the details he's learned so far. He was pleasantly surprised to find Kris as the police's go to between them. Didn't really trust the others besides Officer Church. Swear they had it out for him for some reason. They did say he made a great punching bag, or beating bag in their words.

But all the secrets and lies he had to come up with left a bad taste in his mouth. Lying to the academy was one thing, he was willing to make up for that by being the best hunter they've ever trained, but making up stories to his team and friends made him feel horrible. It's not like they didn't notice how tired and scratched up he appeared every time he came back from visiting Vale. He waved them off every time they asked him what he was doing, telling them he was simply tripping over his new shoes is all. Pyrrha was the most worried of them all, often asking to accompany him into the city to make sure he was alright. Seeing that slight hurt look on her face when he denied her always stabbed him in the heart, off all people she was the person he trusted, but he couldn't let her in on what was going on.

Ren was the only person who understood what was going on with him, kinda. The ninja like hunter simply sighed when he had explained to him what was happening and told him he didn't care. As long as Jaune didn't drag him into the storm he was walking into, he could do whatever he wanted.

The constant fighting, keeping secrets, not to mention classes of school and the new training he was receiving from Yang regarding his hand to hand, was draining him of everything. His grades were even taking a hit, there were times he simply fell asleep while the teachers were teaching. It was a good thing Professor Antheia had a soft spot for him, letting him doze off in class. Better then Professor Pithos who was constantly flinging shock balls of Dust at him whenever he caught him sleeping. The guy really enjoyed using him as a test subject for some reason.

It was why Professor Oobleck had assigned him extra work after class, to catch him up with the lessons he had been missing and sleeping in. He understood that Jaune was dealing with some problems of his own, but that did not excuse him from his lessons. Luckily, Velvet had stopped by when classes were over with to pick up her bag she had left, and caught the lecture he had been given by the fast talking professor. Knowing he was having trouble, she had volunteered to help out with the extra readings he was handed, if it was alright with Oobleck which he whole heartily agreed. She was one of his brightest students, it would be great if her knowledge rubbed off on Jaune.

It was tiring, dealing with everything he's been dragged into by The Game, having a helping hand from a friend was much appreciated. And it was Velvet, hadn't hung out with her that much in his past life, this was perfect opportunity to increase his Friendship level with her. Not to mention she wouldn't ask questions on why he was sleeping in class like everyone else. Sometimes you just needed to get away from it all. Already messaged Ann that he wouldn't be showing up today, that he had to do some studying to make up for all the times he spent in the UGC. Hanging out with Velvet in the library to study sounded relaxing. He didn't have a Boss trying to tear him to bloody shreds while reading over notes.

Humming her little tune, Velvet couldn't help her dark brown eyes wandering over to Jaune curiously. Wraps of medical tape peeked out from his uniform collar along with a bandage rolled around his forehead. She could even see the dark bags under his eyes. No wonder he hasn't been doing well in History Studies, he looked half way dead on his feet. It looked like he was fighting to even keep his eyes open. She didn't know him very well, but even she knew that his behavior as of late was out of the norm. They were friends now, as little as they hung out with another, it was worrying seeing the normally awkward smiling boy in such a state.

That was why she wanted to help him with his extra work. To spend more time with him and see if she could help him with his problems. Jaune was a nice guy, not to mention he was actually cute. Made her giggle, it was almost as if they were going on a study date.

"Something funny, Velvet?" Jaune asked.

Velvet shook her head with a coy smile, "Nothing. Just thought of something. You wouldn't understand."

Jaune quirked a brow, shrugging his shoulders as he did. If it was nothing, then there was nothing to worry about. He lightly flinched as he caught his eyes shutting. Not again, he was dozing off even while walking. Good thing he wasn't going to Vale today, wouldn't be surprised if he was hit by a passing truck with how tired he was feeling.

The bunny faunus frowned, catching Jaune shake away his exhaustion. The knight really needed some shut eye, "Actually, do you think we should be studying right now? We could do this tomorrow, it seems like you should get some shut eye instead. Can't have you drooling all over the textbooks."

"I'm fine, just a little tired is all." he weakly argued receiving a flat stare in return.

"You were mumbling about little people and a whipping 'Snow White' in your sleep. Quite honestly I'm surprised you're even able to form a coherent sentence right now. You look ready to curl up on the floor and fall asleep right now." It looked like he was even smiling at the thought. What exactly was he doing that left him so exhausted?

Jaune could feel goosebumps crawl over his skin remembering his 'dream'. Lost Fairy Tales was both a bane and a boon. Diving into the book again had rewarded him the ability to use Spells, unlocked his Wisdom Stat, and rewarded him his first Spell, Reflect. Dealing with the story was a different matter. He could still feel the whelps left behind from Snow White. Why did she have to look like Weiss?

Guess he couldn't hide how tired he was feeling. _'I wonder if I can sneak some makeup from the girls, they have to have something that can hide the bags under my eyes.'_ The thought of using girls makeup should have never been an option, but he was use to it. Came with living with seven sisters. Besides, it wasn't like he was putting on lipstick, not after last time.

"I just need some coffee is all, must be from all the late night studying." he grinned tiredly.

Velvet's flat stare didn't drop as she raised an eyebrow accusingly. If he was up all night studying then he wouldn't be falling behind in class to begin with. In the end, she sighed as she shook her head. Who was she to be questioning him? As long as he understood that he shouldn't overdue whatever he was doing, then her mind would be at peace.

"Well, just remember to get a full eight hours of sleep tonight." she huffed as she steadied the books in her arms, "And I'm sure we can still grab a cup on our way to the library. Ozpin has the staff serving the stuff nonstop everyday. Personally, I don't drink coffee unless I have to study late at night, but my leader is a fan. Sometimes I wonder if Ozpin simply grouped my team together to make our team sound like coffee."

"Yeah, I wouldn't put it pass him." Their Headmaster was an odd ball at times. Still couldn't believe he sponsored the RWE. Which brought back the memory of his match against Yang in the ring. Who knew he had it in him? Got way too into character, he was lucky to be alive after it had ended. The only punishment he received for what he had done to Yang was upping their training sessions. And boy, did she beat the crap out of him, thank aura for being able to walk again, "I'm still dealing with the backlash of the RWE he allowed. I'm afraid of it blowing up online." Did not want to deal with that crap. Nora was already in the works on his own theme song along with scheduling future matches. He wasn't ready to be Jaune-Cena ever again.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Velvet's ears perked up as she remembered something she had forgotten. Coming to a stop, the long brown haired girl dropped her backpack to her side before leaning down to search through its contents. Unintentionally, she gave Jaune a good view of her rear wiggling as she rummaged for what she was looking for. Had to look away as a blush formed on his face.

' _I did not take her as the kind for lace.'_

With a small grin on her face, Velvet shoved an odd little plushy into Jaune's hands. A few seconds had passed before he realized what he was holding, "Is this. . .ME!?" he gaped. Yup, it was him, in plushy form. He was dressed in his Jaune-Cena uniform.

Velvet nodded happily, "Yes, it is. Me and Coco bought one while we were watching your wrestling match. They were too adorable to pass up! We also bought a few more like Nora the Pancake Diva." Coca had been the one to design the outfits, it was only natural that she would want to see them in plushy form.

Jaune didn't know what to say. It was flattering? Who even had time to make these things with such detail?

In her own dorm room, a short brunette girl sneezed loudly, the action causing her to bend over and smack her forehead onto her sewing bench. The bench blew up in a rain of splinters as Hera sniffed, smiling in apology at the stares her teammates were giving her. Looked like she was going to be late on that shipment of plushys for Ozpin.

"Do. . .you mind signing it?" she asked shyly as she rung her hands behind her back nervously.

"I guess?" Jaune scratched his head, not really expecting such a request. He didn't think he would be signing autographs until he had become a successful hunter in the future, "Do you have a pen?"

"Oh! Almost forgot." she laughed, knocking on her own head before bending back down to look for it.

' _Must. Resist. Urge. To Look!'_ Couldn't she kneel down instead of bending over? Velvet was lucky their weren't any students around to sneak a peek at her skirt. Being a gentleman was a lot harder then it seemed.

"Here we go! Knew that little bugger was in here somewhere." Finding her pen in the clutter of her supplies, Velvet quickly handed it to Jaune, waiting patiently as he signed his signature on little Jaune-Cena's scarred chest.

That was something else that had caught her curiosity. She had never seen another hunter with such a horrid scar on their body. Even Fox had cringed a bit when he had seen it, and he had his own compare. The thing didn't cut across his skin, it cut right through his body like a knife to butter. How could you survive something like that?

"-And done!" finished writing his signature, Jaune smiled awkwardly as he handed his little me back to Velvet. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do for now. Gonna have to practice on that.

"Thank you so much, Jaune!" Velvet happily grinned as she hugged her little plushy. Coco was going to pout when she saw this. Though maybe it was better she hadn't met Jaune yet. While he looked good in his school uniform, she couldn't say the same for his hunter wear. Coco was all about fashion, if she saw him like that, Velvet feared that she might just bust out her machine gun and gun down his closet.

"I'm sure my leader will be jealous of this once she returns from Vale."

"Did you say Vale?" Jaune's heart stopped for a moment as the words registered. Now wasn't the best time to be hanging around the city. Holt was up to something, the police even believed that he had plans for this week. And Vytal festival was only three weeks away. He still wasn't as close to the leader of the FoF to know of what plans they had in store, but he had a feeling that they weren't going to be pleasant.

"Yeah? Why, is something wrong with that?" Velvet slowly nodded as she tilt her head in confusion.

"Nothing, its just that things aren't really safe in the streets right now."

Velvet didn't understand what he was getting at until it came to her, "You mean the Friends of Faunus?" she said with a somber look on her face, "Word about their organization has been spreading lately. I'm honestly surprised they're still active after all these years."

After all these years? "What do you mean? You're saying that they've been around for a long time?" He thought that only the police knew about that little fact.

"Sadly, yes." Didn't look like Velvet liked talking about it, she was rubbing her arm with sad eyes, "When I was a little girl, I had the misfortune of running into their group."

"You know, you don't have to talk about it."

The bunny faunus shook her head, "It's alright, we're friends after all." she grinned, "As your friend, I'd like their to be no secrets between us." Finally reaching the library entrance, the two hunters made their way to a more secluded area to talk and study in peace. Finding two bean bag seats in their search, Velvet and Jaune quickly settled themselves in.

It's been years since Velvet had thought of the FoF, mostly due to the painful memories it brought up as a child. Now though, she felt a little more comfortable talking about it with a friend, even if they weren't as close as two peas in a pod.

Popping open one of the books Professor Oobleck had handed Jaune, Velvet began to recount her tale, "When I was six years old, my little village had been hit with a horrible snow storm that buried our little cottage homes. No one could leave their homes and burying their way out was not an option. I guess I had been lucky though seeing as when the storm hit, I had been out playing in the forest and taken sheltered in a cave by the mountains close by. My mother always said to head for the mountains during the heavy snow storms that passed by, that way you wouldn't be buried alive." she could still remember the day clearly, the freezing snow and wind sending shivers down her body, "The storm raged for hours. I was so cold, it wasn't long till I began fall ill to a fever. Alone in the damp, freezing cave, I eventually tried to find my way back to my village. But the snow was clouding everything in sight, I was lost. To this day, I'm sure that I would have died." she said with a sad wistful smile.

"Must have been tough, being by yourself like that." Jaune frowned, picturing a small Velvet trudging the howling snow, her face red with a fever.

"It was, but luckily someone had found me." Velvet suddenly smiled, "I can't remember his name very well anymore, I don't think he even introduced himself, but he saved me from dying in the storm. I was a little apprehensive about him, he was a wolf faunus and my mother had read me stories of wolves gobbling up little bunnies that strayed away from home. But he was a kind man who did his best to treat me, picking me up and taking me to his own cottage far from my home. Somehow, it had endured the storm. He took me in, fed me, and treated my high fever. That man saved my life." The wolf faunus even reminded her of Yatsuhashi, he even carried a large blade with him. It was one of the reasons she had gotten along so well with her partner, he reminded her of the person who had saved her life so long ago. Her face lost its smile as it turned somber.

"Eventually, the storm died down after two days of raging on. My fever had gone down and I was ready to go home. He even promised to help dig up my home, boasting on about being able to clear away even boulders with one swing of his sword." she chuckled weakly, crossing her arms against her chest as the memories continued to play, "When we got there though, the village had already been dug up, but not by any hunters or the like. They were dressed in snow cameo and ski masks, carrying saw like swords with an odd skull marker on their backs."

"The FoF." Jaune had already familiarized himself with their little homing tokens. It was their insignia. To think they've been around that long.

Velvet nodded her head stiffly, "They said they were our friends, that they only wanted to help. It was a lie though. They boasted about helping us fit into society again, we were a village of faunus after all, and that they knew what was best for us." the bunny faunus gingerly ran her hand over her ear's at the memory, "They were going to cut off our faunus limbs. They had gone through all the trouble of saving my village, just to mutilate us. A few of the local faunus had already suffered to their 'humanization'. And the leader of their little group had aimed for me. The wolf faunus who had saved me didn't take kindly to them of course and attacked them. He was able to cut most of them down while urging the villagers to escape, leaving only a few to fight back with him. Unfortunately, I had been captured by their leader and was only moments away from having my little bunny ears sawed off."

"How did you escape?"

"I didn't, I was saved by the wolf faunus." she smiled bitterly, "I did try though, I remember flailing wildly as the man grabbed me by my ears, scratching his face in my struggle. Weird thing is, he didn't shout or scream at me in anger, he actually looked sad and remorseful. Just as he had reached for a hunters knife by his side, the wolf faunus shouted at him to stop. Only three of his men were left, the rest lying in their own blood by his hand. He pleaded with their leader to let me go, that he would do anything if he just let me go free. And the leader listened with a wide grin, but in exchange the wolf faunus would have to humanize himself in return."

Jaune held back a curse. The FoF sure was busy back in the old day.

"What happened next?" Jaune couldn't help but ask, his morbid curiosity getting the better of him, "What happened to the wolf faunus?"

Velvet shrugged with a weak frown, "I don't know. I didn't want to leave him behind, but he had screamed at me to run away and find my family. So I did. I was just a little girl who hadn't even had her aura unlocked, there was nothing I could do. Running away, it had taken me awhile to find them all, and after hours had passed we gathered the courage to see if the FoF had left our homes. They did, but they left behind their dead and some of our own who died fighting, even mutilated their faunus limbs. But I couldn't find any sign of the wolf faunus who saved my own life. To this day, I don't know if he survived or not."

There had been no sign of him when they had walked to the center of the village where the fighting had taken place. Not even his wolf ears. Some days her mind had wandered to the fate of her savior, hoping he had somehow escaped the FoF's clutches. As the years went by, she had thought the cruel group of humans had faded into the darkness, never to hurt another faunus as they had once done. There had been no mention of them since that fateful day, some part of her had hoped the wolf faunus had taken them down before disappearing back into his log cabin. But it had remained empty when she had ran off to find him days later, showing no sign that he had ever returned.

And now the Friends of Faunus were back, only this time they seemed to have grown bigger then before. It sickened her to think they had gathered followers in the city. For them to only be a bullhead ride away sent chills running down her body, she could still feel the ghostly hands pulling her up by her ears.

' _And I'm hanging around them.'_ To think he was dealing with those monsters on a daily basis. And Ann was a part of their group too.

For the past two weeks, Holt had been trying to get him to join his cause, to free the faunus from their curse. The leader of the FoF always made it seem like they were doing the faunus a great service, that as their friends it was only right for them to help them fit into their society by any means necessary.

How could Holt say such things with a grin on his face? They had yet to say how they were making them fit into society, but Jaune already knew how they were going by it. By amputating what made them faunus. Did he think he was stupid? As if word about their organization hadn't been let out. The Vale Police Department had already released a statement about their 'social cause' and to stay away from them. So what was the point in trying to hide what they were doing? Was he trying to butter him up or something, make it seem like they were a group of good hearted people?

The case was coming to a close, thank god for that. Captain Rola said they only needed a few more days to gather enough information to storm their little hideouts and take them in. They just needed a distraction to take them by surprise, that way they wouldn't have to fear losing some of their own men in the raids. Jaune simply needed to discover the last of their hideouts before they could take any real action. It was almost over with, which meant he didn't have long to find a way to drag Ann out of the mess before things went downhill.

He just needed to give her a reason to leave that life behind her, to forget about all the Lien Holt offered her for her work in recruiting others into his organization and spotting through the rats that had wormed their way in. It was kinda baffling she hadn't found out he was working for the police, but he had earned her trust, that meant something to her, giving her no reason to dig through his profile. And it made Jaune feel worse knowing he was in a way betraying her by taking what she knew and giving it to the law to put them all away. It was for her own good, he kept telling himself. She didn't have to deal with those monster any longer, why couldn't she see that?

Jaune furiously blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes, squinting as his mind tried shutting down for some rest. No time for that, he just needed to keep this up just a bit longer! There was still much to do today to be sleeping away. Besides, he still needed to go over Oobleck's extra readings.

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Velvet." Jaune smiled sadly, only to wind up with a weary lift of his lips. Again, he fought the sleep, his head nodding off before he shook it away with a frustrated frown, "But I'm glad he saved your life, otherwise I would have missed out on having you as a friend." his eyes shut as he grinned tiredly.

Looking to Jaune's tired face, Velvet smiled back, shaking her own head with an amused giggle. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he was tired. Forgot to grab that cup of coffee on their way here. At this point she was sure not even coffee could help him stay awake any longer.

Suddenly patting the blonde's head, Velvet brought it to rest on her shoulder, amused by the confused stare on Jaune's face as his baggy eye's looked to her.

"Yeah, I'm glad too. And as your friend, you'll have to forgive me for this."

Jaune weakly frowned as he tried keeping his eyes open, "Forgive you? For what-"

His blue eyes flew open in shock as a heavy pressure hit the back of his neck before slowly shutting close as his head lolled onto the brunette's shoulder. Velvet moved her aura clad hand back from his neck with an apologetic expression on her face. She didn't want to do it, but the blonde was too stubborn for his own good. Jaune needed his rest before he died of exhaustion. Good to know that chopping the back a persons neck actually worked, and here she thought it was a bunch of movie nonsense.

A small smile made its way to her lips at the sound of Jaune's soft snoring. Didn't look like he was going to be completing his assignments today. That was fine, she could make some notes for him instead. Couldn't have her friend failing in class now, could she? A little sleep wouldn't hurt him.

Turning her attention back to the textbook in her lap, Velvet went to work on the knights notes, relaxing as her eyes memorized the passages before grabbing her notebook and jutting down the important text. All while petting the blonde's hair back in her hands.

For study dates, this wasn't so bad.

* * *

In the main hideout of the FoF, a roar of applause broke out as sweating man was thrown onto his back by a clawed paw. The man flinched as he tried standing back up, only for the large form of an Ursa Major to swipe its claws at his chest. Four red lines cut open his vest, splashing blood onto the white mask of the dark bear as the man fell on his weak knees. The wounded man could do nothing but wince as the shadow of the beast fell over him, growling at him before it reared its arm back.

Cardin shook his head in disgust as he stood up from his seat, the sound of tearing flesh and something bouncing off the coliseum ringing in his ears as the crowd howled in approval. He passed by the grinning and cheering gamblers and members of the FoF as he made his way out of the stands.

The first time he had watched these games, he had been impressed by how the fighters were able to stand against the Grimm without their special weapons by their side. They were able to hold out using their aura and even their semblances. And they were winning. Until one had slipped up and died by the hands of an Alpha Beowolf. That was when he had seen the true horror of the UGC.

They were betting on lives here, for bloody sport. When he had found out about most of their fates, he blamed the idiots for throwing away their lives. It was their fault for what befell them. What did it matter if he walked away with a good handful of Lien if they died?

He wasn't like the rest of the trash betting on the fighters dying with sadistic grins on their faces. That was what he kept telling himself. He just listened to Holt on betting the right people who won or lost so he could rake in the Lien. That didn't mean he liked watching people die.

Cardin scratched his head with a sigh as he walked out and headed to where the FoF members hanged out. Three weeks, that's how long he had been coming here. Training under Naragami to improve his skills a hundred fold. While the ninja like man's training put him closer and closer to death with every spar, he couldn't deny the results. His hand to hand had improved, his strength had increased, and his handling with Beaufort was enough to drive Naragami into a corner. Even if Naragami always held back, progress was progress.

Still, it didn't mean he had fallen into their propaganda. Being a part of their organization was only an excuse to improve his hunter skills, it wasn't as if he was going to go do their bidding and chop off some faunus ears. He wasn't a mindless drone like the rest of those idiots, he still had a future to think about. Even if it was in danger with his connection to the FoF.

Now that he thought about it, it was about time he jumped off this crazy train before it crashed. The police were investigating their group, it wouldn't be long till they found their hideouts below Vale. With what he knew, maybe he could use it to keep them from locking him up. He hadn't done anything wrong other then betting Lien in these illegal games, the people he was around did worse then that. Besides, the police could use whatever information they could find to put them down. While he didn't discover his semblance yet, he had gotten more then enough from them to not need them any longer. Time to bail.

Stopping in front of the door to the FoF facilities, Cardin opened it to find several of its members running through drills. It was a basically a warehouse full of supplies and weapons, with upper railings leading to several rooms. Naragami stood in front of the recruits, smoking his cigar with closed eyes.

The recruits were in their uniforms, consisting of gray and white cameo pants and vest, black steel platted and tipped gloves, military boots with small knives sheathed in the boots, and military grade goggles over snow white ski masks and black feather tipped berets. Naragami was cruel making them work in their uniforms, it looked like they were sweating like crazy under them. Glad he didn't have to wear them.

"Did I say you could slack, #32?!" Naragami growled, refusing to open his eyes as he flung a star shaped disc at one of the men. Said man didn't stop practicing his hand to hand drills, simply tilting his head to the right, missing having the shuriken lodge itself in his face as it cut his cheek. Couldn't say the same for the guy behind him. Naragami sighed in annoyance as one of the men dropped to the ground, "Should have been watching yourself, #39. Someone check him for a pulse, I don't feel like making one of you dig another grave for another idiot."

"Barely breathing, Naragami-sama!" One of the FoF soldiers announced with a salute.

The rogue man tsked, tipping off his cigar as he rolled his shoulders, "Then take him to our clinic, can't lose another soldier if we can help it." Need all the man power they had for Holt's big plan.

Cardin watched as the one soldier nodded his head before dragging the bleeding and rasping man away. He stood by Naragami's side with a raised brow to his 'teacher', "Can't bother to learn their name, Nara?" he smirked.

"I have no use remembering a meat shield's name if they can't learn to dodge." The ninja grunted, blowing a ring out his cigar, "Now, what do you want, whelp? Can't you see that I'm busy at the moment? If you really feel like meeting lady death so early, then please, continue to waste my time."

' _Am not going to miss you, you bastard.'_ As much help Naragami had been, Cardin was not going to miss the guy. He would have killed him if it wasn't for Holt stepping in every time Naragami had come close to dealing the finishing blow.

"I just wanted to let Holt know that I'm heading out now. Know where he is?"

Naragami gestured his thumb to the very top level of the railings, "Master is in his office." he gazed back at the brunette hunter with one lazy eye, "He actually wanted me to go find you. Says he has something to say to you."

"Know what it is?"

"Do I look like master's secretary? That's the orphan's job, not mine. Now get out of my sight before I start having you run drills along with these sacks of meat."

Several more shurikens flew out of his hand, narrowly missing the training soldiers limbs as they panted from their intense training. Nope, did not want to deal with that shit. No point seeing as this was the last time he was stepping foot here.

"I think I'll pass." Cardin said dully before leaving for the top of the facility. He left Naragami to his business as he continued to bark orders at his 'students'.

"Alright, meat sacks! Time for a break, drop and give me two hundred push ups and three hundred sit ups! Anyone caught slacking gets a senbon up their ass! Don't believe me? Ask # 41! First man to nearly die from needles up their ass!"

Definitely wasn't going to miss Naragami at all.

* * *

After climbing the labyrinth of railways, Cardin soon found himself standing in front of Holt's personal office. The place was designed more like a lounge then an actual office, large enough to be considered a small house. He knocked on the oak door, waiting for his signal to enter.

"Come in, I'm decent!"

Cardin grinned slightly, if their was one thing he was going to miss, it was Holt's attitude to things. While he seemed like a lunatic hell bent on cruel humanization of the faunus, he wasn't as serious as he thought he would be. Guy treated everything like it was a joke. Too bad he was a cult leader. Which kinda made sense when he thought about it.

Opening the door, Cardin stepped into Holt's personal work space. The inside was decorated like a lounge, comfy furred seat and couches, a warm fire place, and all the furniture was made of some kind of wood. The dead stuffed animals hung on mantles and pedestals were a bit much though. Holt loved to hunt, said it came with the look. If he wasn't a criminal mastermind, then he and Professor Port would have much to talk about.

Holt sat back in his seat by the fireplace, his hat resting by the little table next to him. Glass of wine in hand, the roguish blonde turned his head back, grinning at the sight of his little 'apprentice'.

"Cardin, my boy! I was looking for ya! I sent someone to find you in the coliseum below, but they said they didn't see hide nor hair of you. Got bored of the games, did you?" he smirked as Cardin made his way to his seat.

Something like that, "Watching guys die by Grimm gets tiring after a while. Especially when you tell me the winning results." What was the point in gambling if you always won?

"And girls! We don't discriminate around here." Holt chuckled. While it was rare for a woman to participate in the UGC, it had nothing to do with their policies. As long as they weren't faunus, they would have to be humanized first, then they could fight to their deaths if they wanted to. Odd they never had a volunteer, "Besides, a boy like yourself could use some Lien if they're enrolled in such a high class school like Beacon. Seems you aren't sponsored by your parents with what little you have."

At his words, Cardin couldn't help but frown at the thought to his parents, "My dad sends what he can every month, but he doesn't approve of me being a hunter. He wanted me to grow up as a councilman of our town like him. I'm lucky he sends anything to me at all." he scoffed.

His father was a bit of a touchy subject. If they thought Cardin was an asshole racist, then they never met Henry Winchester. The guy had had a ramrod tree up his ass. Sad thing is, his father was never as bad as he was now.

Holt hummed in interest, "That's fatherhood for you. I may not have any kids to my knowledge, but I like to consider my little orphan Ann as my own." he smiled softly. He could still remember the day he had found her, red hair sticking to her dirty face, hiding under a poorly made hut of cardboard in the pouring rain with a glare that could make the winter flinch, "Not every father is happy with the idea of their kids going off to learn how to fight monsters. Much less mothers. How did your mother take it?"

"I wouldn't know." A shadow fell over Cardin's face at the mention of his mother. He ground his teeth as her weak blue eyes popped up in his head, "She died before I even started combat school. All she knew was that I wanted to be a hero, just like the ones in the fairy tales she loved to read to me every night."

"Sad to hear, I'm sorry for your loss. I know I had gone through the same, only difference being that both my parents died." Holt could sympathize with Cardin, everyone had lost a loved one in their lives. Remnant was a dangerous world, death was no stranger, "But from your expression, I can see that her death didn't happen naturally. The last time I had seen such a fierce look on your face was when we had first met in Vale almost a month ago. Does this have to do with your hate towards the faunus? And here I thought it was because they were different." he said curiously, taking a small sip of his red wine.

"I'm not like those pieces of trash. I don't hate the faunus just because they look like animals, I hate them because they _are_ animals!" Cardin shouted angrily, fighting the urge to break something close by. He was tired of those idiots comparing him to the rest of them! He had his reasons and they weren't stupid like the others. Who cares if they looked like freaks? That wasn't what made him hate them. No, he shook his head as memories of his past dug themselves up, those animals brought his hate onto themselves for what they did.

"Do you remember of a little peace festival in a small town called Canterbury?"

"Yes actually." Holt frowned as the town rung a familiar bell in his head, "If I recall, they held a rally along with a festival that would become an annual celebration between humans and faunus. And if I remember right, it's also one of the first public displays of White Fang terrorism. They hid dust bombs during the rally, activating them and killing dozens of innocent folks and sending many to the hospital. It's a pretty old event from my day, I'm surprised someone like you remembers it, must have been six years old when it happened."

"Try seven. Canterbury is my hometown, it's where my family lived when I was little. The festival was called Cheers Festival, and I should know more about it then anyone, my mother was the one to hold it." A sad smile made its way to Cardin's face, remembering the lively form of his mother. She was a beautiful woman, always smiling and helping anyone that needed it, be they human or faunus. Still didn't understand how a woman like her had fallen for a man like his father. But she was the one to always keep him in line, to see the broader side of the world. Hell, he stopped openly cursing the faunus of their town and even tried working alongside them, all because of his mother. She was a miracle maker.

"My father says I got my eye and hair color from her. Somehow, her genes had bypassed his own, its why I don't have black hair or brown eyes like him. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful, no one could stop smiling when she was around. She made you want to be a better person, she made you care about others. I'm actually surprised she had never run for town council, she would have broughg such a huge change to our town."

Holt nodded solemnly, sounded like a hell of a woman, "Sad I'll never get a chance to met her."

"Yeah, me too." he shut his eyes tightly. Even after so many years, he could still picture her bright smile, "It was ten years ago when my father earned a seat on the Canterbury council board after retiring as a hunter. With such power in his hands, he actually didn't know what to do with it all, he simply wanted the seat for the pay and respect. But my mother was beside him, and she had an idea that would help the town. She wanted to hold a festival, The Cheers Festival, an event that would unite both the people and faunus of our town together for one day, in hopes that she could show them that they could all get along with another and cheer for change. No matter how different we all were, she believed that we all shared one thing, hopes and dreams. She wanted to show everyone that they could make peace, that their was no need for hate. And the council agreed! With my father backing her up on the idea, they began plans to make her vision a reality. It was going to be an annual event, and so many people had pitched in to help out with setting everything up. My mother was so happy, seeing humans and faunus work together to break down the walls between them in our town, she actually cried once their hard work had payed off. It was going to be the first step to taking down discrimination in her eyes."

"But the event ended in a tragedy that had begun the White Fang's spree of terrorism." Holt knew of the event all too well. The Bombing of Canterbury Square, it was one of the White Fang's first violent acts as a peace group. It was the beginning of their plans of genocide.

"Everything had been going so fine when the festival had begun. People and faunus were laughing and enjoying the games and food offered before the rally had started. I was beside both my mother and father when they had settled everyone down in the town square. She had thanked everyone for all the help, tearing up at the large outcome of faunas and humans gathered around. But it was during her speech when things turned ugly." Cardin's face was livid with anger as he nearly broke the headrest of the furred lazy coach next to him with his grip, "Those fucking animals had been sabotaging the whole event from the start. Every faunus that had a hand in setting up the festival was part of the White Fang, back when they were considered a peace group instead of a terrorist organization. And in the middle of my mother's speech, they detonated the hidden bombs placed around the square, the biggest one hidden under the podium stage my family stood on. I nearly died that day if it wasn't for my mother shielding me from the blast with her own fucking body!"

"The worst part is that she hadn't even died in the explosion. She was alive, in her deathbed, when news of the White Fang's responsibility for the attack went live. And do you know what she did!? She fucking forgave them for being the reason she was dying in a hospital bed, connected to so many machines that the whole room became crowded by them! She wanted me to fucking forgive those piles of shit for not only killing her, but killing my unborn little sister!" he roared, finally losing his cool as he smashed the seat next to him with his fist, breaking it to bits. His right fist bleed, covered in splinters as his aura failed to protect him in his emotional state.

Cardin hung his head. His mother was only four months pregnant when she died from her wounds. He remembered how happy he was at the thought of being a big brother, to have someone else to play with when his parents were busy, to have someone to protect like a hero, to have someone to look up to him as the greatest person in the world. Only to have his happiness torn to shreds in the flames of the bombings. The smell of his mother's scorched flesh as she hugged his body with tears running down her bloody face never left his memory. Every time he looked at a faunus, he would see the faces of those who had killed his mother and sister.

"We hadn't even decided on a name for her when that bombing happened! My sister died along with my mother, without even having the chance to see her smiling face! That's why I hate those sick animals, because all they do is preach about equality and how their kind has been discriminated for hundreds of years, only to take us for suckers and kill innocent people for being human! All my mother wanted was for everyone to get along, and they decided to kill her for it?! And those bastards think I'm an asshole for not sympathizing with a species that wishes a genocide on even those that want to get along with them!? Well, I don't care if they think I'm an asshole, if I'm some racist bastard, if I'm some idiot who doesn't understand the faunus plight, because I have my reasons, and no one has a right to change what I think!"

The splintered seat in Cardin's trembling hands exploded in a plume of flames, blowing back Holt's hair as he blocked the flaming shrapnel with one hand. He quirked his eyebrow at the display, his brown eyes watching as Cardin panted heavily. Well, that was new. Despite the sad tale he just heard, Holt couldn't stop the grin on his face as he stood up from his seat and laid a hand on the madly trembling brunette boy.

"Cardin, I never knew just how tragic your reasons for hating the faunus had been. And here I am trying to make you see them as victims when you were one all along. Tell me, have you ever told this story to anyone else, but me?"

It took a moment, but Cardin managed to calm himself down from the rage to frown in confusion, "No, actually, this is the first time I had told this to anyone. Not even my own team knows about it."

"And why is that?"

Why did he tell Holt about his mother and sister? Cardin tried to think why, of all people, did he tell his tragic story to Holt, a man who wished to amputate faunus for their own good in his own twisted beliefs. The answer was actually simple, and Cardin didn't want to admit it, but there was a reason why he had told him. It was because Holt was his friend. The shaggy blonde wasn't like the rest who judged him, he accepted him for who he was and even tried to help him with his hate towards the faunus. While never forcing him to accept his ideals. It was because of him he had developed his skills to such a point he could stand toe to toe with some of Beacon's finest. Glynda had even been impressed by his growth rate, and it was all due to Holt's open hand.

Holt was his friend, despite everything he did. He was the only one he was going to miss when he left the FoF.

"You're my friend, I guess?" Cardin shrugged, looking away as he held his bleeding fist.

"And you would trust me with such a story? My boy, you have no idea how much that means to me." The gesture touched his soul. These last few weeks he had even begun to see Cardin as part of the little family he had gathered together. Perhaps it wasn't too late to get him to join his cause. He brought the boy in a one armed hug, patting his back.

"You've trusted me such a secret, as your friend it's only right that I trust you with my own. Tell me, you see me as your friend, why?"

"Well, you don't look down at my views for one. You've taught me to fight beyond my limit and protected me from dying by Naragami's hand when he went too far in our training. Every winning match in the UGC, you've told me who to bet on to help me pay for things I normally couldn't with what my father has given me. Without you, I'd just be another bully in school mouthing off to others who've pissed me off, now I actually stop to think about the things I say." Everything he had done for him had made Cardin a better huntsman. And Holt had never asked for nothing more then an open ear to his cause. Holt was his friend, his only true friend in the world.

Holt closed his eyes with a wistful smile, chuckling as he brought the boy closer.

"Even though I'm a faunus, just like the rest of them?"

Cardin's heart stopped as his eye's went wide in absolute shock. A deathly silence fell onto the room as the calm roar of the fireplace crackled. What the hell did he just say? His face broke out in a cold sweat, all energy in his body leaving him in the silence.

He was playing with him, right? This was some kind of sick joke to break the tension. So why wasn't Holt saying anything? There was no way he was telling the truth, he didn't look anything like a faunus!

The slight twitch of Cardin's aura healing his wounds was the only thing he could feel as he turned his deathly shocked eyes to the slightly grinning face of Holt.

"But. . .you're human!" He shouted in confused anger.

Holt nodded his head with a nonchalant shrug before pulling back strands of his unkempt shaggy hair. Pale scars greeted Cardin where a faunus would normally have ears, "Many years ago, when I was just a boy learning about this cruel world we lived in, I was left in a situation that forced me to not only cut off my own ears, but my tail. Since that day, I've been mistaken as human and treated fairly for it. I've never had to deal with discrimination like the rest of the faunus, other then doctors that have closely examined me, no one else but Naragami and Cross have thought of me as anything but human. Hell, Naragami and Cross were also born faunus till Naragami lost his arms. Poor Cross was brutally mauled by the Atlas Military, caught up in a cross fire and mistaken as White Fang. He's barely human now, most of his body is made of robotics and powered by Dust."

Cardin still refused to believe what he was saying. All this time, Holt was a faunus? But he was mutilating his own people! Who the fuck did that to their own kind?

"But you're trying to humanize your own kind! None of this makes sense!" he shouted.

"But it does! I'm doing my kind a kindness! Look at me." he gestured to himself with a wide grin, "You treated me like any other person, thinking I was human despite the fact I'm not. You made me human because you don't see the curse that's placed on me. That's why I'm amputating their stigma, they'll see that I'm doing them all a favor one day! I'm friend to all faunus, and soon they'll all be treated as they deserve, as proper humans!"

Holt's eyes softened as he watched Cardin step back with a look of fear on his sweating face. His mind was a jumble of mixed emotions right now. All this time, he had been hanging out with a faunus without ever knowing it. Cardin grit his teeth, his face scrunching up as he tried to clear his head.

What the hell was he suppose to say now!? He felt betrayed that someone he had grudgingly come to see as a friend had been lying to him about something so important. And the idiot was still grinning about it!

"Why?" He hissed with an angered look of betrayal on his face, "Why the fuck are you telling me this now!? Why the fuck would you lead me on like his!? What was the point in all this if you knew how much I hated the faunus, how much I would hate you!?"

"Because I wanted you to see first hand that my cause actually works! I'm a human now, I'm nothing like those poor animals! Don't you see, all it takes is a simple amputation and the world will see them as humans. You never for a second thought I was a faunus till I revealed it to you, and that's because I see you as more then just a friend, you're like one of my own."

"Tell me, do you see me as a faunus after what I told you?" Holt frowned as his voice lost its playfulness and became serious, "Do you see the faces of the savage animals that took away your mother and sister, leaving your own father to wallow in grief over the remains of his family. Tell me now, and if you wish to never speak to me again, then I'll leave you be. This, I swear on my word as a gentleman." he swore, crossing his heart.

Hesitation. Why was he waiting to tell the bastard off for what he did? He was a stinking faunus, an animal that would tear his neck out if he dropped his guard for even a second. Yet there he was, hesitating to say he was done with the FoF, done with dealing with him. That was why he had come up here for in the first place. What had changed? Revealing that he was a faunus should have had him scrambling to get the hell out of the underground lair of criminal activity. So why couldn't he come up with anything to say?

In the end, no matter how hard he tried to see Holt as one of the savage animals responsible for his mother and sister's death, he couldn't do it. All he could see is Holt, the man who had helped him grow as a huntsman. He shook his head with a pained grimace, "I can't. I wish I could, but I can't!" he shouted, angry with his himself for his weakness.

Holt smiled widely, patting the boy on the back reassuringly, "That's alright, my boy. I know the news is hard to handle right now, but you'll see. You and I can save the faunus, make them human like you and I! Even if you don't yet accept my ideals, I'm sure in time you'll understand. For now though," he said excitedly as he let Cardin go. The young huntsman looked at him in confusion as he spread his arms boisterously, "I have something special planned for you tomorrow! I found something 'special' while reviewing the video footage to some broken down Atlesian Knights from an SDC wreck, and I'm a hundred percent sure that you'll love it! Consider it your initiation as a soldier to the FoF."

"I never said I was joining your cause." Cardin frowned as he got a hold of himself.

"I know, but after this initiation, I'm sure you'll be joining us." Holt chuckled deeply, his grinning turning savage for a moment, "Call it justice if you will. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll accept my invitation after tomorrow, hell, I'm so confident that I'll let you leave, knowing secrets and all, if you don't join. That's how sure I am." he said confidently.

Doubtful, but Cardin could give him the benefit of the doubt. He could leave after it was over with if he wanted to, right?

"How do I know I can trust you?" Cardin said suspiciously, earning him a wider grin and a blunt object pressing against the back of his head. His body froze in fear at the sound of a bullet loading into a chamber.

"That's simple, Cardin." Stepping out of the shadows of the lounge, Ann's green eyes glared at his back as his blue eyes turned to find her walking next to the creepy masked form of Cross and his sniper longsword ready to blow his brains out. Her hands rested in the pocket of her favorite hoody, popping her gummy treat as she smirked knowingly, "The fact is, we already know you were planning on leaving the FoF for some time now. I've been keeping my eyes on you and noticed your behavior hasn't been pro FoF. Cross here could honestly kill you on the spot for your ratty behavior."

"One round, that's all I need." Cross nodded as his green trifocal lenses dyed into a deadly red.

"Honestly, I don't want to kill you, Cardin. I really don't." Holt sighed heavily as he walked to the mini fridge across the room. Finding his favorite cooled liquor, the shaggy blonde loaded his crystal glass with ice before pouring his drink, "But I'm so close to showing the world what my organization is capable of. Tomorrow, along with your little initiation, we attack the White Fang. With little Ann and Cross working together, we've found one of their major hideouts along with little refuges and we plan to give them an option, either live as humans, or die as animals. We will save those animals from themselves, and soon they will know the joys of being free from their curse."

"So you're basically threatening me to accept your gift under death? Way to convince me." Cardin could feel his eye twitch as he spoke dryly. As if his opinion on them couldn't go any lower.

Holt shrugged without a care as he downed his drink, "Like I said, my plans are about ready to hatch. Despite how much I like you, I ain't taking a chance on them falling apart if you go running your mouth off to the police. Besides, it only shows how confident I am that you'll join us. It wouldn't hurt you to keep quite about our little club for another day," he grinned, his sharp canines glinting dangerously as Cross fingered the trigger to his weapon, "Would it?"

Didn't have much of a choice. Cardin wasn't happy about it, but he knew that if Holt wanted him dead, then Cross wouldn't have any trouble in taking him out. The barely human man had deadly accuracy, must be his semblance. In a way, it was Cardin's own fault for the mess he found himself in now. He was man enough to admit it. Should have never taken the bastards invitation back then.

Hated to say it, but he was actually really curious to what Holt wanted to give him too. The guy had never spoken so confidently before. What the hell did he have that would make him join the FoF? Said something about justice, whatever that meant.

For now, Cardin had no choice but to grudgingly accept Holt's offer, "Fine, I'll take that gamble of yours. I doubt your gift will be enough to make me abandon my dream of being a hunter."

"We'll just have to see then." Holt chuckled as he snapped his fingers. Nodding his head, Cross sheathed his weapon before stepping back, "Until then, have a nice day, Cardin."

Tendrils of darkness from below Cardin's own feet uprooted around him, twisting around his body before enclosing him in a shell of shadows. The boys shocked face was the last thing he saw before being plunged into the pool of shadows.

The grizzled blonde cracked his neck with a sigh as he went back to his seat. As much as he liked the kid, he wasn't taking a chance on him leaving just yet with doubt in his mind. If he got to the police somehow, then all would be for nothing. No, it was better to keep him at headquarters for another day until he passed initiation. At least Naragami would finally stop bitching about the kid never getting his hands dirty.

"That was pretty reckless, boss." Ann glared at the back of Holt's head as he relaxed by the fire. She didn't hear much of what the two had been talking about, only the end bits when she suddenly found herself being plunged into his Shadows, but she knew enough about giving the guy the chance to leave with such important information, "Even if he had a Marker on him, he's a hunter, his school would scramble to find his body and once they found it dead like the rest, the investigation would be too much for even us. Besides, who knows if he's told anyone about where he's been going, you didn't feel like placing a Marker on him like the rest." she scoffed.

Holt hummed, "Really, now? Don't be such a hypocrite, Anabel. After all, I let that friend of yours join in without ever placing one on him. For all I know, he could be a rat and you wouldn't even know it."

"He's not." Ann hissed, her knuckles cracking at the thought, "And he's no friend of mine, I'm simply repaying a debt. I could care less what happens to him." she said to herself as she looked down.

"Good to know. Because he's going to have to go through initiation as well tomorrow. Jaune's been doing great in the matches below, he's a fan favorite by now. And with all that he knows about us, it's only right that he officially joins us. Loose lips sink ships, this will determine just how committed he is to our cause." Holt grinned as he stared into the fireplace, the flames dancing around his brown eyes, "If he fails, well nothing to worry about, he's not your friend, so why cry over a dead body? And if he pulls it off, then we earn a skilled hunter to fight besides us. It's too late for him to back out now, don't you think?" he chuckled darkly.

Ann bit her lip as she turned away. He was right, for almost two weeks Jaune had stopped by the UGC to fight, during the days Cardin was absent. He knew too much to be allowed to walk away now. And with their plans finally coming to completion they couldn't have any loose strings. Jaune had a choice now, either join their cause, or die. Damn idiot, she told him he had a chance to walk away from it all, now he had no choice but to go through with their initiation. His career as a hunter would be over with by the end of tomorrow, one way or another.

And the thought twisted her insides for some reason. Ann didn't want to admit it, but these last few weeks had been fun. It's been so long since she enjoyed herself with another person like that. Jaune was becoming less of a debt to repay. He was slowly turning into a friend.

"I. . .don't care. Do what you want." Turning away from her boss/caretaker, Ann lifted up her hood over head as she walked away. She took out her scroll to read over her messages, finding one from said blonde idiot.

He wasn't coming over today. That was a good thing, she supposed. He had promised to grab a bite to eat today, but he would have wound up like Cardin, trapped by Holt's Semblance, Shadows. Better to enjoy his last day with people that actually cared about him then her.

Watching as his little left hand shut the door behind her as she left his private office, Holt turned to the quiet form of Cross still standing by.

"You've confirmed the identity to the girl on the Atlesian Knight's camera, right?" he said with narrowed eyes, "I can't be abducting an innocent human girl in public on wild guesses, Cross. If this is true, then our little Cardin will be more then pleased with our little initiation gift."

Cross nodded his head as he took out his own scroll. He stretched out the screen, allowing for a wide tablet screen as he played the footage salvaged from the pieces of Atlesian military hardware. Two White Fang members could be seen tearing apart the mechanical knights to pieces, the one standing out the most being the red haired grimm masked man using iaido to cut the bot watching in half. The video began to turn to static but not before catching the full face of the bow wearing raven girl passing by its body along with the redhead.

"Ann herself has matched the girl on the video with a Beacon student with her network of connections on the street of Vale. She's been seen with a group of other huntresses as well, along with Jaune Arc and who we believe to be his own team. It is with no doubt in our mind that the girl is, or was, a member of the White Fang along with having connections with their current leader, Adam Taurus."

"Good to know." Holt smirked savagely, his eyes gaining a cruel glint by the fire's glow, "Tomorrow, we attack the White Fang and make the message crystal clear as can be. Unfortunately, the police will become a problem during our little attack, so I'll divide the troops. Cross, you will be taking care of the law, just like the White Fang, send them the message not to get in the way. Kill a moderate amount, okay? Naragami will take our best and strike, humanizing as many as can be. By the time I'm done welcoming our two new members to our cause, Naragami will have drawn out their leader and I'll have made it there to finish him off. There's no saving their leader from the animal he has become." he said mercilessly.

Cross nodded his head as he shut his scroll. If they were to begin their next phase, then he'd better start packing the necessary Dust rounds for his mission.

"Understood, master. I'll begin preparations post haste." Tomorrow was going to be a big day. The White Fang had long ago made Remnant acknowledge their cause, now was the Friends of Faunus turn.

With Cross now gone to ready everything for tomorrow's bid events, Holt could finally relax back into his seat. He could clean up the mess Cardin made later. Wasn't going to have much time to lounge around after everything was in motion.

* * *

Hidden away in Vale within their own hideaway, a lone man with spiky red hair, grimm mask, and black trench coat was surrounded by several mechanical knights. Their metal hands shifted into blades, ready to cleave the red horned man to bits. They circled their target before jumping towards him with their blades raised high.

Several lines sliced into the bots with the lightning quick slashes of an angry red chokuto blade. The training drones fell to sparking shambles as their attacker swiftly sheathed their blade back into their sheath. One of the knights weakly raised its arm to the red haired man, shifting its blade into a gun turret. The red haired man paid it no mind, aiming his sheath which resembled a rifle at the robotic before pulling the trigger. A loud boom echoed in the room as the man walked away from the sparking metal corpse.

"As always, your skills seem to grow with every win, Adam." Stepping out of the shadows of the various Dust shipment carts around the training room, the White Fang Lieutenant clapped his hands as his leader went to set up another round by the controlling module to the end of the room. It was little something they had been able to snatch from the SDC during one of their raids. Came in handy when they were training.

"Practice makes perfect. I don't like working with those humans, but I will say that they can be of use when they can. The Lien and Dust they've offered us will come in handy tomorrow." Adam smirked as he worked over the controls. He just needed to trash a few more of their training bots before he was ready.

The Lieutenant nodded his head as he leaned back on a crate, "The Friends of Faunus have become a real nuisance lately. A small shop we've been hiding Dust was recently attacked by their troops, we weren't able to get their in time to stop them from 'humanizing' some of our men." he scowled deeply behind his own mask, clenching his fist as he recalled the states they were left in. And they called them animals?

The FoF hadn't changed a bit since that day.

"Don't worry, it will all be over with tomorrow." Stepping back into the middle of the dark lite training room, Adam prepared himself as seven more knight's sprung out from some of the metal crates in the room. He weaved through the raining bullets, striking back at the few shots that got close and sent them back into a few of their skulls. Skidding by the bull faunus, one of the droids swung their blade at his chest, only for some unseen force to chop it off. Adam grinned at the stumped robot, flicking his blade by his side. With incredible speed, Adam rapidly sheathed and unsheathed his blade, cutting apart the training droid into pieces. Another presence aimed for his back. He raised his sheaths rifle behind his shoulder, firing a round into the droid before swiping his blade at the three charging at him, decapitating their heads from their shoulders.

The last of the droids used the deaths of its brothers as a distraction to run into Adam's guard, its blade glinting in the darkness as it readied it to plunge into his chest.

Adam grinned cruelly, his red chokuto blade glowing an ominous dark red, **_"De-Fang!"_**

His glowing blade passed harmlessly into the knight's chest, failing to stop it from stabbing its blade into his heart.

The hand blade shattered upon impact, its strength failing it as the rest of its arm broke apart. It looked to the masked face bull faunus, Adam's grinning face being the last thing it saw before several glowing red lines lined its body. It collapsed to shambles a moment later.

Swiping his blade to rid it of the oil and dust that powered the training knight, Adam was happy to feel a new strength coursing through his body.

' _ **Congratulations! You've leveled up! +5 Skill Points! Chokuto Mastery, Leveled up! Rifle Mastery, Leveled up! Iaido Mastery, Leveled up!'**_

"That's enough for today, I suppose." he said smugly to himself as he canceled the training program, "Ready our troops, I have a feeling we'll be expecting some company from our 'friends.'" he sneered.

"Understood. We'll be ready by morning. Should we tell Cinder about our problem?"

"Course not. We don't need the humans help with this. I'll be sure to end this little movement myself." Walking away from the mess of sparking limbs and bits, Adam left the lieutenant to begin preparations. A blue pop up screen unseen by any floated in front of him as he stopped by the door out.

' _ **Trial By Fire, only 1 Day away! All available Players may participate in tomorrows Event for their chance at EXP Boosts, New Rewards, New Bosses, and much more! PvP will be unavailable, so Death by Player will not result in a Resurrection! Good Luck, and have Fun!'**_

If there was one thing Adam enjoyed about constant resets, it was the Remixes that would pop up every once in a while. Made things much more exciting.

Adam smirked as he walked out, preparing himself for the eventful day to come.

Who know's? Maybe he'd finally get the chance to meet the new Player in The Game. And send him a message not to get in his way. There could only be one winner after all.

* * *

 **DLC #4: Snow WhiteMares.**

Jaune winced as he held a pack of ice to his bruised face. He just finished what was the first of many hand to hand training drills with Yang and was now resting back on his comfy bed. He didn't realize how much he loved it till he spent a day away from it. Now he could understand Ren's love for his own.

The blonde knight sighed as his aura went back to work on healing his wounds. It was working on overtime without pay today after all the punishment he had to go through. Yang really didn't know how to hold back, or she didn't feel like it. Even without her shotgun gauntlets on her, the busty blonde could still knock him several feet back with her fist. For now, he was simply going to have to bear with it as he learned to fight without his weapons by his side. He needed all the advantages he could get if he was going to beat The Game and its cruel script. At the thought of advantages, his blue eyes peeked to JNPR's bookshelf where an old, leather bound book was left to gather dust.

Lost Fairy Tales had been a crazy adventure he wasn't sure he had been ready to dive back into again after meeting Little Red Riding Hood, his memory was still fuzzy on what she had done to him. Why was it so hard to learn if he was still a virgin, he needed to know for references sake!

The book had rewarded him a nice +7 to his Speed, allowing him to use Gale Speed for the first time during his fight with the Atlesian Spider, who knows what other goodies it could reward him? He needed an extra advantage if he was going to take down the FoF and take Ann away from their clutches.

Seeing as the rest of his team was busy getting ready for bed, Jaune decided to take another look at Ozpin's gift. After all, he couldn't judge a book after reading only one chapter.

With the old book now in his hands, Jaune went back to his bed, groaning lightly as his aching body settled in for another wild ride. It wasn't like he was going to face another boss, even he wasn't that unlucky.

The familiar rays of blinding light greeted Jaune once again as his mind was transported into the land of fairy tales of old.

It was true that one shouldn't judge a book by its first chapter alone, but their were some books you just had to stop reading and throw into the fire after reading what would follow.

* * *

Once again, Jaune found himself opening his eyes to a strange new world. His clothing had been changed into some old form of huntsman clothing. A sheathed sword was tied to his belt as he stood in front of an odd log cabin in the woods. As if this wasn't reassuring. The last cabin he visited held a sexy yet crazy version of Ruby in it. He sighed as he made his way to the only thing in sight. Didn't have much of an option unless he dared to venture into the woods.

He knocked onto the door of the cabin. It actually looked a little smaller up close. Hushed whispers could be heard from within the house along with the sounds of things being moved around in a hurry.

The door opened with a creak, a small set of eyes peeking out from the crack to glare at him.

"For god's sakes, not another one! What the hell is it with you humans and wandering into our home? It's called private property for a reason!"

Jaune scratched the back of his head with an apologetic smile, "Sorry for bothering you, but can you tell me where I am? I'm kinda lost out here."

The small man behind the door grumbled, "What else is new? At least you have enough manners not to barge in here, unlike a certain someone."

"Is she back!? We haven't cleaned the place yet! I'm not ready for another whipping!"

"I am~!"

"Shut the fuck up, Per!"

"I'm still trying to clean out the stains from her chains! Blood does not come out as easy as you'd think."

"The horror! The pure, hardcore +18, horror!"

"Where the fuck do we find high class whip cream in the woods!?"

Over the sounds of feared panic, Jaune began to have second thoughts on knocking on the little peoples home. Whoever they were talking about did not sound like the kind of person he wanted to met.

Closing the door for a moment, the small man opened it back up after undoing the locks to their door. The small man sighed wearily as he looked up at the tall blonde standing outside their doorway, "Come on in, boy. I believe we have a map to help guide you out of the woods. Hurry up though, it's only a matter of time before 'she' comes back." the dwarf shivered, already hearing the uptight laugh of the devil woman in his ears.

Thanking the man, Jaune stepped into the smallish home. Six more small men were running around the rather spacious home, sweating madly as they scrambled to clean the place up. It was clean as could be from the looks of it, why were they doing all the extra work? Must be neat freaks.

They actually looked like dwarfs, just like in the stories his mother would read to him when he was little. Even dressed just like them.

Leading the blonde boy to a desk nearby, the grumpy dwarf sifted through its contents to find the map. Must be in here somewhere, unless one of his brother's used it as a paper airplane again. Damn idiots.

Feeling something tug on his pants leg, Jaune turned his eyes down to meet the glasses wearing dwarf next to him with a look of curiosity.

"Can I help you?" he asked as the dwarf smiled.

"Actually yes. If I may introduce myself first, my name is Spec." he smiled proudly, adjusting his spectacles as another dwarf with burnt clothing and red hair came up to him.

"And my name is Ars. Say, you got any matches on you?" he grinned wildly, his fingers twitching as he bounced on his little feet.

Smacking the short twitching man, a one eyed dwarf wearing a bandanna and eye patch growled, "Don't give this fool anything that can start a spark. We're lucky to have enchanted this place from coming down in flames like the last cabin. Name's Artil, and if you need any kind of firepower," he smirked, pointing a very large magnum at Jaune's temple with a dark glint, "I'm your dwarf."

Where the hell did he pull that from? It was bigger then Artil's arm!

"Ignore him, there's a reason he only has one eye." Busy beating a hung carpet with a wooden bat, long purple dyed haired dwarf with mascera on his eyes, punk clothing, and painted nails, sighed depressingly, "I'm Got, and I'd run away if I were you. I've discovered the true meaning of pain in this world, and even I'm thinking of converting into a productive member of society after the horrors brought on by that woman."

"Cheer up, Got! At least you're no longer trying to hang yourself anymore!" a brunette dwarf with a bright smile said happily as they helped beat the carpet, "Hap thinks you look better since the princess has visited. Hap thinks you should give her and the new stranger a chance!"

"I'll eat your happiness."

"That's the spirit!"

Jaune blinked at the odd assortment of dwarfs. The one's in his mother's bedtime stories were quirky and charming in their own ways. These guys were anything but. He didn't know what to say as he watched the dwarf named Got begin to beat Hap with his bat, all while the little man laughed without a care in the world. Artil was egging him on as Ars went to play with the kitchen stove, clapping gleefully as the paper in his hand went up in flames.

"Is this normal?" he asked, watching as Ars swung too wide and smacked Artil with his bat. The one eyed dwarf growled angrily before tackling Got and pistol whipping him, all while Hap cheered it all on.

"Yes, I'm sure Ang will stop them though." Spec nodded, just in time as the bald dwarf finally lost his cool.

"WILL YOU IDIOTS SHUT THE FUCK UP!? I'M TRYING TO HELP THIS KID OUT!" Ang roared with a red face, his temple pulsing as his brothers stopped their horsing around. He slapped his face, dragging it down with a glare, "For fucks sake! Per is actually the only one behaving right now!"

"I know, right?" A normal looking dwarf with a short hair and plain clothing commented as he washed the dishes, "Usually I'm stirring the pot. With my dic-"

"Not now! You were good for almost five minutes! Don't start your shit now!"

 _'Maybe I should just go? I don't think I'll get anything out here.'_ Jaune slowly backed away from the little dwarfs, better off braving the woods then staying another minute in this nut house. He was a few inches from the door when Spec dove for his leg, stopping him from moving another step.

"Please, don't go!" Spec cried out, his face sweating in fear. It was completely opposite of the behavoir he was displaying earlier. Kinda freaked Jaune out, "You're our only hope of ridding us of our nightmare!"

"Nightmare?" Jaune frowned, "What nightmare? You guys seem to have a nice looking home here. Doesn't exactly scream nightmare to me."

"You should have seen it a few days ago." Per muttered to himself before sculpting two large melons on his chest with bubbles, "Look! Tits! Aren't they big? I'd like to think I'd find love with a rack like this." he sighed with a dreamy smile before realizing what he had made, ". . .I'll be right back, there's something I need to to take care of in the bathroom for ten minutes."

"Walk another step, and I'll have Got read to you from his journal of poems." Ang growled before turning his eyes back to Jaune, "Look, kid, our home may seem all nice and cozy right now, but we're men, it wasn't so clean before the she devil invaded our lives. That uptight little brat simply showed up one day and we found her sleeping in Hap's bed without a care in the world. Worst of all, she didn't even apologize for breaking and entering. She simply began whipping us around like we were her slaves, shouting orders like she owned the place!"

Jaune winced as the seven dwarfs shivered, didn't sound like someone he wanted to met, "Okay, but what does this have to do with me? I can't get rid of her for you, my father taught me never to mess with a woman wielding a whip, the Arc men are not masochists, despite what others might say."

"But you can!" Spec grinned, "She's a princess. All she needs is to find a man to marry, and we'll be free of that evil witch."

"I somehow doubt that will get her to leave."

"Well too bad!" Artil shouted with a twitching grin, his brothers standing behind him with various sharp weapons and loaded guns. Using a humming Hap as a stool, the gun fanatic dwarf stared into Jaune's eyes as he pressed the muzzle of his magnum against his temple, "I'm pretty fucking tired of washing by bed sheets because of one miniscule particle of dust! If a man will get her to leave, we'll just have to make do with you! Now, pucker up, pretty boy! You got a wedding to doll up for!"

Jaune gulped as the small men chuckled to themselves with glee. He hadn't even met the woman, and he was already planning of ways to run from the altar.

* * *

Under threat of being riddles with bullet wounds, and being burned on a stake by a very excited Ars, Jaune was soon nicely dressed up for his wedding date outside their home. He sighed as he picked at the fabric of his new clothes. They didn't have tux on them, but Hap was a whiz at knitting and fabric design. The little guy gussied him up like a noble prince with fancy little gold medals on his blue suit. Even had a little red cap draped over his right shoulder. Ruby would be jealous.

After drawing straws, Hap was the unlucky one the brothers to go find the devil woman in the woods while the rest kept Jaune company. Or hostage. Honestly, they were the same thing for a groom about to be wed.

Lost Fairy Tales was more trouble then it was worth. First time he dived into the strange book, he walked into a nice cottage house with a sexy version of Ruby murdering a wolf in her anime obsessed grandmother's bed. Now he was off to be married to a woman he had never met. The only thing he knew about her was that she wielded a whip.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to get me out of my own wedding?" Jaune groaned loudly, only to revieve a whack to the back of his head with a pistol, "Oww! All you have to say is 'no'!"

Spec rubbed the back of his small neck sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm a bit on edge. This was the only plan I could think of that didn't involve straight up murder."

"Me and Artil were all for it." Got butted in as said dwarf nodded his head with a cackle, "I wanted to see if my black magic actually worked. Paid twenty Jewels for the self help magic book. Damn pixie better not have screwed me over again like she did with those monkey heads."

"Where is Hap with that woman anyways?" Ang scowled as he lite up a smoke. He had gone days without one since she broke into their home, "I want to get this shit done with and live my life as a free man!"

"That makes one of us." Jaune pouted. This was all a game, he wasn't really going to be married in real life. Just like he was still a virgin. Maybe. What the hell did Red do to him once things went white?

Jaune sighed at his dilemma. What was it about him that made the world dump him into these crazy situations? Was it the blonde hair? It must have been the blonde hair, he nodded. His kind was being fucked with for amusement.

Running footsteps could be heard drawing closer to them before a panting Hap skidded to a stop in front of them. Even when he was out of breath, the little guy could still smile. What a trooper. Or nutjob.

"Great news, guys!" he happily cheered, drawing their attention to the very excited little man, "The bitch is dead!"

"WHAT!?"

Hap nodded his head with a bright grin at the dark news, "Yuppy! Found her in the forest taking a dirt nap. She even snores when dead, who'd a thought?"

Ang's brow twitched before smacking the smiling loon upside his head, "You idiot! She's not dead, she's sleeping! The fucks wrong with you, getting our hopes up like that!?"

"But she wouldn't wake up no matter how loud I sang the 'Good Morning, Good Morning' song to her! And you know how much she hates my jolly music." The happy little man sniffed as he held the bump on his head.

Jaune frowned at the news. Was she alright? Didn't matter if he would have to deal with the threat of marriage, it wasn't right to leave a woman by herself in the woods, especially if she was under some deep sleep.

Scratching his chin, Spec hummed to himself in thought, "Must be witchcraft of some sort. Didn't that old woman with the evil grin say she was going to 'take care' of Snow earlier?"

Per nodded his head, sticking his tongue out with a grimace, "Yup, had to tell her where Snow was to get her to leave. I ain't in to old ladies, least not anymore. It's all about the ass with this man today."

"Where is she?" Jaune asked as he knelt down to the smiling dwarf's level. He grabbed Hap by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye with urgency, "We can't just leave her out there by herself. As an Arc, it's my duty as a hero to save her, even if it means you guy's threaten to marry me off to her." It was the right thing to do. Despite what picture the little men had painted of this 'Snow', Jaune wasn't about to leave the poor woman to a deep sleep.

"She's in the middle of the forest. I found her in some glass casket of some kind. Which is weird." Hap gestured his finger behind him to the wood entrance, "All you have to do is keep running straight, and you'll find your sleeping beauty."

Smiling gratefully at the odd little man, Jaune ran back into the cozy home, running back out with Crocea Mors strapped to his waist, "Thanks, got any idea on how to wake her up, Spec?" he asked as he stopped a few feet from entrance to the enchanted woods.

"I think I read somewhere that a deep sleep can be broken with true loves first kiss."

"Nope, you got that off my police report. I want this to be on the record, drinking your date under the table with hard alcohol does not constitute date rape. She was mumbling and seeing weird pictures, I take that as consent dammit."

Jaune shook his head at the odd group of little men. Was not going to question it. With a wave good bye, the blonde knight ran off in search of his princess.

Seeing the blonde boy disappear into the thick of tall green trees, Ang began barking orders, "Alright, bitches! We have half an hour to pack up and head for the hills! We can mine our black market Jewels there from prying eyes! And someone, undue the enchantment on the place, it's time to let Ars have his fun." he grinned darkly.

"Woohoo! I'll get the gasoline! There won't be a light in the sky brighter then my burning star tonight!"

* * *

Jaune huffed and panted as he ran through the thick bushes and trees. The damn place was a maze of nature. His aura was healing every scratch dealt by their whipping branches. Hap said that all he needed to do was run straight ahead, so where was she? How far away was she?

The foliage began to clear as Jaune found himself stopping by a riverside clearing. The sun peeked through the trees as its rays shined down onto the object of his search, a crystal clear coffin that sparkled under the sunlight. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jaune slowly walked over to the fragile looking case, his breath suddenly robbed of him as he finally got a look on the supposed 'she devil'.

Within the see through coffin a tall woman, with ebony dark hair done in a long ponytail over her shoulder, laid below soft white sheets. She wore a blue dress with a yellow skirt and a red bow tied to her hair. Her skin was pale as the moon, and her lips looked soft and glossy, as if asking to be kissed. Jaune's heart skipped a beat at such beauty. She looked like a dark haired version of Weiss, only with a slightly bigger chest.

This was the monster the dwarf's had been talking about? She looked like an angel, an angel sleeping peacefully under the sun. In a coffin. Who the hell made coffins like this? And how the hell did they find her and put her in there so fast?

Jaune swallowed, his heart beating faster with every second that ticked by. She was under a deep sleep, if it wasn't for the slight rise of her chest then he would have thought her dead. All he had to do, to release her from whatever curse she had placed onto her, was kiss her, right? True love's first kiss. Maybe this was it, his heart had always been set on Weiss, maybe this was sign. His virginity was a mystery to him at this point, but he knew for a fact his first kiss had been with Weiss before his death and reset. Hopefully this would count too.

It was his job after all! To save the poor woman from such a fate. A little kiss wouldn't hurt.

The rushed clop of horse steps broke Jaune's musings as a white stallion skidded to a halt into the clearing. The blonde suddenly found equally blue eyes staring back at him from the horse's rider, a tall dashing man with perfectly combed over dark hair, princely attire, light tan skin, and a winning smile on his perfectly chiseled face. The handsome man gracefully stepped off his steed, patting it on its head before turning his dazzling smile to the blonde boy by the crystal casket.

"My eyes! Dear god, they're so bright!"

"Sorry about that, friend." the dark haired prince apologized sincerely as he made his way towards him, "My crystal bright white teeth tend to have that kind of affect on people. Leaves the woman swooning for more. Tis but a curse at times." he lamented with a mock sniff.

' _I bet, you bright toothed bastard.'_ Who was he? Jaune grimaced as the princely dressed man bowed.

"My name is Prince, Prince Charming. And I've heard word of a beautiful maiden by the name of Snow White who's befallen a terrible curse of deep sleep by a small gentleman with an equally winning smile."

"Hap? That two timing little snitch." Jaune quietly grumbled with a clenched fist.

"Hearing about her beauty, I simply had to ride my noble steed, Fabio, to met the future Mrs. Charming." he grinned brightly, causing Jaune to flinch under the bright glint.

Well, that would save him the trouble of dealing with the story and its insanity. Now, why did the thought of the suave prince kissing the ebony beauty make Jaune's eye twitch as he wore a strained grin? Oh, right, he was here first. And there was no way in hell he was letting some smooth bastard take his ebony angel's first kiss.

"Scan." His pupil overlapping with a white cross hare, Jaune was able to read the man's HP. _**'Prince Charming, Ladies Man, 500/500HP.'**_ That was it? Ha! Well, he was looking for something to try out his new move he unlocked thanks to Yang's training. The EXP he was rewarded for completing her drills had raised his Strength and Speed enough to use it.

"Of course, your princely-ness." Jaune grinned as he shut his eyes, his face twitching before his blue eyes snapped open in mock surprise, "But first, a question."

Prince Charming nodded his head, his face sparkling with love like orbs, "Yes, my good sir. What question do you have for me?" he asked smoothly.

"You, _**Can't See Me!**_ "

"That's not a question." Prince Charming tilted his head with a charming frown as Jaune waved all five fingers in front of his face. He was suddenly taken by surprise as the blonde vanished in a swirl of dancing leaves, leaving him gaping at the man's disappearance. Was he a wizard of some sort?

Sweeping leg abruptly knocked Prince Charming off his feet and onto his back, leaving him groaning at the sudden attack. He grimaced, eyes flinching under the sudden spotlight of the sunlight before finding his attacker blocking his light. Jaune grinned as he flashed his fingers at the charming man, clenching them tightly into a hard knuckle fist glowing with flaming white aura. His airborne form then dived onto Prince Charming, smashing his knuckled fist into the man's perfect face.

A loud resounding boom sounded off from the blow, erupting a ringed shockwave around the clearing. Prince Charming's HP dropped to zero, leaving the man with a broken teeth as he groaned in a beaten heap. Jaune threw his arms up in the air in victory shout, grinning at his victory.

 **+700EXP!**

"Shut up, Fabio! He had it coming and you know it!" Jaune shouted loudly towards the neighing horse. He didn't have time for this. Picking up the unconscious prince, he flung the dark haired man to the white horse. Jaune shooed it away, watching as it glared at him before clopping away with a swish of its tail.

Where was he? Right, his blue eyes turned back to Snow White in her casket. Still had a beauty to save from her sleep. Walking back to her sleeping form, Jaune cracked open her coffin, smiling softly at her beautiful features. She truly was an angel.

This was the moment he had been waiting for, he gulped as his lips drew ever closer to her own. One kiss, and she would be saved from her deep sleep. He didn't know what would happen after that, and he didn't care. Seeing her beautiful face awaken would be worth all the trouble. With a simple press of their lips, a bright white light bloomed from their unity, blowing back Jaune's hair.

Snow's eyes wrinkled, her blurry blue orbs slowly creaking open to the sight of another pair of equally blue eyes. A handsome face of a blonde haired man smiling softly down greeted her, causing her to smile back. My, what a sweet face.

The ebony beauty's smile suddenly evolved into a wide sadistic grin as her hands latched onto his shirt, roughly pulling him forward as her tongue propped open his own. Jaune's stunned features met her own as her small pink tongue probed the inside of his mouth, Snow White moaning at the taste, her fingers digging right through his shirt and into his skin. Aura was not helping!

A sharp slap to his face broke their french kiss, sending Jaune falling to the side. What the fuck just happened!? He blushed brightly as he laid on his rear, swallowing a lump as he found Snow's hungry eyes staring back at him.

"Hello, my love. How I've been waiting for the arrival of a man such as yourself. And I must say," Snow White groaned hotly, biting her lip as her nails raked against her neck, "Your taste is something I have only dreamed of. I hope you scream as well as you kiss."

"Scream?" Jaune said flatly as he blinked.

Snow's sadistic grin came back to life as she reached into her modest cleavage, dropping Jaune's jaw as she whipped out a beaten and tattered black whip from her lovely valley, "Yes, please don't try to hide the pain. I wish to relish in my lover's high pitched cries of suffering. It makes me scream and moan, making me rub my thighs together to quench the emptiness. Which I hope you'll fill." she gasped sharply, rubbing her right breast with a blush as she swung her whip at him.

"FUCK! THAT HURTS!" Jaune howled, surprised that his aura failed to protect him. So much for his force field! Tears gathered in his eyes from the pain, sniffing as he turned his eyes back to the insane woman. Snow was now gasping as she panted with closed eyes, trying to stop the sound of her moaning as she bit her teeth to the point of a trickle of blood trailing her puffy lips.

Why!? Why the fuck was this turning him on!?

So much for the Arc men not being masochist.

"Scream! Cry! Sob into my breast like a bad boy being punished by his caring yet strict mother! I wish to consummate this holy union under god with your screams of pain and ecstasy!"

"Not this shit again!"

* * *

And so, once again, we found our young hero fallen before the hands of another woman, his virginity once again a mystery. His mind would go blank like a white canvas just as things got. . .heated. Leaving him knocked out on his bed with his Wisdom unlocked, gifted with the ability to use Spells, and granted his first Spell, Reflect. It was worth it, kinda.

Although he was unable to meet Weiss's blue eyes for few days after. He could hear the snapping of Snow's whip in his dreams every night. Hopefully he would never have to deal with her again.

Now, where did that leave our deadly Snow White? Funny thing actually, after consummating her union, and sadly losing sight of her 'husband' the princess made her way back to her kingdom, enslaved her step mother as her new pet, and ruled her kingdom with a sadistic iron fist. Her first order of business, hunt down her missing love, no matter the cost.

Sitting in her tea room, Snow White finished recounting her tale to her best friend, sighing as she laid her cup down with a clink.

"My love, I wish to see him again soon. Hopefully my men can track him down. Or else they too will face punishment." She growled, ready to snap her whip before the soft, caring hand of her friend rested on her own.

Red Riding Hood smiled brightly at her bestie, "Don't worry, Snow! I'm sure we'll find you husband eventually. I'll do my best in the search as I try to find my baby daddy. Funny, our loves are both blonde and blue eyed. What are the chances of that?" she laughed, her deadly red scythe laying beside her seat.

Snow nodded her head with a chuckle. Yes, what were the chances of that?

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Reflect [10MP]: Summons a magical dome of pixels around the Player to reflect oncoming projectiles. Stronger attacks may shatter the spell. **_

* * *

**Daaaaaaaaaamn! So many questions! So many awes! So many tight pants!**

 **Again, I felt so dirty. I think I may have a gift. But with great power, comes great responsibility.**

 **So, Adam. Yeah, I didn't see that coming at all. . .I did. Now, that only leaves one more empty slot to be filled. The FoF Arc is coming to an end with the next few chapters, and what a ride it's going to be!**

 **I want to say more, but sleep is always calling. I need rest. So, I'll see you all next week.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	11. Last Chance

**Sup? It's you're boy, NeoShadows, and I've decided to join a gang. What gang you ask?**

 **Team Skull! Wooh! I've fallen in love with Pokemon Sun and Moon's designs for its new villains. Never before have I wanted to join the evil team in Pokemon till now. And their encounter theme is stuck in my head!**

 **Huh? My brain is whirring again. Something to think on later.**

 **So, I'm still sick and feeling like shit. I don't know what it is about this week, but work has been busy. We've been rushed none stop, so many coffee's to brew, so many smoothies to mix. And the dishes, I'm beginning to grow a hatred for them. I got hands like an old man's, and I'm only twenty one!**

 **At least I got to finish today's DLC.**

 **. . .Fuck what I said last week, I think this one's the dirtiest. The hell is wrong with me? I try to write a quality story full of drama, action, mystery, and suspense, only to wind up writing some kind of soft core smut in my DLC's. Is this a gift, or a curse?**

 **Anyway, expect none stop action in these next chapters! Fight after fight, drama after drama, and an End you would not see coming! Just what is a 'Friend'?**

 **Now, onto Reviews!**

 **GhostHornet: Pfft, trust me, you've only just begun theorizing, my friend. And yeah, my DLC has that kind of affect on people. As this one will.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Maybe? I want to keep you all guessing. Oh! I've been working over one of your OC's. I'm still trying to come up with a few things, but I'll let you know if I decide to use the Monk. I like him, and might have plans for him. Keep you posted when I can.**

 **DigitalEmperor001: Boy, we've only just scratched the surface of our tale. We have so much more planned that I'm hoping you'll love. The next one will be a surprise, so keep an eye out for it. Summon crystals are canon, but not the DLC concerning them.**

 **Warhaler: Some DLC are canon, some aren't. The Lost Fairy Tales DLC are considered canon though. This next one isn't, as much as I wish it was. As for the mistake, yeah, still working on my grammar. I believe it's my slang that messes me up. I'll be sure to work on that. And being a Player doesn't count as a Semblance, it's considered separate. That will be explained eventually.**

 **Wandai: Yeah, you did, ya bastard. Adam is a beast, in every sense of the word. The things he's capable of doing with his Gamers aspect make him a true threat to deal with. He learns by doing, by killing. And thanks for your thoughts on how I wrote the FoF. I didn't want to make it all about White vs. Black, Good vs. Evil. There is so much more to that. Everyone has a reason, only the truly psychotic and lost do without purpose. Let's see if you can guess Ann's inspiration in this chapter. LFT is chaos itself, who knows if it will ever be unleashed onto Remnant?**

 **Otherguy14: Yup, Adam being a Player is a frightening thought, and reality. He hasn't given up either, he's the only one actually playing The Game to win. Now, who's the last of the four? Mystery~! I'm personally loving LFT, I'm glad you all enjoy it too. We still have two more to go before the end of the first volume.**

 **Benthino: Scareoused? That's the best of them all! Adam is a monster, one with a drive that can't be snuffed out by even a 'god'. As for Cardin, I got plans for him, don't you worry.**

 **The Immortal Doctor Reid: Happy to find someone else who loves XIII! Firsties! As for the Aspects of the Gamer, secret. Can't deny nor confirm Adam's. As for the last slot, good luck finding that one out. One of my favorites though. Hope you enjoy todays DLC.**

 **Zachary2: Poor Oz, he suffered those stories in a different way. Good to be on you top 3! Make me smile.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Yeah, you did. But who could the last one be? Will your theory hold strong? Don't worry about Penny, I got something planned for her. Good, or bad, I can't say~! Fucker? Haven't heard that since I graduated. I can't help it, I write DLC's the moment I come home on Thursdays after editing, keeps me up along with answering reviews. At least you've been sleeping well. Cardin, will his hate hold strong in the end? Or is he doomed to fall into Holt's shadow? Glad to know you liked Velv's backstory, it will come up again in the future.**

 **Acerman: So close to 20K! Man, I've gotten better at this. You know it use to take me months just to finish a single chapter when I wrote for Fairy Tail. I'm happy to have improve drastically, I could only update in months at a time. Imagine if I did that for Multiplayer? Pyrrha will get her spotlight with Jaune eventually, just you wait. The wolf faunus? You'll never guess his identity anytime soon, cookie and a Blue Moon if you do though. The fights are going to be epic, just you wait! I'm getting giddy just thinking about them! Nonstop after this chapter. And yeah, you called it too, ya bastard. Adam's reset point is farther along then the day Blake left him. Funny you should mention the Lieutenant. The Zero Death thing will be explained next chapter. JNPR's stories will be here, just not in this volume. So don't worry, they'll be there. As for your Beta, I would love to have you, but you need to be in the system first. Try writing some stories if you can, I'd even help you out if you'd like when I got the free time. Ideas are only a few key strokes from becoming reality. I need a grammar Nazi. . .Never thought I'd say that. I do have someone else who might want to help me. So, we'll see.**

 **TalonlbnLaAhad: . . .I want some of what you're drinking! It was actually your idea of Weiss that helped me make the DLC, couldn't have done it without you getting my brain juices going. So thanks for the dose of creative insanity. Adam is my second favorite Player, mostly due to his battle combat abilites granted by his Aspect. Now who could the last one be? Are you right, or wrong? Only time will tell, hermano. And you DLC idea has once again helped being planning the next one, so keep them coming, Rey Del Crack! Should really consider writing some time. Hope you love this next one.**

 **Alright! Time to dive into Trial of Fire! Consider this the spark of a raging fire that will last one more month at least! Then it's back to the main story. And boy, new questions will be asked after this one.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. I'm currently thinking of joining my first gang, Team Skull. All I need is blue dye and some of those killer threads! My Charizard isn't the only thing that will be spitting flames today!**_

 _ **You wanna see what destruction looks like!? Here it is in human form, it's your boy, Guzma! New favorite line in all of Pokemon!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Last Chance.**

Not since his life had become a game did Jaune sleep so soundly. With studying, combat practice in class and with his team, dealing with his new powers, dealing with his best friend who also had the same powers but hated him, training under one of the most skilled hand to hand fighters he knew with a distractingly hot body but terrible sense in jokes, and going undercover as a spy by Vale police into an organization that wished to make faunus human by sawing off their animal limbs, did he sleep without a care. It was nice to dream again. Reminded him of life before entering Beacon, before dying by the hand of a man wielding a chainsaw and having his life turned upside down as he was revived with the body of a video game character. Of how his mother had once tucked him into bed at night after another story with a warm smile on her face. Made him dream about his family and of times past.

An angry throbbing pulse lite up the horrid scar running through his body, causing Jaune to frown deeply in his sleep. His body tossed and turned in his bed as he began to sweat.

Voices. None of them his own shouted in his head, muffled as they spoke. They sounded familiar but he couldn't tell what they were saying or who they were. But he knew they were upset, angry, terrified, and in anguish.

The searing pain of sawing, tearing teeth was born anew. A dark chuckle boomed inside the confines of his mind as an odd image began to paint over his dreams.

A dark coffin, bloody human nails tearing the top of the death prison in a panicked frenzy, cries calling out his name, the loudest belonging to what sounded like his mother as the sound of dirt hitting the coffin began drown out their sorrowed cries. The one trapped within began to scream in horror, his throat bleeding as he began to lose his voice from his soundless yelling for help.

' _Why? Why is this happening? Please, I don't understand! Why!?'_

' _Why am I dying?'_

Jaune woke up gasping buckets of air, his face drenched by sweat as his eyes trembled from the dream turned nightmare. What the hell was that? He held his face in his hand as he tried to steady his breathing, his eyes tearing up from the haunting images. There was no doubt about it, that was his mother crying out for his name, and his father, his sisters, even his friends. _'_ _Was that my funeral? How!? And was that me yelling? Just what the hell was going on?'_

Nightmare. It was just a nightmare. It had to be. Must have been something he ate last night before going to bed.

Wait, when did he go to bed? Last he remembered, he was in the library studying with Velvet over some extra readings Professor Oobleck assigned him. She was telling him her story of her run in with the Friends of Faunus, then. . .

Jaune grimaced as he rubbed the back of neck. Did she knock him out with a karate chop?

"I thought that stuff only worked in movies." Jaune grumbled.

"No, if it's done correctly, it actually does work. Velvet's always been skilled in hand to hand, not to mention her Semblance allows her to learn almost any martial arts style and technique."

Turning his head to the owner of the voice, Jaune was surprised to find Ren leaning back against the door to their dorm room. Another look around revealed that Pyrrha and Nora were nowhere in sight. The clock by his bedside read 7:53 A.M. It was Saturday, even Nora would be sleeping in. Where were they?

His blue eyes turned to Ren's shut eyes, his face set in a stern scowl. He did not look happy.

Feeling Jaune's questioning gaze, Ren decided to explain, "Velvet said you were in need of some much needed rest, so she knocked you out while you were studying. I have to agree with her, you've been worrying the team the past two weeks with your exhausted behavior. Poor Pyrrha's been beside herself with worry but has been too nervous to ask you with your stubborn behavior."

"That explains why I'm still in my uniform. Still can't believe sweet little Velvet knocked me out." Did not see that coming.

' _If only you knew.'_ Ren scoffed. Velvet may look sweet and docile but the girl was more then well suited to kill Grimm. Her weapon combined with her Mimic semblance made her a threat to be reckoned with.

"After a few hours, Velvet carried you back to our dorms. Once Pyrrha thanked her for watching over you, she tucked you into bed. You should thank them both for taking care of you when you get the chance. Velvet even left you notes on your extra readings."

Right, while he was a little peeved at Velvet for knocking him out like that, she did it with good intentions. She was just trying to help him. The lack of bags under his face thanked the bunny faunus for the good night's sleep. While it lasted.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that." Jaune sighed as he nodded. His eyes turned back to the alarm clock out of curiousity, frowning in confusion. It still read 7:53 a.m.

"Where are Pyrrha and Nora anyways? I was pretty sure that they would be sleeping in on a Saturday."

"They were. But Nora had woken up early to drag our team and RWBY to a nice pancake house in Vale in the morning." Ren explained, kicking himself off the door to stand in front of Jaune's bed. He crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at his leader, "It's pretty exclusive, so seats fly by pretty quickly. Seeing as you needed your sleep they let you be. The only reason I'm here, is because of you."

Jaune groaned, falling back into his bed. He knew that look all too well by now, "What did I do now?"

"Open up your Game Menu and you'll see."

Sighing, Jaune listened as he reached for his scroll. Willing the game menu up, the blonde knight was surprised as a little jingle played along with a new menu replaced his screen. Reminded him of those Event messages on online video games.

' _ **Trial By Fire has arrived! All available Players may participate in today's Event for their chance at EXP Boosts, New Rewards, New Bosses, and much more! PvP is unavailable, so Death by Player will not result in a Resurrection! Good Luck, and have Fun!'**_

The city of Vale was filled with towering flame pillars, Grimm running amok, FoF members charging out of the flames, and a large portrait of a grinning Holt stretching out his arms to the burning city over the form of an odd Grimm with a partially burnt face. Both their eyes glowed red, sending chills down Jaune's body.

"Congratulations, you've brought this Event onto all of us." Ren hissed. This was why he didn't want Jaune messing around in Vale. The Game needed something to take the place of the knight's character development arc, and it looked like it got carried away. This wasn't some simple little event. Vale was going to be dragged into hell a little early if no one stopped what the FoF was planning today. Not to mention he could make out the Grimm on the message like poster as a Beringel. Wasn't suppose to encounter them till after The Fall.

What a pain, Ren sighed as he his hand slid down his face. Did not want to deal with a monster like that. He wasn't even properly leveled like the others, he was Lvl29. The others were Lvl35-37 with Pyrrha being Lvl40. He didn't feel like grinding. The lazy Player was on vacation.

"I don't know what's going to happen seeing as this Event was created by a Remix, but I do know that its big enough to involve the whole of Vale. And I have a feeling that somehow you're going to drag me into this mess you created."

Trial by Fire's begun already? Why didn't he get any notices? Now that he thought about it, it's been awhile since he checked his scroll. Maybe it worked differently with other Players. Checking over his messages he found two separate texts, one from Ann and one from Officer Church.

' _Ann: Holt needs to see you today, it's urgent. Come over as quick as you can to our main hideout.'_

'Church _: Today's the last day. Find out what they've been planning and the last of their locations. With this, we'll be able to set up plans to raid their hideouts with the right preparations. Just be careful, things have been quite the past week.'_

Guess this was the end of the event created by the FoF. Jaune grit his teeth. And he still hadn't found out how to drag Ann out the mess. Maybe he could promise to help her buy whatever she wanted without having to work under Holt. He had won a quite a bit from his matches at the UGC. Giving her whatever he had was more then worth getting her away before the storm before it hit. Unfortunately, it looked like he didn't have much time before Holt begun the Event.

"Ren, I didn't mean to drag you into this, but that doesn't change the fact that lives will be at stake if we don't do nothing." Getting out of bed, Jaune went straight for the closet to change into his hunting attire. Had a feeling things were going to get crazy once he left for Vale, so he was going to have to stop by the cafeteria and restock on food items to heal his HP and MP. Not to mention stop by Professor Antheia's class. She seemed to like him, maybe she could lend him some potions? Couldn't hurt to ask, "I'm going to Vale to see if I can end this madness peacefully, but if I can't, I'm not going to run away or ignore what's to come. There's a friend I have to save."

"You mean an NPC? What did I tell you about wasting your time with them?" Ren sighed. "If they were created by the Remix, then there's no point in saving them. The next Reset won't revive them, they'll fade into obscurity. So why bother with a character that isn't even important to the Story?"

"Because she's my friend, even if she doesn't consider me one." Strapping on his chest plate over his hoodie, Jaune went over to his bedside for Crocea Mors. He didn't want things to end with a big battle, but he was going to have to come prepared. Couldn't afford to be caught by surprise again. Time to see if Yang's lessons paid off, "I'm not going to lie, if I need your help, I'm going to message you. I know you don't want nothing to do with this life anymore, but I need your help. I'm not dumb enough to think I can do this all by myself. You're my friend Ren, you're the only person I can turn to now when things like this go down." his pleading blue eyes turned to his fellow Player, asking for his aid.

Ren clicked his tongue as he turned away. As much as he hated Jaune, he didn't want him dying on him again. Not to mention their team and team RWBY were out in Vale where the Event was to take place. He ground his teeth as he shook his head. No, he was done trying.

"What part did you not understand about me not dealing with The Game? I'm done trying to make a difference in this world, it's pointless. All you're doing is wasting your time!" he shouted in frustration.

"Wasting my time, doing WHAT!?" Jaune argued back, standing in front of his pink eyed friend with a frown, "What better use of my time could I be doing, Ren!? People are going to get hurt, or worse, if I don't at least try to make a difference! All you ever talk about is not wanting to deal with The Game, that everything we do is pointless, that I should just leave things alone and follow some scripted path created by some sadistic being controlling our fates! What good is that going to do us!?" Jaune clenched his fist. The memories of his first playthrough were still fresh. He didn't have any kind of power to help anyone back then. But now, with all the powers he was 'cursed' with, he had a chance to do some actually good. And Ren wanted him to do nothing?

And to think they called him pathetic.

Jaune soon found himself picked up by the collar of his hoodie by Ren, leaving him dangling as the eastern boy's furious gaze set its sights on him, "Don't, for a fucking second, think that you're better then me! You haven't had to die over and over again trying to save someone from their doomed fates! This curse placed upon us is only for the amusement of that 'thing' controlling our lives, playing into its game is letting it win! We all can't be like you Jaune! You haven't faced the soul crushing reset after reset whenever you die, or worse, actually claw your way to The End and win!" Ren roughly pushed Jaune away, glaring heatedly at his leader. Jaune had a hero complex, of course he thought he could just save everyone if he just tried hard enough. Life was no fairy tail, belief would get you nowhere, "I don't care if you waste your time trying to win this unwinnable game, but I just want to enjoy what peace I have with our friends before-" Ren abruptly cut himself off with a flinch.

Jaune frowned, "Before what? What aren't you telling me? Is something going to happen to our teams in the future?"

"It's nothing you should be worrying about." Ren shook his head. Did not want to tell him about the fall of Beacon too early. It would only rile him up worse then now.

"The point is, I want nothing to do with this anymore. I'm tired, Jaune. I'm dead tired of achieving no progress whether I win or lose. Is it so wrong to take a few lives off to relax?" his tired pink eyes stared back at Jaune, letting him see the weariness the endless resets have left him.

It wasn't like Ren didn't know it was wrong to ignore what was to happen to Beacon, or even Remnant. It was selfish in the crudest form. To leave all his friends to such tragedies that awaited them. But what good would it do save them if they were only going to go through it all over again? Ren could only save so many people, but what did it matter if he could never save the one he truly wanted to save?

Team JNPR was his family, the only family he had left in this world. All he wanted to do is enjoy their time together to the fullest. Was that so wrong?

Jaune was at loss. What the hell could he say to that? Ren had gone through the same routine, over and over again, only to have all his progress reset to nothing. He could see it in his eyes, he was beyond tired. He could understand why he was always sleeping in, why he had such a lax attitude. Made him wonder if this was how Ren always acted, or if this was the result of The Game.

But that didn't mean he was going to ignore what The Game was doing.

Jaune's blue eye's softened, "I don't think I can ever understand how you feel, Ren. It most have been hell having to go through it all by yourself, but you're not alone anymore! Like I told you before, I'm your friend! I know we can make a difference if we work together, all you have to do is trust me! For one life, trust me, and I'll show you that we can beat this game at its own game." Once again, Jaune reached out his hand to the cynical green garbed ninja with a gentle smile.

Ren stood silently as he looked down, his hair shadowing his expression. His mind was thinking about the chances, but he couldn't see anything he hadn't already tried with the others. For Oum's sake, he worked with Adam to kill all humans with the exception of Nora and Pyrrha in his weakest moment. Which hadn't ended well, the final battle wound up being a one on one duel to the death as their ideals clashed. Didn't work with him any longer after that.

Looking towards the helping hand reaching out to him, Ren was frustrated by the feeling of hope Jaune had painfully dug out. There it was again, the moment he accepted it, The Game would be ready to knock him back down just like it had always done.

Maybe, he could work something else out. Jaune wanted to beat this game, but he had no idea how soul crushing it could be. There could be a way to fix that, make him understand how it feels. If he could endure it, then maybe, just maybe, he could take one last chance.

With a grudging sigh, Ren nodded his head but still refused to take Jaune's hand, "If you really want to prove to me that you have the will and spirit to beat this game, then you'll have to prove it to me. For now, I guess I could help you out on this Event. Tch, I guess it wouldn't hurt to level up a bit more. My Dexterity has been lacking lately."

It wasn't what he wanted, but it would do for now, "Thanks, Ren. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle all this on my own. But how will I prove to you that I can withstand The Game?"

"Forever Fall." Ren said simply as he turned away, "In one week, Professor Antheia will be taking the class out to Forever Fall to gather some samples from the trees. We'll separate from the class and settle things there. If you can prove to me that you have the strength and will to beat me with what little you have, then I'll give the benefit of the doubt and try one last time. But if you can't," he peeked over his shoulder with a cold glare that dropped the temperature in the room a few degrees, "Don't be surprised if you find yourself waking up to your Save Point over and over again. I refuse to try again if you fail."

Jaune accepted his deal with a nod, "Fine. I'll prove to you that I'm good enough trust. It's not too late to make difference, it never is. As long as we're willing to try, we shouldn't give up."

A chuckle escaped Ren's lips as he snapped his fingers. The guy was a complete bleeding heart. Guess that wasn't such a bad thing.

The clock by Jaune's bedside blinked, passing a minute as the world was released from its pause. So that's why the time hadn't change. Weird.

"When did you-"

"The moment the girls walked down the hall and out of earshot." Ren smirked as he went to get ready for the day. Wouldn't hurt to stretch his muscles after a long time of doing nothing, "I wasn't risking them catching our conversation. Remember last time?" he said flatly.

Jaune stuck his tongue out with a green faced grimace, "Say no more, don't want to deal with that again. Does that mean that the Pause doesn't affect other Players?"

"It does, but if they're within a certain feet from the one calling the Pause, they won't be affected."

"Huh, guess that's kinda handy." With their tense little talk over with, Jaune made his way to the door. Sucked that he couldn't go out with the girls to eat breakfast in Vale, but he had more important things to take care of. Hopefully Professor Antheia would help him out with some potions.

"I'm going to get ready for the Event. I'll message you if I need any help." Jaune grinned back before heading out.

With the door shutting behind his leader, Ren could only sigh at what he had gotten himself into. Looked like he wasn't going to be sleeping in today. His ammo was running short, a trip to Vale to restock would do him some good. Had a feeling it would be a good idea to stay there today. Beacon would be safe for today, Vale was where the action was going to take place.

He could only pray to Oum that none of the other Players entered the Event. They wouldn't stand a chance against the likes of Adam right now.

* * *

The smell of fluffy, buttermilk, maple syrup, pancakes wafted the pancake house as Nora drooled a puddle below her feet. Breakfast Castle, the best breakfast house in all of Vale. They served well cooked pork and turkey sausage, bacon, Mistral bacon, scrambled eggs and an omelet bar, hash browns, several assortments of coffee and syrup, oatmeal that even Ruby could enjoy, and several other breakfast items out of this world. And best of all, the pancakes. Nora moaned as a blush painted itself on her cheeks, watching by as the cooks worked in the middle of the open kitchen of the restaurant flipping pancakes for all to see. Those handsome, roguish devils.

She was thinking about the chef's, right?

It was too bad Jaune was missing out on this. Poor guy needed his sleep though, it was better to leave him to his rest. And take pictures to show him off. The ones that made him blush and wiggle in his seat. Oh! She should bring Pyrrha in on the action. She was sure that the redhead would enjoy posing for their leaders. All they needed was syrup. Now that she thought about it, Nora was sure that she could make a calender spread out of it. Something to talk over with Ozpin later.

Right now, it was pancake massacring time!

Pyrrha sighed as she held back Nora from tackling one of the chefs working. He looked at the orange girl with slight fear, silently mouthing 'pancake devil' as he began to sweat. Ren's partner had already made a name for herself wherever they served pancakes. That was not a good thing seeing as they were banned from a third of the establishments in their first week in Beacon. Hopefully they wouldn't kick them out of Breakfast Castle, she actually enjoyed their fresh squeezed orange juice and breakfast ham and eggs. Reminded her of home.

The place looked nice, there were many tables and booths to eat at and it had a nice homey atmosphere. It reminded her of a buffet, only serving breakfast items.

"I hope they have Atlas Vanilla coffee. Coco always finishes it all during one of her fashion brainstorms."

Turning to the pouting form of Velvet, Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at the bunny faunus. They had run into her on their way to the airship docks wanting to check on Jaune. Seeing as she had watched out for their leader and friend, they decided to invite her along to breakfast as a thanks for helping him get some much needed sleep. She only wished he had come along too, but it was a good chance to hang out with the girls again. It was something she had never been able to do during her time as a celebrity tournament champion.

"I'm sure they'll have plenty, Velvet." Pyrrha smiled kindly, lightly slapping Nora's head as she tried to chew her arm off. She really wanted to get to those pancakes, "I believe they regularly rotate the pots every hour to keep them refreshed and restocked. The only thing we'll have to worry about running out is pancakes."

"Save some for the rest of us, Nora." Ruby huffed as they made their way to the counter to be seated. They were all in their uniforms today seeing as they gave out a discount to Beacon students. Giving them proof of their status as students with their ID's, the nice mouse eared lady lead them to an appropriate sized booth to sit.

Yang nodded her head as she fought a yawn coming on, "We've come all this way, at such an ungodly hour for a Saturday morning with no classes, so we'd better get some pancakes for our trouble." her sleepy eyes glared at the drooling hammer wielding pancake sociopath, "Even if it means I have to restrain you myself with the full strength of my semblance activated."

"I somehow doubt you would be capable of that." Weiss grumbled, feeling tired herself. She still remembered her time as 'temporary' leader of team JNPR. The girl was as hard to contain as an Alpha Beowolf locked up in a prison. Made her see Jaune in a different light if he was able to keep the girl still.

Blake nodded her head along. Yang was strong, no doubt about that, but between her and Nora, there wasn't much contest. The orange haired girl's weapon weighed a ton and she could easily swing it around like it was a baseball bat. How could you match that?

With their server leading them to their booth large enough to sit four people on both sides, the seven girls took their seats. Taking out her pen and mini notebook, the waitress readied herself to ask for their beverages, "What can I get you girls to drink today? We have a wide arrangement of juices, coffee, and milk, and even breakfast teas!" she said in a chippy voice.

"I'll have some breakfast tea, please." Blake asked with a smile.

"Milk for me! I still got some growing to do!"

"I'll have an espresso, light cream and two sugars, please."

"I'll have some apple juice. And Nora will have pitcher of milk. Don't want her choking on pancakes again."

"I'll have a cup of coffee. I want to head to the coffee station for some Atlas Vanilla."

Yang mused over the options. They were nice and all, but she wasn't seeing soda. It was weird to be drinking it in the morning, but she was an adult, kinda. Didn't fit in with their theme going on, so it wasn't much of an option, which sucked in her opinion.

"You sure you don't serve soda?" she decided to ask, only to get a negative shake and an apologetic smile, "Damn, I was hoping for something foamy." she grumbled.

"They do have pretty great pink lemonade that goes great with their sausage. Swear I've died and gone to heaven when I dip them in."

Blinking in confusion, Yang moved up from her seat to turn her purple eyes to the owner of the strange voice on the other side of their booth. A grinning man with shaggy dirty blonde hair greeted her. He was wearing a nice white business suit over a dark red dress shirt and red and black stripped tie. A crocodile skinned hunter hat sat beside him as he raised glass of pink lemonade up in a salute.

"Trust me kid, they're to die for." he chuckled as he turned back to sip his drink.

Weird, but he seemed to be enjoying it. Blondes did know best.

"I'll have what the weird guy's having." Yang grinned as she cocked her thumb back to the gentleman behind them.

' _Cheeky brat.'_

The waitress nodded her head happily, "Understood! I'll have your drinks ready in a jiffy! So, please enjoy the breakfast buffet!"

Waving to the nice waitress as she went for their beverages, Ruby grinned as she got up from her seat. Time begin the most important meal of the day.

"You can all go get your plates first." Blake smiled politely as she took out the book she brought with her. Didn't want to lose there seats.

Yang nodded her head with a grin, "Fine, be a loner. Can't promise you that there will be any flapjacks though, you know how Nora gets."

"I can't be controlled!"

"Dear god! The rumors were true! It does exist! Prepare yourselves, men! The Pancake Diva is on a war path! Abandon all hope!"

Blake could only shake her head as girly screams filled the air along with the laugh of a crazed hammer girl. Nora was a handful, she didn't understand how Jaune could deal with her. He wasn't the most intimidating or wise leader to follow. Yet he seemed to calm her down and keep her in line, along with Ren.

"You got some interesting friends there, kid." the blonde stranger chuckled.

A smile made its way to Blake's lips as she watched her friends try to calm Nora from stuffing her face with maple syrup and still cooking pancakes. Yeah, they were.

She turned back to her book, happily diving back into her favorite story of a man with two souls. Unaware of the wide grin of the man behind her. Her ears perked up as the sound of whatever program on the wide screens in the restaurant were cut off and replaced by the voice of a Lisa Lavender.

' _Breaking news here today as we take you to the scene of several buildings detonating by some unknown individuals in white and gray camo. This is Lisa Lavender, and we're standing in one of Vale's busy streets as several of these individuals can be seen raiding the burning structures and dragging people out at gunpoint.'_ Blake's curiosity got the best of her as her yellow eyes turned to the screens, stunned to see what was happening on the screens. Those colors looked familiar. _'The Friends of Faunus!? What are they doing?'_ There was no doubt that they belonged to the humanizers in Vale, she recognized them after her brush ins with them in her time with the White Fang. She grit her teeth as she could make out the features of faunus they were holding in gunpoint before kicking them down. The men pulled them up by their hair, reaching to their sides for odd looking swords. The blades were hooked at their point and their edges were lined with sawing teeth. The screen cut to black just as the scenes took a dark turn as they swung their blades at the faunus limbs as they screamed.

The buffet went deathly still at the black holo screens, horrified by the images they had seen. What the hell had they just seen?

Seconds went by before the screen came back online, replacing the news with the face of a scarred shaggy haired man. Behind his grinning face the insignia of an ox skull with the letters FoF could be seen.

' _Hello, people of Remnant. I know many of you are shocked and horrified by the images you've just seen, but re_ _st assured_ _it's nothing to worry about. We're simply ridding the people of a few rats, the White Fang, that have been hiding under your noses. So, don't worry, we're going to make them proper members of society.'_ he chuckled deeply.

Blake felt her knuckles crack, _'And that justifies you're treatment of the faunus!?'_

' _Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself folks, the names Holt Delmos, leader of a little social c_ _ause_ _that's been whispered in Vale, the Friends of Faunus. I know you see_ _u_ _s boogey men, no good monsters that haunt the streets at night, but I wish to dismiss such ugly thoughts. See, we're no_ _t_ _bad guys, we're your friends. We simply wish to help the faunus fit into society, to remove their curses that ostracize them from us humans. I know it may seem extreme, but its worth it, my poor misunderstood friends. The faunus barely make up 10% of the population of Remnant, what's a little cosmetic snip compared to being ridiculed for looking like animals?'_ Holt smiled widely at the people watching, gesturing his hand to them as he held his hat to his chest with a sincere expression on his scarred face, _'We do mean the best for those poor animals, we do. So, don't get in our way today, good people of Vale. Or else we'll be forced to make an example out of those who get in our way to saving the faunus. Stay indoors good folks, we won't be going after the faunus today, only the White Fang and those who aid them. Unless you faunus wish to volunteer to attain humanity, we'll be more then happy to aid you. Till then, have a good day, Vale.'_

With the grinning face of Holt turning to static as his message ended, the breakfast buffet was left to silence before the establishment began to shake slightly. Loud booms could be heard outside along with panicked yells and cries of the people. Fear took over the people and faunus inside as the main door was rammed in. They screamed and ran for cover, the doors sliced open by sawing blades by members of the FoF charging in.

"Stay were you are!" The leader of the small group of camo men shouted, aiming his vibrating blade at the fear stricken people cowering in their seats. Filling into the buffet, his men lined themselves around him as he stepped up to the sweating brunette woman in the front desk, grinning behind his white ski mask. He leveled the high velocity vibration blade to the woman's nose, his eyes twinkling as her mouse ears trembled in fear, "Hello, doll face. A little friend of ours has been noticing you hanging around certain parts of Vale where some questionable faunus have been meeting, mind telling 'ole Rassa what you know about the White Fang?"

"I-I don't know nothing!" she cried, covering her precious ears as he stepped closer to her personal space. Rassa drew her face closer to his own by grabbing her by her chin, breathing the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with the smell of breakfast treats.

"You got a nice face there, doll. It's too bad you're a dirty little liar along with being a faunus. But don't worry about that," he laughed cruelly, the sawing teeth of his blade drowning out her screaming as he aimed for her shielded ears, "I can fix one of those things for ya! Let's make an honest human woman out of ya!"

Swinging his sword to the faunus woman's mouse ears, Rassa was stopped in midswing by the piston firing force of a plain old red apple thrown at his head. The apple splattered to bits, its juices running down his red face as he glared furiously.

"Who's the dead son of a bitch who done that?" he yelled, sheathing his sword to take out his pistol. He aimed its barrel at the crowd of cowering fools, growling as he suddenly found himself and his men under fire of flying fruit. He shot every last one down, causing the people to run for the back of the place while he was distracted. Damn idiots, making him waste ammo so carelessly. Naragami was going to have his ass if he heard about this.

Rassa cocked his eyebrow under his mask as all but seven girls ran for safety. A bunch of girls had thrown fruit at him? Ha! Had to give them credit at least, had more balls then the pussy's that ran away. Those fruits had some kick behind them. Huntresses?

Either way, he had a job to take care off. The mouse faunus had tried to run, only to trip under her untied shoes. That was why he chose to wear lace-less shoes, saved him the hassle and trouble. Oh well, his eyes leering as he cocked his pistol, her mistake saved him the trouble of tracking her down.

"Hey there, doll faces. Mind walking away? We're simply cleaning Vale of its filthy muck, White Fang can't be saved, but we can at least give them the favor of dying as humans." he smiled with closed eyes, a vein throbbing on his forehead as his men readied their weapons, "Unless you're little bunny friend wishes to be treated human like yourselves, such a pretty face doesn't need to be ignored by her ugly animal ears." he laughed gleefully.

"Sorry, not sorry, asshat." Yang grinned with red blazing eyes as she bumped her fists together. "But you've just interrupted the most important meal of the day. And my little friend here doesn't seem to appreciate it." she stepped to the side, unblocking their views from the true threat hiding behind her.

A dark shadow fell over Nora's expressionless features, her green eyes glowing white. A creepy smile bloomed onto her face as her body trembled, the mountain piled tray of pancakes she had been holding lying in a mess around her.

" **Huuuuuuhhh~?** **Did you naughty little boys make me drop my precious with your rude entrance? That's not a good thing. I need to punish you.** _ **BAD.**_ **"** she said with an eerie smile, raising her fist as lightning crackled around her knuckles.

Rassa shivered. The girl had an aura that put fear into him worse then Naragami's training did. That wasn't a good thing. It was horrifying.

A familiar chuckle interrupted the two groups standoff, their eyes turning to the nicely dressed shaggy gentleman walking to stand in the middle of them. He smiled to both groups, gesturing his hands to calm themselves down.

"Now, now, folks. Let's not lose our heads here." he smirked, the three scarred scratches on his face causing Velvet to step back as the FoF members followed his lead and laid their arms down, "I know that man's gruff, yet handsome features, have taken you by surprise, but maybe we should listen to him. A guy as good looking as him can't be misleading." he laughed.

Blake scowled deeply at the man, "You're their leader!" she gripped one the kitchen knives scattered around tightly.

Holt nodded his head with a tip of his hat, his brown eyes setting sight on the black bow wearing girl, "Yes, I am. And you are little Blake Belladona." his grin grew wider seeing the girl tense as his eyes gained a knowing glint, "I've been looking for you, my sweet. Love the bow, makes it all the more appropriate, all I need is wrapping paper and you're ready to go."

Ruby quickly moved in front of Blake seeing the dangerous man take a step forward to her, frowning as the rest of the girls went on edge, "What do you want with Blake?"

"Just some business between 'friends', little lady. Now," he raised his hand, pointing to the yellow eyed huntress as the shadow underneath his feet weaved under their feet, "I have an appointment to met. My boy needs some closure before he can join my cause, and your little friend will make a great gift for initiation."

The shadow snaked around the girls feet, stopping below Blake's before springing up around her body in a coil.

"Blake!" Yang yelled in panic, reaching her hand for her partner. Blake tried meeting her hand, only for the shadows to engulf her and sink within in a blink. Yang's temper skyrocketed, clenching her fist as she turned to attack the deadman. The iron hard fist meeting her face had second thoughts though.

With incredible speed, Holt dashed into the middle of the girls, sending Yang flying off her feet with a hard right to her face. His sharp canines lite up with a glint catching the eye of the fear trembling bunny faunus by him, "Why, hello there, bunny girl. Don't you look familiar? I'm having flashbacks to my youth, my scars starting to itch just at the look in your eyes." he raised his right hand up, blocking the thundering high kick of the sparking orange haired girl glaring at him madly. His eyes were filled with surprise, nodding his head at the impressive strength threatening to break his arm apart. Got to love aura, "Sorry, gingy, but I've seemed to have found an old friend of mine. You don't mind us talking, do ya?" he smiled cruelly, twisting the girls leg in his hand. Lifting her stunned form up in the air, Holt effortlessly tossed her to crash into far booths. The speeding form of Ruby came soon after, throwing her own fists at him. He paid her no mind as he nonchalantly blocked every blow, backhanding her away as her partner came in swinging a ladle at him. He caught the utensil, bending it in his grip before kicking her away.

A curtain of silverware floated around Holt and his men along with white glyphs boxing them in. Semblances, they were huntresses alright. Twin beacons of fire and lighting blew up from where he tossed the two girls back, their furious gazes set upon him. About time he went on his way.

Velvet eye's widened in fear watching as Holt swung his hand towards her, slowly shutting as her consciousness faded. Holt caught the bunny faunus passed out form in his hand, nodding his head back to the leading member of the small group of his men, "I'm done here, boys. Don't mind me, continue on with your orders. I've got to go welcome two new members to our little family." he laughed boisterously, the shadows underneath swallowing him whole before diving in and vanishing from sight.

"Blake, Velvet!" the girls yelled in alarm, frowning angrily as the FoF members circled them from following the snaking shadow leaving the buffet.

Yang's hair sizzled as she openly grit her teeth in fury, her fists threatening to break apart from the pressure they were exuding. Rassa smirked at the display, "I gave you doll faces a chance, now I'm going to have to make an example out of ya's. Know that I only take a little pleasure out of this."

"Big fucking mistake!" Yang roared as she dashed towards the leader with a clothesline swing, her speed taking him by surprise. He was sent flying off in a gale, taking along a few of his men with him as his body broke into a few booths.

The floating knives and forks surrounding them fell onto them as Pyrrha threw her magnetized fist down, the raining silverware followed by the firing icicles created from Weiss's glyphs. They tried to dodge the assault, only to be kicked around by the red blur knocking them around. A swinging blade went to stop Ruby in her blitz, only for the small girl to duck at the last second. She spun around, jumping high up to plant a foot in the man's goggled face and send him falling with a grunt. The remaining grunts were quickly disposed off as Nora jumped high in the air, her hands clenching a dirty mop head sparking with pink lightning. With a thundering yell, the valkyrie swung the cleaning mop in the middle of the FoF, the shockwave blowing them away as they were shocked into dreamland.

Rassa weakly stood back up, the left side of his mask torn to bits as blood trailed his chin. His aura had nearly been torn apart from the girls attack. What kind of shit was that!? With a grunt, Rassa moved to charge at the girls, only for several serrated knives to pin him back to the wall. The accuracy was terrifying, the blades were close to nicking his skin. He began to sweat as the busty blonde that had sent him flying stalkws towards him, ripping off his mask as she pulled back her trembling fist.

"Where. Are. They!" Yang hissed, her face snarling.

The leader of the grunts laughed hoarsely "How would I know? I'm simply a small leader, nothing big in the grand scheme of boss's plans! Should have protected your animals better, you stupid bi-"

An iced sculpture of a fist rammed into the man's face, knocking his brain around as he slumped to the floor with a broken tooth. Weiss huffed at the attention pointed towards her, calling off her glyph with flick of her hand.

"What? He wasn't of any use to us, and I don't care for potty language." she said curtly before turning her head to the trembling faunus employee watching by, "You should head to the back with the others. It's not safe here."

The mouse faunus nodded her head before running off to hide. To think having connections with the White Fang would finally catch up to her. She should have cut her ties with her brother when she had the chance.

Pyrrha sighed as she took a look around the once lively buffet, "Doesn't look like we have anymore witnesses to question. We should head out and try to pick up their leader's trail if we wish to find Blake and Velvet. I'm going to message Jaune and Ren to help in the search." Taking out her scroll, Pyrrha went off to message the remainder of her to team.

Ruby nodded her head with a sad expression, "Right, we'll have to go and see what we can find. I hope Blake and Velvet can hold out till we find them." They were both strong huntress's, Ruby was sure that they could handle whatever the FoF leader threw at them.

* * *

Jaune stretched his arms back as he yawned beside Ann, their feet carrying them to Holt's location.

It had only taken him an hour to reach their main hideout after visiting Professor Antheia for potions. A light shiver ran down his being as he remembered how that went. He got his potions alright, and a nice view of what else she was packing. He was a hormonal teen, for god's sakes! Did she not understand what her flirtations did to his body? The fact that her eyes always remained shut made it all the more worse, it simply made her look sexier for some reason. That, or he had some strange turn on's.

 **' _Items: 5xSmall Aura Potions, 3xEveryone Loves Grape Soda, 2xBreakfast Bars, 2xAmbrosia.'_**

Wasn't much, but it would have to do. Jaune flicked through his scroll, checking over his inventory. He had no idea what was in store for him today, so it paid to be stocked in healing supplies. The snacks didn't pack enoughpunch in the healing department, but they were great in refilling his MP, something that potions weren't capable of yet he guessed. The Breakfast Bar even even cured him of stamina exhaustion. The Small Aura Potions were his go to for healing his wounds, they healed up to 700HP when he needed it. Ambrosia, was something else entirely compared to the rest of his healing items.

Professor Antheia wanted a favor for lending him the rare item. It was a very unique and special potion, capable of completely restoring his HP, heal any status ailing him, grant a buff to his stats, and even restore his MP completely! Ambrosia was a hell of a high class item to do more then heal him of his wounds. She even said it was a pain in the ass to mix to together the necessary catalysts, herbs, Dust powders, let alone find them. The process was also highly volatile in nature if done by an amateur. She currently only had two in stock at the moment, but she was more then happy to give them to him if he repaid the favor in the near future.

What that favor was, he had no idea. All he knew was that she had said it with a perked smile while licking her lips.

Jaune's blue eyes peeked over to his companion, his fingers tensing around his scroll as Ann kept her eyes ahead, head bobbing along with the music playing on her headphones.

She hadn't said much since he had arrived. It was worrying, to see her so shut in, refusing to say a thing to him. He knew she wasn't much of a talkative person to begin with, but he had always been able to strike a conversation out of her through some work. This morning had been different. She simply gestured her head to follow after her, having little trouble making their way around the place. The UGC had been called off, they were done holding games it seemed. Which worried him. If no one was fighting below, what were they doing with the Grimm they kept confined? His thoughts turned to the Event above ground. Where they planning something? Once he had a free moment to himself, he was going to have to message Church to keep the guys above on their toes for any strange activity. Did not want another Breach springing up on them if he could help it.

' _This really is my last chance at stopping their plans, huh?'_ Jaune sighed as he stopped playing with his scroll, _'What am I suppose to do to stop some madman's plan of humanizing faunus? He's got a small army on him, I don't think I'm strong enough to even take out ten of his men on my own yet. I'm definitely strong enough to take some down, even beat a few bosses after going through the hell that was the UGC gauntlet matches, but I'm only one person right now. Not to mention Ann's part of this mess.'_ Last chance. If he was going to save her from this mess, it needed to happen today, before it was too late to do anything.

What was he suppose to say? Ann clearly didn't mind the things she did to earn Lien for whatever dream she had. Or the company she hung around for it. She was use to the dirty work by now, nothing seemed to faze her anymore. Jaune was a simple guy, he didn't posses much to his name other then Crocea Mors, and that was a simple hand me down. What could he possibly offer her to leave all that she had worked for behind? There was nothing much he had to offer a girl who seemed to have been through the underworld of the city.

Ann had a dream, one that could only be bought with a very large amount of Lien. He still had no idea what she wanted. Whatever it was, it must have been something worth all the hell.

This was his last chance, what could it hurt to ask at this point?

A tap on Ann's shoulder caught her attention, turning her head back to Jaune's apprehensive face, "Hmm? Something you need, Blondie?" she quirked her brow questioningly.

"Yeah, it's something that's been bugging me." Jaune nodded as they stopped, "You know, we've know each other for some time now, and I'd like to think we're friends. But there's something that I've always wanted to ask." he steeled himself for the question, "Why? Why are you working for people like the Friends of Faunus? There are a million things you could be doing to earn Lien that doesn't involve hate crimes and mutilation. So, why are you working for them?"

That's what he wanted to know? Ann turned her eyes upward, her thoughts turning back to her days before the FoF. He was right, there were a million things she could do to earn Lien, she didn't have to work with these monsters. But even she had her reasons. From the corner of her visible eye, her green eye glanced at the blonde boy who had been keeping her company for nearly a month now.

Was he her friend? All they had been doing lately consisted of eating lunch together, making small chat every once in a while, strolling around Vale, and listening to music. Did that make them friends? Doing stupid shit that was a waste of her time?

Ann never had friends, even in the orphanage she had been holed up in long ago, she had kept to herself. She didn't know what friendship meant, but it seemed pointless to her. She had much better things to do with her time then goof off like an idiot. Yet that's what she had been doing with Jaune lately. It was. . .odd. Having someone who didn't want anything from you, only their company. She hated to sound sappy, but it was nice.

' _Tch, am I becoming soft?'_ That look in his eyes, it was unwavering. He really wanted to know why she worked under Holt and his cause. It brought a slight smile to her lips. Damn idiot, _'It wouldn't hurt, I guess.'_ If only to stop him from asking her questions.

"It's not like I randomly joined the FoF one day out of boredom. I was picked up by the boss, Holt." Ann sighed, recalling her past, "Before then, I was just another little girl with a family. We didn't have much money back then, my parents were always struggling to get by with what they could. But they made it work, and from what little I remember, we were happy with that. But life has a fucked up sense of humor, and it got its laugh with me." she said with little emotion, "I was only six when it had happened. Our town was attacked by Grimm, the local hunters had been out on jobs, leaving little to defend out home. My parents died in the attack if you haven't guessed it, leaving me an orphan."

"I could guess the orphan thing from Holt's nickname for you." Jaune laughed weakly. There were times he forgot just how dangerous the Grimm were. If you weren't a trained hunter, they truly were monsters. At this point, the Grimm were nothing but EXP to grab and less of a threat to him. The Grimm were not to take lightly.

"Better then before, he use to call me his little Annie till I kicked his shins over and over again."

"And he found you in the orphanage and adopted you?" Was that how he dragged her into his cause?

Ann shook her head, "No, he wasn't the one to adopt me. I was stuck in that orphanage for a year and a half before a family had taken me in." She lightly grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing, "Honestly, I don't remember what my real last name had been before the Warhaul's adopted me. They were a snobby family that couldn't have kids, Mrs. Warhaul was as dry as a desert wheat. But they wanted someone to carry on their legacy, a perfect little daughter they could marry off to some other family for profit. And you can guess who the poor sucker was they adopted."

"Did they abuse you?"

Ann scoffed as she smirked, "Believe it or not, no. But they were strict as hell, I can tell you that. They controlled every aspect of my life, what I ate, what I read, what clothes I wore." she pinched the fabric of her favorite hoodie with a laugh, "Mrs. Warhaul would have a bitch fit if she was alive to see what I'm wearing. For four years I lived by their strict rules and lessons. They were grooming me to be the picture perfect daughter, one they could show off to their rich friends and clients, and one day marry off to a rich son, or client. I remember how much I hated them, wishing for my parents. Living under them, I learned what really mattered in this world, Lien. It's what makes the world go 'round." she shrugged.

She can still remember standing in front of her adopted father's desk, his face buried in the newspaper. Her red hair straightened nice and neat, not a hair misplaced, in an expensive blue dress worth more then a car. Her back erect as an iron rod as she nervously listened in to his words.

' _Anabel, in this world, Lien is the most important thing in the world. It's what drives us to work, to save others, to feed the hungry, and develop new technologies on Remnant. Why else do you think we have servants working for us, running to our every beck and call no matter how small it may be? They work for Lien, it's the only reason they put up with us. One day, when you are of proper age, you will have to find a suitor, one that understands this lesson and makes worthy profit. You don't have to like him, nor love him, as long as he makes his worth for this family. Lien makes the world go round, if you don't have it, you're worthless.'_

The old man was an asshole. He was the picture perfect example of an old rich man. Gray combed back hair, primed goatee and mustache, always wearing a business suit along with a stern expression permanently etched onto his face. And his wife? Trophy wife material right there.

"They were a pain in the ass to deal with everyday. I didn't even go to school, they had private tutors hired to teach me how to read and write like a proper lady. I had a sheltered childhood, you could say."

"No friends? I can feel ya on that." Jaune smiled sympathetically, "As a kid, I stood out from the others. We all wanted to be huntsman and huntresses, but I was the only one ill suited for it. I was born weak and the only son in a family of ten. Being a dork didn't help either. I was bullied and picked on for not knowing how to fight, not to mention screaming like a girl. But at least I had my family."

"Hmph, my foster parents were strict assholes, but I guess they weren't too bad to deal with from time to time." she shut her eyes, finding it harder to fight the fond smile on her lips at the small moments she had forgotten long ago, "Two years in, they bought me a puppy to take care of. They wanted me to train it as a proper member of soceity, which didn't make sense to me. I wonder if they just said that so they didn't have to admit they wanted to give me something nice for no reason. My life wasn't picture perfect, bit it was tolerable. Until the White Fang attacked."

"The White Fang? Why would they attack your family?"

"The old man was a racist." Ann shrugged carelessly, blowing a strand out of her hair, "He spoke out about the faunus, didn't want to deal with those animals and shit. He made enemies, only this one wasn't afraid to fight back. Around nine years ago, the White Fang attacked the mansion in the dead of night. They burned the place to the ground, killed my foster parents, and the flames killed my little Jack Russel, Jackie. The only reason I lived was because my foster mother had me run out the back before they barged in."

"Why don't I know about this? If your family was so rich and they were killed by the White Fang, why isn't it common knowledge?" Jaune frowned.

"They hid their tracks, this was something they didn't want the world to know, seeing as they were still considered a peace group at the time. It was chalked up as arson, I guess. I didn't go to the police, I didn't want to return to the orphanage to be adopted again. I was done with that shit." she growled. The orphanage she had been taken in before wasn't exactly the kindest. The owner was a pile of shit that made them work for her and the place was pretty much run down. Wasn't going go through that ever again, "So I ran, eventually sneaking a ride in a bullhead for Vale where I lived on the streets. I had to learn how to fight for myself, stealing what needed from shops, picking fights with bums and shit stains that wanted to 'take care' of a dirty little girl like me, and make connections with some low life's to survive. For two years, I lived by myself, doing what I could to survive. And I learned just how filthy and fucked up this world truly was to those without money, without power, without anything to call their own." she spat angrily, clenching her fist.

"Then, one day, I met Holt. He found me in the pouring rain, living in a little home in Crime Haunt made of cardboard and rubble."

That was seven years ago. In that hellish storm long ago, the grinning blonde had stumbled upon her, shivering and huddling for warmth. Holt gazed down at her with an unreadable expression on his face as she aimed the coldest glare she could muster at the strange man, deathly gripping the small knife she carried before his expression evolved into his usual wide grin. He moved his umbrella over her small shelter, chuckling at her as he spoke.

' _Little lady, don't you know you can catch your death out here? Come along now, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I left you in such a sorry state.'_

Ann was lucky that he had been the one to find her that day. She had been too weak to fight back as he picked her frail and cold body up, taking her away to his hideout. If it had been anyone else, they would have been able to do whatever they pleased with her.

"From there, he took care of me, teaching me how to fight and even unlocking my aura and discovering my semblance. He gave me odd jobs, information seeking, recruiting people to his cause, and helping him organize his plans, kinda like a secretary. And he paid me for everything handsomely. I basically grew up in the Friends of Faunus."

"And that's why you work with them?" Made sense. If Holt had been the one to take her in long ago, she would do whatever it took to repay the favor. It's how he had been invited to their little cause. She had a thing for repaying favors, "I still don't get it though. You don't have to work with them any longer, do you? So why do you? Is it to get revenge on the faunus?" he frowned sadly.

It was the White Fang's fault for what had happened to her foster family. She must have possessed a hatred for them.

Ann scoffed. As if she was that petty, "No. The White Fang are the same as everyone else, a bunch of idiots doing whatever they want for their own reasons. I'm not a racist if that's what you think. Holt pays well, about 1,200L for a job. I've saved up a pretty little egg for myself these last seven years, about 268,031 Lien if my numbers are right."

"What the hell!?" Jaune's jaw dropped at the ludicrous number she plainly revealed. That was worth more then all the houses in his old town. What was she doing with all that money? "Why do you have that much Lien? I'm sure if you're saving for something, then you probably have enough to buy it three times over."

Ann frowned tensely, "No, it's not enough. Not yet. But I'm getting closer."

"What is it? Are you trying to buy a kingdom or something?" Jaune weakly chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"I. . .don't want to tell you." Ann paused, looking anywhere but the blonde next to her. Jaune blinked at the sight, catching a faint red on her cheeks. Was she blushing?, "You'll think its stupid, just like everyone else." she huffed.

"Don't worry about it. I know better then to laugh at someones dream." he reassured her with a gentle grin, causing her to slowly turn her head back to him. Doubt was painted across her face, she bit the inside of her cheek nervously.

"Really? I somehow doubt that." she said with narrowed eyes before sighing. Might as well. The idiot had somehow got her to spill her life's story out to him. Nothing left to hide from the blonde, "What I wish for, what I can only buy with an insane amount of money, . . .is a small island." she closed her eyes, waiting for the ridiculing laughter to escape his lips.

For several seconds, she waited, but nothing happened. She blinked as she opened her eyes. Did she have something in her ears again. She took a moment to clean out the right with her pinky, frowning as she found nothing blocking it. Must be all the loud music then, she nodded stubbornly. Holt did say she would go deaf if she continued to listen to her tunes at the highest level available. Going back to Jaune, she was caught by surprise as she found him scratching his head in confusion.

He wasn't laughing?

"Why an island." Jaune tilted his head as he tried to wrap his brain around the idea. Why would anyone want an island? She didn't seem to be the type to buy such an expensive thing that only some multimillionaire would buy.

"Sorry, but it just doesn't make much sense to me. Why go through all that trouble for an island?"

It took a while for Ann to come to terms with the fact the blonde was actually taking her seriously. The only other person who didn't laugh at her dream had been Holt, Naragami, and Cross, "Because I'm tired of living in this filthy world." she glared at him once she regained her composure, "I want to live on an island, away from all the idiots, the monsters, the snobs, the laws, and the people that make this world what it is. I want it to be my own safe haven, where I can be myself. Somewhere far away where I can be alone for the rest of my days in paradise."

How old was she when she had found her dream? It went as far back as her days with her real parents. Ann remembered how tired they looked after working night shifts along with day shifts, too tired to even play with her in order to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates. She wanted to one day make enough Lien to move them away somewhere they could relax and never have to worry about making ends meat. Even after their deaths, she held onto that dream in the orphanage. The other kids laughed at her, mocking her for dreaming of such in impossible dream. It was stupid, they said. A waste of time.

The years she spent on the filthy streets only made her dream stronger. The world was filthy, disgusting, full of lairs and cheats. And she wanted to get away from it all, somewhere she could finally be herself with no one telling her what to do, what was right or wrong, a place where no one could ever hurt her.

A little world of her own, her private Eden. That was her wish.

"Sounds boring."

A vein throbbed on Ann's forehead. What did that idiot just say?

Jaune gulped as he threw his hands up in panic, finding Ann's annoyed glare staring back at him. Him and his big mouth, "S-Sorry! It's just," he scratched his cheek with a frustrated expression, "I don't know, it sounds boring, having an island just for yourself with no one to talk to. I mean, no one likes being alone."

"Well, I do." she scoffed as she turned away in a huff, "If you haven't noticed, I'm not a people person. Ironic seeing as Holt has me working mostly in recruitment."

"Right. But what kind of life is that? Spending the rest of your days with on one to talk to, to support you, to help you when you're feeling down, it sounds like the true definition of loneliness?" Even Ren, despite his attitude, would never want such a life, to be alone with no one to talk to. It was a sad dream to wish for. It made Jaune frown sadly at the bluenette refusing to meet his gaze. She didn't deserve such a life of solitude.

Again, Ann felt a light tap on her shoulder. She sighed in annoyance. Couldn't the blonde idiot read body language? While he didn't make fun of her stupid sounding dream, he didn't seem to think it was worth the time and effort she put into it. It was insulting. Should have known better to trust an idiot who never had to struggle to survive.

The tapping quickly became annoying. Growling at the insistent taps, Ann turned her head back, ready to shout at the idiot to leave her alone, only to be caught by suprise.

An open hand was held out to her as Jaune wore a soft grin on his face. The hell was the idiot doing now.

"You know, you aren't alone anymore. I know you don't see me as a your friend, but if you were to leave one day, I would miss you. You're my friend. And I hate the idea of you being all alone."

"What are you trying to say, Blondie?" Ann said with a confused frown, taking a step back.

"I'm saying-" A loud rocking ring tone broke Jaune off from whatever he was going to say. Ann grunted, gesturing for the blonde to hold one for a sec. Stepping away she answered the call on her scroll.

' _Little Ann~! Where are you? Initiation is ready to start, so get your golden boy down here. We still have much to do today.'_

"Gotcha, boss. We'll be right down." Ann bit her lip with a tense expression. Almost forgot what awaited the blonde knight. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye, she didn't know if he would be able to go through with it.

Jaune was a kind man who dreamed of being a great huntsman. The Friends of Faunus was no place for an idiot like him. Yet he had no choice at this point. He had no chance at escape, he knew far too much. If he wished to live, he would have to go through the initiation like Cardin. She had dragged him into the underworld of her life, all because of a kind gesture. And here she had thought she couldn't sink any lower.

Maybe she could make it up to him. Once he became a member of the FoF, he would just have to stick around them for a bit and then leave. . .with her. It would only be right for all that he had done for her. A way to free him from this horrible path she had lead him into.

He was right, kinda. A life of complete solitude did sound pretty boring. Having him around would make it bearable. And it was only to pay him back for dragging his career through the gutter after today! It wasn't because she for one second thought of him as a friend!

Holt chuckled at the end of his line, _'Good to hear. Cardin's been restless since waking up. It's time we welcome our friends into our little world, my little orphan Ann. No turning back now.'_

' _Right. No turning back.'_ She told herself stubbornly, shaking her head. It was time for the show to move along, she supposed.

"Keep your pants on, boss. Five minutes tops, and we'll be there. See you soon." Ann grunted, not giving Holt the chance to respond back as she ended the call. He was not going to be happy about that. She could already see the annoying faux pout on his face.

Turning back to Jaune, she gestured her head to the path ahead of them. Her eyes hardened, abandoning all emotion, "Let's go. We don't have time for your sappy speech, or whatever you were about to say. The boss wants us down, now. And he can be a demon when he doesn't get what he wants."

Jaune frowned. Dammit! This was his chance to get her to leave everything behind. Maybe. Honestly, he didn't know what he was about to say to her. He was going off what he was feeling. Now the moment was gone. He sighed as he nodded his head and followed along.

The day was still young, he thought to himself as silence once again engulfed them. Today was the day he saved her from this underworld. After all, what was the point of all this power if he couldn't save one friend?

* * *

Cardin's eyes were shut in a deep scowl as his fingers drummed against his crossed arms. His back rested against the walls of the main coliseum within the FoF's headquarters. The place was empty of its usual spectators and only the hum of the Dust powering the downed force field could be heard.

An hour ago he had woken up from whatever deep sleep Holt had put him under yesterday night and he wasn't feeling too thrilled about his situation at the moment. The damn lying bastard. He ground his teeth loudly. And he had considered him a friend. Like all faunus, he could only lie. And he fell for it like an idiot. Now he was stuck in the hive of FoF's dirty organization in hopes of turning him into one of their members.

He released a sigh, his blue eye peeking down to the side to find Beaufort leaning against his leg. When he had woken up, a grunt had served him a quick breakfast and even readied his mace before leading him to the coliseum for initiation. Said that Holt had gone out for a bite to eat and was on his way with his 'gift', whatever that meant. From what he remembered of yesterdays talk, the boss had said it involved the White Fang and justice.

What was the idiot going to do? Run out and hunt down a member of the White Fang for him to mutilate? As if he was some blood thirsty monster seeking blood. That wouldn't be enough to get him to leave his career as a huntsman behind. You could dress up any faunus as a White Fang member.

The large coliseum gates creaked open, catching Cardin's attention as somebody stumbled out. He couldn't make out their identity with the dim light hanging over the place. Cardin's eyes squinted, catching the faint color of their hair. Blonde? Was that Holt?

Rays of bright white light ate away the dark curtain over the coliseum, revealing the identity of the person now accompanying him in the arena. His blue eyes widened in complete shock along with the blue eyes of the blonde knight staring back at him with in mute confusion.

"Jaune?" Cardin frowned, stepping closer to the awkward blonde? What the hell was the dork doing here of all places?

Jaune grit his teeth at the unexpected surprise, "Cardin? What are you doing inside the FoF's coliseum? Don't tell me they dragged you into this mess." Those bastards! Did they somehow use Cardin's hate of the faunus to recruit him into their organization? That was just low.

"Me? What the hell are you doing here!? I thought you hated this kind of crap!? Don't tell me you've just been faking it all this time?" Cardin growled angrily. If there was one thing he hated, it was liars. Bastard, acting all high and mighty when he was no different them him.

"Course not." Jaune shook his head, "I was invited by a friend to fight in the UGC for extra Lien. I want nothing to do with the FoF and its plans. Why are you here? I didn't think you would hate the faunus enough to," he gestured his hands with a look of disgust, "Do all this?"

Clenching his fists, Cardin threw his hands out in anger, "Don't compare me to those pieces of trash! I've simply been training to be a better huntsman by one of their strongest! I was ready to leave all this behind me yesterday till Holt knocked me out. He said he had something for me that would without a doubt make me join his cause."

"And you followed after them, just because they promised you they could make you stronger? That's stupid! You should know how bad an idea that is! These guys aren't plain old racists, they wish to mutilate them so they can look human! No amount of power is worth hanging around people like that!"

"And what about you!? Stop playing the hero! You're here fighting against Grimm, illegally for profit! How does that make you better then me!?" Cardin yelled back, gripping the handle of his titanium mace with such anger.

"If you're here, then that means you're part of this mess too! So don't talk as if you're any innocent!"

"I'm different!" Jaune struggled to say anymore. Who knew if Holt was watching them right now. He couldn't reveal he was undercover. Why was he here anyways? Ann didn't say much, only that Holt needed to see him for something really important. Did it have to deal with Cardin? What the hell was going on?

An ominous chuckled broke out from nowhere, causing both of the huntsman in training to tense as the shadows under thier feet stretched. They snaked to the middle of the ring, swirling into a pool of darkness. Slowly, Holt's body emerged from from the pooling shadows, his grin wide as ever. The look in his eyes sent warning bells off in Jaune's head as he gripped the handle of Crocea Mors.

"Hello there, boys. Seems you both have been acquainted with another. What, school mates? Old friends? Rivals?" he laughed as he stepped out of the shadows, "Well, I suppose that's a good thing. It will make working together in the future all the more easier. That is, if you pass your right of passage."

"Right of passage? What are you talking about, Holt?" Jaune glared. The way he was speaking was almost as if he was joining them.

"Initiation of course! Jaune, you're a strong hunter. You haven't lost a single match in the UGC and my boys have begun to respect the strength you hold. It's only natural that you join the FoF. After all, you know too much. A little too much for my liking." Holt's grin turned savage as his fingers clawed the air, "Wouldn't want Anabel knowing about your 'other friends' would we?" he hissed.

' _Shit!'_ Jaune took a step back as he began to sweat. Did he know? That's impossible! Every time he left to meet up with Kris he made sure to Scan for anyone following after him. How could he know he was a spy!?

Holt licked his lips at the look of panic on his fellow blondes face. So, he was right. That was an honest to God shot in the dark. And he hit the bulls-eye from the looks of it.

He found it strange that such a boy would risk everything to fight against Grimm for simply Lien. Jaune was too kind, too soft. The boy stood out in their crowd. And yet he came back everyday, knowing what his organization was up to. Not to mention the questions he had been asking had tipped him off. Jaune never asked him, no, Holt shook his head as his eyes turned to the stands where Ann sat by watching them, unable to hear their conversation. Ann was the one he had been asking questions to. She had asked him a few she couldn't answer, like how many hideouts they found below Vale.

A snitch, a dirty fucking rat. All this time, the boy had been gathering information to an outside force. Holt could take stab at who he had been working with. Mostly likely the Vale city police. It was a clever idea to use the trust of his right hand lady to sneak into their midst's without being pinned by a Marker. Unfortunately for them the idea of his little Anabel being used like that pissed him off to a dangerous level. What he wouldn't do to tear the lying little blonde knight apart, limb by limb.

Even if she wouldn't admit it, Ann cared for Jaune as a friend. Her first real friend that she had made on her own. She would be devastated to find out she had been played with to take them down.

But he would give the blonde boy a chance. Give him the benefit of the doubt. If he really cared for Anabel, then he would go through with the imitation and join their cause. And he would forget all about his backstabbing ways. For Anabel.

"So, I am right? Now, who's the real monster here, Jaune? " Holt chided before turning his eyes back to Cardin. He smiled brightly at the boy, "Good to see you up and rested, Cardin! I got that gift of yours. And I know you'll love it." he chuckled darkly. He spread his arms apart in a wide gesture, raising his fingers up. Twin blotches of shadows grew under his hands on the ground, slowly rising up in human sized pillars. Snapping his fingers, the shadows receded, pulling away to reveal two familiar girls in Beacon uniform.

Jaune's eyes trembled as his mouth hung open in shock, "Blake? Velvet!?" He shouted in alarm, unsheathing Crocea Mors from its sheath.

Standing still with the support of the webbing of shadows keeping them upright, Jaune found Blake and Velvet weakly staring back at him. They didn't seem to be hurt other then a few light scratches and dust around their uniforms. But seeing them in Holt's clutches, so close to a man who wished to make their kind human in the cruelest of ways made Jaune's blood boil.

Holt grinned madly as he watched Jaune charge at him, "More friends? What a surprise!" he shouted happily, blocking the swinging blade with one hand. He paid the weak pressure no mind as he kicked him back. Fine blade, Holt hummed as he looked over the battered sword. No amount of pressure he applied to it could shatter it, let alone crack. Seemed really old from the looks of it.

Done inspecting it, Holt flung it back to its owner. The blade stabbed the side of his cheek as Jaune laid on the ground. He grunted as he picked himself up. Holt could have easily taken his head with that throw.

Cardin was as shocked as Jaune. Why did Holt have Blake and Velvet with him? Was this the gift he was talking about? That didn't make any sense. Sure, Velvet was a faunus and it was fun messing with her since she didn't fight back. But Blake was human. She had no part in this. And while she could be annoying and show him up in Oobleck's class, Cardin didn't dislike her enough to hurt her.

"What are you doing with them, Holt?" Cardin scowled with a growl, "I'm not some asshole that beats up innocent woman. I know Velvet's a faunus, but that doesn't mean I'll follow your orders like a drone and cut her ears off! I'm better then that."

"Ooh, but Cardin, it's not the little bunny you're going to humanize." Holt shook his head with an amused grin, "I simply have her as a test to see of Jaune is fully committed to my Ann. No, Ms. Belladona is your prize."

"Are you blind?" Cardin scoffed as he pointed at Blake, "She's not a faunus, she's human. Unlike yourself."

Holt nearly laughed, "Really? Boy, if I can hide the fact that I'm human, then even she," His teeth flashed widely as his finger reached for the top of Blake's head.

Blake struggled against the shadows holding her still as she panicked. No, not like this!

Crocea Mor's blade swung for Holt's reaching hand only to be swatted away by his free hand. Again, Jaune was kicked away with a shout as he rolled on his side. He grimaced as he tried to stand back up. Holt was prepared, calling on the shadows underneath the knight to clamp around his limbs to hold him down, "No! Don't you fucking dare!" Jaune roared, struggling against the powerful force holding him still.

It was too late as Holt's cruel fingers tightened around Blake's bow, ripping it off for everyone to see what was hidden underneath.

Two cat ears wiggled in front of Cardin's eyes, leaving him speechless. The hell? She was a faunus!? How did he never notice that?

Blake grit her teeth as she shut her eyes, her head dropping in shame as the shaggy blonde man tossed her precious bow carelessly to the side. Her secret was out, she wasn't safe any longer.

"-Can hide the fact that she's a faunus." he said smugly, petting the soft tuffs that were Blake's ears. The action only made Blake bit down on her lip as she flinched at the unwanted feeling of such a man touching her cat ear, "Shame, you have lovely little kitty ears. It's too bad they make you less of a human. I would feel sorry for you, if you weren't a terrorist." His fingers pulled on her ears, the pain forcing a grunting shout from Blake.

"Terrorist?" Cardin frowned, his heart suddenly speeding up at what he was implying.

Holt chuckled as he used his free hand to take out his scroll. Messing around with it, he remotely activated the holo screen above their heads with a smug grin.

"Tell me kids, who wants to watch a movie?"

* * *

 **DLC #5: Sick Day.**

A snot bubble slipped out of Jaune's nose, the nasty little bastard becoming an eyesore as he sucked it back in with a weak groan.

It was Tuesday and right about now he was usually in class, studying and trying to resist Professor Antheia's flirtatious ways. Not today though. For the last few days, Jaune had been feeling a cold crawling its way to his immune system, finally taking it down in a fight to be passed down for the ages to the antibodies in his body. The lose had resulted in waking up to a sore throat, runny nose, and aching head. Now he was stuck in bed, with an ice pack on top of his head and a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

He sneezed loudly, sniffing back his mucus as Pyrrha gingerly removed the thermometer from his lips. She frowned at the readins.

"Yup, over one hundred. We were right to keep you in today. I've already notified the teachers, and they've allowed us to stay back and take care of you."

"Ahem."

"Right." Pyrrha laughed in embarrassment as Ren's weak pink eyes turned to her with a pout, a wet mini towel laid across his forehead, "And you too Ren."

"Why is Jaune in my bed with me?" Ren growled, swatting Nora's poking fingers away from his nose as she pouted. He had said in many times already, and he was going to say it again. No one was allowed on his bed, no one. Except maybe Pyrrha, if she wanted. And there was no stopping Nora from invading his beloved mattress.

Right now, both Gamers were tucked into Ren's bed, somehow fitting together side by side. Their pillows laid next to each other, the close space making them uncomfortable.

"Because someone thought it would be fun to wake me up with a cannonball." Jaune weakly glared to the innocent whistling of Nora.

The orange haired girl huffed, "Not my fault your bed can't take it like a man. You don't see Ren crying about his broken bed, do you?"

For a good reason, Ren nodded firmly as he tried fluffing his pillow. Using his inventory, he switched out regular old school issued mattress with one he had tucked away in his inventory. He braved many a beasts and monsters to find the perfect mesh of sleep and comfort with every reset to replace the old bed with this god among beds. Even Nora's shenanigans weren't able to break it down.

"Why couldn't you rest in Nora's bed? Or Pyrrha's?" Ren grumbled.

"I can't sleep in Nora's bed. It smells like pancakes. . .and other things I'm too embarrassed to question."

"I'm not ready for such a huge step!"

A vein throbbed on Ren's forehead. All he wanted was his own bed. Was that so wrong?

"How are you even sick, Mr. My Body is a Temple?" Jaune asked with a quirked brow. The green garbed ninja never got sick, even in his first life. He was a very healthy huntsman.

Again, Nora whistled innocently as she turned away from her friends.

' _Nora, can you grab me a water? I'm busy cleaning out the stains you left on Storm Flower. What were doing with them anyways?'_

' _I was cleaning out my teeth! They're perfect for digging out pork chops in between these pearly whites!' Nora grinned widely, handing her best friend a cool bottle of water her leader had left behind earlier._

 _Ren frowned back at her before taking a swig, 'That doesn't explain the peanut butter. . .and is this blood?'_

' _I had a very interesting morning today~!'_

As far as they knew, she was perfectly innocent.

' _Five Lien it was Nora's fault.'_ They all thought to themselves with flat expressions aimed at the nodding hammer girl. Fifty percent of what went randomly wrong to them was due to her.

"Either way! You're both stuck in bed for the day! And seeing as we missed morning classes, and will be missing the last class of the day because of you two, it's only right that we take care of you both!" Nora grinned with giddy. She always wanted to play doctor.

Grabbing onto Pyrrha's shoulder and catching her by surprise, Nora rushed the both of them into their shared bathroom with a glint in her eye, slamming the door behind them as construction sounds banged against the worn out door.

Jaune whimpered as he hid himself in Ren's covers, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's Nora, so you're right to be afraid." Ren nodded, scowling as he struggled to pull the covers from Jaune's runny face, "And get your filthy nose away from my blanket! I paid an actual arm and a leg for it!"

Too busy in their fight for their shared blanket, Jaune and Ren failed to notice the bathroom door kicked open. Strutting out, the two girls walked beside their bed just as Ren back handed the blonde pinching his nose. They blinked in confusion, catching the creamy long legs by their bed, their eyes trailing the curvaceous bodies to stop with dropped jaws at the scene before them.

Nora rested her hands on her hips, dressed in a sexy doctor's uniform. The white uniform was short, stopping just around her thighs and the buttons were undone to her stomach, teasingly revealing her perky chest. She wore a band around her forehead with a little mirror attached along with white stockings. She winked at the boys, sticking her tongue out in a silly gesture. They didn't need to wonder if she wore underwear, she was spinning her pink bra on her finger. Safe to say she wasn't wearing anything below.

Pyrrha rubbed her arms around her shoulders nervously at the attention on her. Nora had wrestled her into a sexy nurse's uniform. It was very short, to the point that if she bent over she would be flashing her rear to whoever was looking. A little nurses hat adorned her head and she wore red stockings along with red high heels. What made it worse was that the material used to make it was almost see through. She blushed as she covered her chest and lower regions, not wanting them to see the faint outline of her red bra and panties.

As one, Jaune and Ren dumbly opened and closed their mouths at their female teammates attire. Their brains were frying, smoking from the hot, sexy images.

"What are you wearing!?" They both yelled, blushes burning their cheeks.

"While I was out in Vale with a sugar buddy of mine, we stopped by an intresting costume shop. We had to fight them to get in, but once we did we found these awesome doctor and nurse uniforms. We're planning to go as these for Halloween, but you both need some tender, loving, care from you favorite redheads!" Nora happily explained. It was a cute little place with lots of X's on the front and weird punny named movies with naked people. Wonder if it was a porn shop. Probably, she shrugged as she smacked Pyrrha's ass.

"Nora! We talked about boundaries after the bubble bath incident!" Pyrrha blushed madly as she glared at her silly smiling friend.

'Bubble bath?' Both huntsman faces twitched at the erotic sounding incident. They couldn't fight the naughty images forming in their heads as Nora's and Pyrrha's eek's and moans filled their thoughts.

Ren stubbornly shook the thoughts away with a red scowl, "You shouldn't be wearing such risque clothes! You already know how Jaune gets!"

"Not even your blankets can hide the mighty dinosaur from peeking out of its cave!"

"Keep that thing down! Not while you're in my bed!"

"What about you!? That's not Storm Flower in your lap, and you know it!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth, noticing the rising bumps in their bed, "Oh my."

"I guess you're both happy to see us, huh~!" Nora leered with a teasing grin.

"Nora, we talked about this! The pain is too much to bear!"

"Regardless!" Nora continued, marching around their bed with a determined expression on her face, "We have a job to do! Seeing as Professor Goodwitch wanted us to work on team building by switching partners today, we'll just have to settle for each others partner taking care of them. Don't you think it's a good idea, fearless leader!" Standing beside Jaune's side, Nora grinned widely down at the sweating sick blonde. Her creamy cleavage causing Jaune's heart to skyrocket as he gulped.

"I guess." He stammered, her hot breath tickling his face.

While Pyrrha pouted at another lost chance to get closer to her partner, she did think it was a good idea. She wanted to deepen her friendship with Ren further. Even if she looked embarrassing as she was, she was willing to take care of him to show him how much she treasured their friendship. Pyrrha pumped her fists in determination, the action causing her breasts to bounce by Ren's bedside.

By the end of the day, they would be as close as he was to Nora! On her name as a Nikos, she will be his second female best friend!

Ren felt his mind shut down as he watched the marvelous things Pyrrha's body did while she moved. Not in all of the lives he had lived, did he ever see such a sight. He fought to tear his eyes away, lest her opinion of him drop.

' _Noooo! Just another peek! I'd happily die a happy man a thousand times over if it meant drinking it in!'_

Damn mind! Even it betrayed him in the end.

Wait! Jaune froze as the situation finally sunk in. That would mean Nora, the terror of legs, the Diva of pancakes, the crazed fan of sloths, who could crush a man three times her size with a giddy laugh, would take care of his now fragile body. Sexiness be damned! He did not want to die of over exposure of curves, or broken bones and crushed organs!

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly certified to use this saw!" Bending down to dig through her white medical bag, Nora excitedly waved around the wiggling blade of her bone cutting saw, "I even got the paper to prove it! Look!"

Ren blinked with a flat expression at the coffee stained paper in his best friends hand, "Doctor Nora? Ph.D? Isn't that Professor Oobleck's degree?"

"Not anymore~!"

Nuh uh. Jaune shook his head as he slowly peeled off Ren's blanket. He still had so much to live for this life!

"Look! A fluffy sloth serving pancakes and breaking legs with a pointy pony hat!"

Nora gasped as she turned away to follow Jaune's pointing finger, "Really!? Where?" She squealed like a school girl. Only to frown in disappointment as a gust blew by her.

"You must really be sick, Jaune-Jaune. All I see is the secret spot Pyrrha hides her porn."

Chiding the blonde knight, she returned to cutting out those nasty germs making her leader feel sick. She blinked finding a dotted outline of Jaune where he once laid.

"He ran away, didn't he?" She blurted dully, receiving nods from her teammates. Nora sighed, cracking her neck as she spun her feet to the door, "That's fine, I love it when they run!" She breathed hotly, biting down on her lip.

Stretching her legs, Nora blasted off her feet in search of her poor patient. She'd tear down every room and hall in Beacon in search of her weak blonde leader!

"Should we follow?" Pyrrha asked nervously, fearing for her crush's safety.

Ren shrugged, frowning as he began coughing roughly. He grimaced as he panted from the draining fit, "If you want to, I won't stop you. Nora needs someone to keep her in line. I'll be fine." He smiled weakly. He didn't want her wasting her time with him if she didn't want to. Even if he would enjoy her company despite her. . .revealing clothing.

Taking one last weary look at the swinging door left by Nora's charge, Pyrrha nodded her head firmly as she made up her mind. She got up for the door, surprising Ren as she shut it.

Jaune would be fine, even if he was sick. He had survived Nora's insanity this long. And Nora knew when to tone down, even she would stop fooling around to take care of Jaune. Now it was her turn to watch over Ren. And she would not fail him!

"I think he'll be fine for now. If he truly is in trouble, he'll head for team RWBY's dorm for safety. For now though," Pyrrha grinned brightly as she headed for the cabinet Ren stored his tea, "We need you drink something nice and hot! What would you like, Ren? I'll make you whatever you please!" She said in a chirpy voice.

Ren looked back to the amazon huntress with surprise as he sat up on his bed. He sniffed as he watched her rummage through his collection of teas.

Did she just turn down a chance to look for Jaune, just to take care of him? That had never happened before. Seeing her turn back to him with two small herbal bags in her hands with a bright smile, Ren couldn't fight the blush on his face, or the smile on his own.

"I'll take Earl Gray right now. How about we both enjoy a cup, Pyrrha?"

* * *

Jaune panted, sweat flying past his face as he ran from the sexy, hammer wielding demon hunting him down. This was not how the planned to die! Death by Nora was not a pleasant wy to go!

He pushed past the students leaving lunch without a care. Even as they stared at his sick, sweating, form running for his life in his boxers. Dignity and pride be damned! He wanted to live!

"Oooooh, Jaune-Jaune~! Come back to bed, will you? I'll let you take a peek at my lovely valley if you come peacefully~!"

'Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't fall for it!' Jaune chanted in his head as Nora's voice rung in the halls. She was getting closer, he needed to hide!

Seeing an empty classroom as he stopped, Jaune quickly dove in, locking the door behind him. He could feel the door rattle as Nora passed by.

A sigh escaped him, sliding down the door with relief. Thank god, he escaped her clutches. But for how long?

"Ohhhhh~? What's this we have here? Is that you, my darling?"

Jaune's right eye twitched as footsteps walked towards him. Ivy Antheia's creamy legs greeted his sight, her ponytail lightly smacking him on the nose as she leaned down to meet his face. She licked her lips at his sweating form. His ragged breaths created a tightness in her core that no amount of rubbing her legs together could quell.

Ivy caressed Jaune's cheek, cooing as she knelt down to his slumped level, "Look at you, you're as pale as a ghost, my dear. You'll catch your death out here. Come along now, my bed is nicely furnished for two." Ivy smiled sensuously, her fingers trailing his wet, muscled chest. Made her moan lightly as her teeth dug into her lips, "I have the perfect 'nectar' to cure you of your sickness. And in kind, you'll let me taste yours."

The tightness! It wouldn't stop!

"Oh? Isn't that a lovely little flower in your pants. What a big boy, it's just right~."

Jaune was too sick to be dealing with this! He only had one option.

"Look! It's my twin brother, Juan Arc! And he's proposing a threesome!"

"Really!?" Ivy gasped happily, swinging her head to follow Jaune's finger behind her, "I don't know if I'm ready for two at once! I'm just a flower!" She gushed.

Ivy's blue eye's blinked, the only thing greeting her being her desk. A look back to her love revealed a dotted outline of his body and a swinging door. She sighed, cracking her fingers as she stood back up.

"I love it when they run." She grinned.

* * *

' _What the hell is it with orange haired girls? I swear they only exist to make me run for my life.'_ Jaune sniffed, fighting the urge sneeze as leaned against a wall at the end of the hallway. Now he had two maniacs chasing after him.

Using Scan to find any sight of the two demon woman, Jaune was happy to not find them in his map's HUD. He needed a moment to breath.

'Where am I?' Jaune gulped, his breath steadying as he looked around the hall. It looked familiar, 'Wait, this is where my dorm is. How did I get all the way back here?'

Going back to his dorm was out of the question. Nora would come back to check on Ren before running of for his sick ass. He needed to lay low. And he needed protection. Which meant he had only one option. His eyes trailed the door opposite to his room, where four powerful huntresses dwelled.

Only RWBY could protect him from the likes of Nora.

Knocking on their door, he was relieved when Ruby cracked it open, her silver eyes blinking at the odd sight in her door way.

"Where are your clothes, Jaune?" Ruby asked slowly, scratching her head. Wasn't he sick today.

"Long story, I just need a place to lay low for a while." Jaune pleaded with watery eyes, sniffing as he begged, "Doctor Nora wants to cut me up to get rid of the germs, and Professor Antheia's promising things, sexy things I'm not ready for!"

"Who is it, Ruby!?"

"It's Jaune! And he's seeking sanctuary in his boxers again!" Ruby yelled back to her sister.

"Nora? Then let him in! No one deserves whatever she's planning."

Ruby nodded her head as she opened the door for Jaune, "If it's sanctuary you seek, then come on in! Welcome to our holy abode!"

Jaune smiled gratefully to the dark redhead girl before stepping in. Finally, some sane people!

His body froze as his blue eyes came eye to eye to the stunned face of his Snow Angel. Her skirt laid between her feet, leaving her in her frilly white panties as he caught her mid change. Her blazer laid on her bedside and her arms where in the air as her shirt was pulled over her breasts, her snow patterned bra loosely covering her petite breasts. That wasn't all though, no. Blake stood frozen as she covered her naked breasts in the middle near her own bed. Her purple bowed panties were the only clothing on her.

And worst of all, with a shit eating grin plastered on her face, was Yang. With no panties, her hands unclasping her yellow bra to change into her favorite bed time shirt, she stood by her partner with waggling eyebrows. She snickered at his dropping jaw.

Ruby smacked her head as she closed the door behind her, "Oops! Sorry, we were busy changing when you knocked. You can chill in the corner while we finish up!" Ruby smiled innocently, unbuttoning her own blazer, dropping it back as she took off her shirt. Her cute bra greeted his guilty ravaging blue eyes, bouncing lightly as she grinned, "You should be use to this, seeing as you have seven sisters, right? We trust you."

' _I saw them.'_ Jaune's mind thought dully. Those picture perfect flesh melons, the perky pink nips, and the forbidden valley down under. Not to mention his Snow Angel, so beautiful, so graceful and petite. And Blake, leaving much to the imagination.

' _I'm dead. My soul can no longer be saved. Forgive me, mother. . .And stop laughing, Dad.'_

Eventually, Weiss snapped out of her shock as an angry red blush painted her face. No one would blame her for what happened next.

"KYAAAAA! DIE, YOU FILTHY BLONDE HEADED SHIT!" Weiss roared, summoning on her glyph to appear in front of Jaune. He was helpless to defend against the massive fist made of ice ramming into his fragile body. The door to their room was smashed to bits as she sent him crashing out the room.

Blake stared out the new hole to their room, her blush dying down as she gazed at the twitching blonde pinned by the cold giant fist, ". . .Is he dead? And did Weiss just curse?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Yup, can you say, New ringtone~!" Yang sang as she recorded everything on her scroll.

With the ice shattering to tiny pieces, Ruby ran out the door to check on her best male friend.

"It's his fault!" Weiss growled, turning away with a huff, "He made his grave once his unworthy eyes looked upon my changing form. I was lucky to have my bra on."

"Eh, he isn't missing much."

"Shut your trap, Yang! This is all your fault!"

Ruby patted Jaune' cheeks as stars danced in his visions. He was lucky to be alive.

"Jaune! Speak to me!" Ruby cried in despair, sitting on his lap and hugging his dizzy face to her chest. Poor Jaune, he was already sick enough as it is. Now her partner had nearly killed him. She sniffed as she hugged his head tighter.

' _I can feel them. They're rubbing against my lips.'_ This was wrong, she was fifteen! Yet he couldn't fight the guilty pleasure it brought.

Ruby blinked, "What's poking my thigh? Feels really hard yet tender and fleshy."

Stopping her friendly cuddles, two presences suddenly stood behind her, their shadows blocking the light as she turned her head back. She smiled.

"Hi, Nora, Professor Antheia! What are you doing here?" She asked, cutely tiling her head.

"That's Doctor Nora to you!" Nora nodded her head firmly, chiding the young redhead. Her eyes looked down to the object of her trouble, grinning with glee, "My patient! I've been looking for him everywhere! You really do know how to track down blondes, Professor Antheia."

The equally orange haired woman shrugged with a coy smile, "It's a gift. Now, how about we take him back to treat his wounds. I could use some help holding him down."

"Only if you play the assistant. I worked too damn hard for this fake degree, do you now how hard it is to write over an official document? Not very!"

Ruby sniffed at the two, "You'll make him better?"

"Of course, my little rose." Ivy cooed, gesturing Nora to take Jaune from Ruby's hold. She nodded her head to her partner in crime before turning back to one of her beloved students, "You can trust your teacher to make your friend better. In ways you've yet to understand."

"I don't get it, but thank you!" Ruby beamed as she waved good bye to Nora and Professor Antheia, the barely conscious form of Jaune weakly reaching his hand to her from Nora's shoulder, "I'll see you later, Jaune!"

Now fully changed, Yang stepped out along with the rest of their team as they watched Jaune carried away to his sexy doom, "You sure it was a good idea to leave him to them?"

"Sure!" Ruby grinned as she skipped back to her room to change, "Jaune will be up and stumbling before you know it."

"I don't think he'll be able to walk after the teacher's done with him." Blake deadpanned.

"And adding a mix of Nora is never bound to end well." Yang nodded. Poor guy.

Weiss turned away with a glare, mumbling about dirty blondes and their peeking eyes. Dear god, she saw _**it**_ poke out of his boxers. And the image wouldn't leave! It was going to haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

' _I never knew it could be so big! And it was my first!'_

Back in JNPR's dorm room, everything was fine as Ren sipped his tea. Pyrrha sat beside him, back in her regular uniform as she joined him in a rare moment of peace.

He smiled as the soreness in his throat was relieved. Nothing helped a cold better then some nice hot tea and some pleasant company. This was going to be a memory he swore to cherish for the rest of his years in this hell known as The Game.

He was going to have to thank Jaune for it. Hopefully he survived whatever Nora had planned.

* * *

 **Chapter finished! And it's officially tomorrow on my end! I need that beta, bad. I need sleep!**

 **Like I said earlier, notstop action from here on out till we reach the end of this Arc! Who will survive? Will bonds be broken, will trust be crushed, will guilt and sins consume, and will others fall into the dark shadows fallen over them? The train is sparking and on a crash course to an unknown, and uncertain, End! Will the sun come up tomorrow? Are you willing to bet your bottom dollar on that?**

 **Time for sleep! Goodnight, good people. And I'll see ya'll next Thursday for another exciting new chapter of Multiplayer! Spread the word of this story if you can, I want more people to take a chance on this story like you all did. I wish to make this the most popular RWBY Gamer fic here. Let's see if I got the skills to achieve it.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	12. Definition of Humanity

**Sup? NeoShadows back and refreshed, baby.**

 **Apologies for missing out on Chapter 12 last week. Literally, I finished writing it around eleven o'clock that night. So I had to put it off for this week. Good news though, I was able to finish Chapter 13 yesterday. Don't have to worry about next weeks chapter, I can tell you that. But I was able to touch up my profile while I had the time. Even wrote down future stories in the works as we speak. If you wanna check them out, head on to my profile for a peek. None of them will be released until the end of Volume 1 of Multiplayer. The few that are ready to be uploaded will fill in the slot till we're a good ways in with Volume 4 of RWBY coming out in October. I can't wait to see what RoosterTeeth has in store for us.**

 **No DLC today. Still working on the next piece.**

 **I do have a question for you all. Do you think I should stop answering some of the reviews you all leave behind? Honestly, the only reason I do them is to speak out to you all when I can. Something unique that some authors rarely do. But if you all don't want them, I consider taking them out.**

 **For now, Review Time!**

 **DigitalEmperor001: Man's gotta have ambition. I know Couer is already doing a Gamer like fic now, and the Game We Play is still active, but I still wish to try. I gotta long road ahead of me, I can tell you that much. And no doubt Jaune's grown distrustful of cabins by now. They hold dangerous yet sexy things inside them. Excluding the dwarfs of course.**

 **GhostHornet: Yup, an island. One all to herself with no one ever bothering her. She just wants to be alone, away from the troubles people bring with them. Damn, I was hoping it would get you. Just you wait, I have more in stores.**

 **Einyx: Ren does seem whiny, but he's simply jaded. Imagine if you had to play the same game, over and over again, with all your hard work brought back to nothing whether you win or lose. Nothing he could ever change will stay the same, and the one moment in his life he wishes to change is always intact despite his best efforts. He's tired, fed up, done with playing hero. Only time will tell if he will ever try again. Still glad you enjoy the story though.**

 **Templar Wrath: Yeah, there is more to games then RPG elements. But their not being shown right now. As the story grows, you'll see more elements. As for the Gamer rehashing of old stories, honestly I've only read 5-7 chapters of The Gamer on Kissmanga and only read maybe two fics of RWBY with The Gamer used as a premise. Everything being written is inspired by the video games I've played, mostly Kingdom Hearts. . .and others. (Looks in shame to the shortcut on his laptop reading Huniepop.) Sorry if it feels that way. And for the replying to reviews, I'll see about that. If it's word count you're worrying about, no need to worry. At most my replies count up to 600-800 words. That's not much to skip over. Especially with each chapter being more then 11,000+ words.**

 **Frosty Wolf: Good to be caught up. I got much more waiting for you, best believe that. I'll write down Jaune's status with the others and his abilities when I have the time, maybe at the end of this arc. Along with the other Players available.**

 **SonicFanFlame: . . .Uhhh. Damn, that is a lot of text. Okay, I'll do my best to answer them! I'm getting Pokemon Moon and Poplio, always start off with a water type! And nope! Ren ain't the first Player, nor Adam. The First Player is actually surprising. And Ren is about to reach Lvl30, he ain't that high seeing as he tries to stay out of fighting and playing The Game. Adam on the other hand, man's a monster. And yeah, any Player who dies does not affect the others in The Game. Everything only resets when someone reaches The End, no matter how many Players are left. I think I answered what I can right now. Oh, and one last thing. Ciel, best waifu. Even though I now nothing about her.**

 **Hirshja: You bastard. No Spoiling! Leave Kevin's name out of your loose mouth, heathen!**

 **Warhaler: . . .You say that. But. . .well I'd be spoiling if I said anymore.**

 **Wandai: (Starts laughing maniacally) Son, there is so much more to this scene then you realize. After all, how could he have a memory of his funeral when he was dead? What an error. Or is it? Yeah, it should be unprobable for Holt to have found Jaune as a rat, but a guy as bright as him stood out in there ranks even when compared to Cardin who was also a huntsman in training. Then again, The Game likes to shake things up when it wants things moving along. What a bastard. Things are colliding, who knows who will walk out alive.**

 **Raos: Too many OC girls? Eh. When I stack them up, I have 8 Male OC's and 5 Female OC's. And not all of them are in love with him. Hell, only Antheia is interested in him in the story right now. I haven't even revealed who is going to be included in the Epilogues for the multiple endings. Glad you like the Friends of Faunus, they were interesting to make up. Remember not to take the Harem bit seriously, it's just for fun right now.**

 **Alright, that's it for today. I actually finished early today, go figure. Now I can relax a bit and think about how to start of Chapter 14. And maybe work on some of those future stories in the works. My Pokemon hype is practically sending me through the roof! Or that's just the caffeine. Now let's enjoy the show! It's about to get good.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. They belong to RoosterTeeth. And if you start kicking in my door, slamming me to the floor and screaming in my face as to wear are they(The rights to RWBY) while beating me up in a crappy 3rd grade Batman cosplay, I'll simply say to you one thing.**_

 _ **Martha.**_

 _ **Because apparently, that's all it take to stop a fight to the death these days. And please, don't play Evanscene in the background while in the act. I don't care how good Bring Me to Life sounds, it's an overused Meme. And I thought Batman couldn't be anymore edgier.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Definition of Humanity.**

Ren grunted as Storm Flower blocked the vibrating blade of an FoF member, clicking his teeth as he aimed the barrels of his MSG's into the sweating man. Green lights flashed in front of his eyes before several powerful rounds peppered his goggled face. The HP above the grunts head dropped to zero, leaving him to fall back with a wheezing gasp. Several throwing knives aimed for Ren's back as the grunt's brothers in arms retaliated in kind. With Scan's cross hare's hanging over his right eye, Ren was able to discover the red Dust at the end of the hilts.

Jumping back, the knives struck the ground, flashing brightly as they detonated in flaring plumes of fire. One of the FoF grunts followed after him, madly swinging the sawing sword at him with precise swings. The blade flashed around him as he danced around his attacker. Raising his pistols behind his back, he blocked another FoF from striking his back. His friend saw an opening and struck. Ren scoffed as he simply blocked the next swing. Locking the blades of his pistols with the grunts, Ren broke their power struggle with the added amplification of Storm Flowers shot. The grunts shouted in pain, their wrists swelling as their blades flew out of their hands. With nothing to defend themselves with they were left wide open as Ren spun on his feet, spinning in place as he fired his pistols continuously to spin him around like a bladed top. Pink aura cloaked the blade like fangs of MSG's, elongating them to wide blades long enough to reach both men. The sawing pink blades tore through their aura, depleting them into the red zone.

The two grunts swayed in place as their auras began to flicker. Ren scoffed, aiming his pistols back to the two before firing a shot into their heads. **+850EXP!** They fell back as their auras died away, knocked out by the blows to their heads. Blood trailed down their temples, infuriating one of the grunts watching by.

"You son of a bitch!" He roared, dashing straight at the dead green garbed boy. He swung his sword only for its blade to be blocked by the pink eyed boys fanged pistols. Annoying little bastard! "Team E, report to my location!" he shouted into the mic hidden in his ski mask as he moved back from a kick to his stomach. He began to sweat as his vibrating blade clashed with the boy's blade, the onslaught of swings creating sparks around them in their fight. Leaning to the right, the grunt grinned at the missed fanged chop for his head. Finally, an opening!

Ren frowned at the surprisingly quick strike for his head. Tilting his head away, he miscalculated as the passing vibrating sword nicked his cheek. There went 20HP, what a shame.

"Don't think I'm done, you bitch!" The grunt huffed in a sweat, tightening the grip over his sword, "I'm going to make you pay for killing my friends!" He shouted angrily before unsheathing another blade from his waist.

Ren rolled his eyes as he continued to clash blades with the camo themed man. It wasn't like he killed them in cold blood. Once an enemy's HP reached Zero, they were unable to fight back. They were in a state of unconscious most of the time. Stronger enemies were able to ignore the lack of Aura shielding them as they fought on. That left them in a Critical State. Criticals landed smoothly with no aura to protect them. To surmise, their body was as normal as a regular civilian's, shots to their head would kill them on the spot, a slice at their arms would cut it off, and a stab at their heart would pierce it. Their HP became Negative, the critical hits to their bodies making it easy to drop their Negative HP to the Death Point.

Say you had 1,000HP and it dropped to zero. One critical hit could drop it to -1,000HP. That was the point of death. Nothing would save them at that point. Game Over.

Killing your opponent allowed for an EXP Boost and higher chance at rewards. The enemies personal weapon and attire could also be rewarded once they died. It was optional if you wanted to achieve a high level quickly with rare gear and weapons.

As a student of Beacon, it would be frowned upon if he killed his opponent. They wouldn't kick him out, but he would have to deal with a lecture from Ms. Goodwitch. Not to mention it would be a pain to deal with his friends judging stares. Nora would understand, she'd seen him do it before long ago. But she would still disapprove. . .and make him cook her a kings buffet of pancakes. Jaune would also be a problem. Did not want to deal with another one of his corny speeches.

It was Jaune's fault he was now battling a gang of crazed humanizers. The trip to Vale had gone smoothly at first. He stopped by Dust Till Dawn for more Dust and even had time to stop by A Simple Wok for some breakfast ramen. He was enjoying the small lapse of peace as he drank the tasty broth. That was when the FoF had struck.

The shop across the noodle bar was bombed, its window shattering before the blooming flames. Panic enveloped the streets as men in white and gray cameo uniforms ran out of the flames, attacking several more shops and buildings in hunt for hidden White Fang. Anyone that got in their way was cut down by their high frequency blades. It was smart, the vibrations made it easy to cut through aura.

Unfortunately they made the mistake of ruining his respite. Only a few select people were allowed that. And they were not on the list last he checked.

Ren sighed in annoyance as more of the FoF came into view in the streets they fought. They were coming out of the wood work it seemed. How annoying. At least he went up two levels since their attacks began. Catching the buzzing blade within the space of Storm Flower's fang, Ren moved it to the far side as he aimed his elbow for the man's face. The boost of his pistols recoil turned his elbow smash into an iron hard blow to the temple. The grunt's HP dropped like a rock.

"It's too early for this kind of crap." Ren glared as he found himself dotted by red lights from the FoF's rifles. They wanted to play that game? Fine with him. He shut his right eye as he called on his Mana.

' _ **FoF Grunt, Lvl10.**_

 _ **1,700HP/1,7000HP.**_

 _ **Strength: 10**_

 _ **Defense: 10**_

 _ **Speed: 9**_

 _ **Dexterity: 10**_

 _ **Intelligence: 6**_

 _ **Luck: 5**_

 _ **Weapons:**_

 _ **FoF HF(High Frequency) Sword.**_

 _ **FoF Rifle.**_

 _ **Abilities:**_

 _ **HF Slash.**_

 _ **Explosive Knife.**_

 _ **Wild HF Blade.**_

 _ **Red Dust Shells.**_

 _ **Information:**_

 _ **A common grunt of the Friends of Faunus. Trained by a well trained ninja, this grunt is more then capable of standing toe to toe with huntsman and huntresses for a brief period of time. Beware their HF swords, the deadly vibrations make cutting through aura a simple swipe. When grouped together, they riddle their opponents with Red Dust Shells, blowing them away in flaming pieces.'**_

Good to know. Stronger then the average White Fang grunts by a single level this far in game. Snapping open his eye, his pink iris grew darker as several magenta dyed crosshairs targeted all the FoF grunts ahead of him. They zoomed in before flashing onto his targets.

" _ **Lock On."**_ Ren breathed as he loaded two special icy blue cartridges into his pistols. Time to finish them off. Twin light azure lights twinkled from Storm Flowers barrel as a loading bar appeared in his HUD. Just needed a moment to charge up.

"Load up your Dust ammo!" The head of the grunts shouted. Was not going to let that strange boy fire off whatever he was planning.

Too late, Ren smirked as the crosshair in his eye blinked, the bar to his ability charging finished loading, _**"**_ _ **HailStorm."**_

Vanishing into the wind in a blur, Ren appeared over the grunts heads firing every bullet in Storm Flower's chamber. The bullets twisted around the air with cold blue lights trailing behind them. No amount of running could save the grunts from the rain of chilling shells locked onto their bodies. Their screams of fear and pain were drowned out as their bodies became encased in blocks of ice, chilling the air as their icy forms released wisps of cold vapor.

 **+5** **0** **,100EXP!** _**'You're level has risen by 1!**_ _ **Sakura**_ _ **Storm Lvl1, Unlocked!'**_

Ren smiled as he felt an all too familiar power run through his veins. It was good to have Sakura Storm back. It was one of his favorite early game abilities. The buzzing of his scroll caught his attention as he landed, swiping the message away to read his messages. It was Pyrrha. Ren frowned as he read over the redhead's text.

 _'Blake and Velvet have been kidnapped by the FoF! Come to Vale as soon as possible! We have to find them before they do something to them. Please, come quickly Ren.'_

Ren grumbled as he replied back. First time she text him and it was about a problem The Game created thanks to Jaune. Nothing ever changed.

 _'Understood. I'm already in Vale. I'll see what I can find from the grunts. Be safe. . .and keep Nora's rampaging to a fair minimal.'_

Did not want Vale giving them a bill for her destruction. In this life.

Pocketing his scroll, Ren went off to search for any conscious FoF for information, **_"Scan: Grandscale."_** Red little dots were displayed on his HUD map, revealing the many locations of his enemies on the screen. Time to go hunting for loose lips.

A bigger dot pulsed on the map which he ignored as he ran of for the closest enemy.

Nope! Was not dealing with a boss today if he could help it.

* * *

' _What about the passengers?'_

' _What about them?'_

Cardin grit his teeth as his temper flared. The large coliseum screen showed off a redheaded man with a grimm mask and horns smirking cruelly next to a familiar raven haired girl. The footage was suddenly cut off as it turned to static, the robot recording everything shutting down from the extensive damage littering its frame. His face was shadowed as his shoulders shook with repressed anger.

All this time, he had been in class with a member of the White Fang? Blake had been hiding under his nose as a faunus, a dirty stinking faunus! And the worst of the lot. His blistering blue eyes glared at the ashamed frown on the cat girl's face. She was looking away from his judging sight.

"You." Cardin hissed, his muscles tensing as his heart beat went wild. Adrenaline was surging through his veins.

Grimacing over the tight hold of the shadows keeping him grounded, Jaune weakly raised his head as he spoke to Cardin, "You don't understand, Cardin! She's not part of the White Fang anymore! She left them for a chance of a clean start. She's innocent!" he shouted, flinching as Holt increased the grip over his body.

"Innocent?" Cardin laughed in disbelief, snarling as he pointed his finger at the stunned ninja girl, "Her kind is responsible for the deaths of hundreds! How would you call that innocent!?"

"Wait? You knew about me?" Blake asked with wide eyes. How? He wasn't even surprised about her cat ears either. How was that possible, she had never met him till initiation.

Holt grinned widely as the blonde knight cursed to himself, "My, my, Jaune. You're just full of dirty surprise, aren't you?" Holt smirked before snapping his fingers. He ignored Cardin's hateful glare of the cat faunus as he turned his attention to his fellow blonde released from his shadows, "Ah, ah, ah~!" He sang, shaking his finger at the charging knight. Unsheathing a hunter's knife from within in his battlecoat, he used the blade to slowly lift Velvet's chin up threateningly. The action stopped Jaune in his tracks he openly clenched his teeth in frustration.

"One wrong step, and she won't be given the freedom of even waking up as a proper human."

Dammit, dammit, dammit! Jaune glared hatefully back at the Cheshire grin on Holt's smug face. In Velvet's knocked out state, her aura couldn't protect her from any harm. Why was she even here? She should have been in Beacon along with Blake, safe from the FoF. Even they weren't confident enough to make a move on their grounds.

"Now, you have an option, boy." Holt explained, his knife tracing over Velvet's cheek, "See, my little Ann is actually fond of you, for reasons I can't fathom. It would be such a devastation if she were to learn that you were only using her for your own agenda of sending her and her family to prison for the rest of their lives. And there's nothing more heart wrenching then the look of betrayal on her pretty little face. So I'm giving you an option." he stopped smiling as he spoke seriously. Flipping a switch on his knife, sparks ran along the blade as he stabbed the bunny girl's shoulders. She awoke a with a scream of anguish, her body lighting up with lighting as he pushed her towards Jaune.

"Velvet!" Both Jaune and Blake shouted in worry. Jaune dashed for her sparking body, catching her as he brought her to his chest. Her weak chocolate orbs gazed back at him in confusion, the sparks around her body dying down.

Body trembling from the painful wake up call, Velvet was at lost of where she was. Her left shoulder was soaking her uniform with blood from the stab her aura was now working on healing. Last thing she recalled was staring into the eerily haunting eyes of the FoF's leader standing in front of her. She'd seen that look before long ago.

"Velvet, are you okay!?" Jaune asked in worry as she tried to focus her eyes on his own.

"Jaune? What's going on?" Velvet frowned weakly. She tried to standing back up, only for several black tendrils to pop out of her shadow and coil around her limps. They held her down as she was forced to sit on her knee's with a pained gasp.

Jaune spun his head back to Holt with a snarl only for a rough hand to pat down on his shoulder. From the shadow stretching out behind him, the shaggy haired humanizer appeared from the depths of his silhouette. Sweat rolled down his face as Holt's knife poked at the side of his temple with deadly intent. His damn semblance was overpowered!

"Here's your option, Jaune." Holt scowled deeply, flipping his knife in his palm. Grabbing Jaune's hand, he forced his palm open before dropping the knife into his grip, "Save your little friend of her ugly curse and join my cause. She would look so much prettier without those ears on her head."

Big mistake, "As if!" Jaune roared, gripping the new weapon in his hand. He swung the blade for Holt's head, caught be surprise when the knife struck. The slash kicked the shaggy blonde back with a grunt. Wasn't going to question it, Jaune thought while dashing towards the stumbled humanizer. He was ending this now!

His knife went in for a stab towards Holt's chest. A long spear length black steeled baton suddenly came in between the two blondes, blocking Jaune's small knife and shattering it upon impact. Ann's glaring green eyes stared back at him, her body shielding her boss from her so called 'friend'.

"Lay off the boss, Blondie." Ann said dully, twirling her weapon in her hand before it collapsed into a smaller stick. Its ends were adorned with orange spearheads that withdrew with a click, leaving only the studded red bands at the ends. Her weapon slid back into her sleeve by a hidden mechanism as she lightly scowled at Jaune's tensed form, "You can't be attacking him like that. He's more then capable enough to kill you on the spot. Just," she struggled for a moment, her eyes turning to the weakly struggling form of the bunny girl looking to them pleadingly. She sighed at the look before steeling her resolve, "Get it over with. It's either live as part of us, or die. You don't have any other options."

"You can't be serious?" Jaune shook his head with disbelief, "Velvet's my friend! I'm not going to cut her faunus ears off just because that bastard thinks it's the only way to make her fit in. His way of logic is batshit insane! If I can accept her as who she is, then others should be able too. Being a faunus is not a curse, it's a blessing!" he roared angrily.

"Blessing? Don't make me laugh, boy." Holt laughed cruelly as he cracked his neck. He moved the blue haired girl to the side as he swept his hands towards the two faunus school girls, "The faunus are cursed to walk the earth as monsters! Freaks! No better then the Grimm! Humanity has blamed them for all the problems plaguing the world, and you call their curse a blessing!? But what do I expect coming from the mouth of a rat!" He shouted.

Ann frowned, "Rat? What are you talking about, boss?"

"Check for yourself, Anabel." Holt tossed back the scroll he pickpocket earlier to Ann, "You've hung around him long enough to bypass the security on his scroll. I'm sure it will tell you all you need to hear."

' _No duh.'_ Ann scoffed as she caught the small white tablet, ' _The idiot talks about some girl he calls 'Snow Angel' all the time. No brainer what his password could be.'_ Typing in the nickname, Ann was able to easily unlock the scroll. She opened up the messages seeing a new notification, her eyes reading the texts to a familiar name.

Her knuckles cracked as her grip on the scroll threatened to break it apart to pieces.

"Who is Church? And what is he talking about 'raid'?" Ann hissed furiously, her face becoming shadowed. If it was who she thought it was then he had a lot of explaining to do.

"I-I can explain." Jaune's words stumbled. This wasn't how he wanted her find out, "I was suppose to help them gather intel on Holt's bases and workings. They were going to reduce your sentence if I helped them out!"

An emotionless chuckle slipped out of Ann's lips as she looked down, "My sentence? So all this time, you were using me? You were going to have them lock me up like some criminal! I should have known!" She shouted angrily, biting her lip as her voice began to tremble.

No one could be so generous and kind if they didn't want anything from you. Blondie had been using her, he got close to her just so she could tell him about the Friends of Faunus and their plans. That day in the cafe must not have been a coincidence like she thought. It must have been part of their plans, to get close to her using some kind gesture as a way to gain her trust. And she fell for it like an idiot.

Nothing in this world was free, not even friendship.

"Everything you ever said was just so you could earn my trust. You were playing me like some sucker the entire time. I should have never accepted those 5 Lien, I should have never trusted you!"

"Ann. . ." Jaune reached his hand out to the trembling blue haired girl.

"SHUT UP!" Ann roared, the volume making Jaune step back with a hurt expression. No, she furiously shook her head with a venomous glare. He wasn't allowed to feel hurt for what he had done, "And to think I felt guilty about dragging you into this mess. You're even worse then us, then White Fang, then the Grimm!" She openly ground her teeth, ashamed of the wet hot moisture gathering in her green eyes, "Guess you failed initiation. Which means we have no use for a rat like yourself."

"Now you're speaking my language!" Holt grinned gleefully, stretching his hand out to pull his favored weapon from his shadows. He had been dying to tear him a new one.

Ann stopped him with a furious tearful scowl, "No. I can handle this. I want to be the one to end him!"

As much as Holt wanted to argue, he thought better against it. When Anabel had such a look in her eye there was no saying other wise.

He shrugged, snapping his fingers in command for his shadows to gather underneath Jaune. At least he could stay and watch Cardin fully commit. The boy was awfully quiet with such a hateful look on his eye. Time to see if he would fall into the darkness.

"Fine. Knowing you, you'll need some time to get into your gear and retrieve the rest of your weapons. So I'll give him a few toys to play with in the mean time. A few of my men will accompany you when you're ready. Even if he's a bastard, the boy shouldn't be underestimated with." Holt flashed his sharp canines savagely as the shadows snapped over Jaune's body. The blonde knight struggled against his semblance hold, gazing solemnly back to Ann who turned away with a scoff, "It's your lucky day, boy. You don't have to suffer under Death Rattle's blade. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of your bunny friend in your passing. The kitty, not so much"

The shadows engulfing him crawled up to his neck, leaving Jaune with no hope of escape. He had no idea where Holt was sending him but it wasn't going to be pleasant. His blue eyes moved towards Cardin, his brows furrowing in worry, "Cardin! Whatever you do, don't fall for his bullshit! I don't know what happened to you in the past to make you hate the faunus, but it shouldn't matter right now! You're better then this! I know you're not like them. So-!"

Holt grinned as the shadows gulped him up, cutting him off. Thank god! How annoying, talk about a sap.

He sent the blonde to a lower arena bellow, giving the go ahead to Ann, "I'd hurry, little Ann. The Beowolves just might beat you to the punch."

Ann didn't acknowledge her boss. She simply turned away as she made her way out of the main coliseum. She was done listening. The only thing she could hear were her raging thoughts.

With Ann gone, Holt went back to the real drama in front of him. Seeing the bunny girl still fighting his hold, he sucked her within her own shadow, warping her to the stands above. He joined her with lax grin, leaning back in the comfy seats as he pulled her in.

Velvet grimaced in the man's arms, his brown eyes and grin digging up memories from her past.

"Long time, no see. Hope you didn't forget little old me, bunny girl." Holt chuckled, scratching at his nose where his clawed scars greeted her. The memory of her small fingers scratching her attacker long ago came back as her eyes flew open in horror, "I got to thank you for the scar. Makes me look rugged, don't you think?"

Now that there were no more distractions in the way, Cardin's full attention went back to the quiet form of Blake Belladonna.

Why? Why wasn't she saying anything!? She had to say something now that her secret was out. So why was she keeping quiet?

"Say something." Cardin muttered with shaking fists. Still, she refused to met his gaze. It only infuriated him further, "Say something, dammit! Even animals can speak!"

"And say what?" Blake sighed, turning her glaring eyes back to Cardin, "What do you want me to say? That I was once part of the White Fang, that I'm actually a faunus, that I lied so people would treat me the same as them! What does it matter to a racist like you!?" She yelled, fighting the powerful hold of the shadows keeping her still.

It didn't surprise her that Cardin of all people was part of those humanizers. Fit him just fine with his cruel attitude toward her kind. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind of his strong hatred of the faunus, it was only a matter of time before he turned to such savage forms of hate. Jaune on the other hand had caught her by surprise. To think he had been hanging around such people. But it seemed like he had his reasons. A spy, didn't think he had it in him.

Now he was taken Oum knows where and Velvet was in the hands of their leader. She had to get out of here. Velvet wasn't safe in that man's arms. Hopefully Jaune could hold out long enough wherever he was until she could reach him with Velvet. They needed to escape now.

"How long."

' _What?'_ Blake frowned, turning her yellow eyes back to Cardin's shadowed face, "What do you mean?"

"How long were you apart of the White Fang?" Cardin hissed.

"For as long as I can remember. But I left-"

The explosive boom of Beaufort slamming down cut Blake off, Cardin's snarling face putting the ninja girl on edge. He did not look pleased.

"I want numbers! How many years did you spend with those fucking animals!" he shouted, his mace's Dust crystal flaring brightly.

Blake coughed lightly as the small explosion created a dust cloud. Why would he want to know how long she had been with them? What did it matter? "Why? Why do you want to know?"

"Just tell me!"

"Ten, maybe eleven years!" She answered back.

Her answer only made his rage grow stronger. That was long enough.

Heaving Beaufort up to rest on his shoulders, Cardin only had one last question to ask before he decided to what he would do next.

"Tell me, do you know about the Canterbury Square Bombing?"

The name rung a haunting bell within Blake. She sadly knew about the incident far too well. It was one of Adam's first acts of violence towards humanity. So many died in the bombings for Adam's cause. And it was the first time she saw how cruel her partner had become.

It's one of the reasons why she had eventually left. She was too young to say anything about what they had done before, too terrified of her own people turning on her for being soft on those who despised them and cast her out. As the years went by, and each act turned to terrorism as bloody as the bombings, she began to realize that what they were doing didn't justify their means. All they were doing was killing innocent people, they were becoming the monsters they feared. That was no way to be respected or seen as equals.

She nodded with guilt, shutting her eyes as the screams of terror and panic reared back into her head, ". . .Yes, I do."

"Where you part of it?" he muttered with no emotion, his face tensing as a vein pulsed on his forehead.

Blake didn't want to answer that question. She hadn't done much at the time, she didn't even know what they were planning as she helped her brothers and sisters in arms set up the odd packages around the square. But she had down her part, and was too late to stop them as Adam detonated the bombs.

The blood of innocent stained her hands, just like many others.

Cardin's rough hands picked her up from Holt's semblance, tearing off the shadows as he raised her up to meet his scalding eyes, "TELL ME!"

Blake looked away in shame, ". . .Yes, I was." She admitted, shutting her eyes.

Cardin dropped the cat faunus as his heart stopped. He began to sweat as the girl's guilty expression morphed into a wild twisted grin, her eyes slitted as her long hair stood up with an evil aura.

She was there! She was one of the filthy savages that took his family away from him! It was her fault his father had become so distant, why he had lost his mother and sister! The dirty faunus was the reason he no longer had a happy family to go back to. And she was standing right in front of him.

"It's your fault." he droned, suddenly laughing in a broken voice. His eyes were wide with tears as he swung his mace, "You killed my mother and unborn little sister!" He roared with pure hatred, slamming the tips of his weapon to the left side. A large cloud of flames detonated upon impact, creating a bellowing wind of hot air to blow past them within. The light of the fire raging around them lite up Cardin's furious features as Blake shielded her face with her arms crossed.

Holt grinned at the display. About time, he was growing bored with the sullen silence. He needed action! Speaking of action, he mused while reaching for his scroll. Needed to activate the force field, other wise they were in danger of any of their attacks flying up and hitting them. Not to mention release the Grimm below. Had to have something for Jaune to entertain himself with.

Blake's heart dropped at the new piece of information. She did what? The rage and hatred staring her down didn't lie. Sickness took over her as she weakly stood back up.

"Cardin." Blake's voice trembled, frowning sadly at the boy she had hurt deeply without even knowing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mea-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Cardin roared, charging into the cat faunus guard. He gave her no time to react as he batted his heavy weapon into her stomach. She gasped in pain, her breath robbed in one swing. Her body was sent flying far back, crashing against the end wall of the arena with a pained shout.

Blake held her side gingerly as she gasped. If it hadn't been for her aura protecting her, she was sure to have broken every bone in her upper body. Flinching, she gazed back at the brown haired huntsman with one eye as he steadied his weapon.

"You don't get to feel sorry. The only thing you get to feel, is the same pain and fear everyone that has fallen to you fucking savages felt before death."

Twirling Beaufort around, Cardin leveled its head to the grimacing faunus with cold eyes. If this was what Holt would give him for joining his organization, then so be it. The life of a huntsman could never compare to the feeling of sweet retribution.

"This is your trial. Something you animals are unfamiliar with. Consider me your judge, jury, and executioner!" he roared before charging with his mace glowing with a new energy.

It was time Justice was finally served.

* * *

Bullets pierced the hood of Church's police car, sparking an ignition in its engine before erupting in flames. The force blew several of the officers close by back by the rushing flames and smoke. He fell into a coughing fit as he ducked for cover under the sniper fire raining down the streets.

Chaos filled the streets as the Vale Fire Department tried to control the flames eating away at the local shops and businesses in the main street. The Friends of Faunus weren't making it easy as they attacked whoever got in the way of their crusade, cutting any down with no remorse. Their message bad been clear, no one would stop them. Blood had already been spilled, several of uniformed officers lying in pools of their own blood from the bullet holes drilled into their heads.

Church grit his teeth as he hid behind the side of smoking shop, seeing one of the officers that had greeted him into the force long ago shot dead from his line of sight. There wasn't much he could do against snipers with such skill. He gripped his pistol tightly as another shot rang in his ear along with the sound of another dropping body. They were picking them off like flies.

"This is Officer Joey Church to HQ! We need heavy reinforcements down here, ASAP!" Church shouted into his mic, sweating as the side of his cover spot was chipped off by a firing sniper. He was out of hiding spots, he wouldn't last long like this. Another bullet aimed at his hiding spot, tearing off a large chunk as several more followed, "ASAP! We're being slaughtered out here!"

"We're trying! But we're dealing a blockade of FoF grunts keeping us from reaching your spot. Any attempts to breach their blockade is being shot down! Just hold on for the time being, we have Huntsman and Huntresses heading for Vale to aid!"

Hold out? He couldn't hold out any longer! Half of the officers that had answered the call earlier had been killed, the rest had run for safety wherever they could find. Church was the only one left trying to protect the fireman controlling the blaze engulfing everything. Speaking of which, his eyes caught the sweating forms of a group fireman hosing down an apartment complex, their backs turned from the three FoF members lurking toward their backs. They were sitting ducks.

This put him in a dilemma. If he went out to save them, he would be wide open for the rain of sniper fire from above. He'd be dead before his blood hit the ground. But staying back would be leaving the fireman to their deaths. His morals were fighting his desire to live.

In the end, Church's morals beat his desire to live to a bloody pulp. He cursed himself loudly as he loaded his pistol. Didn't matter if his life was at stake, he had a job to do.

Counting to three, Church ran out of his cover spot towards the fire fighters. Relying on his training from the police academy, the lone officer weaved through the fire of bullets aimed at him. The three lurking FoF grunts turned their attention to the sound of pelting bullets. Several Dust rounds greeted them back, hitting their marks as they fell before Church's gunfire. One of the FoF had enough strength to stand back up. He grit his teeth as he abandoned his sneak attack on the firefighters to attack the officer charging at him.

Church leaned to the right to dodge the swiping sawing blade. The FoF's sword buzzed loudly, flashing as the grunt wildly tried to dice him to bits. Church began to sweat as he tried to maneuver around the deadly blade. He was getting too old for this! It was a good thing he had his aura unlocked while he was training. Catching an opening in the grunt's mad swings, Church dug his fist into the man's face. He grinned as he knocked him back to the ground. The grunt made no move to get up as his body slumped and fell into unconsciousness.

Still got it! Catching his breath, the glass's wearing officer went back to the men fighting the raging fires. Banging shots echoed in his ears as several dead thumps fell over. His heart stropped at the sight of the dead firefighters dead by headshots. He was too late.

A whistling breeze caught his attention before his shoulder erupted in pain. Blood gushed from his shot right shoulder as he fell to his knee's with a grunting shout. Fuck! Church gasped as he tried to stand back up to run. He only ran a few steps before two more sniper bullets pierced his upper body. He fell forward with a thud, his chest spazzing as he tried to keep himself from coughing up the blood seeping out his lips.

"Pointless." A cold metallic voice droned, their footsteps drawing closer to his bullet riddled body. Church weakly raised his head to the lone man standing in front of him. The hooded man wore a creepy bunny skull mask with its eyes replaced by a red gleaming trifocal night goggles. Smoke escaped the man's odd longsword, clicking as it dropped several empty shells from its hilt.

Where were the rest of the man's snipers? It couldn't only be him. One man was capable of sniping them down?

Cross loaded another round into his weapon, Horizon, as his red lenses peered down his latest target. He was the last of the bunch. A few more and it should suffice as a clear message. If they wanted more bodies hitting the ground pointlessly, then it was fine with him. They had every chance to escape.

"Why do you persist to resist?" Cross sighed as he kicked the standard issued police pistol out of Church's hand. He paid the pained glare no mind as he finished reloading the last of his ammo, "We gave you the option to run and live. Are you truly surprised at the outcome awaiting you now?"

"Not really." Church chuckled, coughing a glob of red from his blood stained lips. Hey, if he was going to go out, he wasn't going out like a bitch. He grinned widely up at his killer with no fear, refusing to give the inhuman man the pleasure of seeing him die in a sorry state, "If I wanted to live a long life, I would have listened to my wife and taken that management job at her father's sports outlet."

"Then death is no stranger to you." The gleaming red barrel of his hybrid weapon stared down Church's forehead. "Know that I take no true pleasure in the spilling of your blood. But a soldier must follow orders to the letter."

Church couldn't help but laugh, "To the letter, huh? Yeah, guess that's what is to be expected of us." He smiled remorsefully, his thoughts turning back the clock to the image of a dirty little red headed girl. Her wary and pained eyes stared back at him, paining him more the then the three bullets lodged in his body, "But if we always listened to what our superiors told us to do, we'd become no better then the robots we build to listen to our every command. Sometimes, you just need to disregard an order or two based on what you believe is right. Don't you think?"

"No. That is the folly of man, and why I have transcended such errors that plague both our kind." Cross's three red lenses spun, pausing as they focused onto his target. His finger hovered over the trigger, his body humming eerily, "Now, are you done wasting your time in an ill attempt to buy yourself minutes for help to arrive? I have more targets to hunt down."

"Wasting your time? Buddy, that's all I'm really good for. Besides, I'm not buying time for a rescue." He suddenly grinned cheekily, a baton sliding out of his right arms sleeve. It sparked wildly before he took what little time he bought to strike the inhuman man's leg. Volt's of electricity ran up Cross's body, messing with his cybernetics. The grip on Horizon loosened, the sparks running through his body causing him to drop his weapon.

Church weakly smirked as he struggled to rise back up. His aura was working to heal the damage done by the sniper's bullets, but it was a hard process. Some of his organs had been close to being punctured. He was lucky his aura hadn't been depleted completely. He grimaced as he stood in front of the twitching sniper. His body must have cybernetics if his stun baton had done this to him. Then again it was set to the highest possible setting it's Dust crystal could handle.

Alright, it was time to get out of here before the lunatic could get a grip on his body. Sheathing his baton back into the mechanism in his sleeve, Church went on to trudge his way away as he radioed for help.

"SYSTEMS BACK ONLINE. ACTIVATING HEALING UNIT. LIMITER REDUCED, RUNNING AT 40% POWER. TARGET, LOCKED."

"Wha-?" Church frowned, cut off suddenly from turning around as a hard knuckled fist slammed into the side of his face. The strength behind the fist knocked him back a few spaces, slamming him back into the side of the home he had been using for cover.

His aura flickered, dying away as he gasped, coughing up a wad of blood and saliva as he slid down against the wall. Blood trailed the wall, his wounds bleeding out without the help of his aura healing the damage. _'Fuck! The guy must be a machine, I've never been hit that hard before in my life.'_ Church's jaw was painted with a swollen bruise, making it a struggle to even moan.

A soothing hum could be heard from Cross's body as it began to repair the damage done by the officers surprise attack. He stretched his arm back, his palm opening up to reveal a dark purple Dust crystal embedded within. Horizon spun in the air back into his hand, its hilt hovering an inch between the Dust in his palm as it revealed a similar crystal at the very bottom.

The sparks crawling on his body died away as he clenched his open fist. His systems had taken a hit, but it wasn't anything he couldn't easily fix. The officer should have finished him off when he had the chance instead of walking away. What a soft hearted fool. His mistake would be his end.

Taking his time to reach the bleeding out officer, Cross couldn't fight his curiosity as he watched the man try to get back up, "Again, why do you continue to resist? My scanners show that you're in danger of bleeding out, you've already lost a dangerous amount of blood as it is. And your aura has been reduced to nothing, there's nothing to heal anymore of your wounds from here on out. No one is coming to your rescue, there is no hope of survival. So why," Cross asked flatly, pressing his sniper barrel back against Church sweaty, dirty forehead roughly, "Do you continue to struggle?"

"Because I have too many regrets to just kick the bucket like this!" Church shouted, the action causing a stabbing pain in his jaw. He struggled to speak as he glared back at Cross through his cracked sunglasses, "I could honestly be a better husband at home, I could be a more supportive father, and I could be a better officer! I have way too many regrets in my life to die right here, there's still one wrong that I could right, but I can't do nothing if I let you blow my brains out here! That's why I'll struggle, I'll bite, and I'll squirm like a fucking worm, to survive! Because I have too much to do to die like this!" He roared, swinging his sparking baton out for another strike.

Cross caught the sparking metal rod despite what it had done before. His systems had upped his resistance greatly. And with a simple grip, the baton broke into pieces.

"Petty words of a dying man. Human, Faunus, I truly don't care of your reasons to live. I find all this hate between the species pointless. If I put a bullet through either of your skulls, you die the same."

"Then why are you trying to humanize the faunus if you find it all pointless?"

"I am a soldier under Master Holt's command. An assassin for his cause. Call it repaying a great debt, no matter the task, no matter how cruel, no matter how morally questioning it may be, I follow it to the letter. That is my purpose. And you're in the way of fulfilling that purpose."

Church shut his eyes as he fell back to the ground. There wasn't much to do now. His body was too weak and beaten up to fight back. This was it. As much as he hated to give up, there wasn't anything he could do now. He wasn't superhuman, incredibly fast, or even had a semblance to get him out of situations like this. He was just an ordinary human that dared to become something more.

' _Sorry, Ashlee, looks like you're going to be a single mother. Take care of Ben.'_ He smiled with bloody lips, his thoughts turning back to the redheaded girl in his his memories, _'You too, Anabel. I'm sorry I turned my eyes away from you all those years ago. It's my fault you were sucked into the Vale's underground. I just wish you can forgive me.'_

"Now die."

"Incoming!"

' _Huh?'_ Opening his eyes, Church was stared dumbly at the sight of a young red hooded girl in a red and black combat skirt double kicking the sniper's face. Rose petals scattered around them as the blow kicked Cross off his feet and sent him skidding on his side. The sniper grunted in frustration, flipping back on his feet. His sniper longsword swiftly aimed to his attacker, firing off three quick shots in less then a second. The hooded girl spun the large red mech scythe around her, blocking every bullet coming after her. She reared its hooked blade behind her, firing off a powerful shot and rode the recoil to slash at Cross. Cross countered the slash with a recoiled powered swipe of his longsword, their blades clashing against each other. Sparks crackled between the fighting steel as they both fought to overpower the other.

"Who are you?" Cross rasped, his right lens gleaming darkly.

The little red hooded girl grinned brightly at him, her silver eyes peeking out of the shadows of her favorite hood, "You're worst, cute nightmare!" Ruby shouted brightly, her eyes narrowing as he bounced back from their clash. She jumped high up in the air, spinning Crescent Rose around in a blur to shift into its rifle form. She aimed its barrel back at the FoF sniper, loading a special cartridge before firing off a shot at the odd man.

Cross swung his blade to counter, only to grit his teeth as the bullet flew by Horizon's edge and lodge itself in his shoulder, _'Damage 7%. Running healing unit. Assessing new Target.'_ Blue sparks ran out of the wound as he frowned.

Several high caliber shots followed, forcing Cross to leave the spot. He dashed away, missing the rain of crumbled road flying up as the shots missed. As surprising as her presence is, he still had another target to finish off. His eyes locked on the officer as he used the distraction to steady himself on his feet.

Ruby frowned. Aww, she was hoping to incapacitate him for information on Blake and Velvet. Her eyes followed after his running form, gasping as she realized what he was after. The officer hadn't escaped. He looked badly injured, if not on the verge of death. Time to be a hero!

Shifting her weapon into its scythe form, she lodged the blade of Crescent Rose behind her, hopping onto the long handle and placing her feet against the inside of its hook. She grinned as she fingered the trigger, setting her sights onto the back of the sniper.

With the officer within his sights, Cross reared his blade back for a quick burst of speed to send him in for a bisecting slice. He fingered the trigger, ready to finish his work. The sound of another sniper fire brought his eyes back. If his eyes were out for others to see, they would be as wide as dinner plates at what he was seeing.

Spinning madly around her large scythe, the little red hooded woman flew towards his back. Skidding to a stop, Cross quickly loaded an Explosive Dust round into Horizon and fired. Using the explosive force, he was able to bounce the twirling hooked blade back. Ruby skidded back on her feet, her hood flying back from the erupting blades trailing the odd blade.

Cross cracked his knuckles as he stared back at the young face of the girl fighting him, "You. . .You're just a child!" He shouted furiously, flashing his blade around as he blocked the girl's bullets. Steam leaked out Horizon's vents as he sheathed his longsword.

Ruby frowned at the action, pausing her firing. Why did he sheath his weapon? They only just started! She pouted as she pulled back its bolt action trigger to unload its empty shell.

"Walk away, child. I do not wish to hurt you. I have business with the man behind me." Cross gestured his thumb back to the blood stained officer. His red lenses dyed a calm green as his fingers tapped the oak sheath by his waist, "I do not wish to place you as a Target. While I hate killing children, I will not hesitate if you wish to get in my way."

"Sorry, but I can't walk away from something like this. As a huntress, it's my job to protect the people of this city! And your leader kidnapped my friends! Whether you like it or not, I'm going to be in your way."

Stubborn little one. Cross shook his head, his eyes bleeding red once again. Fine, if that was what the little girl wanted then he had no right telling her other wise. He peeked back to the officer, sighing in a metallic tone. The bleeding man had escaped it seemed. Sneaky little human. That was fine, he nodded as he turned his gaze to his new target. All he would need to do is follow the trail of blood later. His hunt was far from finished.

"Like all those who fell before my Horizon, you had your chance to escape. Do not be surprised by your death." Cross scoffed, disappearing in a blur a second later.

Ruby cursed. The guy was really fast and it didn't look like a semblance.

Her silver eyes spun around for the goggle masked samurai. He must have been hiding in the abandoned buildings around her. It's what she would have done if she primarily fought with a sniper rifle. Crescent Rose was much more then that though.

From his hiding spot in a smoking shop, Cross tweaked his goggles to lock on to the girl. His cross hair steadied over the girl's body, allowing him to load three glowing green shells into Horizon. No need to drag this fight on, better to kill her quickly then let her suffer.

Spinning on her feet, Ruby's eye caught a glance of a green light peeking out of a burned shop. Not a second later did three bullets cut through the air aimed at her head.

Petals danced in the wind as she speed off the spot, her semblance saving her from the fatal shots as they passed her by. More followed after her, leaving her no option but to dodge. She already knew where he hid, she just needed to draw him out. Crescent Rose collapsed into its compact rifle form, giving her a better firing rate. She continued to dodge the incredibly fast sniper shots, firing back whenever she had the chance. Cross grunted as he vanished from his hiding spot to avoid the countering gunfire. He zipped around the girl, loading and unloading shell after shell in a blitz of bullets. With her semblance, Ruby was able to dodge each bullet as they danced around each in a cascade of empty shells and red roses.

The lashing blade of Horizon came for her head as Cross appeared in front of her in a blur. She ducked under, hooking Crescent Rose's blade around his leg. With a recoiled swing, she tripped his legs, leaving him wide open for a barrage of swift swings.

Again and again, Cross was beaten around by the twirling red mech scythe, his body's defenses struggling to up his defenses. He was already forcing it to run at 55% power, looked like the girl was making him up the output. Having had enough of the assault, he swung his arm against its swinging long handle, bouncing it back as he brought his longsword back. The added fire of an explosive round sent the little girl flying back from his swiping blade.

Catching herself from the burning blow, Ruby panted as the man came rocketing off the spot for his own barrage of long reaching swings. Cross swung for her feet, she jumped up and spun around Crescent Rose for a slash at his chest. He spun around the scythe, flipping Horizon's trigger out to fire as he kicked her feet from under her. The bullet glowed with a dark purple pulse, its gravity element sending Ruby flying high in the air where she remained floating by the Dust enchanted shell.

"Lock on. Initiating heavy fire." Cross spread his arms apart from another as the sounds of gears whirring and turning filled the air. Four hidden slim cannon barrels sprung from his back, their barrels spinning in place before setting their sights on the airborne girl. He then slammed his arms into the ground, crouching to steady himself as the cannons began loading with red light, "Qua-Cannons, READY! FIRE!"

Nope! Was not going to stick around for something like that. While the Gravity bullet was keeping her in the air, that didn't mean it stopped her from moving. Reaching for another cartridge, Ruby dropped the few left in Crescent Rose before slamming the newer case in. Time to start flying.

With a resounding crackling boom, Cross fired four bright red cannonball's of flaring fire. They speed up for the sweating red headed girl, drawing closer to blowing her to bits. But Ruby wasn't having that. The crescent blade of her scythe straightened back a bit, resembling a spear. It's new form allowed it send her soaring to the right as she fired, its new recoil shattering the gravity effect trapping her. The scorching balls of fire blew her hair around as they flew past her, never stopping till it began to lose their stability. Plumes of orange red flames decorated the sky behind her as she shot down to the FoF sniper. Cross was left open as his cannons needed a moment to cool, their smoking barrels preventing him from drawing his weapon back.

The spear blade sliced through his midsection, tearing his armored vest as she shot passed him. Fixing Crescent Rose back to its scythe blade, Ruby spun it around the still sniper, her blade lashing at his body in red blurs. Adding a few bullets in didn't hurt either.

' _Damage at 37%, healing unit at 86%, maximum power at 59%. Status:_ _Qua-Cannons recharging, until cool down completion: 1:00 minute.'_ The little girl was stronger then she looked. She even managed to damage his healing unit with one of her shots. With every swift swing of her scythe, she was chipping away at his defenses. 59% percent power wouldn't be enough to kill her it seemed. He needed to raise the output further.

Pausing her barrage, Ruby swung her scythe's handle around her waist. She pressed it against her back before standing on her tip toes and firing another shot. A red blurring ring spun around her as she twirled like a spinning top in place, slashing at Cross's cannons repeatedly. It was enough to chop off one of the cannons barrels.

' _Status: Qua-Cannon disabled. Resorting to Duo-Cannon. Cool down: Complete.'_

About time.

A heavy pressured grip tugged at Crescent Rose's blade, stopping Ruby's mad spin. Cross's red lenses gazed back at her, narrowing as three cross hair's appeared as iris's, "You have tried my patience, little one. I can no longer hold back. Limiter reduced."

Red lines suddenly appeared on his body, running around in odd patterns as little vents popped out of his shoulders. Hissing steam bellowed out of the vents, blinding Ruby as the grip on her precious weapon was released.

"RUNNING AT 80% POWER. TARGET, LOCKED. INITIATING INTERNAL DUST OUTPUT."

Three gleaming red lights stared back at Ruby before vanishing with the bellowing steam. She spun her head for the assassin, only to have a steeled fist plant itself against her cheek. Her eyes trembled as she found the grim looking man beside her slamming his fist into her face as his creepy lower mask's jaw dropped wide open like a screaming skeleton. A vent opened in his elbow, releasing pressurized steam as Cross knocked her off her feet with a boom.

With a bruise forming on her face, Ruby swung her scythe around to steady herself in her flight. Cross didn't leave a chance to catch herself as he appeared behind her, stabbing his elbow deep into her spine. Ruby shouted in pain, suddenly choking it back as he blurred in front of her for a knee jab into her stomach. Cross didn't relent as he spun around for a clothesline uppercut for her exposed throat. Another boom resounded as it connected, sending her flying up in the air again.

' _Got to fight back.'_ Ruby grimaced as she tightly gripped her scythe while holding her bruised neck. If it wasn't for her aura he could have easily chopped it off, if not break it. She swung it back to fly back with a barrage of her blade.

"I told you, you had your chance to escape." A chilling cold voice sighed behind her. Her eyes widened in shock at the voice as she stared down his still form bellow. How? The still body of Cross blurred, vanishing into the wind as she turned her head back to find him rearing his steaming fist back.

"Are you surprised?"

Cross's fist grew how as it was painted by an orange red glow. With no mercy he dug it into the girl's stomach as she spun around to swing her scythe. Its blade nicked the back of his neck before he sent her plummeting back into the streets with his iron hot knuckles. Smoke trailed her descending body before crashing against the empty streets, kicking up a dust cloud from her fall.

Landing back on his feet, Cross walked towards the cloud of dust, parting it away with a simple swing of his hand. In the crater of her impact, Ruby struggled to get up on her knee's. She held her smoking stomach where a fist had burned itself through her clothes and onto her skin. Blood trailed her chin as she winced, glaring back at the robotic man releasing steam from his shoulders.

Her aura was dropping with only a few hits. He had been easy to dance around till now. Was he even human? Ruby could make out the telltale signs of cybernetics around his body. He must be a cyborg or something. A cackling hum of gears escaped Cross's open jawed mask as he aimed his fist at the wounded huntress. One of his slim cannons sprung from his shoulder, twitching before it slid along his arm to mount itself against the back of his palm.

"You're too injured to use whatever speed you had before to dodge again. Already, I can see your body struggle to stand back up. Accept your death peacefully, little one." Cross droned, his mounted cannon lighting up with a charged cannon shot.

Ruby grinned back with a pained grimace. As if she was done already.

"Sorry, but I have too much to live for to kick the bucket so early."

Behind his mask, Cross scowled. Yet another fool tightly clutching their life at the end, "You humans are truly puzzling. Is life so worthless that you would disregard it without a second of thought? You've all had chances to continue living, yet you ignore it to face death with no chance of escape. Is your life so poor that you would throw it away without a care?"

"Nope!" Ruby happily chipped, standing back up even as her back barked with pain. That was going to hurt tomorrow, "It's the opposite. It's because I treasure my life so much that I'm willing to fight even against odds that I can't measure. I want to be a hero, just like the ones in the storybooks my mother read to me when I was too little to remember. It's my job to stand up against the terrible odds of the world with a brave smile. That's why I can't die here, I have to keep fighting till the end!"

"Then welcome to the end!" Cross shouted in frustration. He had enough with these bleeding hearts. With his cannon finished loading, he prepared to finally finish off one of his annoying targets. He was done playing.

" _ **Power Shot!"**_

Cross roared in anger as once again he was interrupted from delivering the killing blow. A streaking bullet of charged lighting pierced through his chest, stopping his cannons from firing as he held the small gaping hole. His body lite up a second later in a beacon of yellow lightning, shocking his internal systems into a fritz. With his body bursting with lighting, he was left with no way to defend himself as a green garbed boy with glowing pink eyes appeared in between him and his target. The boy quirked his brow at him curiously, scoffing as he jumped high in the air. His feet lashed at his head, kicking him far away with an aura clad kick.

" _ **Scan."**_ Ren sighed, dusting off the dust on his shoulders.

' _ **Cross Hare, Lvl51, The Deathless Assassin.**_

 _ **17,089HP/20,000HP.**_

 _ **Stats:**_

 _ **Strength: 60.**_

 _ **Defense:60**_

 _ **Speed:78**_

 _ **Dexterity:80**_

 _ **Intelligence:70.**_

 _ **Luck: 10.**_

 _ **Weapons:**_

 _ **Horizon.**_

 _ **Multi-Cannons.**_

 _ **Rockets.**_

 _ **Skills:**_

 _ **Limiter Removal.**_

 _ **Healing Unit.**_

 _ **Lock On.**_

 _ **Internal Fire Dust.**_

 _ **Abilities:**_

 _ **Qua-Cannon.**_

 _ **Duo-Cannon.**_

 _ **Fusion Flare.**_

 _ **Spring Impact.**_

 _ **Vanishing Phantasma.**_

 _ **Death Top.**_

 _ **SD-Code: 4D5E1A20T8H To 1A12L12L**_

 _ **No Life.**_

 _ **Systems Armed.**_

 _ **Information:**_

 _ **Cross Hare, once a rabbit faunus who had lived his life peacefully in Atlas years ago before brought to death's door in a case of mistaken identity by the SDC during a raid gone wrong. Saved by his master and given a new body by another member of the FoF, he is a master sniper and assassin. With his body mostly compromised by cybernetics, Cross is able to increase his abilities and reduce them with his Limiter Removal. He is also able to repair damage with his Healing Unit as whatever remains of his original body can not produce an Aura, and his Lock On ability grants him near perfect accuracy. Beware once he removes his Limiter Removal, his Stats increase immensely but severely cuts his Defense and Luck. And avoid No Life at all costs.'**_

Ren's eye twitched madly. Of all things, why did Ruby have to head towards such an early game monster? He would have steered clear of the cyborg if he hadn't noticed the blue dot representing one their group heading towards the Boss. And of all people, it had to be Ms. Hero Complex. He held back a sigh as he turned his head to said girl. Her puzzled silver eyes looked up to him in confusion. Looked like he got here just in time. A quick Scan into her status told him that her HP had taken quite a hit. Her aura was kicking in during the pause in fighting, slowly regenerating close to half her original health.

Couldn't have Ruby dying, the Story was much more of a pain in the ass if the Main NPC died. What he wouldn't do to live as a side character again.

Reaching into his tailcoat, Ren used the cover of clothing to reach into his Inventory. With three small vials of green liquid in hand, the pink eyed boy tossed them back to Ruby. She stumbled with the catch in surprise, staring down at them as she examined its contents.

"Take it. It's an Aura Potion. It should speed up your aura's recovery rate." Ren shrugged as he turned back to the slowly rising assassin. No point in telling her to run, he lived enough lives to know that she wasn't the type to leave a friend to do all the fighting. Might as well have her back him up. Two was always better then one.

Ruby nodded her head before popping up the cork and drinking one of the recovery potions. She didn't know how he had found her, but she was more then happy to not question it. Saved her behind. She sighed gratefully as she finished drinking the last drop. Already her wounds began to heal the damage she had sustained. The burn was fighting her aura, but the pain had stopped. That was more then enough.

The small gaping wound in his chest shined with a green light, repairing the damage done by the lightning Dust bullet that pierced through Cross's body. He stood back up as his healing unit finished its repairs.

"Yet another annoying target has dropped in." Cross hissed losing his temper in the face of the new stranger. It was one thing to lose one target, but to be interrupted twice? Unforgivable. He was not the type to be taken lightly. It was time to stop treating all his prey as measly targets.

"Boy, there is no warning for you. I believe that you wouldn't listen either way. Instead, I'll grant you both the deathly pleasure of facing me as a gruesome death."

' _ **WARNING!**_ _ **Boss Incoming, Cross Hare, the Deathless Assassin! Get Ready!'**_ In Ren's HUD warning bells rang along with flashing red lights with the status description. A barrier of code unseen by the NPC's trapped them within the burning streets. It was Boss time alright.

A mechanical cackle escaped Cross's bony mask as his three goggled lenses burned darkly with wisps. The bottom legs of his pants were shred to pieces by an unseen force, revealing large springs coiled around his mechanical legs. There was no need to use Horizon as he was now.

"LIMITER REMOVAL, DISABLED. RUNNING AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY. INITIATING SYSTEMS ARMED!" Cross clawed his masked face as his mounted cannons popped out again. Small hatches opened along his arms. Mini rockets peeked out from the openings before he squatted down. The springs in his legs pressed down tightly before sending him bouncing high into the air.

' _ **BEGIN!'**_

With the announcement ringing in his head, Ren gestured Ruby toward the incoming bullet hell about to rain down from the sky. Her aura had healed enough, it was time to start playing again.

"FIRE!" Spreading his arms apart, Cross unleashed the mini rockets from his arms along with several salvos down upon the hunters. The deadly projectiles locked onto their aura's, blazing through the air.

Ren and Ruby wasted no time as they began to dodge the falling projectiles chasing after them. They trailed them as they ran around the battleground, no amount of evading stopping them in their pursuit.

"Fire back! If we can't escape them then we can at least detonate them!" Ren shouted back to Ruby as he jumped back from one of the cannon salvos crashing down.

Ruby nodded her head as she pulled back her trigger. Seeing three of the rockets closing in, she planted Crescent Rose's blade into the ground before firing. The rockets collided against the incoming fire, blowing up in flaming smoke. Another cluster fell from above, gleaming dangerously as they closed in. She aimed a single round at the peak of the rocket cluster, detonating a chain explosion.

Storm Flower made quick work of the rockets following Ren. The firing rate was better suited for taking them out. He locked onto their sights and reduced them to burning remains. Another cannonball of flames fell towards him as he caught his breath, _**"Reject!"**_ He shouted as he threw his palm against the ball of fire. A pulse of pink magic energy bounced the blast back to its owner, erupting in a veil of scorching flames. It was enough to cease Cross's big attack as he fell back down.

Flipping on his feet, Cross paid the damage no mind as he rushed for the raven haired boy. Seemed he was the stronger of the two. Better to kill him off first.

Knuckle and fanged blades clashed as Ren and Cross met in a melee blitz. They swung back for the others vulnerable spots, countering every strike at another. Glowing orange red, Cross's fist slammed into the blocking fangs of Storm Flower, keeping the boy on defense as he tried to break through. Just what he needed, he smirked. Distracted by his fist, Cross used the opportunity to kick Ren's kneecaps. The blow staggered him as he fell on his knee's. The shadow of Cross's foot hung over Ren's face before a spring coiled kick rammed into his face.

"Ren!" Ruby shouted in worry as she watched his body sent flying away. She appeared in a swirl of roses behind him as she caught his body.

"Don't look away!" Ren shouted suddenly, causing Ruby's eyes to widen. A mechanical cackle entered her ears as a shadow fell behind her. She spun Crescent Rose one handed to block the two handed swing of the sniper longsword hybrid descending upon her. An invisible force cut through her body, her aura softening the pressure that cut the streets behind her.

Cross cackled as he rained down savage blows onto the handle blocking his blade. He was tired of dealing with these annoying targets. They just wouldn't stay down! He brought the girl to her knee's as each hammering blow sent painful tremors running along her arms.

But in his red haze he forgot about the pink eyed boy. Vaulting over Ruby's head, Ren slammed the bottom heel of his feet into Cross's skull.

"Hit him with everything you got!" Ren shouted before a mounted cannon blast blew him away.

Cross stumbled back as he tried to adjust his sights. Static momentarily took over his vision, switching back and forth before he caught the image of the red hooded girl swinging her scythe. Ruby spun her scythe's handle around her waist, slicing the top layer of his vest to shreds. He swung his fist to her face as he regained control over his vision. A recoiled lash of her blade bounced it back, following it up with a slashing windmill swing. Sparks flew as she sported a large tear in his body. Springing his cannons, he aimed them dead set at the grinning Ruby. She winked before ducking under the twin stomps soaring behind her head courtesy of Ren.

"ENOUGH!" Cross roared furiously as he was sent skidding back. He swung his longsword to block the two hunter's charging in. His blade danced around him as he blocked their blitz, the sound of steel clashing filling the air. Against two he could still fight back. He was a trained killer, he wouldn't fall to some kids!

Firing an explosive along with a swiping left swing, Cross pushed them back. He then spun on his feet, continuously firing Horizon off to spin him around like a sawing blade.

Ren panted lightly as he wiped his forehead of sweat. Almost forgot how difficult boss battles were. He tried straying clear of them and only acted as support after giving up on The Game. Seeing the bladed top buzzing straight at them, he was happy to see a new message pop up on his HUD.

' _ **Reaction Command: Twirling Red Lotuses. Activate?'**_

It had been a while since he activated a Reaction Command, but he was still familiar with Ruby's. Ren mentally activated the command as he laid his hand on Ruby's shoulder. She looked back at him with confusion before an odd sensation crawled into her being.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Ren smiled.

For some odd reason, yes, "I don't know why, but yeah! Let's do this!" Ruby widely grinned as she loaded a fresh cartridge.

Closing their eyes in sync, both hunter's in training began to spin in place, following Cross's example as they turned into red and green bladed tops. Their weapons recoils keep them spinning as they meet Cross's sawing blade. Grinding back and forth, the tops created sparks in their struggle. Ren and Ruby spun counter clockwise from another as they bounced back, charging back in to trap Cross in a pincer maneuver.

It was too much, Cross grunted as the two grinding tops broke his spin. Nothing could stop them as their blades pinched against him from both sides, sawing at his damaged body. His Healing Unit was struggling to repair the damage to his systems from the grinding blades. It was beginning to overheat.

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Cross roared with blistering fury. Steam rushed out of his elbow vents as he countered the annoying hunters. They flew back as their attacks were disrupted, sent skidding back on their feet. The red lines crawling over his body grew deeper as he crouched, pushing down his springs to send him back into the sky. Systems Armed was activated again as Ren and Ruby were forced to weave through the streaking mini rockets. Little flaring jets blew his wooden sandals apart below his feet as they kept him afloat, his eyes trailing the speedy hunters on the ground.

Ren silently cursed as he flipped over a rocket, swinging his MSG's to shot down the pestering projectiles before aiming his second pistol to back for the cluster behind him. Cross's wide range multi targeted ability was becoming a hassle to deal with. Another cluster fell down onto him along with two flaring cannonballs following behind. He shoot them down, bouncing the cannonballs back with another Reject spell. Cross flew to the side to evade his own fire, turning all his firepower to the pink eyed hunter. With a simple thought he pulled the rest back and ordered them to trap the boy in a dome. Stuck in a scattered dome of incoming missiles Ren was left with no choice but to counter back with one of his spells again. Pink lighting danced around his fingertips before he threw them against the wave of deadly missiles, " _ **Chain Lighting!**_ "

The bolts of plasma energy streaked from his fingertips, sticking themselves to a small group of missiles before branching out to the rest. The missiles paused in their flight as rays of light shined from their heads. A massive cloud of flames blocked out the area around them as they all erupted from the striking magic. Ruby coughed in the bellowing smoke. Even she was having trouble evading the countless missiles and shooting them down. Most of them had ignored her this time, intent on striking down Ren. Good thing he dealt with them quickly. _'I wonder if he has a lighting semblance? That was awesome! I wish I could shoot lighting from my fingers.'_ She pouted, swinging Crescent Rose around in a windmill to tear the smoke cloud away.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!"

' _Wha-'_ Ruby spun around to the roaring voice only for a crackling fist of venting flames to dig into her face. Flames blossomed from the explosive punch, sending her flying in a ball of licking flames.

Ren sprung off his feet to catch the burning red hooded girl. He frowned as the flames died away to see her weakly wincing eyes. Burns crawled over her face and blood was trailing down her nose. _**'Scan'**_

' _ **Ruby Rose, Lvl36, The Silver Eyed Reaper.**_

 _ **1,135HP/8,700HP. Status: Burn. Barely Conscious.'**_

A sigh left Ren at his situation. Ruby was too injured to keep going like this. Her aura was just about done with. Wouldn't be long till it faded and left her open for a critical death blow. All it would take is one simple attack and she would be a goner.

Sweat dripped down his forehead as he soon found Cross appearing out of thin air in his field of vision. His HP over his head had lost its full blue bar, leaving only the green 9,798HP left. Didn't matter though, he thought in frustration as he began to dodge the inhuman's lashing longsword. Cross's Healing Unit Skill was regenerating his lost health. If he was going to have any hope of ending things here, he needed to take it out. In his dancing around the swift edge, his pink eyes could make out a small glowing green mechanism in Cross's torn chest. All he needed was one shot.

Cross was beyond frustration now. When was the last time he was livid with anger? And here he thought he had abandoned all those emotions with his new body. But no, these two annoying humans were somehow able to dig such feelings back from their grave just by living, by surviving his onslaught! It was suppose to be a simple mission, shot the officers and people trying to stop them down like flies as a bloody message. And he had been close to sending it before they interrupted him. Even with the pink eyed boy busy carrying the red head, he was still unable to cut them both down! It was inhumanly infuriating!

Ren ground his teeth as he had no choice but to throw Ruby to the side as he raised his arms to block the rising flurry of coiled kicks. The raining blows tore at the sleeves of his tailcoat, lacerating his skin with cutting welts. He was really regretting ignoring his training and grinding his level right about now. His low Dexterity was making it easy to damage him through his aura, was chipping it down with every blocked kick. Seeing a spring fueled kick about to slam into his guard, Ren braced himself as he fought the overpowering blow.

"Why?" Cross stressed in frustration, the upper part of his body sending electrical sparks flying from the tears and slashes cut into him as he struggled to break the boy's blocking arm clad in aura, "Why do you prolong the inevitable? It's only a matter of time before you fall to my blade, JUST LIKE THE REST!" He shouted angrily, adding more pressure to his leg to send the boy on his knee's. His defiant eyes glared back at him, only causing his rage to grow stronger, "So why continue to fight!? I've never met a being that I could never snuff out with a simple pull of my trigger, yet you've both resorted me to break my limiter and come at you like a wild animal! I don't understand! What is it that's keeping you standing against my blade!?"

A deadpanned stare was Ren's answer. Really? Was the assassin asking him cliché questions? This was usually the part where the hero made some speech about friendship being the source of their power, yada yada, they were never alone and would keep fighting till the end, bla bla bla, and that they would never lose to scum like him. But Ren wasn't like Jaune and Ruby, not anymore. He was done with that sappy crap.

Instead he flatly gazed up at the deadly assassin as he used his free hand to block the swinging longsword aimed at his side with Storm Flowers fang, "Don't look at me, I'm simply here because a friend of mine stumbled onto you and it would be annoying if she died. You're nothing but annoying experience. Besides," Ren quirked his lips as his eyes caught a weak set of silver eyes far behind Cross.

"You'd get a more motivational answer behind you."

Realization hit Cross like a bullet as he dropped his leg back to turn back to the girl he had ignored. Making it all the more ironic when Ruby's high caliber bullet pierced his chest, breaking through his healing unit like glass. Blood and Dust bleed out the gaping wound as he fell on his knees with a pained shout. Dirty little, "Disappear!" Cross barked, releasing his mounted cannons to fire a double blast of flames. The flames flew straight at the weak girl sitting on her legs, suddenly joining together to form a larger cannonball.

With a burst of speed speed Ren vanished from his previous spot and appeared in front of Ruby in the glow of the towering balls of roasting flames. He stretched his hand out just as the Fusion Flare slammed into them, " _ **Reject!**_ " He yelled, digging his feet in as his magic pulse struggled to push back Cross's cannonball. His Reject spell was only capable of bouncing back projectile attacks that were lower or matched his own Strength and Wisdom stat. Didn't look like it was strong enough to block this one.

With a thundering boom, the cannonball of flames blew up against Ren's spell, shrouding them in its toxic bellow of black air. They both coughed as the smoke entered their lungs. Ren winced in his attempt to fan the clouding smoke, the arm he used to fight the ball of flames wounded. His sleeve was reduced to ash, leaving his red burned skin out for the stinging air. He wasn't able to send it back, but at least he had been able to disperse it. Looking back to Ruby, he was relieved to see her safe from the explosion, her aura was even recovering. She did a great job destroying his healing unit, had to give her that.

' _ **NO LIFE!'**_

A thin orange red line parted the sulfur smoke suddenly, clearing it away as Cross blurred right behind them with Horizon gestured in a wide swing. Steam lingered from its blade as a single deeply orange shell fell out of its chamber.

Ren's eyes flew open in shock as a his blocking fangs shattered, his body still blocking Ruby from harm. A gush of red flew out the midsection of his chest. With that single slash his aura protecting his HP was torn away as he fell to his knees with blood flying out his mouth.

' _Systems heavily damaged, running at 3_ _1_ _%. Healing Unit, destroyed._ _Internal Fire Dust crystal exhausted. Horizon Ammo: 0. Missiles: 0. Duo-Cannon's,_ _exhuasted_ _.'_ Cracks dug into Cross's trifocal goggles, shattering to bits from the pressure and damage they had suffered. With a dead mechanical whine they fell away from his face. Short white hair popped out as his hood fell back in the passing wind. His single horribly scarred red human eye slowly turned to his targets, revealing to them the twitching robotic half of his face.

While most of his combat functions were now disabled, he could take some pleasure in eliminating the boy with the odd energy coursing through his body. It had taken his special round of Dust combined with the last of his inner Dust to cut through his aura like butter. It was more then worth it. No one could survive such an attack.

"REN!" Ruby shouted in fear as she stopped him from falling onto his stomach. She held his bleeding wound to keep keep him from losing anymore blood. If he hadn't shielded her from the assassin's final slash, she would be in a similar situation. How was he even conscious? He was breathing heavily with his face scrunched up in agony.

Ren shook his head at the girl as he called up his inventory, "I'm alright, d-don't worry about m-me!" He shouted loudly, opening his tailcoat for cover. Couldn't have her asking him how he could pull things out of thin air, "Just buy me some time!"

"You. . .You're still alive!" Cross roared in disbelief. Why!? Why couldn't they just die!?, "Just lay down and die already!" What did it take!? Even without any ammo left for Horizon, Cross utilized his leg's springs to send him bouncing with his longsword pulled back for one last swing.

"Stay away from him!" Ruby countered the swing, stopping him dead in his tracks. Back and forth they swung their weapons at another, their blades blurring in their blitz of flashing steel. Nicks and lacerations opened along their bodies in their attacks that sent their blood flying back.

Putting everything that was left in his wrecked body, Cross hammered Horizon into Crescent Rose's guarding handle. Eyes wide in anger, he spat at the girl stopping him from finishing off the practically dead huntsman, "Why can't you just die!? Even if you kill me, do you truly think that will stop our plans!? Look around you!" He yelled loudly, grinding Horizon's edge deeper into the chipping metal.

The flames of eating at the surrounding buildings had died down, leaving only their smoking remains lingering around them. Dead bodies of both officers, FoF, and even some civilians laid around them in the after math of his attack. The afternoon sun shined down onto the haunting scene.

"The damage has been done! By the end of the day, the world will know that the Friends of Faunus are not to be taken lightly, that we only wish to save the faunus from such a cruel world! Do you truly believe that you can make a difference!? Such thinking is that of a child!"

But she was still a child. Despite the grim scene around her, Ruby looked back at Cross with a strained smile.

People tend to forget that fairy tales, despite how happy they could be, were actually pretty dark and twisted. And despite their dark roots and beginnings they were bright. No happy ending was easy. Horrible things awaited the hero's in every story in their struggles. That was no different in real life. She still had her friends to help her in the end. That's why there were huntsman and huntresses, to make things better.

"I'm just trying to save my friends. If it means having to take down your entire organization to do that, then so be it!" Using all the strength in her small body, Ruby pushed back Cross's longsword, surprising him as he stumbled back. She took a deep breath before shouting as she spun her scythe around her waist, shredding his mangled chest. She then swung left, ripping the metal of his shoulder, tore a long gash with a rising uppercut, busted his robotic knee with a sniper shot along with a glancing swipe to his lower mask, and finished the combo off with falling chop of her reaping blade.

Smoke blew out of the final slash, opening up a whirl of gears and Dust tubing in Cross's chest as he stumbled back clutching his slightly bleeding wound. His systems were turning to static, leaving him with only the sight of his human eye. He gasped in pain as his mask cracked, shattering like his goggles to show off his silver robotic lower face. Small patches of dead tissue skin could finally be seen on his face, the largest patches around his human eye and left ear. Everything else seemed to be made of metal, including his teeth.

Despite his damaged body, Cross couldn't help but release a rasp chuckle as blood and Dust dripped fell to the ground. His wounds were too much to progress any further, if he attempted another swing of Horizon it would break his body. No options were available to him. Nothing but death. Falling to his knee's he gazed up at the silver eye looking back at him. The girl never stopped surprising him as her eyes filled with pity.

"What are you waiting for? Kill me, this is what you wanted, right? This is your only chance at finishing me off, child." Cross chuckled lowly.

"But I don't want that!" Ruby shouted as she shook her head, "All I want is to know where my friends Blake and Velvet were taken! I'm not going to kill you!"

"THEN YOU'RE AS DEAD AS I AM!" Blood and oil flew out of Cross's mouth as he shouted, grunting in agony as he plunged his trembling hand into his chest. Through the pain he grinned smugly at the wide eyed girl as flashing red rays of light pierced out his chest. His programmed systems may have been shut down, but he didn't need them to activate his self destruct manually. It would destroy a mile wide radius, killing all in the hellish explosion.

"If you wish to meet your friends ever again, then you'll have no choice but to kill me right here, right now! Whether you like it or not, one of us will not live to see the day!"

"Fine by me."

Appearing out of thin air, Ren stood behind the kneeling cyborg with Storm Flower's barrel glowing with a light green. No other words needed to be said as he pulled the trigger. Cross's HP fell to nothing, passing the critical meter to -19,999HP. The Wind bullet blew open a large gaping hole in the middle of his chest, splashing the little blood that circulated his cybernetic body onto the horrified girl's face. His single red eye dimmed, his arms dully falling to his sides.

No brainer, Ren scoffed. As if he would stand by and let the assassin force Ruby into making such a difficult decision. She wasn't ready to kill, not yet. Eventually she would be left with literally no choice but to take a life. And she would grow stronger for it. Now though, she had no reason to. Killing Cross would only damage her young mind. It was less of a hassle to do it himself. Plus he needed the EXP.

A single point of health didn't matter as Cross was now. He would die by his fatal wound. Better to let him die by them then horrify Ruby even more with the true killing blow. He would still be rewarded the EXP and reap the rewards.

Slight pain coursed his upper body as he held his blood stained midsection. That was the benefit of living life as a game, he could heal even the most fatal of wounds, as long as they weren't aimed for his most vital organs, with a simple potion. He was completely out of them seeing as he had no choice but to fuse them all together to restore his aura completely. All that was left of Cross's final move was a paper thin cut running along his skin. And that would soon heal. The exhaustion on the other hand could not be restored. He was beyond tired at this point.

"Ren. . .why?" Moving his eyes back to Ruby, he was now forced to deal with the teary eyes of sadness looking back at him. He sighed, scratching his head. She was only fifteen for Oum's sakes, seeing something like this wouldn't sit well with her. Her mind was still full of innocence and hope. Probably believed that there was some way to stop Cross without killing him.

Maybe there was, but it was much easier to kill him. He was nothing but an NCP that would fade back into nothing in the next Reset.

"His self destruct would have killed everyone in a wide radius. I'm sorry Ruby, but I wasn't going to stand aside and let him kill more people. If killing him meant saving many more, then there wasn't much to think about. I did what I had to do."

' _Still. . .'_ Ruby sniffed as she looked down with trembling fists. For the love of god, she could feel the blood on her face growing colder. She felt sick to her stomach seeing the inner workings of his mechanical body fall apart as blood mixed with Dust dripped down onto his knees. Even if he wasn't completely human, he still seemed to have a heart, or what was left of one. She dried her wet eyes as she walked over to Ren. Couldn't forget he was gruesomely hurt.

She blinked noticing his deep slash had healed mostly. She was sure his aura had been torn apart with the sniper's blade. Just how fast did his aura regenerate? It was almost super human.

"Are you okay, Ren? Do you need any help moving?" She tried to smile gently. Her heart clenched at the sounds of blood dripping, swallowing back the anguish.

Ren shook his head as he let go off his wound, "I'm fine. I'll just need to bandage it up when I have a moment. We still need to find the others. Why aren't you with the rest of the girls anyways?" He frowned at the now sheepish redhead, "It's not safe to be wandering around with the FoF running amok. If I hadn't showed up when I did, there's no telling what would have happened." She would be dead is what would happen.

"We thought it would be a better idea to split up and look for any signs of where the Friends of Faunus leader could have taken Blake and Velvet. Somebody has to know where they were taken."

"Searching for clues by yourself isn't a good idea. Hell, if you've all gone on your own, then that means no one is around to reign in Nora." Ren could already hear the crazed laughter of his best friend tearing the streets around here. That girl needed someone to keep her in line, otherwise she was free to do as she pleased. And what pleased her was complete anarchy, "We should look for the others next. Hopefully they've found some semblance of an idea where Blake and Velvet are being held."

Hopefully they did. Nodding her head, Ruby moved to follow the calm minded hunter. He was ahead a few steps before she turned her head back to the dying man they were leaving behind. She bit her lip before coming to a decision.

"You should scout ahead for a bit, there's something I have to take care of."

Ren held back a sigh of annoyance as he wordlessly nodded his head in understanding. Nothing he would say would stop whatever she was going to do. Better to let her come to grips with what she had witnessed.

Seeing Ren give her the okay, Ruby turned her attention back to Cross. She walked in front of him as he looked down with a bleary eye, reaching into her burn patched skirt for something.

"Here." Ruby smiled softly, taking out a spare bottle of Ren's healing potion he had given her. She grabbed his beaten and cracked hand, dropping the green vial into his hand gently, "I don't know if it will heal you completely, but I'm sure it will help you get back on your feet."

"Child. . ." Cross struggled to stay conscious another second longer as he looked weakly at the item in his unresponsive fingers, "There is no saving me at this point. Do you not see what has become of my body? Even if I had the strength to lift my broken arms, even if there weren't gaping holes in my chest, even if I accepted your healing vial, I no longer possess the ability to produce an aura. I am no longer human, I am no longer a faunus. I am simply a tool broken beyond repair."

Ruby bit back a small sob. She knew he was the enemy, he had done horrible things, responsible for the dead lying around them with blood spattered out of the back of their heads, but she still couldn't fight the pain of seeing another person die. She was just a child despite being capable of killing Grimm like some grim reaper. She never expected to see such tragedy so early in her life, not since her mother's passing. No one deserved to die.

Cross's one eye narrowed weakly, seeing the small girl's body wracked with sorrow. He was her enemy, he tried to kill her, he was responsible for many of the wounds over her body and nearly killed her friend. So why did she have such a look on her face?

What little life left in his broken body began to slowly fade. It was a perplexing surprise he was even capable of speaking. Naragami did a remarkable job in designing his body. He truly had a gift for robotics. A sense of melancholy filled his being even as he felt his heart beat less. He would no longer see them, no longer have to deal with Naragami's swearing tongue and air of smoke, no longer have to shush Anabel from playing her loud music or have her nag him about his emotionless stares, and he would no longer have to listen to Holt's voice, soothing his thoughts and praising him for his skills. Nothing but nothing awaited him now.

"Child, answer me this before I fade into oblivion." Cross rasped, fighting to stay living just a little longer. Her silver eyes looked back to him with emotions that didn't belong on the face of an enemy. Truly, she was a puzzle that confused him to his end, "What has kept you going through it all? Something must be pushing you onward despite the bleak road ahead of you. Just what is it that has kept you from falling to my blade?"

He had to know. No one else had been capable of doing the impossible and survive his killer intent. The boy didn't have an answer. When he looked into those pink eyes, he saw a soul that could care less of what he had done. It looked exhausted, almost gray. Made him wonder which of them was the real lifeless machine.

But the little red headed girl was different. He saw a gentle soul, simple in its design. And yet she walked the path of the warrior. A path that was destined to be paved with the blood of many souls. Yet she continued to strive through it all. Why? He refused to draw his last breath until he could find the answer.

"That's an easy answer." Ruby grinned brightly, even as a lose tear rolled down her cheek, "Friends. That's my reason for almost everything other then being a huntress."

That was it? Friends? Such a simple answer. But despite it, Cross found himself smiling sadly despite himself.

 **Thump!**

'" _You should really cover up your face, deadman."A small short red haired girl pouted besides him. His unmasked face stared back at her dully. Even though his face looked a bit unnatural with all the metal making it up and his mouth looked horrific when he talked, she still refused to look away. She held up a mask she had been toying before handing it to him. It looked like it had been a bunny skull mask till she chopped off the area above the nose, "It's hard to take you serious when you have such a dumb look on ya all the time. I think some of the new guy's are even scared of you. Doesn't make any sense, idiots." She huffed as she began to walk away, leaving him to stare at the odd trinket in confusion._

" _You don't look scary to me."'_

 **Thump!**

' _Naragami blew a puff of smoke out his cigar as he meddled around Cross's arm circuitry, "What did I tell you about exerting more then 50% power to your arm servos? I still haven't worked out the final touches to your Limiter just yet. Using more then 30% is bound to break it apart, you're lucky you weren't training your new Inner Fire Dust crystal."_

" _I apologize, master." Cross rebutted instantly, his voice muffled slightly by the mask over his mouth._

" _Tch, don't apologize to me, you idiot. And what I say about calling me master? Save that bullshit for master Holt, he's the one who had me bust my ass with that annoying doctor to craft your body. I may be an amateur, but I'll be damned if we didn't do a decent job on it."_

" _Then what should I call you?"_

" _Nara, dumbass. We're comrades. So no need for all that formality bullshit."_

 **Th-Thump.**

' " _Here you go, Crossy-boy!" A slightly younger Holt grinned widely as he handed Cross an oak sheathed longsword. Cross's single eye quirked at the odd man who had saved his life, wondering why he had given him a weapon for._

" _What is this, master?" Cross asked with a slight tilt of his head._

" _Why, it's your weapon! I call it, Horizon! It's what you'll be using to protect your new family with!"_

" _New family?" Cross frowned in confusion, "I don't even know how to fight, let alone wield a sword."_

" _But it's not just a sword, it's also a gun, a sniper rifle to be more specific. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Holt nodded self assuredly._

 _Cross continued to stare at the odd man as if he were some alien being. He never met such a man before, willing to save his life at deaths door despite being a faunus. Just what was he planning?_

 _Seeing the look of suspicion in his newest charge, Holt shook his head with a smile, "Don't give me that look. We're family now, Crossy. And the world is a cruel place. It's only right that I give you something to protect yourself with. And hopefully, as time passes by, you'll learn to protect us too. After all," He grinned brightly, the action causing Cross's single faunus eye to widen at the warm light he seemed to exert._

" _We're friends! And friends is just another word for family."'_

 **Thum-**

Friends, huh? What a childish answer.

 **-P.**

With his last breath, Cross's head lulled forward, the light in his eye fading away. The vial in his hands fell over, shattering to pieces as its contents mixed with his bodily fluids around him. And with a dying hum his body completely shut down.

The inhuman man incapable of producing aura again died. With the thoughts of the few people that kept him going.

 **+2** **70** **,000EXP!** _**'Congratulations! You're level has risen by one! You're level has risen by 1! You've been rewarded Horizon! You've Unlocked**_ _ **the Ability**_ _ **Vanishing Phantasma! You've Unlocked a Secret Reward! Monty's Lost Page, #7 unlocked!'**_

Ren's heart stopped at the new notification. Even as he felt a new power course through his being and a new weapon drop into his inventory, he didn't make any notion of caring for it all. Instead he turned his trembling eyes to the single beaten paper flashing into his hand. How? It usually took him overpowering some unbelievable event to even receive one, and he only had two! How was this boss any different!?

His pink eyes turned back to Ruby, catching her close Cross's single in his passing. She rubbed her eyes of the tears as she sniffed in the death of the man who tried to kill her and killed so many.

Was it because of her? Did she somehow do something for The Game to reward him with such a rare prize? That didn't make any sense.

For now though, he sighed as he waited for the red hooded girl to make her way over. He wouldn't question it, not while they still had much to do. He was curious to what this page would reveal to him now. It would have to wait till this Event was over with. Seeing as Ruby was most likely responsible for his incredible reward, Ren gently patted her shoulder as he brought her close to his side. She looked at him in surprise, catching his weary eyes smiling apologetically to her as he leaned against her.

"Sorry, but it looks like I'm not as healed as I thought. Would you mind if I used you as support?"

Ruby shook her head with a smile, "Course not! It's what friends do!"

Ren nodded his head gratefully before they began to leave the scene behind them. The afternoon had just arrived, the day was far from over.

* * *

 **Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.**

 **Things have gone down a dark road it seems. Death is hanging over the air now that blood has been spilled onto the streets. Who will walk out alive, who's hands will be painted in blood, and can the sun truly shine tomorrow? The clocks ticking, will your friends be there?**

 **Man, wait till you see the next chapter! It has my favorite fight scene to date. Other then this one. I'd say we have maybe two chapters left before we head on to Forever Fall. Then we finish it up with the end of the volume. Let's see what changes.**

 **And as I said before, if you want to take a look at my future works in development, check out my profile. One will be ready just around November. Hope you give it a shot when it's out.**

 **Read and Review. It's common courtesy after all.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	13. Definition of Justice

**Hey. It's NeoShadows.**

 **Look, I'm not feeling too cheery right now. So forgive me for not uploading next week with a new chapter again. Or writing a DLC today. I've been exhausted, stressed, and depressed these last few days that I haven't even touched Chapter 14.**

 **The reason? My Vet has given me some upsetting news. My little dog, Princess, has an infection inside her that's been making her really sick. The surgery to make her better is expensive and the only other option then treating it, is putting her down. It's been bringing me down, the poor girl won't even eat, I have to force feed her by clamping down her mouth to swallow. I have a few days to gather the money for the surgery, or else I have no choice but to end her suffering. As you can guess, all this has been draining and stressful. So I won't be writing for a bit. I have to focus on my little Princess these next few days.**

 **Don't take this as a sign that I'm done writing. Not again. With Fairy Tail, it was because I was coming up with writer's block after writers block, making up stories with no clear endings or plots, and fulfilling my fan fueled fantasies. This story is different, it actually has a plot and its ideas are written down instead of just thought of that very day. I've written too much to leave it behind. So I'll be back, no matter what happens these next few days. I don't want to disappoint my readers again.**

 **Alright, enough with the depressing mood! Let's get to some reviews.**

 **GhostHornet: I will stomp you, just you wait. And 4th grade batsuit? Damn, I can't beat that. That's beyond anything I got to stop you. You bastard.**

 **EiNyx: Well, a lot of what you have to say is kinda hard to swallow. But none the less, there is a reason for them. For Ren, it's suppose to be hard to like him so early in the story. He's not a bad guy, but he just doesn't care anymore. Which makes you wonder how he'll grow through out the story. Will stay the same? Or will he somehow have a change of heart? And how? As for the pacing, the story has only just begun. Literally. This is going to be epic in length, so there is a lot to tell. I don't like stories where you're already in Volume 3 after a few chapters. Especially with so much changing now. And OC's? They will be part of the story, but not in any too important roles. It's not like I'll randomly throw in some OP OC that can obliterate any Grimm with a swing of their weapon and get all the ladies. Can't tell ya how much I hate those. Or self inserts. I hate to say it, but I did that once in one of my stories. And boy do I regret it. Jaune is still starting out, he's a Noob. Boy has a lot of catching up to do, but he's getting there in his own pace. Your review doesn't come of like a flame, if anything it helps me work over some things. No such thing as a bad reviews. . . .Unless you're a Guest who can't even spell properly.**

 **De Etan: Huh. That's really refreshing to hear. I'm glad you enjoy the OC's! They were interesting to develop and write, it's good to hear that you like them. Glad you're following the story.**

 **Wandai: The review thing, yeah, that's still something I'm mulling over. I can't come up with a decision honestly. Writing the emotions playing through everyone was actually a bit difficult, so I'm glad you thought well of them. And trust me, you have yet to see the true OP bosses planned for this story. And Ren's Aspect is similar to a Command Center. Due to being the Mind, a lot of what he's capable of does rely on information. More to tell as the story goes on.**

 **The NakedFlame: Opposite this? Eh, no. But you'll have to see for yourself.**

 **Benthino: Really? Sweet. Are minds seem to think alike. Creepy, but cool.**

 **A Fan1204: Glad you enjoyed my stories before. Sorry for not updating them by the way. I'm glad you've taken a chance on this one and come to enjoy it. Don't worry about the Cros Hare thing, the fact you still like it is enough. Criticism is needed, and with what's going on this chapter I can see how you would want to see how this plays out more. I did feel the end for Cross was the more shining moment in the last chapter, a good way for the poor guy to go out. And I love his play on words name, didn't think anyone else got that.**

 **LoganHunter2: . . .Poetry. All I can say. But we'll have to wait and see how it plays out. Got a hell of a road in front of them.**

 **Arvindr: Glad to hear. When I was planning this out, I knew I didn't want The Gamer aspect to completely control it. I grew so bored reading all that text describing the functions and such. As for Ren, honestly? I don't know. It came up as an idea while I was thinking this all over, back when this was originally a One Player game involving only Jaune. I wanted an opposition like force, something that shines a bleaker reality to such an idea. That, and I had been playing Undertale for a few hours while I was planning. The endless resets made me grow exhausted, tired, and want to quit. I just wanted to lie down and sleep the day away, like Ren. And then boom! Along with Ren becoming this jaded, tired Player, two other Players were born along with him. Making this a multiplayer game. It added something that not many of The Gamer stories had. He has such a role because it kinda fits him.**

 **Alright, that's enough for today. I've got a lot to think about these next few days. God knows I've been lacking more sleep then usual. So enjoy the story.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. They belong to RoosterTeeth.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Definition of Justice.**

Droplets of sweat flew by Jaune's face as he chopped another Beowolf in half. Panting, he raised his shield to block the flurry of claws wanting to tear him to shreds by its brother. Or cousin. Family friend? Did Grimm even reproduce like them? Let alone have friends? Things to think about when he wasn't dealing with a wave of wolf Grimm. Raking claws tore his back in his defending position. Another Beowolf had been released from the caged doors lining the walls of the stone arena he was dropped into half an hour ago. And it was smart enough to take a chance when it saw one. Blood drenched his favorite hoodie. Ready to dig its claws into the boy's skin, the Beowolf was halted in its attack by the weathered blade stabbing through the back of its head. It faded into wisps of lingering darkness blown away by another charging snarling dark wolf.

 ** _"Air Slash!"_** Jaune shouted, flinging a blade of pressurized air out of his sword. The head of the Beowolf was lobbed off, killing it mid flight. The experience points earned from its death went ignored as he fought off another mob of the Grimm. He held his sword close to his chest, closing his eyes just as the wave of dark creatures jumped onto him all together, **_"Hyper Blade!"_** His body trembled with overbearing power before he vanished into thin air. The Beowolves blinked, howling in pain a moment later as their limbs were tossed into the air by the blurring blade passing them by over and over again in a blitz. Their HP fell to nothing, leaving them to fade back to the darkness that created them.

 **+12,000EXP!**

Blurring to a skid on his feet, Jaune stumbled. He caught himself as he grabbed his knee's to keep him up, panting lightly. This was draining him of his stamina quickly. Nonstop the Beowolves attacked him like some hunk of bloody meat in a shark infested pool. If this kept up any longer, he was going to drain his inventory of healing items. With that thought he called up his inventory with his scroll, phasing his hand through the hologram screen to take out a Small Aura Potion and Everybody Loves Grape Soda.

' _Thank you, Ren.'_ Jaune smiled gratefully as he pumped a small bit of magic into the two items. They were soon trapped into clear bubbles of twinkling lights before he brought them together. A whole new item was created by the union, leaving him with a can of green soda. It was stamped with a grapefruit along with white bold letters running across it.

 **'** _ **Everybody Loves Grapefruit Soda, Synthesized!'** _**+500EXP!**

During one of their talks involving how The Game worked, Ren had shared with him Item Synthesize. It was a special ability granted to the Player that allowed them to create new items using other items. The possibilities were almost limitless, if they had enough experience and the items necessary to use it properly. The level of his Synthesize was actually connected to his progress in both Professor Pitho's and Professor Antheia's classes. Both of which we was doing well for the first semester, even if the candy obsessed teacher seemed to torture him with his odd Dust balls. With the new tasty drink in hand, Jaune wasted no time in downing the fruity health and mana recovery beverage. It healed about 1,200HP and 60MP! And the taste of fizzy grapefruit wasn't bad either.

Jaune sighed in content, smacking his lips. He could already feel the four gashes on his back mend. Blinking in a little jingle his MP bar completely filled. And just in time too. From the caged doors, eighty glowing red eyes peered through. With a whirl of rusty gears, the door raised up. Four large Beowolves prowled out on all fours before standing on their hind legs. Unlike their fallen brethren their bodies were bulkier in muscle mass, their fur white and their claws black as night. A Scan of the new Grimm was enough to confirm they were nothing like the average Beowolf.

' _ **Beowolf(M)**_

 _ **2,300HP/2,300HP.'**_

Mutants. Grimm that had been altered by an outside source. Anabel had told him that Holt liked to buy the nasty little freaks of nature from a guy he was acquainted with. They were tougher and more dangerous then the average Grimm which was saying a lot if you asked him. He already had to deal with a few of them fighting in the UGC, mostly Creepers and Beowolves. But never more then two. And now he was facing four of the white furred werewolves. And they weren't grunts that died with one hit. Their hides were tougher and resisted his stronger attacks better then their regular forms. This was going to be a tough fight. Jaune gripped Crocea Mors tightly, running by what remained of his healing supplies as he prepared to charge at the snarling werewolves. No doubt he was going to need to synthesize another batch of grapefruit soda again.

The sound of crackling fire entered Jaune's ears. A rush of passing hot air blew his hair forward as he suddenly found four javelin like batons fly past him. Their orange burning blades flew at the four wolves, leaving them with gaping holes in their chests as they pierced through them. They died with soundless howls as they fell over. Dark wisps mixed with flames lingered out of their vanishing bodies as the four javelins stuck to the walls.

"No one, but me, is allowed to rip you to shreds."

Jaune froze still at the sound of the venom filled voice echoing around him. Footsteps drew closer before stopping a few feet behind him. A sense of relief and guilt wracked his body. He knew that voice anywhere now. Only it was usually accompanied by the sound of rock music beating softly out of her headphones.

Turning his head to the voice, Jaune found Anabel's glaring green eyes staring back at him. She no longer wore her favorite black and purple stripped hoodie. Now she was garbed in a long sleeve black tight fitting combat dress that stopped mid thigh. Red lines ran along the dress's side, a skull buckled belt was tied around her waist that carried mini Dust thermos, and she wore red steel platted combat gloves. Her sneakers were replaced with a red steel toed combat boots. Both of her eye's looked at him with disdain, her lock of hair her hiding one of her eye's brushed back by a burned skull hairpin.

"Ann." Jaune reached his hand out once again to the betrayed punk girl.

"DON'T!" Ann shouted angrily. She didn't want to hear a word out of his dirty lying mouth. She didn't know if anything he had ever said to her was true. Was his name even Jaune? For all she knew his real name was John. To think she had let a rat into their hideout and answered his questions.

"I don't want to hear another word from a filthy liar. I'm done listening to your bullshit!" She yelled furiously, her eyes burning with pure hatred.

"You don't understand! I never even wanted to go undercover, the only reason I did so was to save you from the Friends of Faunus!" Jaune yelled back, trying to make her see his side of the story, "I know you're not like them. You're better then this, Ann! I was never doing this to lie to you and send you to jail as if it was my job! I just wanted them to lighten whatever punishment they carried out-"

"When they cuffed me and processed me?" Ann laughed in disbelief. "You were still doing this with the knowledge that they were going to take me in for my crimes! At the end of the day, I was still going to be rotting in a cell! Because I was stupid enough to fall for you fucking tricks!" Again the annoying feeling of hot tears pricking her eyes came up. The damn bastard had played her like she was some puppet! And here she had actually begun-

Ann swallowed the emotion back. She was done falling for his shit!

"Everything was a lie, just some way to gain my trust. Every moment we spent together hanging out was just part of your job to get me to spill the beans on the boss's plans. None of it was ever real." Ann's green eyes dulled, her body slacking as an orange red aura surrounded her. An intense heat blew out from her body, lightly burning Jaune's exposed skin.

No! This wasn't how he wanted things to go! All he wanted to do was save her from the hell she had fallen into. He didn't want to fight her! Ann was his friend, even if she didn't believe it. He couldn't raise Crocea Mors to a friend with ill intent.

"We of the FoF don't take lightly to sewer rats." Ann hissed, her body bellowing with a gale of hot air. She raised her right hand, pulling her fingers forward. The four javelin batons shot past Jaune, two of them flying into each hand as the other two floated behind her in an X pattern. Their orange bladed tips released flares of fire, "I'm done talking. I have an order to follow. Hope you said your goodbye's before coming here, Jaune." She spat, releasing a wave of heated air to hit him like an invisible wall. It was enough to knock off a hundred HP from his health.

' _ **WARNING! Boss incoming, Anabel Wargray, The Orphaned Flame. Get Ready!'**_

"But I don't want to fight!" Jaune yelled over the roar of energy crashing against him. He refused!

' _ **You have no Choice.'**_

Jaune stared wide eyed at the pop up message in his HUD. Was that The Game?

' _ **FIGHT!'**_

"TOO BAD!" Ann yelled, vanishing into the air in a flaming blur. She appeared again above him, flinging one of her spears to his head. Jaune jumped back, missing the flaring spear skewering him. Landing by her weapon, Ann grabbed it and swung it for his neck, intent on cutting his throat. The blade of Crocea Mors blocked it. She grinned cruelly at him as they crossed weapons, gesturing her finger to point her floating spears to stare him down. Their points were coated in flames, elongating into thin heated needles.

Pushing Ann back, Jaune brought up his shield in the face of the new danger. The three needled spears shot at him, clanging against his blocking shield. _'_ _Shit!'_ Jaune cursed silently, seeing the back of Crocea Mor's glow with an orange hue. Even if the spears weren't capable of melting the metal, the heat they produced was still enough to make it grow scalding hot. It was burning his skin.

With Jaune distracted by the drilling needles, Ann blurred right behind him, swinging her spear. She sported a slash at his back, melting the armor protecting his back with a scar. Jaune fought back a shout. At least he wouldn't have to worry about infection, the wound was cauterized. Abandoning his defense stance, Jaune jumped to his side. Just in time to miss Ann stabbing her spear forward with a burning needle. She swung her spear at him, firing another along. He sidestepped the firing flaming spear, bouncing back her swipe with swing of his own.

"I don't want to fight! Please, just listen to me!" Jaune pleaded, countering her flurry of spear thrusts. He swung his shield for his back, blocking another drill stab from one of her weapons.

"What part of shut up don't you understand!?" Ann yelled, skipping back as she called two of her spears to her. She batted the bottom of each weapon, sending them flying at Jaune in blurring wheels of orange red fire.

" _ **Air Slash!"**_ Jaune flung his own projectile back, sending a blade of air to counter the disks. Only one of the spinning spears was blown back, leaving him open for the sawing spear. Jaune grit his teeth finding it continuously sawing his chest piece, dropping his HP by 500. Stopping its revolution, the spear lashed its blade in an upward swing before flying back. Blood shot out from the nick at across his face, trailing down as he was forced to raise his shield above his head. Two falling spears bounced back from their descent. Ann quickly dashed within his guard, carving an X into his chest with her spears. _'I can't keep defending like this. She uses more then one weapon and it looks like she can control them telepathically. Is it her semblance? But she's also able to control flames._ A barrage of lashing swings fell onto Jaune as he swung back his own sword to block.

Just what was he suppose to do? She wasn't an enemy, Ann wasn't another chance to gain EXP, she was his friend! How could he hurt her? A combined four speared thrust into Crocea Mors's flat blade soon sent him skidding back on his feet, leaving him panting from the intense heat she was producing around her. Evading her attacks was a complicated dance with multiple partners. She could control four weapons! That just wasn't fair. His weathered blade was even glowing with heat Ann's weapons drilled into it. If he kept this up any longer, it wouldn't be long till he wasted his recovery potions from the damage she was inflicting and died to her mad assault.

As much as he didn't want to, Jaune needed to fight back. If only to knock her out or something. Defending and evading wasn't doing him any good. He winced as he held his bleeding chest, thanking his aura for healing the damage. Nope, it definitely wasn't doing him any good.

Ann quirked an eyebrow as she called back her spears behind her, noticing Jaune raise his blade in an offensive stance, "You done faking like you care, Jaune? About time, I was never one for beating around a piece of dead meat."

"I do care. That's why I'll fight."

"Pretty messed up reasoning." Ann scoffed, spinning one of her spears in her hand, "Why don't you just cut the bullshit already? I know you're a liar, your covers blown, so why keep up the act any longer? Why are you pretending like you care?" She ground out angrily.

"Because I do! Why can't you see that!?" Jaune shouted.

"Because you were just using me! All this time, you were leading me on, making me believe that I could trust you! And you know what the most fucked up part is?" She laughed bitterly, shaking her head with the flames of her spears illuminating her face, "A part of me knew that something was up. You were asking questions about our locations, of our future plans. But instead of questioning it, I told myself you were simply interested in joining. Despite the fact you were too much of a goody two shoes to ever consider it!" Swiping her hand, Ann sent two of her spears drilling forward. A blade of pressured air collided against her attack, sending them back as Air Slash continued its flight. Crossing her spears, Ann retaliated with a large X of flames from her slashing points. Air Slash was obliterated in the roaring crossing flames.

Seeing the deadly flame pattern rush towards him, Jaune held his shield before the flames. 300HP was chipped off from blocking it alone. "You played on my loneliness, like a wolf tracking a wounded prey you jumped on the weakness and used it to your advantage. You made me believe that you were actually my-" Another barrage of crossing flames slammed into Jaune guard, pushing him back bit back bit and depleting his health in the slamming pyres.

Ann bit her lip, shutting her eyes as she stopped her attacks. She hated it. The fucking emotion he had dug up. Dug up and smashed to bits when she had begun to believe. Believe that she had a-

"Friend." She bit out, a single tear slipping past green eyes. That single tear gleamed in the crackling flames crawling the arena. Jaune felt the rock of guilt in his threaten to tear right through him.

He didn't want this. The look of betrayal on her face. It wasn't right!

The sounds of guns cocking dragged Jaune out of his thoughts. Turning his head around, he was surprised to find several FoF grunts standing on the outside of the arena. They lined up in a ring circling the arena with their guns trained on his body. Little red dots shined from their scopes, dotting themselves over his body.

"Ready at your command, Boss!" The female head of the grunts shouted.

Ann nodded her head, wiping off the traitorous tear, "Damn Boss, sending me troops when I can handle things myself. Fine, I don't care what it takes." She glowered, "I'll take whatever firepower I can to kill you! FIRE!" She barked.

"YES MA'AM!"

Slamming her spear forward, Ann vaulted high into the air with a burst of fire. Allowing the grunts to unleash a rain of gunfire onto the knight below safely. In her suspension, Ann swung one of her spears around, landing her feet on its handle. Fire blazed from the end of the spear, keeping her flying as she rode on the flaring jet.

Jaune began to sweat in the face of the firing bullets. Snow White may have been a sadistic, sexy freak, but she rewarded him one of the best rewards in the game so far. If he ever met her again(which he hopped he never did), he would thank her on his knees with grateful tears for his first spell.

" _ **Reflect!"**_ With his palm stretched out in silver magic energy, Jaune raised it above his head in a shout. A dome of mirror pixel glass then shielded his body from the ensuing bullet rain. The bullets fought the barrier but lost their struggle as they were encased in the energy keeping them back. And with the sound of the glass dome shattering, the bullets were bounced back to their owners.

' _You're just a dirty bag of surprises, aren't you?'_ Ann scowled as her men were temporarily out of commission. The reflected bullets had some added kick to them. The grunts laid back with stars above their heads. Didn't matter though, she wouldn't be caught off guard now.

Riding her spear across the air as if she was standing on a broomstick, Ann began to spin one of her spear above her head, creating little balls of fire. They hung around her back in a halo as she stopped her spin. Gesturing her finger at the blonde knight below, she commanded the balls of fire to strike him down.

Jaune went on the run, evading the streaking balls of fire as he waited for Reflect to charge. He wasn't proficient enough to continuously call on the spell when he wanted, but it wasn't as time consuming as Hyper Blade or Gale Speed. He just had to watch out for his MP. Reflect consumed 15MP whenever he used it. Human sized clouds of fire decorated the arena as he continued to dodge the burning balls, raising the temperature higher in their fight. His hoodie was being drenched in sweat.

Having had enough of Jaune evading her attack, Ann maneuvered herself to fly closer to him. Catching him as he was forced to raise his shield from a falling blast, Ann twirled herself around, moving her spears in a dance of slashing tips. The attack stunned him, dropping his guard as he stumbled forward. An orange hue lit up his face, his eye turning to the last of the streaking flames locked onto him. _'This is going to hurt.'_

A plume of blossoming flames erupted once the balls hit their mark, roasting Jaune's body in a bonfire of licking flames. **'Jaune Arc, 2,000HP/4,800HP. 70MP/90MP.'** Tearing away the flames, Jaune called on his inventory to heal the damage. He didn't have time to synthesize a better potion as he skipped back from a diving stab, had to settle for a Breakfast Bar. Biting into the cinnamon oatmeal feverishly, he gulped it down along with blocking the clawed like slash from Ann's spears, restoring 800HP. Again and again, Ann rained strike after strike of her burning spears against his guard relentlessly.

"Fight back!" Ann hissed furiously, smashing the hilt of her spears against his worn blade. He had a sword, why wasn't he using it? Did he see her so lightly that he didn't need to use it to beat her? All he was doing was blocking, was he planning on wearing her down before delivering the finishing strike?

Pushing the burning girl back, Jaune sucked in a deep breath before charging with his sword swinging in response. About time, she grinned darkly as she prepared to counter. Calling on her spears to cross over another in a makeshift barred shield in front of her, Ann was prepared for the falling strike. She would blow him back with a bursting flame and then drill into him in his stumble.

Jaune grinned as his swinging blade was ready to slam into Ann's defense, catching her by surprise as Crocea Mor's sword flashed brightly before making contact, _**"** **Smash Guard!"**_ Sending his sword away into his inventory, Jaune delivered a glowing yellow knuckle studded fist in its stead.

Smash Guard was an ability he had picked up while training with Yang. His hand to hand had certainly improved since he was put through her hellish drills, rewarding him with three new abilities for his training. The one he was drilling into Ann's shield broke any guard that was lower then his own defense and cost the difference, which in this case was 27MP. Well worth it.

The crossing spears dispersed under the physical blow, flying back from Ann's hold. She stared wide eyed at the blonde huntsman. How did he do that? He should have been blown back by her countering flames!

With Ann's defense gone, Jaune was left with an opening. _'All I have to do is knock her out. I don't have to deplete her aura to nothing to win, I just have to stop her from fighting back!'_ _**"Power Strike!"**_ Aiming for her head, Jaune sent her flying back with the amped fist.

' **Anabel Wargray, The Orphaned Flame.**

 **15,000HP/16,000HP.'**

A thousand HP, that was good, Jaune nodded determinedly as he followed after her in a stance Yang had taught him. He just needed to knock her health down low enough to knock her out from the fight. That single hit alone told him that she had low Defense.

Ann grit her teeth openly as she swung her spear down to skid on the earthy ground, "Don't mock me! Fire!" Vaulting into the air again, she called upon another rain of gunfire to riddle the blonde.

" _ **Reflect!"**_ And again, Jaune bounced the bullets back with his mirror dome. Which left him to evade the falling balls of fire again.

"Start fighting back like a man, dammit!" Riding the jet of her spear, Ann put him on the guard as she swung her spears around her. That damn shield of his was becoming an annoyance! "You have a sword, use it! Stop blocking like a bitch and take this fight seriously!"

Breaking the chain of swings, Jaune collapsed his shield into its sheath and swept her feet with a kick. The blow sent her falling that he followed up with an uppercut to send her up in the air. _**"Hunter's Axe!"**_ Flipping backwards, Jaune dropped a falling ax kick on top of Ann's head, slamming the blue haired girl back to the ground.

Ann grinned up at Jaune with blood trailing down her head, "That's more like it!" She shouted. Calling two spear in front of her, she batted them to fly at the blonde in flaming wheels. Still caught in the air, Jaune could only raise his forearms up to block. He couldn't raise his shield quick enough to stop the wheels. His health was dropping again, he winced. Burns were flaring up on his blocking forearms.

With a gesture of her fingers, Ann brought the wheels back. She then lined them in front of each other, collapsing the spearheads below the very front before joining them together into one four yard length spear. The tip of the extended spear burned brightly before stabbing it forward.

Jaune saw the piercing tip rushing towards him. Flipping over it, he fell onto the handle before dashing along it.

"Get off!" Breaking the long spear back into fours, Ann was still too late to stop the kick to her head. She grunted as her face lite up in pain, falling back as she spun her spear around. The points of her spear lite up in flames again, spinning around madly as she sent them firing after Jaune like drills.

A gash opened on the side of Jaune's abdomens as he tried avoiding the drilling tips, spilling blood as his aura began to wane again. He needed to end things as quick as possible. The heat surrounding her made fighting close quarters a chore. Seeing her weaponless for a brief moment, Jaune charged in with his fists blazing with magic. _**"Power Strike!"**_

Ann threw her forearms up to block the hit. A heavy pressure blew back her hair, powerful enough to send her hair clip flying away in the gale. Her lock of hair fell back to cover her left eye as she struggled against the power blow. "It's about time you dropped that fake caring act!" She grinned savagely, raising the heat around them to sweltering degrees. She could see a light steam linger from his body as he panted from the temperature. Good, the more he suffered, the better, "How are you liking my semblance, Flame Conductor? It allows me to control the flames I've created with Dust like some fancy orchestra conductor. While I'm not one for busting out such a fancy power, I'm more then happy to give you a scolding taste of it!"

"Fire's not really my taste." Jaune panted lightly, his throat dry as he gulped. He shook his head, flinging sweat around as he looked back softly at the orange aura clad girl, "And just because I'm fighting you, doesn't mean I don't care about you! All I want to do is save my friends from that psycho and save you!"

"I don't need saving!" Ann shouted back in fury, feeling insulted. She pushed back the fist, aiming a high kick to his head. Jaune ducked under the kick, rearing his glowing fist back for a punch to her gut. She spun around the attack, lashing out with another kick of her steel toed boot. Missing again, she moved quickly on her feet to dash in with flurry of her steel knuckled fists. They feel into barrage of countering and attacking, landing whatever blows they could through their dance, "I'm not some damsel in distress that needs saving! I know what I'm doing, you bastard! Stop trying to make this about saving me like you fucking give a shit! All you're doing is further pissing me off! So why keep spilling the same sappy bullshit to save your life!"

"AND WHAT PART OF ME CARING ABOUT YOU DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!" Jaune roared in equal fury. He was done trying to play nice with her. If she wanted to hear the truth so badly, he'd give it to her! "Stop trying to pretend like I never gave a damn about you! All those times we hung out, all those times we talked, all those times we joked around with another, they were never a lie! As you're friend, all I want to do is free you from the terrible line of work you're forcing yourself into to pay for some lonely dream that doesn't even make sense!" Catching her fist with his own, Jaune spun the shorter girl around him, bouncing on his feet to lash out with a kick to her head.

Struggling to shake away the pain stabbing her head, Ann snarled as she gestured a single finger above her head. The action brought her spears back to float above her in an X to touch their tips together. A towering fireball of licking flames sparked from the spears that overshadowed the two, "And you want to save me by throwing me into a jail cell? You're just some over privileged huntsman that was hired to bring our organization down! You would never know about the struggle to achieve your dream at whatever cost! So stop trying to make me fall for your shit!"

' _What do I have to do to prove to you I only want to help?'_ Jaune thought in frustration as he watched Ann lift the towering flames above her head with a mental command of her weapons. That did not look like something Crocea Mors could safely block, the damage would most likely be in the thousands. Reflect was the only option.

With grunt of exertion, Ann roared as she heaved the ball of lashing flames higher before slamming it down onto Jaune. The very air around the flames twisted around it as it bore down onto him.

" _ **Reflect!"**_ Just before the attack hammered into him and consumed him in its pulverizing fire, Jaune chanted his spell, creating his mirror shield. It fought to break apart the magic reflection shield, cracking the pixels. Jaune could feel the overbearing pressure it exuded slam into him through it. Even the heat bypassed Reflect, cooking him from inside and draining his health. _'Come on, come one, come on!'_ Reflect had to send it flying away, otherwise he wasn't sure he would survive the incinerating impact.

Luck was on Jaune's side. Even as his spell shattered to pieces around him, it was able to send it bouncing across the room. An explosion tore a massive hole from its impact, sending burning metal beams and rubble falling below. The FoF grunts by the area scattered to avoid the falling debris, sweating at the roaring flames crawling around the arena.

"This is getting out of hand." The leader of the small group breathed in panic. She knew Anabel was strong, but she never knew she was that strong! The boss's left hand lady was a monster.

Ann panted tiredly as she glared back at the equally tired blonde across from her. That last move had taken a massive amount of energy out of her and her aura. It should have been enough to finish him off! But no, she tiredly shook her head. Jaune had to keep fighting back. Whatever fancy combat school they sent him was paying off.

Jaune struggled to stay on his feet, lifting his head up as he sucked in fresh air as if it was water. _**'Jaune Arc,**_ _ **1,8**_ _ **05HP/4,800HP. 0MP/90MP.'**_ A sharp pain wracked his body as he flinched in agony. He used up more Mana then he had which resulted in a terrible backlash in return to for carelessness. 200HP was chopped off from the pain. He needed to heal fast and do his best to avoid any attacks that needed Reflect. He was out of magic to even use any of his useful moves.

He looked defenseless, now was her only shot, "Fire! Waste every bullet you got right now!" Ann yelled as she prepared to vault up from the encircling gunfire.

The grunts nodded without a word as they unleashed automatic hell upon the exhausted knight. From all corners, glowing red shells fired upon the two in dome wall of hot metal closing within.

Moving her spear to send her up, Ann's eyes flew open in cold shock as the spear failed to release a firing burst. The flames she kept within her weapons must have been used up with her last attack, she couldn't manipulate them without anything fueling them with her Dust! She was left standing like a helpless duck before the bullet hell falling onto them. Realizing their mistake as they saw their boss fail to evade the gunfire, the grunts fell into panic as they moved to jump down and try to protect her.

But they were too late. The bullets hit their marks as they shut their eyes from the grisly scene. The sounds of bullets digging into flesh and blood splattering haunting their ears. _'Master's going to have our head on pikes.'_ The leader of the grunts cursed, her body shivering at the enraged wrath of their normally grinning leader. Poor Anabel, she didn't deserve such a death. Slowly opening their eyes, they were afraid of what awaited them before being stunned into silence. The leader gasped at the scene, not believing what she was seeing.

A warm wetness began to drench Ann's short battle dress created by the tall blonde body hugging her tightly against his chest. His shield was held clasped in his hands encircling her waist, blocking any bullets from wounding her. Frozen in his embrace, Ann's trembling green eyes looked up at the blood streaked face of the boy protecting her. Why? Why did he save her?

Jaune coughed suddenly, spitting blood as what little aura he possessed struggled to heal his bullet riddled body. Thank god, he made it. He weakly smiled as a rose petaled bar slowly filled up, _'Thank you, Ruby. I'll be sure to buy you a kings ransom in cookies and strawberries when I see you again.'_ Gale Speed was truly a blessing.

"You-You idiot." Ann trembled, her eyes quivering as tears gathered shamefully, "What were you thinking? You could have died just now!?" She yelled.

"What do you mean? Weren't you trying to kill me?" Jaune wheezed with a laugh. His shaking hand struggled to lift up but powered through the pain as he patted her blue head with a grin, "You're my friend. And I protect my friends with everything I've got."

"CUT THE BULLSHIT ALREADY!" She cried angrily, her hands flying to his chest to grip his blood soaked hooded sweater. How many times did he have to throw around that word!? He wasn't her friend, she was his mission. She was a criminal with blood stained hands, with dark secrets normal people couldn't handle, who's stolen from people of all age and race without a care! How could he ever see some street rat as a friend!?

"Why can't you just drop the act? Every word that leaves your fucking mouth only makes the pain worse. You have nothing to gain from repeating the same lie over and over again, so why do still keep yapping on? Why can't you treat me as the enemy, a filthy lowlife criminal, instead of a friend?"

"Sorry, but I just don't know how else to tell you the truth. I know I sound like an annoying broken record that won't stop repeating the same sappy song over and over again, but it's the honest truth. And you're wrong." He chuckled tiredly, swallowing back a mix of stomach bile and blood. "You're none of those things to me, you're just someone willing to do whatever it takes to reach her dream. I know that feeling, the desire to do whatever to even scratch at your dream."

Jaune shut his eyes, a ghost of a smile reaching his face as he felt Ann grip his chest harder. He could feel the grunts aiming their guns on his back, their fingers trained on the trigger in case he made any move that would harm their boss. She had told him her secrets, it was only fair he shared his own.

"Officially speaking, I'm not qualified to enter Beacon. I was the worst of the worst when it came to school, let alone combat. And my family didn't help, they kept me away from the combat schools in hopes that I would grow up working some normal job that wouldn't constantly put me close to death. But that didn't stop me from lying my way in." He had saved up so much Lien for those fake documents, cutting back on everything. For such quality forgery, it practically cost him an arm and a leg. But it was worth. He would have killed for the chance to be trained as a huntsman, as a hero like his father and ancestors. His eyes turned somber at the thought of the string of lies he made since the day he decided to fake his way in. So many lies, risking his friends safety because he wasn't strong enough to help them or save them when they needed him. His lack of training literally cost him his life, if it weren't for The Game making him a Player he would have stayed dead.

"I don't know what I would have done to become strong, and the thought sometimes scares me. All I ever wanted to be is a hero, even if it meant lying and cheating my way to one. I'm not from some rich family, I'm not talented or smooth like others, I'm not even clever enough to stay out of trouble. So I lied my way in, telling them I was qualified to fight. I lied to so many people close to me, tried to be someone I'm not, and risked the lives of those I wanted to protect due to my lack of training. But despite it all, I would repeat every mistake if it meant finding the same friends in every life that see me for me. Even you."

A single teardrop fell onto Ann's cheek as she looked into the hurt blue eyes staring back her. The tear slid down, dropping onto her combat dress to mix with his blood.

Truth. He spoke the fucking truth. There wasn't a shred of dishonesty in his eyes and she had come to learn to find such an emotion when speaking to people. It was a nice little trick she had picked up after working with so many dirt bags in the past. But no matter how hard she dug through the blue eyes tearing up, she couldn't find a single microscopic grain of it in him. She bit down on her lips, shutting her eyes in frustration as she began to pound on his bleeding chest.

"Then why couldn't you just follow through with your initiation if you were really my friend!? Boss would have ignored everything you were up to and let you join if you only-"

"Chopped off Velvet's ears?" Jaune shook his head with a deep scowl, "I'm not that kind of person who would hurt others because of some stupid belief. The faunus don't deserve such treatment, their as human as you and me! She's no different then you, you're both my friends. I couldn't bear to hurt either one of you like that."

"But you would have been safe! We wouldn't have to fight like this if you did! A true friend would have done whatever it took to stay by my side!"

"Maybe, but would you really be friends with someone like that? Would I be any different then the people you worked with for Lien? Would you call someone like that your friend?"

Ann's pounding fists paused, clenching tightly as they rested against his chest. Her head fell onto his shoulders as her thoughts spun. She didn't know what to say to that. Would he still be the same man who had paid for her meal all those weeks ago without a thought of wanting anything in return? The same man who spent so much on dinner for both of them just because she was hungry? Or would cutting off the bunny girl's ears only taint his personality, losing whatever made him who he was?

Could she call such a person a friend?

No, she grudgingly shook her head, her tears falling as she rested against his wounded body. Everything that she despised, his innocence, his carelessness, his bright attitude, his goofy and dorky personality, are what made her see him as Blondie, the boy she had come to see as a friend. He betrayed her to the police to lock them up, to stop the horror and cruelty they believed would save the faunus and make them human, in hopes of lightening whatever punishment they threw at her. Because he wanted to save her from the dark underworld she fell into. Even if she hated him for it.

"Blondie!" Ann cried, hugging his body tightly as she cried into his shoulder. She hated it, being reduced to a crying girl. But the damn idiot had broken down the walls she kept around her heart. Once this mess was all over with, she would be sure to kick his ass for this.

Jaune smiled sadly at the crying blue haired girl. Finally, he was able to reach out to her. He sighed in relief. His body still ached with his wounds finally shutting and stopping the bleeding, but he would put up with it ten times over for this. Unfortunately he still had to take care of some business and cut this short. Blake and Velvet were still Holt's hands. Whatever he was planning with Cardin, he needed to stop it now. Cardin was in a dark place, he could see it in his eyes. Something was eating at the brown haired mace wielder, leaving behind a dangerous aura around his body. The day was far from over with, there was still much to be done.

Ann frowned in confusion, grudgingly sniffing back her tears as Jaune lightly pushed her off. He grabbed her by her shoulders, keeping her within arms reach as he sadly frowned at her.

"Ann, I need to stop Holt from whatever he's planning. I know you probably don't want me to go after him, but he still has my friends. I need to save them, but I know you'll try to stop me. I can see it in your eyes." He chuckled softly, already seeing a scowl on her face.

"So please, forgive me for this. I'll take whatever punishment you have for me when this is all over with later."

"What are you talki-!" Ann's eyes flew wide open as she found herself turned around. Jaune's strong hands suddenly grabbed her waist in a grapple before lifting her body high into the air.

" _ **Timber Fall!"**_

Grunting in slight pain, Jaune arced his back, slamming Ann's body headfirst onto the ground. Her eye's instantly rolled over, her body slumping in his hold as she passed out.

Yup, she was going to beat his ass raw when this was all over. A cherry would blush at the color she would leave his ass when she was done with him. They were going to have to invent a new color for it.

The jaws of all the gathered FoF members dropped at the ruthless display they witnessed. What the hell!? They were watching a heart pulling scene a moment ago, only for it to devolve to a finishing move in a wrestling match! That asshole!

"He's knocked the boss out! Kill him!" The leader of the group roared.

" _ **Reflect!"**_

With his Mana finally charged back to full, Jaune wasted little time as he called upon his reflection spell. The HP above the grunts heads dropped to zero as the bullets flew back, hitting their marks. Their bodies hit the ground with groans, dropping their weapons as they joined Ann in the land of unconsciousness.

 **+58,000EXP!**

"And still no level up?" Jaune grumbled as he picked up Ann. Taking out his scroll, it looked like he was only a thousand away from reaching lvl15. He frowned noticing a message, tapping it as he fixed the blue haired girl over his shoulders.

It was Pyrrha, and she was messaging him about the chaos that had fallen onto Vale along with the leader of the FoF kidnapping Blake and Velvet. She was asking for help. He groaned tiredly as his head fell. Well, he knew where they were. So no need to run around searching for them. If the FoF already sprung up their attack, then their was no need to hide about their location. He would just send everyone their coordinates and location. Help was much needed right now.

With his HUD's map of the area in his view, Jaune began to run out the arena and head for the massive smoking hole created by Ann's attack. All he needed was to navigate the slightly confusing layout of the main hideout and make it to the large arena above. No need to waste his recovery potions now, his aura was already regenerating and would fill it back up soon.

"Just wait a little longer, Blake, Velvet, Cardin." Jaune whispered, jumping through the opening to find his friends.

"I'll be there as fast as I can."

* * *

A shout of pain escaped Blake's lips as she was sent flying back from a wide swing of Cardin's mace. With bleary eyes she flipped in the air, landing back on her feet with a grimace. Cardin meet her in her landing, dropping Beaufort down onto her like a hammer. She raised her arms to block, swallowing a scream as the falling mace threatened to break her arm apart. He wasn't even using both hands! Pulling his mace back, he swung for the cat girl's head, grinning darkly as her head was smashed to bits.

The image of the gruesome death was robbed from him, fading away to a shadow after image. He growled, searching for the traitorous animal. There was no need to find her as a moment later her legs kicked the back of his head from above. She jumped back as she sent him stumbling forward.

"Stop playing, and die already!" Fighting back the pain, Cardin leveled the tips of Beaufort at the cat eared girl. He pressed down on the hilt's button, parting the tips to fire a larger then normal fireball. It streaked through the air, closing in on Blake.

With a flicker, Blake flipped over the attack by switching herself with an empty shell of her aura. Only for the head of the Cardin's mace to clamp down on her waist. A firing chain extended from its hilt, giving him farther reach. With a powerful tug, Cardin swung her body around, smashing her into the walls repeatedly.

Holt hummed in interest from the spectators seats, "I think I've discovered what Cardin's semblance is." He scratched his chin in thought, keeping a tight hold on the squirming bunny faunus seated close to him. "See, I thought it was something like creating explosions after his little display of anger yesterday, but now seeing him fight has made it much clearer. I believe it acts like an amplifier, amplifying his strength, defense, speed, or whatever whenever he needs it. His hands must have had some Dust residue on them that the force from his grip had created a spark, blowing a bit off my chair. It explains the random spikes in his abilities every once in a while, don't you think?"

Velvet didn't answer, instead choosing to glare at her captor. He was keeping her hostage to watch her friend being beaten around by a classmate to the death and later cut her bunny ears off. And he was casually chatting to her like some old friend? The man must be insane.

"Come on, bunny girl." Holt whined, popping a few kettles of popcorn he had somehow brought up with his baffling semblance, "Talk to me. It's been so long since we saw each other. How you been? Eat any interesting snacks lately? You seeing anyone right now? What's your three sizes?" He grinned cheekily.

A sharp slap to his cheek was her answer. Spoil sport.

"Clearly you're in no mood to be gossiping right now."

"How could I be talking to the man who brutally slaughtered my own people!?"

"I did no such thing. I simply gave them some slightly painful cosmetic surgery, free of charge. Is that so wrong? Wanting to make you animals fit into society like me?"

"We were doing just fine till your hate group-"

"Saved your village, your family all those years ago." His brown eyes looked at her from the corner of his vision, silencing her. "My organization saved them from freezing to death in a grave of snow because no one else would. The humans left you all to die knowing that your village was caught in a terrible blizzard. But did they lift a finger to save any of you? No, and do you know why? Because your animals and animals dying in the wild is nothing new to worry about."

"Don't you dare try to use that as an excuse for all the horrible things you've done! You're no better then the White Fang!" Velvet shouted angrily, doing whatever she could to take his hands off of her. A link of chains bound her wrists together, making it difficult to move around. He was treating her like some pet bunny.

"Am I? The Fang only cares about themselves, my organization cares for both sides of the coin. But we know better then hope for humanity to recognize the faunus as equals." His eyes watched the fight below, scowling as Cardin stamped his mace into the ground to release wall of racing flames.

Humans were selfish creatures. They believed they were better then all the species that walked the earth, ruling over the lands as kings with no equals. That is until they discovered a second species that dared to walk beside them, the Faunus. Their jealousy and greed created a rift between the two species, wishing to banish their animals bodied brothers to have the world to themselves. To this day, the rift could still be seen clear as day. Nothing had changed, even if people believed they were making small steps to accept each other. The Schnee Dust Corporation, The White Fang, they were perfect examples of the times refusing to change. In the end their was only one solution, one peaceful solution.

Amputation, humanization. The faunus only made up a small ten percent of the population on Remnant, it was practically laughable. The only way they would ever be accepted is if they were human as well. And what good did being a faunus do them? Night vision and a few other lousy abilities that they no longer needed in this day and age. Being a faunus was a curse that separated you from the world. You were ridiculed, looked down on, treated no better then wild animals or worse, the Grimm. Humanity blamed their brother for the dark emotions drawing the monsters from the depths of whatever darkness they were birthed. So what was the harm in losing that curse to fit in? All it took was a simple snip and they would look no different then human. Hurt like hell, but it would be worth it.

Holt was a prime example of the humanization working well. Since that day so long ago, the day he had no choice but to cut his ear and tail off to survive, the people of Remnant never once questioned his humanity. Humanity was nothing more then a cosmetic appearance, it's what separated the two species for so long. And because of it, he now walked Remnant with no fear. And he wished for the same freedom for his kind too. They would realize one day in the future that what he did was a blessing in disguise. And they would thank him for gifting them humanity.

Or they would die cursing his name like filthy animals.

"The White Fang wishes for genocide, the Friends of Faunus wish for equality. The world may see us as monsters chopping off limbs, but they'll one day see the gifts we've given the faunus. 10% is such a small number, it's only smart that we abandon our animal ancestry to unite with the 90% of the world. We must change ourselves to be accepted, it's the only way and you know it."

Blast after blast of fire trailed after Blake's running form, each one drawing closer in their aims. Rearing his mace back, Cardin launched himself after his prey on the tailcoat of the explosion. He swung his mace for her side, cursing as she switched with a shadow. He spun it around, spinning on his foot to bash her chest. Blake moved away from the attack, using it as a free shot to slam her elbow into his face. The blow sent him stumbling back in surprise, clutching his slightly bleeding nose. With him stunned, Blake went in to knock him out. Only for his searing blue eyes filled with anger and despair to stare back at her.

She had caused this. She was the reason why he was filled with so much hate, so much anger, so much pain. She felt her heart clench at the sight. It was because of her and the White Fang that they had created a tortured bully, one that was more then some ordinary racist. Cardin's hate had reason. And Blake was that reason.

Seeing Blake pause, Cardin stabbed his mace forward, detonating an explosion against her abdomen. Sent back in a fireball, Blake snapped out of her despair to once again evade the blasts firing from his weapon.

Blake huffed as she dodged the licking explosion chasing after her. Her body was bruised and covered in dirt created by Cardin's mad swings. She never knew he was this powerful. Back in Beacon he had displayed some impressive strength, but nothing this impressive. It was like she was fighting a completely different person in his place. One of her eyes flinched as her hand flew to her side. Part of her clothing had been ripped apart, revealing the horrible bruising running along her ribs. She wouldn't be surprised if he sprained a rib or two. Her aura was struggling to heal the damage.

The snapping clamps of Beaufort soon shot after her. She swung her head to the side, missing the tips chomping down on her face for a grapple. Cardin reeled the head of his mace back in, calling on the strange new power coating his body to his legs. With a burst of high speed he appeared in front of Blake, spinning his mace around in a chain of swings. Blake struggled to duck and evade his devastating swings, sweating as his mace grazed her cheek. Blood seeped from the small wound as she skipped back from another hammer swing. The Dust crystal within erupted in a plume of towering flames, hiding Cardin from her sight.

Her back snapped as she found him slamming his weapon behind her. She was sent skidding on her side into the plume of flames. Through the pyre, she fell to her back, coughing and hissing from the burns littering her body.

' _I can't keep this up_ _much longer. My aura is starting to drain to nothing.'_ Blake tiredly panted as she tried to get back up. Without Gambol Shroud by her side, she was unable to do much damage to a juggernaut like Cardin. Her exhausted yellow eyes gazed back the mace wielder parting his explosion with a wave of Beaufort, his eyes livid with blistering anger and hatred. It made her smile grimly as his words bounced around her head.

' _It's your fault. You killed my mother and unborn little sister!'_

Her past had come to haunt her it seemed. Those horrible crimes she had committed under Adam's leadership found her after so long. And they came in the form of the brown haired boy wanting to strike her down. All this time, she had thought he was just another racist, someone who refused to see her kind as anything more then animals because of their extra appendages. But no, he had a reason, a deep seated hatred for the bloodshed they had caused long ago. Their very first crime had caused the deaths of over a dozen humans and for what? To tell the world that they were more then willing to spill blood to be treated fairly? She should have spoken up long ago, maybe she could have been able to change Adam's ways before they fell deeper into the hole.

Blake shook her head with a dead laugh. What was she thinking, nothing would have changed Adam's line of thinking. Not even her.

"What's so funny?" Grabbing Blake by the scruff of her torn school blazer, Cardin picked the faunus girl up. He glowered at the dirty faced cat girl covered in scratches and burns, "You think it's funny? The sins of your past that took away my mother and little sister? You thinks it's funny that you animals took away my family life in an instant, with a press of a fucking button!?"

"It's not that." Blake weakly croaked, Cardin's grip beginning to strangle her. "I'm sorry for what happened to your family, I truly am. But will killing me put your mother's soul at rest?"

"You don't get to talk about her like you knew her!" Cardin roared, She had no right to say anything about her, not after she had a hand in killing them both! All she was doing was blinding him further with rage. "I don't care if she believed that her festival could bring humans and faunus together, your kind is nothing but savage animals that were willing to use a kind woman's trust to slaughter her and others for a stupid fucking message!"

"Tell me." He hissed furiously, tightening his hold as he felt his strength spike, crackling the air, "Was it worth it? Did you get your message across?"

Tears gathered in Blake's eyes in memory of the day. The sounds of terror and anguish that followed the explosions haunting her to this day. No, it wasn't worth it. And she had realized it too late. Even if she had left the White Fang, that would never change the things she had done. She was no better then Adam. Her cat ears flattened as she sadly shook her head.

Beaufort was raised high in the air as angry tears filled Cardin's own eyes. His eyes were wide in absolute fury, his body trembling in rage. Just as he thought. Not even she thought it was worth it. And she dared to feel bad for what she had done? The new power created by his aura ignited the fire crystal on top of his mace's hilt, lighting the tips with blazing fire. They parted, ready to tear off the damn faunus girl's head.

This was justice, justice his mother and sister were robbed of so long ago.

' _Please, don't hate them for it.'_

"I'm sorry, I really am. I know nothing I can ever say will change what I did long ago, but I really am sorry for playing some part in your mother and sister's death." Tears trailed Blake's cheek in face of the roaring fire in his hand. And the agony and fury in his eyes.

So this was how it was going to end? Dying for her sins? Guess this was what they called justice. Her sins could no longer be evaded any longer. She had spent so long running from her problems and mistakes, it was only fair that she died to one of the people who's life she had ruined while in the White Fang.

' _Please, don't hate them for it.'_

Cardin shut his eyes in frustration, 'Shut up! This is justice, Mom! She killed you, she killed your unborn daughter! How could I forgive such an animal from taking you away from me and Dad!?' Why were his mother's words coming to him now? He was setting things right! Blake, the traitorous faunus had been there. She had a part in her death, as little as it might have been. An eye for an eye, wasn't that something the religious old farts said? Well this was a death for two deaths!

' _Please, don't hate them for it.'_

Of all the times, why couldn't she shut up!? He didn't need this, he needed justice! This was so their souls could finally rest! Shaking his head, Cardin crept his burning mace tips closer to Blake's face, intent on delivering the justice the girl so rightfully deserved.

' _Please.'_

Blake's eyes welled with wet tears, her fear and remorse glowing in his weapons flames. Cardin ground his, his hand trembling the closer he edged his mace. Despite what awaited her-

' _Can't you see the look of pain and sadness in their eyes when you treat them horribly? Their human, just like us!'_

-She smiled. A sad, regretful smile. The same one his mother had worn when she laid in bed connected to machines. The two images overlapped another, stopping his mace an inch from scorching her skin.

' _DON'T HATE THEM FOR IT!'_

With hot tears running down his face, Cardin shut his eyes as his chest heaved with emotion. What was so wrong in seeking payback for his family?! This was what they called justice! Right? What else was he suppose to do in the face of one of his mother and sister's killer!? He wasn't his mother, he couldn't forgive them for killing them both! So what was he suppose to do!?

' _Nothing is that easy, Cardin' His mother smiled down at him. Her long brunette hair fell down her back, swinging as she washed the dishes beside him. He stood on a stool, too short to reach the faucet. Cardin's big blue eyes stared curiously at his beautiful mother, her bright smile warming his cheeks as she ruffled his hair with soapy fingers, "I know your father thinks it's impossible for us all to get along, but there's no quick solution. It takes time for others to get along, let alone forgive each other. I know your father is still steaming after what a fox faunus had done to him when he was little, biting off a bit of his ear in a fight. But nothing ever worth doing is ever easy! Trust me, in time I'll have your father acting properly with faunus!" She happily proclaimed with a pumping fist._

" _You sure? Daddy's pretty stubborn." He pouted. He could still remember hearing his dad curse out the deer faunus under his breath in the market yesterday._

" _Yup! Trust me. Being angry and resentful won't get you nowhere in life. You'll only be hurting yourself, and worse, the ones around you. That's why your father's trying to change." She grinned down at him, tapping his nose playfully._

" _He knows I don't love people full of hate."_

The grip on Beaufort weakened, his mind in turmoil as his mother's words refused to leave him alone. _'I'm doing this for you!_ _I just want make them pay, that's justice! So, please-'_

"Stop looking at me like that!" Cardin yelled in a cry, slamming his mace to the side. An erupting cloud of dirt and flames towered next their bodies, shattering the arena floor to bits and nearly puncturing through. The falling burning debris scattered around them as his grip on Blake slackened, leaving her feet dangling closely to the ground. Blinking away the tears, Blake gazed at Cardin's shaking frame in confusion.

Being angry and hateful was so easy. You didn't need to know a thing to hate the person with such strong passion that it eats away at your soul. It ate away at you, like a disease. Turning you into a monster that could only froth at the mouth and snarl to the innocent and misunderstood. The kind of being no mother could love even in death.

And even with what he's become, Cardin knew without a doubt that his mother would still try to save him, forgive him for all that he's done. Because she believed there was good in everyone. He dropped Blake from his grip, standing back as he looked at his trembling hands stained with bits of her blood. The cloud of burning red faded from his mind, leaving him to stare at his work.

What was wrong with him? This wasn't what he wanted! He wanted to be hero, to bring glory to his once proud family name, to be recognized as a great huntsman like his father had once been! A huntsman so great that his mother would be proud of him even in death. When did he begin to fall so low as to try to kill a girl?

But she was part of the attack, Blake had some hand in killing his mother and sister. He couldn't forgive her for her sins like that! Yet he would be disrespecting his mother's memory if he killed her. What was he suppose to do? His thoughts were counter arguing another in a bitter fight of emotions.

From the stands, Holt scratched his head at the scene. Well, that was certainly unexpected. He was sure Cardin would finish the girl off. She was defenseless and only had her semblance to save her. He practically delivered her to the kid on a plate, with a nice bow to boot. Eh, he shrugged as he called on his shadows to hold the bunny girl still. No skin off his ass, he could use Cardin's hesitation to humanize the girl. Then he would kill her off.

Warping beside the struggling huntsman in training with his semblance, Holt patted the boy's trembling shoulder's with a grin.

"I see you've come to your senses, my boy. I knew you were better then that. She may be White Fang, and even responsible for your hatred of the faunus, but even she deserves to die as a human instead of an animal." Grabbing spare knife from his coat, Holt pushed the small blade into his free hand. It was time he joined his little family. Cardin would fit in nicely, "Go ahead, free her from her curse. It's the only way her kind can ever fit into society. It's what your mother would want."

A vein throbbed on Cardin's forehead in response, his grip coming back to life.

"No."

Holt blinked, cleaning out his ear. Something was in there messing with his hearing it seemed. Because for an impossible second he could have sworn he heard Cardin say no.

"I'm sorry, what?" His eyes hardened, narrowing as Cardin swung his head to him. The boy's blue eyes were blazing with anger, anger that should not have been pointed to him of all people.

"You heard me." Cardin glowered, breaking the knife to pieces with a spike of strength. "I said no. This isn't what my mother would have wanted! She believed that humans and faunus could get along without stooping to something like this!"

"So, what? You're just going to forgive the girl for killing her? Please, don't kid yourself. You already beat her up badly from the looks of it. Chopping off her ears is the only light punishment you could give her."

"I'm not saying I forgive Blake! But I know I'm better then this! I'm better then you!" Cardin wasn't going to listen to Holt like some mindless drone. What would amputating her ears do? It wouldn't bring his mother and sister back to life. At the end of the day, a faunus was still a faunus, no matter the animal limbs or not. Even if Holt said he was a perfect example of it working. Holt was still a faunus.

Better then him? Holt had to stop himself from laughing, "Better? We're the same, my boy. Only I'm trying to make the world a better place, one your own mother would dream of. Where both species are one and the same. And you're just a boy lost to his hate. I told you, I can give that hate purpose. All you got to do is listen to me."

"No thanks." He scoffed. He was done listening to people telling him what to do and what to feel. The only person he would listen to now was himself. "I'm done letting my anger consume me. I'm not some lunatic that thinks chopping off animal ears and tails will make them human. I'm not some hate filled bastard that's willing to throw everything he's worked for, for some petty revenge that won't bring him peace! I'm a Huntsman! And we have a job." Cardin glared, raising his mace to stare down Holt's frowning face, "To stop lunatics like you."

"Careful what you're saying, Cardin." A dark purple glint shined from Holt's left eye as his shadows danced around his body in an aura, "Are you really stupid enough to throw away your chance at revenge, your chance to become stronger, your chance of survival, to fight me? Don't tell me you're willing to die protecting these animals too? Haven't I told you before?" He growled with a dark savage grin.

"I hate hypocrites."

"Don't get me wrong." Cardin grinned back, his body pulsing with his own gold aura, "I still hate the faunus, but we huntsman have a job: Protect every living being within this city. Including these animals. The sheep have to be watched over, no matter how dirty or annoying they may be from the big bad wolf. And my, what big teeth you have there, Holt."

"The better to tear you limb from limb with, my boy." Holt spat venomously. His fingers clawed the air, straining as he fought control over his want to rip his so called apprentice to bloody chunks. "And I'm no wolf, I'm more of a Jackal."

"Who gives a shit?"

"I thought you did."

"I do, but I'd be spitting on my mother's memory if I crossed this line. Bit me."

"Oh, I'll do more then bite you, you little traitor!" He roared, swinging his arm to the side to call on his weapon. He had such high hopes for Cardin, he truly believed he would understand where he was coming from. But what did he get in return for bringing the boy closure? A slap to his face. Unforgivable, just like that blonde punk that played with his little Ann's emotions.

There was no question anymore, Holt was done playing around with these kids. They were undermining his cause, halting progress for a better future for both faunus and humans. Punishment needed to be dealt. Death was all that awaited them.

 _ **Buzz, Buzz, Buzz!**_

Holt clicked his tongue as he answered his earpiece. The head leader of the grunts he sent out to watch over Ann, Hilda something. What did she want? "This better be good, Hilda! My blood pressure is already skyrocketing right now and I need a medication of slaughter to bring it back down!"

' _Master. . .I'm sorry, we couldn't stop him. He was. . .too strong. Annabel. . .'_

"What?" Holt paused breathlessly, his hand pausing the odd spiked knuckle hilt from rising further from the pool of shadows. They lost, even with Anabel? How!? "Where is she!" He shouted into the ear piece angrily, a hint of worry seeping through his voice.

' _We're sorry, he took her with him as he escaped. We couldn't stop him. We're sorry.'_

No, they weren't sorry. Not as sorry as they were going to be when he finished with their corpses. Ripping the little gadget off his ear, Holt crushed it in his grip with a guttural growl.

His little Ann was in the hands of the rat. The little snitch was probably going to haul her away to the police to lock her up. As if he was going to let Jaune escape with his precious little Ann. His blood would touch the ground before he stepped foot out of his lair.

A sudden rise of heat caught Holt's attention. Falling back to the ground, he fell into his shadows for cover, evading the giant boulder sized ball of flames aimed for him. It streaked past his lingering silhouette, striking the wide eyed bunny faunus in his stead.

Rising back from his semblance, his flat stare greeted Cardin mid firing of his mace. Really? Talk about poor aim. He shook his head with a laugh before breathing out his nose. As much as he wished to tear him apart, he had much more important matters to take care of.

"I guess your mother's watching out for you in death still, Cardin. Because I have someone more deserving of Death Rattle then you. Lucky you." Nothing mattered more then Ann right now. He'd be damned if he let his little girl fall into the hands of the police. "What was with that aim anyway? No wonder you don't use a gun mechanism with your weapon, you can't hit the broadside of a ship." He smirked, unaware of the bellowing clouded figure jumping for his back.

Or so they thought. Piercing the shadow silhouette that had been Holt with an aura clad kick, Velvet tucked and rolled to land beside Blake. Her dark brown eyes glared at the wisps of shadows lingering behind his copy.

"Ohohoho! Clever boy. Firing a shot to free the other animal to gang up on me. But I have a more annoying prey to hunt down right now. Don't fret though."

His dark chuckle echoed as a towering plume of shadows erupted like geyser where he once stood. The force of it hit the three hunter's with a lashing gale as they shielded their eyes. Two large human like hands stretched out from the shadows with bone like armor plates, black as night. An odd gorilla like growl escaped the shadows, a single burning red eye peeking out to stare hauntingly at the three.

"I have a better suited playmate to keep you company. Play nice now, you hear?"

The monster within the darkness raised its massive arms in the air, slamming them down to the ground like an earthquake. The ground trembled as Cardin, Blake, and Velvet struggled to keep their footing as the shadows were ripped apart by the terrifying nightmare. Revealing the massively tall gorilla Grimm with a patch of burned skin on the left side of its bone masked face. It's head twitched, tilting as it stared the three shell shocked teens down with a glowering stare.

"What. . .What is that?" Blake asked in a trembling voice. She'd never seen a Grimm as menacing as the one staring them down. Its fists were big enough easily grab her like a fruit and squish her to mush.

Velvet fought back the fear crawling up her body in face of the beast, "It's a Beringel. A Grimm unseen so close to urban cities. It's smarter then the average Grimm and it's capable of untold disaster. What's a man like Holt doing with a monster like this!?"

The Beringel howled, blowing back the wind as it reared its fists back. It didn't know where it was right now, but it would settle for the little meat bags.

Stepping in front of the unarmed faunus girls, Cardin swung his mace to block the giant bone platted fist. Beaufort's hilt met the fist, stopping the Grimm from smashing their bodies to broken heaps. A rush of stinging pressurized wind blew back against him from the thundering impact. He grunted, the damn monster looked strong but this was insane! Biting back the pain in his arms, Cardin focused the odd new power coursing in his veins for strength, pushing back the Beringel's fists. He panted from the exertion of strength, cursing as he countered another of its blows.

"Don't just stand there, idiots!" He shouted loudly, finding a small opening in the monster's swings. Parting the tips of his mace, he fired its chained titanium head for its own. It stared emotionless at him as it clamped down on its face. Cardin grinned, pressing down on the button of its hilt. Flames erupted from the Dust within, shrouding its face in crackling smoke.

Blood rushed out of his mouth as the dark gorilla clapped its hands on both sides of his body suddenly. An auraless human would have been reduced to a pulp of showering blood. Cardin's aura struggled to ward off the monstrous pressure threatening to break every bone in his body. Burning red eyes stared at him as the smoke parted away, leaving very little damage on its face.

What the hell, Cardin struggled to breath as the Beringel increased its grip. Grimm usually died with one blow of his fire Dust crystal. It was a point blank detonation for crying out loud!

Poor meatsack. The Beringel hooted as it continued to add pressure. It's eyes gleamed at the sound of pained shouting the hunter made. So crunchy.

A heavy blow for the back of its head rung the Grimm's head, sending a splitting force down its body. It released its grip on Cardin as it grabbed its head, stumbling back. Leaving it open for falling hammer fist for its already aching skull.

Ready to fall to his knees from the pain wracking his body, Cardin was surprised to find Blake and Velvet jump back from their attacks to catch him.

"W-What the hell a-are you idiots doing?" Cardin stumbled over his words as he glared weakly at the two faunus supporting him. They should have taken the opportunity to run while they could.

"Saving you, of course. We can't just leave you to fight a monster like this by yourself. You're only a first year after all." Velvet smiled lightly. "I can't let my junior show me up."

"I made a horrible mistake long ago. One I can't ever take back! I'm done running away." Blake's aura was still recovering from Cardin's beating. But that wouldn't keep her from fighting. She closed her eyes, hardening her resolve as she called on the power within in her to come back. With the knowledge of what she had done to Cardin in the past floating in her mind during their fight, she had been unconsciously holding back her strength. Bet your ass that there was nothing stopping her now from fighting at her full strength. Her yellow eyes moved back to Cardin's own, gazing at him with sympathy.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I am asking you to set aside your feelings until we've dealt with this Grimm. You could do whatever you want after then. For now, just trust me to fight by your side."

The Beringel howled as it shook away the pain. It turned its eyes back to the hunters, swinging its fists for the three.

Blake replaced herself with a shadow copy, Velvet jumped over the fist, and Cardin dashed out of the way. Again the ground shook with the thundering impact. It swung its head in search for its prey only to find the gray armored boy appearing out of thin air in front of its platted chest. Flames danced around the tips of Beaufort before Cardin stabbed it forward. Twin ax kicks for its head accompanied the explosion courtesy of Blake and Velvet as the grotesque gorilla howled in pain.

"Not like I have much of choice." Cardin grumbled as he dodged a bullet fast punch. Bouncing to his left, he threw up to the two faunus girls two hunter knives he kept hidden in his sleeves. Little gifts from Holt he had no use for. They quickly caught the blades, stabbing them down into the beast's back. The knives materials were luckily durable enough to harm it, digging deep into it. It shook the annoying humans off, slipping the knives off.

Blake and Velvet landed back to Cardin's sides, readying themselves as the Beringel stomped its fists down in frustration.

With a sigh, Cardin popped out the Dust in atop of Beaufort's hilt and replaced it with a fresher one from his pouch tied to his waist, "We can save all the teen angst for later. Right now we have a gorilla to put down."

No one ever said being a huntsman was easy.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Smash Guard [5AP]: A strong physical blow that breaks the guard of a Player's target. The Defense stat of the Player must be greater then their target's and will cost an MP difference if successful. This Ability has a 70% Accuracy Rating. Example: Player DEF(15)Target DEF(9)= 6MP Cost. Useless against Machine Type enemies.**_

 _ **Hunter's Axe [2AP]: Performing a flip, the Player slams their aura coated foot onto the targets skull. Has an Accuracy of 75% and 10% chance of inflicting Daze.**_

 _ **Timber Fall [3AP]: A grappling move that holds the target in their arms before delivering a backwards head slam by bending the Player's spine back for a complicated wrestling blow. Deals an amplified 15% in Strength and has a 20% chance to inflict Daze and Defense Down.**_

* * *

 **So, again, I won't be uploading next week. Though I do have 2,000+ words written down, so it's going. I just need some time to get my personal life together. I'd only upload a half assed chapter with how I'm feeling right now and that's not fair to you guys. I'll be back, I swear. Just give me some time. Apologies.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	14. Definition of Will

**Guess who? It's your boy, NeoShadows! Back from despair, bitches!**

 **So, before we get started, let's talk about the elephant in the room. As you all know, two weeks ago I had talked about my poor health and mood, caused by my little dog, Princess's health. Sadly, I was too late. That very morning, I had to do the responsible thing and, well, say good night to her one last time. I was there with my sister who loved her just as much as the doctor put her to sleep.**

 **It was hard, having to see her off to that rainbow bridge in the sky. I've dealt with a lot of shit in these twenty-one years on earth, death of family and friends, near deaths, the works, but these last nine years, where I began to shed my ugly habits, I had Princess. Always there to wag her tail and jump happily after me every time I opened the door. She helped me learn how to smile. So you can all guess how devastated I was in her passing. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to smile again.**

 **Until a week ago when I left the shower. (Looks flatly at his bedside with a twitching brow, finding a small tail wagging and his toe being nibbled on ruthlessly by sharp teeth.)**

 **That is Baylee, our now ten week old Pointer/Labrador puppy. And she is as adorable as she is chompy. Thanks to my sister's boyfriend, who I dislike less as of lately, we now have a dog again. And despite my reluctance, the little girl has wormed her way into the hole in my heart. It's thanks to her that I'm able to write again.**

 **I want to say thanks to all of you for your support and kind words. My little Princess is in a better place, and I know my big sister is playing with her after many years of being apart from her dog. The pain's still there, every time I open my laptop to see her picture on my screen, but it's a good hurt, because it shows me just how much she meant to me and how much I loved her. But I still have my friends and family to get me through the day, along with little Bayl to drag me out of my funk. By force. Literally, she won't stop gnawing on my feet, dammit.**

 **October is coming in hot! RWBY Volume 4 is almost here, and its trailer will air on RoosterTeeth on the 3rd. So we have much to do before we get there! Now I just have to put down Monster Quest: Fragments of a Forgotten Past, and get to the next chapter! Damn RPG's, sucking me dry. And not the good kind. Wink, wink.**

 **Yup, I'm back alright**

 **Now, this chapter took a long time to finish. And it's my biggest ever, coming in at 23,000+ words in actual story! There's a lot going on here, and by the end of it, questions will be asked. The final chapter to the FoF is coming next week. Just how will it end?**

 **Guess what? Review Time!**

 **Heads up, I want to thank every reviewer that wished me well and supported me. I'd thank every last one of you if it didn't sound so repetitive.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: Dude, been a while, huh? It's no problem if you ran out of ideas, happens to the best of us at times. I know I struggles sometime when I'm trying to come up with ideas for DLC's. You just need to look out for inspiration. The Sick Days DLC came to me because I was sick myself, funny how real life can inspire you like that. Besides, the one you've written is crazy enough. Jesus, it's long. Too bad you don't write, you got some crack stories on ya, hermano. I think I got an idea coming along, thanks to you.**

 **BlackRoseFire: Yeah, I always hated how they wrote off Cardin as some one dimensional bully in fanfiction. There's so much to flesh out with his character, it's a shame to make it go to waste.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Eh? You wanna go, bro? I'll take you on right now with my Pokemon, I'LL THROW DOWN! Ha, it's good to find another Pokemon fan like me. Love to battle you when the games come out. I'm sure you'll be theorizing at the end of this chapter.**

 **Wandai: Thanks. . .ya bastard. Glad you like my fight scenes, they're always my favorite to write. Wish I knew how to animate, that would be sweet. And the struggle with Cardin's right and wrong was a bit of a challenge, but it seems to have worked out. And, seeing as you're one of my best theorist reviewers, I'm sure you'll be trying to understand some of the things popping up in this chapter. Trust me, they're a dozy. . .ya bastard.**

 **King of Plot Bunnies: . . .It's not easy, huh? I know I'm still haunted from time to time. But, we must move on. And find our smiles again. I know I found mine again. I hope you did too, friend. Even despair won't keep this bastard down!**

 **TheNakeFlame: Stop? This? Ha! The only thing capable of stopping me from writing again, is another truck running me over! Which hurts like hell if you don't know. Don't worry, this story is far from over with, as am I.**

 **The Foxy Man: Glad to hear. The Gamer stories are fun, and enjoyable, but what I hate about them is all the wall of texts describing things. I feel all that information just pads the story. I wanted more, so I made sure to lighten on the gaming info and focus on the story and events more. Which I feel I've done pretty well with.**

 **A Fan1204: Huh. You hit the Arc pretty well at its bull's eye. While this Arc is focused on Jaune, and other things dealing with him as we go along, it's also about Cardin, and his change of character. Oddly enough, I always liked Cardin as a character for some reason. I was once a bully, long ago, so I know that such attitude comes from a dark and sad place. And I wanted to expand on that, making him more fleshed out. And don't worry, I ain't done with him after this Arc. No, he's actually got a big part in this story down the road. As do other characters. Holt is a tough bastard, makes you wonder how he'll be defeated. Will it be by random power up, or something more unexpected? You won't know till the last chapter. And boy, will it be shocking.**

 **That's it for reviews. Again, I want to thank all of you who took the time to review, especially with words of encouragement and hope. You all helped me out in my depression, ever last one of you. It's only right that I keep writing this through to the end. And trust me, we really do have a whole lot ahead of us.**

 **Now, let's get to reading!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. I swear, if I hear another person talk about Harambe this week, I'm going to lose my mind here. It's those goddamn memes, man! They won't leave me alone! And it doesn't help that my little brother is a meme lord. Jokes on him though, as an Admin on Amino, he has to sort through all the dirty filth that people like me post. Stuck flagging and looking at porn.**

 **. . . . .Maybe I should be an Admin too?**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Definition of Will.**

"I'm beginning to think every morally questioning organization owns a shed or warehouse in this town." Naragami's brow twitched as he huffed on a cigar. Three of his men followed after him in a warehouse not unlike their own. Even the damn layout of the top level was the same! He was going to have to have a word with Holt about their base of operations when this was all over with.

With the town caught up in their attacks on the hidden nest of White Fang, Naragami and his troops were able to easily sneak into what he believed was the main hideout of the White Fang. Meaning that the head of the little group of radical faunus dwell within.

Adam. That wasn't a name he had heard in a long time. Not since his days in the White Fang. Naragami closed his eyes at the memories the name brought.

* * *

 _(Flashback.)_

Pain, so much pain. Naragami's eyes fluttered, wincing as he struggled to move his body up. He laid on the gravel of the once peaceful town square in a beaten, singed gray tank top and ripped jeans, his red bandanna torn around his neck with blotches of blood running down his temple. Aura had been the only reason his body was still in tact, same couldn't be said for many of the people laid around him. Disfigured burned bodies littered the square, crawling with flames and shrapnel. Human, Faunus, it was hard to distinguish the two from one corpse. What had once been a nice sunny day without a cloud in sight had quickly fallen to hell on earth. The smoke of the bombings blocked the sky, painting it black as the fire of the explosions continued to rage with no end in sight. Naragami's fingers dug into the earth as he shut his eyes in horrified grief.

Why? Why did this happen? This was suppose to be a small step towards equality! Not bloodshed. How could such a bright peaceful evening devolve into such hell?

"Alive? Impressive. Seems you're much more then a plain old grunt."

That voice. With a grunt of labor, Naragami inched his chin up, turning his eyes up to the cloaked stranger standing in front of his downed body. From the height of the stranger and the sound of the voice, the stranger was no older then him and male. He sounded familiar. If only that damn hood over the boy's head wasn't in the way, all he could make out were the shadows blocking his face.

But the horns sticking out caused Naragami to grit his teeth in a snarl.

"Adam, what are you doing here?" He rasped. The little brat made it pretty clear he didn't want anything to do with the festival planning. All he ever did nowadays was stay back from the activities and watch like a creepy little ghost, eying every little detail with scrutiny. He didn't even join them for the festivities, choosing to run off Oum knows where. Made him wonder why little Blake idolized such a savage child he had become.

Behind the veil of shadows, Adam smirked. Naragami. The man was an interesting NPC. Most of the future White Fang came to idolize him and his views on humanity, following after him with every playthrough. But not the man laying at his feet in burns. His green eyes were full of wariness towards him, and even hope for the two species coming together. Troublesome. That was the only word to describe the man. Who knew one man could cause him so much trouble? Naragami alone had made it difficult to slowly turn the White Fang into freedom fighters. He gave the faunus hope that they could put aside their differences with the humans and come together as one. It was no wonder he was the leader's right hand in this timeline.

But that would end today. Change was in order, even if it was a few years ahead of schedule.

Right now, Adam was dressed in a black cloak hiding his identity from others to see. Couldn't have them finding out he was responsible for all this. Yet. Poor little Blake, she wouldn't take this well. Using a quick Scan, he was able to find her on the map. Her Aura had taken a small hit, but it looked like she was fine. Good, he sighed in a small moment of relief. He had already sent one of the White Fang for her, she would be safe soon.

' _I wonder how she'll take it this time. Springing this up at her age isn't bound to yield any positive results.'_ Then again, when did any of his plans to wipe out humanity ever sit well for her? Blake wasn't even in her preteens yet. Looked like this would be another world he would have to lose her.

Looking down at the wounded faunus glaring daggers at him, Adam nodded his head resolutely. That was fine. He wouldn't stop till both his dreams aligned in the same reality.

Adam knelt down to closer to Naragami's face, showing off the grimm mask hiding his eyes, "Naragami, why am I not surprised to see you still breathing? I would have thought the bombings would be enough to kill you."

"You little shit!" Naragami spat venomously, wincing as his tried to raise his body up. The hell was he talking about? Did he plan all this? How!? The little creep didn't raise a finger to set all this up. "What kind of foul shit are you spewing now? Are you telling me you did all this!?"

"All of this? No, not just me." Adam smiled smugly, "Those who understand the kind of world I'm trying to bring had helped me. Those who are ready to shed off the shackles of oppression the humans have chained us to listened to me. Those who understand that peace will get us nowhere and believe humanity has no right to the earth are not laying dead around me. All except you. The lone weed that has stood against the fallen flames of revolution."

Poetic little whelp. The brat always had mouth on him. Forcing himself with all his strength, Naragami stood back up, thanking the life force cladding his being as it healed his wounds as best it could. His bloody fingers twitched as he eyed the familiar sheathed blade tied to the boy's waist. If there was one thing had had learned from watching the boy it was that he was a monster in combat. Sad to say he could probably kill him if he really wanted to. Sadder that it had never been like that long ago.

Scoffing, Adam shook his head with a small laugh as he eyed Naragami's alert fingers, "What do you think you're doing? There is no one who will stand at your side, all those who oppose such justice have been lost to the flames along with the foolish humans. I have to thank that stupid woman who reached out to us to help in the planning, made it the perfect cover to announce my message."

Naragami sneered at the young teen, buying time for his aura to heal whatever it could. "Message? And what kind of message do you hope of sending?" He growled.

"A message of revolution. The time of man is over. We're done playing nice." Adam smirked cruelly.

"And what of the boss? I know for a fucking fact he would have never approved of such a plan!"

"The leader's stepped down, ahead of schedule. And in his place I've appointed myself leader of what remains of the White Fang. So you'll do well watching your tone with me."

Naragami's muscles tensed, his fingers cracking before releasing his sharp claws from his fingertips. "Ahead of schedule? Were you planning on taking over this whole time!?" He yelled, charging head on with his claws swinging wildly. In his swift strikes one of his claws managed to knock back Adam's hood, revealing the haunting grimm mask on his face. A gushing red line stretched across his face in retaliation by Adam's red blade. Having had enough of dealing with the feral faunus Adam bashed his elbow into Naragami's face, sending him skidding back on his feet. He sheathed his chokuto, the slits for his eyes gleaming red.

" _ **Riddle Fang."**_

With blistering speed, Adam sheathed and unsheathed his blade, firing blades of red energy like gunfire from his sheath. Lacerations opened up along Naragami's body, spilling his blood onto the ground. A large gash tore at the side of his ribs, sending him falling onto his knee's.

Naragami panted in labored breaths, struggling through the pain to keep his eyes open. The damn bastard was a monster, he didn't even see him swing his blade. Already a pool of blood began to gather underneath him.

"Are you so blind as to throw your life away for the humans? Look around you. What you're seeing is justice for all the hate, the ridicule, the oppression that they've thrown at us. We tried living in peace with them but look how that turned out. All we've done is paint a picture of weakness on our kind. Well that ends today." With a click of his blade, Adam ceased his attack. He walked past the traitor to look out at the hellish scene he had created with a proud smirk stretching across his lips.

"The world will reap what they sowed. And faunus will walk the earth free of human blight. Starting today."

A slight movement in the rubble of the center of the square caught Adam's attention. Breaking free of the burning debris, the form of a horribly burned brunette woman greeted him. She laid on her stomach, clutching desperately onto something for dear life. It made him grin.

Adam's form vanished in a blur, reappearing next to the deathly wounded human woman. He unsheathed his blood red blade, hovering its point over the woman's body with an ominous glow. He looked back to Naragami with a cold expression, inching his chokuto closer to her exposed burned back.

"Consider this one of many sparks to come."

"NOO!"

Ignoring his own wounds, Naragami forced his body to intercept the diving blade. His aura clad claws swung out for the head of the redheaded traitor, only inches away from lobbing it off. A single red line flashed before his eyes.

Red gushed out of upper ends of his arms, everything below it diced to finely cubed meat slabs by unseen slashes. Naragami's mind couldn't even comprehend the pain coursing his body as he fell in front of the human before Adam's feet. Only a chilling numbness greeted him.

Then the pain followed.

Shaking his head, Adam felt no sympathy for the screaming man at his feet. He had his chance to walk away. Now he could stay in the flames of revolution spreading across the ignorant town.

"Look at you. This is the cost of trying to save a human. Unimaginable suffering." Adam flicked his chokuto, flinging the blood running along its blade into the fires crawling around them. He turned his eyes back to the woman, raising a brow seeing her reaching her trembling bloody hand to the amputated man. He stabbed his blade into the back of her hand mercilessly, pinning it to the ground. He waited for the human to start wailing, to cry out for mercy and beg him to spare her pathetic life. Just like many of his kind had once done. And he would ignore it, just like they had done.

But nothing. The woman refused to scream, to cry, to beg, to show any weakness. Instead, she raised her head to him, her eyes filling with tears as she smiled sadly at the boy. The drops falling from her cheeks made him pause his hand, scoffing as he dug his chokuto out with a ruthless pull.

"Pathetic." Sheathing his blade, Adam's attention went back to the armless faunus. Killing him now would be a kindness. Something he was not known for as he was. No, a harsher punishment was in order. "If you truly believe that this dying human is worth saving, then so be it. Live the rest of your life with the scars of a worthless sacrifice, as little time as it is. Die achieving nothing."

Both Naragami and the woman wouldn't live long to matter anyways. They were both crawling at death's door in their conditions. A swift death would be pointless, leaving them to suffer and reflect their foolish actions would be better. It was time to leave anyways. In the distance he could already make out the sounds of sirens and airships nearing closer. He was pretty sure his message was clear now, no need to stick around any longer. The only real problem he was going to have to deal with was Blake, she was one of the few who had no idea of what they had been planning this whole month. There was no doubt she wouldn't handle all this well. She never did.

Flicking the blood off once more, Adam walked away from the scene, his back turned to the horror he had created. All in the name of revolution.

It wouldn't be the first time he left such a scar on the world.

Naragami's face was twisted in deep pain, his weary eyes blinking rapidly to fight off whatever awaited him the moment he closed them for good. Somehow his aura had been bypassed, leaving it to struggle to heal his wounds. All it was doing was stopping the bleeding. He'd be lucky to survive with what little blood remained in his veins. He chuckled breathlessly as he looked at the sky clouded with smoke. Guess he deserved it. Even if he had no idea of what they had been planning, he still had a hand in the bombings that ruined what was suppose to be a peaceful event of unity. Now it looked like Oum had punished him for his sins, taking away his arms as payment. It was what he deserved in a just world.

"T-Thank y-you."

His eyes spun to the brown haired woman laying behind him, her grateful teared smile causing him to look away in shame. He hadn't done anything to deserve such thanks. It was the actions of him and his kind that had lead to the hellfire consuming her comfy little town.

The combination of the searing pain and the numbness battering his body became too much for Naragami. His eyes fluttered, slowly shutting as his mind began to slip from his fingers. With the last of his strength, he looked back to the woman with a blood stained apologetic smile before losing consciousness.

Unaware of the small body unscathed by the explosions held closely to her chest.

* * *

Naragami's clenched fists shook, his eyes narrowing the further they walked into the bottom level of the warehouse.

It had been so long since he had lost his arms and his belief in his own kind. He wasn't even a faunus anymore, being only faunus for his animal claws and sharp canines. Like it mattered to him, he had soon realized that they were truly savage animals after that day so long ago. He had little sympathy for the treatment of his people who abandoned him in the flames. Not while they followed after a man like Adam.

He had little faith in what they were doing as well. An animal was still in animal despite what they looked like. He could see Cardin's reasoning in hating the faunus with a passion. Made him sympathize with the whelp, if only a bit.

No, the true reason he followed his master's cause other then repaying him the dept of his new arms and skills, was to topple the White Fang. If peace between the two species ever had a chance to become reality, then the genocidal savages would need to be eliminated first. And he would do whatever it took to burn their organization down to the ground. Just like they had done so long ago.

Reaching the bottom of the hideout, Naragami's eyes snapped overhead. Four steel shurikens slipped out of his robotic arms, falling into his twitching fingers. With a simple fling of his arms, the skilled ninja sent them flying to their targets. The bodies of four White Fang grunts dropped from the metal beamed rafters, their foreheads gushing red from the metal star disks embedded in their skulls.

"Rats. Keep your eyes out for the shadows. If anyone one of you find a White Fang, kill it." Naragami grunted. This wasn't a humanizing mission. This was a slaughter.

The bottom level of the warehouse looked to be a storage facility. Metal crates stamped with the Schnee emblem were nicely stacked around them and on conveyor belts still running. Little lamp lights hung over the rafters, dimly lighting whatever work they were up to. It was pretty creepy. Fit Adam to a T.

One of his men nodded, tapping his standard issued HF sword, "Understood, Bos-"

A clean red line painted itself on the grunt's neck. Eyes fading, the man's head rolled off the top of his body, followed shortly by the rest. No blood was spilled by the unseen swing.

Now on guard, the two men by Naragami's quickly reached for their blades in response. Multiple red lines phased their bodies before they so much as gripped their hilts.

Naragami's eye twitched as their bodies were torn from the gashes littering his men. They fell dead before they touched the ground. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" He scoffed, twirling a kunai from his side to block the single red energy blade aiming to bisect him. The force of it tore a gash behind his body, leaving his back smoking lightly. Still he showed no sign of being affected by the pain. His green eyes were steeled as he reached for another ninja knife and blocked the many unseen blades flashing around him. Not one of them were able to cut him.

Red met the crossing mamba black of Naragami's kunai's as Adam appeared in front of him. His deadly chokuto blade ground against his flimsy knives, the redhead's grin just as savage as ever.

"Naragami. How unexpected." Adam said with an impressed tone. And here he thought the wolverine man had died in the flames of Canterbury. It explained why he hadn't received the EXP for his kill. Should have questioned that. Oh well, he shrugged as he broke the kunai's to pieces after applying a bit more strength. Nothing would stop him from rectifying the lose end.

Dodging the bullet fire like stab to his chest, Naragami went on the defensive. Blush's rifle fired after him, missing him as he vanished in after images. Charging after Adam in a zig zag of after images, Naragami activated the lighting Dust within his arms. Sparks ran along his entire arm as talon like claws popped out of his fingers, glowing with sparks.

' _ **WARNING!**_ _ **Naragami, Asura Forgotten, Incoming. Get Ready!'**_ Boss status? Adam smirked as he withdrew Wilt to its sheath. From lowly Grunt to Boss, that was a major improvement. Hopefully it wasn't for show. Digital code trapped them within the lower level, preventing any hope of escape. That was more then fine for him, he needed a challenge after so long.

' _ **Fight!'**_

" _ **Scan."**_ Jumping back from the electrocuted claws, Adam scanned his opponent to gauge his strength.

' _ **Naragami, Asura Forgotten.**_

 _ **25,000HP/25,000HP.**_

 _ **Species: Wolverine Faunus/Cybernetic.**_

 _ **Aura Type: Azure.**_

 _ **Semblance: Lightning Coat.**_

 _ **Weakness: None.**_

 _ **Hints:?'**_

How interesting. Adam danced around the lashing lightning fused claws with an impressed nod. Seemed that Naragami had certainly grown stronger these last few years. In the past he had a weakness for Lightning and Speed themed attacks. And the cybernetics were an interesting little add on too. His Scan couldn't even hand him any hints on taking the ninja on. Looked to be a fun fight.

In his mad swings, Naragami kept his eyes honed on Adam's weapon. Of all the things to be feared, the bull faunus red blade was at the top of the list. Seeing him stop his dodging, the ninja grinned as he noticed Adam reach for the hilt of his chokuto. Blue lightning ran along his entire body in response before his image faded away.

Zapping claws struck Adam's face before he could even form a thought. Naragami appeared out of thin air gripping his face with a wide cruel grin before sending him flying off his feet with a clawed palm strike. The attack didn't stop there as Naragami zipped behind his flying form and slammed his elbow into his spine. Again and again he bounced him back and a forth like a pinball with every hit. _**'Adam Taurus, Body of the Gamer, 30,000HP/32,000HP. 300MP/300MP.'**_ Like it mattered. Even as he was being struck around like a rag doll, Adam didn't show a sign of registering pain. He simply reached his hand for his sheath, firing off the hilt to strike Naragami as he appeared in a blur of lighting with an outstretched palm strike. The hilt slammed into his forehead, breaking the skin as he stumbled back with a bleeding forehead.

Adam ran for his blade, smirking as he snatched it from the air. Its gleaming point aimed for the flinching ninja as a dark red cross hair hovered over his mask's right eye slit, _**"Running of the Horns!"**_ His sword arm blurred with blistering jabs, breaking the sound barrier to fire sonic boom like stabs as bladed gunfire. Naragami's body phased by the stabs, dodging them in after images clad in lightning. Everything behind him was punctured by Adam's attack like heavy machine gun fire, breaking apart the crates past him.

"What's wrong, Adam? Getting sluggish already? Looks like you peeked years ago!" Naragami smirked. Seeing a stab go for his forehead, Naragami caught the red blade in his mechanical hands, ceasing the flurry of stabs. Air rushed by him as he stared down the man who had diced his arms to pieces created by the cease fire.

"Look who's talking? Can't fight without cybernetics, can we? How pathetic." Letting go of Wilt, Adam kicked his feet upward for a rising uppercut, sending Naragami stumbling back. The ninja let go of his blade, allowing him to snatch it back and deliver a swift sword combo. Naragami blocked each swing with his claws. Catching his chokuto in a lock again, Naragami kicked both his feet into Adam's chest. The blow sent him skidding back with a grunt.

' _800 damage? Tch, annoying.'_ Blush's barrel aimed back for the charging cybernetic wolverine, glowing a pale green light, _**"Homing Barks."**_ With a howling whine, Adam fired off ten rapid shots from his rifle. Each bullet streaked around the air following after the dodging ninja, clad in green wolf headed auras. It didn't matter how fast Naragami was, his magical bullets would follow him to hell and back. But the wait would be a bore. Vanishing from sight, Adam appeared in a gale behind the running Naragami and dug his barrel into his back, stabbing him forward along with a shot.

Naragami bit back yell as his back was torn by the bullet colliding against his aura. His back would have been severed by the bullet if he hadn't had it unlocked. Unfortunately the attack left him wide open for the homing bullets. He could only raise his forearms up as they fell onto him, engulfing him in the explosive cutting winds detonating against him. Through the tearing winds, Naragami stretched his hand out, firing it off to dig into one of the metal crates around them. The metal chains connecting the robotic claws pulled back as the winds died down, dragging along the crate packed with Dust.

"Take this!" Naragami shouted, swinging the metal container for the red headed faunus.

" _ **Sever."**_ Adam calmly swung his glowing chokuto for the plowing crate rushing towards him, cleanly slicing it two as the pieces flew past him. The Dust within were sparked, exploding into flames, sparks, gales, and ice along with a few untampered crystals showering behind. A loose fire Dust crystal fell onto his shoulder as he strode toward the ninja. He was ready to flick it off only for a kunai to fly towards him and hit the Dust. Flames blossomed from the explosion soon after, dropping his HP by a thousand.

"I ain't done yet!" Spreading his arms apart, Naragami reeled in two more crates full of Dust and slammed them against both sides of the traitor. Multicolored explosions blew up soon after, slightly blowing back Naragami from the massive colored plume of elements. Jumping from the deadly explosion, Naragami spread his arms widely, releasing two odd black curved blades from within. The hilts were adorned like kunai and long as katanna blades.

That wouldn't be enough to finish off Adam. The man was monster that wouldn't fall to some measly boom. Several bullet like red blades pierced the multicolored fiery veil aimed for him. He swung one of his curved blades in front of him, unfolding it to form a demon like shuriken larger then his chest to spin in a blurring windmill. The energy blades were shattered by his blocking fan shuriken.

From the explosion, Adam dashed out with his chokuto grinding against the floor in trailing sparks. Flames ignited along his blade as he slashed the air, sending a flaming edged blade for Naragami. The ninja leaned to the right, missing the burning edge fly past him by a hair. Again Adam slammed into his defending shuriken blades folded back. Sparks lit up the airspace around them as they clashed blades back and forth in a frenzy.

"You're full of surprises. Didn't think you'd last much after our first bout." Adam smirked, swiping the slashing swing for his jugular. Another swing came for his chest, blocking it with Blush and firing off three bullets for his head. Naragami spun his shuriken blade to defect the gunfire, stopping its rotation to lob off the bastard's head. Wilt's blood red steel met it in a clang, fighting it as its brother slammed into it to overpower it.

Naragami scoffed, skipping back as Adam's arm blurred, slashing the spot he had stood with twelve unseen swipes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger they say. And I've surpassed what a normal human or faunus is capable of, thanks to you. So I guess I should thank you for leaving me to die!" He roared, crossing his shuriken blades over his chest before releasing an azure crossing bladed pattern after Adam.

"You sentenced yourself to such a fate by siding with the humans." Sheathing Wilt halfway, Adam blocked the attack, causing its blade to glow darkly. _**'Absorbed. Magnify?'**_ A smirk lit up his face before nodding his head, _**"Counter Burst!"**_ His body glowing red, Adam swung his chokuto and unleashed from its edge the crossing blades double the size, dyed dark red, faster then Naragami could dodge.

"Siding? We were suppose to try and come together for a better future! Not kill them off!" Enduring his own attack ramming into him, Naragami's body lingered with smoke. A large tearing X ripped his chest, leaving him to grit his teeth as he glared hatefully at the traitor, "Canterbury was suppose to be a step towards equality, no matter how small it may have been! But instead of helping them, you bomb the square? Just to take over for your own fucked up agendas!? Who's the real animal!?" He yelled as he shot off his feet, swinging his body around to spin his blades like a wheel.

Adam danced on his feet to counter the swings, "You're right, I am an animal. That's what makes us faunus! If humanity sees us as savage animals, monsters no good then the Grimm, then we'll give them what they want! I won't let my people continue being oppressed any longer and if that means the genocide of an entire species unworthy of living, then so be it!"

"The reality we live in, where faunus are seen beneath humans, will never change. That I can assure you."

With a burst of speed, Adam skipped back from the spinning blades and jumped for the pyramid of metal crates to avoid the flying kunais. Missing, the ninja knives blew up along the crates, shaking their foundation. Naragami followed after the bull horned man, his hand twitching before the fingers formed a V. Gear whirls escaped as his shuriken blades fell in between the space of the fingers, attaching themselves as a rod from the side of the metal fingers slipped in the hole of the hilts. His hands shifted, separating to the middle to allow the large shuriken to spin madly like a saw attatchment. Adam smirked as he watched the ninja detach both his hands to swing the chains connecting the spinning blades after him. The man was a living breathing weapon. He dodged the sawing chained shurikens, hopping around the crates as each missed swing stuck the unstable contents within. Pale blue Dust crystals flew out of one of the gashed crates as he sidestepped the large tearing disk passing him by. He grabbed a handful of the cold mineral before chucking them at Naragami. Deadly icy spines erupted around the ground as the Dust impacted around the ninja's dodging form.

' _ **IceDust**_ _ **(x1.**_ _ **+7Elemental Damage/7%Freeze)**_ _ **. Equip?'**_ With one cold Dust left in his hand, Adam pressed the stone against the side of Wilt, creating a rush of cold air as the two fused. _**'Wilt**_ _ **(+**_ _ **17**_ _ **Attack, +20 Speed, +7 Ice Damage, 7% Freeze)**_ _ **. A sword died by the blood of revolution. The flint to the fires of sinners and monsters.**_ _ **(Equip able only with the Passive Skill Iaido active.)**_ _ **'**_ Cold red mist trailed off Wilt's frosty edge as several kunai cut through the air after him. With a simple swipe of the misty blade, a cold gale met the knives and sent them tumbling down in blocks of ice.

"What you're doing is pointless. Why can't you see that?" Adam said with a sad shake of his head. He continued to dodge the sawing shurikens, blasting cold gales after Naragami, "You were once part of a great movement, one where we saved our brothers and sisters from the evils of man and strive for a better future for our people. But what do you do? You abandon us for a terrorist group that wishes to humanize your kind by amputation! And you dare call me an animal? Then what does that make you!?"

Naragami reeled his hands back, shifting them back to their normal forms before sparks ran along his arms once again, "The hell are you talking about? You left me to die! All I wanted was peace for everyone, that was the goal of the White Fang! But you and your toxic ideals tainted what were once white ideals and bleed them dark red! What happened to you, Adam?" Flames sprouted from the heels of his feet, sending him firing off with his blades glowing with electricity. Lighting and ice blew against the other as elemental steel clashed. Naragami hovered in the air as he fought to break the infernal chokuto. The cold numbness created by the misty blade was nothing, he endured worst at the hands of this man.

"You were once a happy little boy who hoped for the same peace. You believed in what we were striving for! What happened? What happened to the little boy who couldn't even wield a sword in self defense!?"

Long ago, before all the chaos that was slowly creeping up on the world, Adam was once a simple faunus boy. Brought in when he was just a homeless boy living on the streets his eyes were once full of hope and joy. He was so charismatic, a natural born leader that the old leader of the White Fang had placed all his hopes on. In a way, he was the future of their kind.

Until the day those hopeful eyes had filled with hate and anger that didn't belong on the face of a child. Like a switch the smiling little boy had been replaced with the aura of a beast. He grew colder and sullen, changing his peaceful ways and studying the ways of the sword to fight back. And he had proved to be a quick learner, as if he had been swinging a sword his entire life. The little boy who wished for peace now wished for genocide.

Adam grunted as the lighting running along Naragami's shurikens jumped onto him, shocking his body and dropping his HP bit by bit.

It never seemed to change. With every Reset the younger version of himself always stayed the same. Hopeful, smiling, willing to work alongside the humans for a better future. The picture perfect example of a hero in the making. Made him sick to his stomach every time he was dropped back into his younger body at the Reset Point.

Those memories didn't belong to him. They belonged to a boy too stupid to understand what the world really was. Ignorant. Naive. Foolish. This was what he truly was, a monster lost to the bloodshed. No use making up any type of excuse for the many cruel things he had done in the past. He would slaughter millions every world he was respawned into to reach The End on his terms. God, Oum, nothing would change the ways he played this game. He wasn't going to follow some petty being's script. If it wouldn't accept the ways he won The Game then he would continue to defy it with every playthrough till it accepted his ways.

And if it continued to resist? He grinned savagely as his body was surrounded by a twisted red aura around his body, lashing everything in sight.

He would just have to break The Game. And see if God could die.

"He woke up." Muscles tensing, Adam sent Naragami flying back on his rocket feet with a roar. Steadying himself in the air, the ninja commanded the lightning around his body to erupt in a beacon of sparking energy as he roared.

Playtime was over with it seemed.

"I am a disgrace. I have accepted that long ago." Naragami whispered softly, his eyes glowing blue as his body released an electrical pulse spanning the entire room. Adam raised his hands up to defend, only to be surprised as his HP remained untouched. Three red dots appeared on his HUD's Map, signifying three new enemies. Enemies had previously killed.

At that he frowned in confusion. Now that he thought about it, why didn't he receive any EXP for his kills?

Rising from the ground, the dead FoF grunts forced their tattered bodies on their feet, even the decapitated man. Strangely no blood leaked their bodies. Their heads twitched, lolling forward as their arms spread apart before they were ripped off by the pulse and flew towards the ninja.

Naragami's narrowed eyes glared back at Adam, his hair rising by the electricity surrounding him. His pony tail was undone, flowing wildly around him annoyingly before he grabbed it and chopped it off without a care with his shuriken blade. "I am not human. I am not faunus. I have abandoned my own legs to modify myself beyond the limit Oum has placed upon me. Truly I am a disgrace. But I would abandon the last that makes me a living a being if it means riding this world of people like you and my own master." he spat viciously. The arms reached him, floating around him before plunging themselves deep into his shoulders by the prongs popping out of their ends. They twitched, clenching their fists as Naragami spread his six arms out and released the four shuriken blades from within to wield.

Holt had given him a second chance long ago. The man had somehow stumbled onto him when he had escaped the clinic he was locked in years ago. He was the reason he could fight again, why he could live again, why he could walk with purpose again. But he was just another charismatic lunatic with his own agenda. No matter how much he owed the kind man, he wouldn't stand by and let another Adam rise up. Not again. Never again! He would betray the very man who saved him to protect the prosper of peace. A bitter smile made its way to his face.

In the end he was no better then them. A traitor. That's all he was. Unfit to live with either humans or faunus. And he was fine with that. When this was all over with he would continue to play the loyal follower until the time was right to take his master's life. For the good of all.

"Whatever it takes. I will stop you. Even at the cost of my pathetic life." Naragami said resolutely.

"You have resolve. I can respect that." Adam nodded as he snapped his fingers in the air. Several menu options were displayed for him in red and black bars, scrolling through them before finding what he was looking for. His stats were displayed for him along with another option, Soul Points.

' _ **Adam Taurus Lvl53,Body of the Gamer.**_

 _ **20,103HP/32,000HP. 210MP/300MP.**_

 _ **Current Form: Iado Flash.**_

 _ **Strength:59.**_

 _ **Defense:28.**_

 _ **Speed:64.**_

 _ **Intelligence: 38.**_

 _ **Wisdom: 17.**_

 _ **Luck: 22.**_

 _ **Soul Points: 100SP.'**_

He tapped his Form, swiping its current option for a new one to equip, _**'Dual Cruelty(SP Cost: 35SP). Equip?'**_ Dropping the necessary points into the option, he grinned widely as his aura wrapped around his entire body in a swirling vortex.

From the vortex Adam cleared it away with a wave of his Chokuto, revealing the cruel fanged edge of the once finely sharp weapon. Along with the second Wilt and Blush strapped to his waist and change of wardrobe. He now wore a black tattered open collard vest and red bandages wrapped around his chest, weathered black robed pants with a white sash tied around his waist, black bandages wrapped around his hands and the omega symbol stamped on the back in red, and wooden sandals. Two fine red and white scabbards were tied to the back of his waist along with his symbol stitched at the back.

"Let us stop wasting energy on pointless babble, shall we?" Adam smirked, unsheathing his second Wilt as Naragami lowered himself back on the ground. He jumped down, meeting his sight as they readied their blades.

"Tch, if words could reach you, then we wouldn't be having this fight." Naragami nodded as he commanded four of his arms to unfold the blades into spinning fans of electrical steel.

No words needed to spoken any longer. Only the sounds of their blades needed to be heard.

* * *

In the chaos stretching across the streets of Vale, Ruby speed by all the FoF grunts in a blur of roses, the wounded form of Ren hanging on loosely to her neck. Crescent Rose's blade cut down any who got in her way, tossing them aside like rag dolls in her mad sprint.

Jaune had somehow found the location of Blake and Velvet. It was odd that he had found it so quickly, but she wasn't going to question. Her mind had already memorized the location on her scroll before using the full power of her semblance to head for her friends. Didn't look like the Friends of Faunus had too many members, their numbers looked to be dwindling as the sun began to set. All that was left was to save her friends and they could return to Beacon like nothing ever happened.

A single red eye pierced her thoughts, the last sign of humanity leaving it as it dulled, leaving nothing to stare back at her hauntingly.

Ren frowned over the buffet of wind smacking into his face as he noticed Ruby lightly sniff, rubbing her eyes of whatever bothered her. He closed his eyes.

Ruby Rose. A child destined for great things. She was the main character of sorts. While some NPC's behaviors would change from time to time, the little red hooded girl's never wavered from her innocence. He would say it was annoying if it wasn't for the fact that her simple soul was like a breath of fresh air with every Reset. The girl could transform into Death incarnate, walking the Remnant, reaping souls like some unseen specter. That was her future, one of many to come. But despite it all, despite the bloody road ahead of her, the little redhead could still smile so brightly it could blind even a man like him.

Destiny had its eyes on the silver reaper. She would triumph over evil and darkness again and again without his help. Sometimes. If he had to guess, it was Good: 65 and Evil:43. Just a guess, he stopped counting long ago.

Sad that no matter how many times she and her friends saved the world at The End, it would be set back to nothing. As if their efforts, their blood and tears, their turmoil and growth, was for nothing.

How would she handle it? Her life turning into a game overnight. Would even she slowly wind up like him? Or would she follow in Adam's bloody footsteps?

It's why he was hesitant in Jaune joining The Game. Despite his own petty hate towards the blonde knight, Jaune was as close to a brother he could ever have. Pyrrha's death was not his fault, it was destinies and The Game. Made him wonder if that was Pyrrha's only purpose in the grand scheme of things. To make Jaune stronger. That's how his hate towards his best friend had grown. If Jaune never existed in the first place, then Pyrrha's destiny would never lead her to death with every world.

Would Jaune eventually turn out like them, the current Players? The soul was a fragile thing. And Jaune was a caring person with dreams of heroism. His attitude wouldn't last long in The Game. So what would that leave behind if you took away the caring, heroic, dorky, traits that made him Jaune?

Well, he was certain of one thing. Jaune would never turn out like the last of their group. Player One, the reason he had given up on winning The Game long ago. The very first of them to gain the power of The Gamer and playthrough the endless Resets. You'd think a man who's lived for so long would be an empty shell of their former selves. Not in his case. Lived life to the fullest of his skills. And ignored The Story in favor of his own fun and games.

Guess you shouldn't think much of a man with the power to change his Class on whim.

Opening his eyes, Ren caught the faintest of tear drops fly by his face. Killing Cross in front of her eyes must have been traumatic. Poor girl was doing her best to be strong for her friends.

' _Crying over the death of a master sniper? You truly are innocent.'_ He sighed through his nose. Now that he stopped to think about it, Ren never interacted much with Ruby in all the worlds he completed and failed. He always acted like a side character, less hassle when dealing with The Story. Even in the early days of discovering his curse and taking charge to win The Game, he never really stopped to talk to her as a friend. Pointless seeing as she was nothing more then an NPC, however important she was.

Weird how a random thought like that passed you by in the chaos.

Hesitantly, his hands patted the younger girl's head reassuringly. Her silver eyes looked back at him, blinking away the wetness in confusion to his small smile.

"Everything's going to be alright. Now is not the time to be thinking about what we could have done differently back there. Our friends are waiting for us. So lets save our strength," Ren said softly, turning his eyes to the road ahead with a steel gaze.

"For them."

Ruby gazed at the sight of the normally cold demeanor huntsman in a moment of awe. He seemed so different compared to the man who killed Cross like it was nothing but a chore. His eyes were strong, no hesitation could be found dwindling in his pink orbs. Was that what a huntsman was suppose to look like? She smiled as she turned back, doubling her speed as a sonic like boom bellowed from her next step.

"You know Ren, you aren't such a bad guy after all. You should smile more, I think you look happier that way."

Inwardly Ren scoffed, _'Duh. That's what a smile signifies.'_ What a kid. Good to know his little speech worked.

What did he expect though? He dug it out of the many speeches she spouted in the worlds after them.

* * *

' _Fighting with one hand and carrying a girl is not as easy as the heroes in TV and comics make it out out to be.'_ Jaune thought tiredly, slapping away a vibrating blade aimed for him with Crocea Mors.

Just like any game he had ever played in his life, the path to his destination was filled with enemies and obstacles alike. The main hideout for the FoF was like a dungeon! Each level he passed by had its share of grunts and even Grimm locked up in cages ready to break out and tear him limb from limb. Some of the rooms he went though were even locked, only accessible by knocking out a certain enemy carrying a Key Card. Not to mention the puzzles to some of the doors. To add an extra challenge to his struggles, he still carried Ann over his shoulders. Making it all the more difficult when he had to do everything with one hand. If his life was a game, the he needed to look for a Perk, Skill, or Ability that granted him ambidextrous.

What was he suppose to do? Leave her in the aftermath of their fight? They would take her away like some criminal. As long as she was with him, then he could weave some story on how she was an informant of his that helped him out on gathering his information. Church would vouch for him and her sentence could be drastically cut back. She wouldn't have to be locked up at all!

Intelligence. How he underestimated the Stat. Felt liker he was growing smarter and smarter with every rise in Level. If only it wasn't a pain to grind it.

Kicking the side of the grunt's knee, Jaune swung the flat of his sword for his head as he went down. With one knocked out, he gathered his magic into his blade before turning back to the three charging FoF members behind him, _ **"Crescent Blade!"**_ The wide brilliant arc of magic struck all three of the grunts, knocking them out with a Critical Hit.

Discovering Crescent Blade was a miracle. The Ability had a high Critical Hit rate, 20%! Helped in taking out a lot of the grunts in each room.

"That's the last of them." Jaune sighed in relief. Bodies of the FoF lied around him, sleeping peacefully after the beatings he dished out to them. He scanned the room for anymore in hiding, glad to see none in his HUD pop out.

Each room looked like someone had surrounded the metal white interior with rocks. It was originally designed for the train leading to Mountain Glenn, so some things were left in tack the underground city. Railways and mini bridges were suspended above him along with metal house like structures on the ground. They had modified the place by adding turrets and trenches for attacks. Cargo and supplies were also kept within, something he thanked as he sheathed his weapon and looked around for a crate. Finding one close by standing out from the others, he knocked on the top of the case, grinning as it popped open with a musical jingle.

' _ **Small Aura Potions(x2)! Fire Dust (x3)! Large Aura Potion!'**_

While he wasn't able to receive loot from defeating enemies, he was able to find loot by going through crates and other treasure like holdings. Pretty cool.

Sending the small loot into his Inventory, Jaune went back to the entrance behind him. It was a massive locked gate. Didn't look like he needed a Key Card, a small pedestal with a touch screen grid greeted him as he stood in front of it. The insignia for the FoF lit up the screen, vanishing in flames as he tapped it.

' _ **Welcome to the Friends of Faunus Terminal. We are currently on lock down in this area. Please, if you need to pass through, solve the schematic puzzle to enter.'**_

A little puzzle took over his HUD, displaying token like crystals blocking the screen along with a timer. He scratched his head as the timer began dropping, leaving him with two minutes to clear the screen of the crystals. Reminded him of a game on his scroll. Made it a bit easier to work through the puzzle as his fingers feverishly swiped the crystals to their proper groups of three or more. The only hard part was clearing every single crystal from the screen, leaving nothing behind otherwise he would trip an alarm releasing Grimm to attack him.

' _ **Clear! Please, proceed with caution.'**_

With a fanfare jingle, Jaune unlocked the gate as he cleared the screen. 34 seconds remained on his HUD before disappearing to the sight of the gate lowering to the next room. From the looks of his Map, it looked like this would be last room to clear. An elevator lead to the next one, one that would take him to the massive arena above where the others were being held. It wouldn't be long now.

He readjusted Ann over his shoulder as he stepped through the gate to the final room, swallowing his nervous wits and readying his sword. No telling what would greet him this time.

"Huh?" Jaune blinked as the gate closed behind him to leave him standing in a comfy bright white room. The walls were free of wear or tear, no enemy was in sight, and another massive door stood before him. Reminded him of a save room in video games. Then again his life was a game, which meant only one thing.

Boss time. A major one at that. Did that mean he'd been fighting nothing but mini bosses the entire time? That was a scary thought.

Bright light suddenly blinded him as a beacon of light erupted in front of the gate. From the beacon, a man in weathered traveler's cloak and pants stepped out. He was unlike any other person he had ever seen. Over his head he wore a paper brown bag with a smiley face crudely drawn on in yellow, odd little trinkets hanging over his cloak, a dirty red bandanna tying over his neck, old brown boots, and a beaten burgundy wizards hat on top of his bagged head. The odd man spread his arms out in a welcome, revealing the old blood stained bandages wrapped around his hands.

"Welcome Little Player to a Moment of Respite!" The traveler greeted happily as Jaune stepped forward.

"Moment of Respite?" Jaune frowned in confusion before his eyes widened in shock, "Wait, Player? You know I'm a Player? You know this is a Game?"

"Of course! How else would I sell my wares? I'd be poorer then dirt! . . .If dirt was capable of understanding currency or even earning Lien." The traveler shrugged, "Names Husk, Merchant and Traveler of the Will. One of the three beings you'll be meeting in your playthroughs that understands how this new reality works. And the this little room is as I told you, A Moment of Respite. A place where you can relax, stock up on items, and equip the necessary Skills and Abilities for the big fight ahead of you. And trust me," Husk chuckled darkly, the crudely drawn smile stretching to a toothy grin, "You'll need all the help you can get for what awaits you behind this nice old gate."

Jaune stared at Husk in confusion. Ren had never mentioned anything about other beings that knew that their lives were part of some game. Seemed to be something to mention during their talks. Then again, Ren had never said he was going to reveal to him everything he knew, only saying that he himself would have to find out on his own. Still, it was kinda weird to know their were beings that knew what was going on to them and the world. Almost like whimsical gods.

His eyes suddenly widened at the lack of weight over his shoulders. Ann was missing, vanishing from his sight like a ghost. When the hell did that happen?

"Ann? Ann! Where are you!?" Jaune shouted in panic, eyes moving around the modest room.

"Sorrym Little Player, but no one other then those who've inherited the power of The Gamer may reside in this room. Don't worry though," Husk waved his hand dismissively as Jaune's blue eyes glared at him, "You're little NPC is in what I like to a call a state of suspended animation. Once you cross this door, she'll be back on your shoulder. So no need to fret, I'd advise in stocking up on Potions and buying some Dust for the fight ahead. A wise Player knows when to prepare when they have the option."

Jaune felt his muscles relax at the news. Good, as long as she was okay then their was no need to fight. And a moment of peace sounded nice. His HP was gradually filling back up in this safe space, quicker then it ever did. Now he wouldn't be wasting Potions, already ran out of his Everybody Loves Grape Soda and only had four Small Aura Potions and his Ambrosia. Restocking was a smart move to make now that he had the option.

He nodded his head, receiving a wider grin from the odd man, "Well, seeing as I have the free moment, might as well see what I can stock up on."

"Thadda Playa! I got the best wares in all the multiverse! So, take a look!" Husk chirped happily as Jaune's HUD was replaced with a neon green screen of available items to purchase, "Little Hint: We got a sale on Flash Dust, might come in handy in the Shadows."

' _Husk Wares and Other Random Junk!_

 _ **Items: Price:**_

 _ **Small Aura Potions. 500L(x1).**_

 _ **Large Aura Potions. 850L(x1).**_

 _ **Small Mana Drink. 700L9(x1).**_

 _ **Large Mana Drink. 950L(x1).**_

 _ **Flash Dust. 300L(x1).**_

 _ **Fire Dust. 500L(x1).**_

 _ **Lighting Dust. 600L(x1).**_

 _ **Recipes:**_

 _ **Fury Burst Recipe. 2,000L.**_

 _ **Refresh Recipe. 2,500L.**_

 _ **Demon's Vein Recipe. 2,300L.**_

 _ **Abilities:**_

 _ **Giga Impact. 2,000L.**_

 _ **Avarus Mors. 77,777L.**_

 _ **Toxic Vent. 1,500L.**_

 _ **Round Table. 1,000L.**_

 _ **Counter Force. 3,700L.**_

 _ **Special Items:**_

 _ **AP Boost. 20,000L.**_

 _ **Health Boost. 15,000L.**_

 _ **5,050Lien. Finish? Yes/No.'**_

Jaune whistled at the wares on display. Where the hell was Husk when he was fighting the other bosses? A lot of this stuff would have come in handy. The Lien he had earned from fighting below the UGC had been gathering, only being spent on comics and random junk. Time for it to be of use.

' _ **Small Aura Potions(x2), Large Mana Drink, Flash Dust(x2).'**_

Recipes was a new concept, but seeing as he had no idea what they were he ignored them for now. The abilities section looked more interesting. Clicking on a few of them, he frowned as he read over the descriptions. Avarus Mors was too rich for his blood, Giga Impact required a high Strength Stat, Toxic Vent required a Poison Material, and Counter Force needed his Friendship Lvl with Yang at 6. The only thing he could equip was Round Table.

' _ **Round Table: With a Mana charged spin slash, The Player is able to release a round shock wave stretching around their body that revolves three times to slash foes. Traps the enemy in place and has a 10% chance to inflict Daze. 15MP. 2AP.'**_

Jaune tapped the ability and added it to his purchase with a grin. Sweet! Might just come in handy for whatever awaited him beyond the gate. Clicking 'Yes', Jaune finished stocking up as his items magically stored into his inventory. And it only cost him 3,850Lien. Which was a lot if it wasn't for the fact his life made it easier to earn money.

There was just one thing that was bothering him.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Little Player!" Husk grinned as he rubbed his stained hands together, "Even beings such as yours truly needs to eat. If there's anything else you need from me, don't be afraid to ask. Fair warning, I won't answer anything dealing with deep subjects such as The Game, Will, or etc."

"That's fine. I was just wondering what AP is. I've never seen that on any of my Abilities before." Jaune asked.

Husk tilted his head, his creepy drawn eyes blinking, "Eh? AP? What do you mean you've never seen it before? Crying out loud! How else are you able to equip your astounding Abilities without Ability Points?"

"I just do." Jaune shrugged, scratching his head as Husk continued to stare blankly at him, "Nothing has ever stopped me from equipping all of them without a cost."

Husk rubbed his bagged forehead, sighing as his shoulders dropped. That didn't make any sense. All Players were limited with AP to keep them from equipping all their Abilities, other wise they were free to use all their powers without any care. It was the most common thing in gaming mechanics! The hell was Will doing? And It was the responsible one of the trio.

"Not anymore." Husk frowned, snapping his fingers. A red glow enveloped Jaune from out of nowhere, wrapping black chains over him before fading harmlessly into him. "Boom. You are now restricted from equipping every single Ability you receive. Consider yourself Nerfed early."

Jaune pouted, feeling some of his abilities unequip. Spoil sport, should have kept his mouth shut. Opening his Game Menu with his scroll he found his abilities with AP Costs by their names. _'Looks like I only have 25AP. Damn, going to have to equip the_ _abilities_ _I know best for right now. Why the hell does this have to happen before a big boss fight? I could use every advantage in my hands. Especially since I have Ann with him.'_ Nothing he could do about it now. It was nice to rest, but he had things to do. Didn't matter what awaited him past the gate, he had people waiting for him. He equipped Teres Mors, Power Strike, Air Slash, Crescent Blade, Smash Guard, and Round Table. The rest couldn't be used with Ann in his grip, had to focus on his sword work with one hand.

"Wait." Jaune blinked suddenly, "Nerfed early? What are you talking about?" That didn't sound good. He heard that word before in comics and it spelled bad things. And nerd rage.

"You're milking your Respite, Little Player." Husk drummed his fingers over his crossed chest in annoyance, "You can save your questions for your buddy with the pink eyes. There's a Story waiting for you and a fight ready to start. And while I like company here and there, my job's done. The Event is just about over with here, so finish it." He grinned disturbingly wide, chuckling darkly as his body slowly vanished in dying green embers.

"I hope to see you beyond the flames of despair, Little Player."

No signs of the embers were left behind as Husk disappeared, leaving Jaune alone in the comfy room.

Creepy. That was the only word he could think of to describe the vendor. Sold him some cool stuff, but the guy had an odd vibe to him that chilled his soul. Shaking away the feeling, Jaune turned his eyes back to the large gate in front of him. His knuckles cracked as he took a deep breath. Now was the time to steel his nerves. He had a guess who was waiting for him if the Event Trial by Fire was coming to an end.

Ann's freedom, Cardin's redemption, Blake and Velvet's safety, and the safety of the faunus in this city lied past this nightmare. He couldn't fail here. He was stronger then he had ever been in his original life, there was no excuse to fall here. Too many lives were at stake this time.

Releasing the breath, Jaune pressed his hand against the intricate gate. It fell down in a loud crash, revealing the dimly lit massive room. An arena just like the others he had been fighting in. Holt really had an obsession with them to build so many below. Stepping forward, the gate snapped back up, sealing him within as a familiar weight fell into his arms. Despite the blood and dirt covering her face she still looked at peace as she slept. Brought a small smile to his face.

"Don't worry, Ann. I won't let them take you." He said to himself sternly, gripping her closer to his chest as he walked across the arena's dirt floor for the gray elevator door at the end, "I promise, you won't have to live in the shadows anymore."

"What kind of dribble are you babbling on about now, kid?"

The dimly lit arena grew darker with the sound of the amused voice bouncing around the walls. From a few feet away from Jaune, a geyser like fountain of shadows erupted from the ground. Jaune grit his teeth at the sight, moving Ann back over his shoulders to reach for Crocea Mors.

A tendril of shadows shot out of the dark geyser in blistering speeds, snapping onto the back of the blue haired girls combat dress. As fast as it came the tendril retreated, dragging Ann from Jaune's grasp easily with little effort. Jaune shouted in alarm, running after Ann as her green eyes fluttered, his reaching hand being the last thing she saw before darkness once again took her over. He broke through the fountain of shadows, looking down at his hands in frustration as the shadows began to disperse.

"She doesn't belong to you, she belongs with her family. In the shadows where she was born." Holt grinned as he stood behind the blonde knight.

' _ **WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Boss Incoming! Holt Delmos, Shadow of Anubis, Scale of Souls. Get Ready!'**_

Jaune's shoulders straightened, grinding his teeth angrily at the smug voice.

All of this. This whole twisted Event was because of him. Because of his warped belief of equalizing the two species by amputating the lower population. A man who could grin joyfully at blood sport. A man who dragged Ann into the underworld of the criminal world without a care. The nightmare plaguing Vale stood past him, only a sword swing away.

"Where is she?" Jaune hissed, turning his blazing blue eyes to the smug leader, "Where the hell did you take her?"

"Back to my quarters, out of your hands. She's my little Ann after all. I know what's best for her."

"Just like you know what's best for the faunus, because you're their friend? Weird how that doesn't fill me with confidence."

Holt's fingers flexed madly at the blue eyes meeting his own. Cheeky little punk. He was surprised he still had pants with the size of the boy's balls. It had been a long time since he felt his blood boil so. Almost forgot how good it felt to have such adrenaline pumping though his veins.

"Such talk coming from a filthy sewer rat like yourself. Where do you get off talking to me about my little orphan Ann? Don't tell me the spy fell for his objective? How heart warming!" Holt roared.

"I should be pissed that a little punk like you has basically sold us out to the law, I should be furious that you've probably lead them to our location as we speak, but the fact that you've used my precious Annabel for your own means, MAKES ME FUCKING LIVID!"

From the pool of shadows below his feet a spiked knuckle hilt rose to his waiting right hand, dragging out an odd large weapon. The blade's shape was cleaver like, completely wrapped in worn out bandages, dulling its edge that nearly towered his body as he hefted it across his shoulders. An odd rattle could be heard from within the bandaged weapon, shaking its frame as he grinned savagely at Jaune.

"Let's see if you're as tough as you make yourself out to be, boy. Death Rattle has been itching for a good fight!" he roared, dashing forward with a wide swing of his long weapon.

A white glow engulfed Crocea Mors in return as Jaune charged with a swing of his own. He had all the time he needed to ready himself, it was time he ended this madness!

' _ **FIGHT!'**_

" _ **Power Strike!"**_ A heavy clang erupted from the two blades meeting head on, blowing back both blondes hair in the rush of pressure. They openly snarled at another, digging their feet to overpower the others weapon.

"You got some muscle under that sweater, how surprising." Holt grinned cruelly, kicking Jaune's kneecap to drop him on one knee. He then swung Death Rattle into the side of his wincing face, sending him flying with a bleeding bruise.

' _ **Jaune Arc, 4,100HP/5,000HP.**_ _ **80**_ _ **MP/8**_ _ **5**_ _ **MP.'**_ Jaune righted himself in his flight, skidding his feet to a stop. He held the left side of his face, flinching from the intense pain.

Nine hundred damage with a simple swing? That was nearly one-fifth of his Health! _**'**_ _ **Scan!'**_ The white cross hair over his eye inspected Holt as said man jumped high into the air, spinning himself in a somersault as he fell at him like a blunt saw.

' _ **Holt Delmos, Shadow of Anubis, Scale of Souls. 2**_ _ **3**_ _ **,000HP/2**_ _ **3**_ _ **,000HP.'**_ That was a lot of health! A small orange bar overlapped the blue health. Skipping back a few steps, Jaune avoided the hammer swing of Holt's blunt weapon. The ground shattered with his miss, kicking up in front of the man like shrapnel. Gave him an idea. Twisting Death Rattle for its flat side, Holt batted the air borne rubble in a mighty swing. The earthly shrapnel cut through the air as they shot for a wide eyed Jaune. Crocea Mors shield rose up, blocking the rubble exploding against the steel and dropping his HP by four hundred. He grunted, staggering back a bit before biting his lip in pain as Holt ran in to slam his mummified blade into his guard. Pushing back the dull blade, Jaune pulled his sword back as he channeled it with MP, _**"Round Table!"**_ Three lashing shock waves spun around his body like a top with his round swing, only to be blocked by Holt's large weapon held in front of him.

"Nice move. Now," Holt chuckled darkly, swinging his bandaged blade up to slap away Jaune's Mana Power Strike and counter the several after. Sidestepping an over head swing, he swung his massive blade behind Jaune's feet, kicking him off his feet before several shadowy bandages shot out from his wrapped weapon to wrapped around his ankles, "It's my turn."

Spinning on his feet, Holt swung his fellow blonde around like a twister by the bandages. Made his face go green as his stomach contents slushed around wildly. _'I think I'm going to hurl!'_

Holt released Jaune from his hold before falling into his shadow and chasing after the soaring knight. Trailing below him, Holt jumped out with an upward stab, cracking Jaune's spine with a sickening crack. The blow sent him higher in the air only to be caught again by the bandages snatching him from the air and slamming him down like rock.

' _Dammit!'_ Jaune gasped in pain, his back flaring with an intense pain, A look at his HP warned him of his health creeping closer to the red. Struggling back up, Jaune did his best to block another wide swing as he reached into his inventory. No time to fuse a better item, he grunted as Holt rained more blows into his dwindling HP. A Large Aura Potion fell into his hand, gulping it down greedily as he spun a Power Strike to counter the smashing blade aiming to crack his skull. Another rush of pressure hit him as the blades clashed.

He needed another potion. His HP was out of the red, but it still wasn't enough. Damn, didn't think he would be using his recovery items so early into the fight. Holt truly was a monster.

"Come on, kid. Where was that vicious spunk I've seen when you're fighting in the coliseum, hmm?" Holt questioned with a smirk, pushing Jaune's own sword against his breast plate, "I know you're more capable of this with a simple knife. Or are you holding back against me because of little Ann? Don't worry about that, I'm sure she'll understand why I had to mangle her little Blondie. It's all in the name of equality after all!" he laughed before headbutting Jaune.

" _ **Hyper Blade!"**_ Ignoring the trickle of blood running down his face, Jaune disappeared in a blur, rushing at Holt in after images. But even with such speed, Holt was able to block against his lighting fast sword strikes.

"Surely you understand all that I'm trying to do? You seem like a righteous person, can't you see the good that I'm doing?" A falling chop from above was blocked by facing the flat of Death Rattle above, moving it quickly to his side as the image of Jaune vanished to blur to his side with a stab. Like before the image faded as several more strikes rained from every side of him. Holt himself became a blur as he countered each swing of the weathered blade, "The faunus are always ridiculed for their curse, denied jobs, left to fend for themselves, and ignored and left to die like the animals they are! My organization wishes to fix that! All we're trying to do is make them human like us! Is that so wrong!?"

" _ **Smash Guard!"**_ Moving away his sword, Jaune smashed his aura knuckled fist into Death Rattle, cursing as his ability failed to break Holt's guard. Even his Defense was high! His MP dropped to zero with the difference failing to beat the dirty blonde's. Looked like he was going to have to fall back to swordplay. With Hyper Blade fading, Jaune had to use his strength without the aid of Power Strike to defend as Holt slammed his blunt blade overhead.

The ground under his feet cracked like spiderwebs as Holt used his aura to amp the force bearing onto his sword, "You're forcefully cutting off what makes them faunus! Like they were sport for your sick games! Of course it's wrong. Only an idiot would think what you're doing is right." Jaune ground out, wincing as his wrists felt like they were snapping under the pressure.

"Amputation is a small pain compared to the hate directed at the faunus. They simply don't know the kindness I'm doing for them. One day they'll thank me from freeing them from their cur-"

"SHUT UP!" Jaune snapped angrily, ignoring the large chunk of HP dropping as he threw back Holt's Death Rattle. He panted from the exertion as he held his sword wielding wrist.

"All you talk about is how being a faunus is a curse, using it as an excuse to hurt innocent faunus for their own good. What would you know what's right for them? If anything, you're no better then the White Fang. So stop trying to make yourselves out to be the good guys!"

"At least I'm trying to fix the problem!" Holt spat as his shadow grew larger. Opening his battle coat wide open, Holt revealed odd red canned grenades with the glowing number 76. He grinned as he threw a few in the air, dropping them into the large puddle of darkness. They rippled as they disappeared. "Now let's dim the lights!" A small slim silver magnum slid out of his right sleeve, aimed high above his head for the lights overhead. Pulling the trigger he shot enough of the headlights to darken the arena further to the point they could barely see another.

Little orange glowing lights popped out in veil of darkness around Jaune, blinking rapidly as his eyes widened.

"Die in the shadows!"

Good side to being faunus despite the curse was the night vision. Aiming his gun for the incendiary grenades gathered in a circle around Jaune, Holt fired a shot to create a chain reaction of licking flames.

" _ **Reflect!"**_ Jaune yelled just as the bullet hit the first grenade. The magical dome fought against the explosive force threatening to break apart his shield. Above his reflect, Holt jumped high into the air to drop down swinging Death Rattle in a somersault. Shattering his glass dome of pixels with the impact and drowning him in the corrosive like flames.

' _Shit!'_ Jumping back from the cloud of fire, Jaune downed two small potions from his inventory to heal his wounds. He panted as sweat ran down his face, gritting his teeth as he blocked a forward stab, missing the grenade in between his shield and Death Rattle. Along with the powerful impact, the explosive force of the grenade devoured Jaune in the burning smoke as he struggled to stand against the attack. Holt cleared away the flames and smoke with a wave of his blade, grinning savagely at the state of the blonde knight.

Jaune's armor was warped by the ember licking around his clothing, burns stained his skin visible with the smoking patches in his hoodie, and a large smear of blood and dirt stained the right side of his face. His knee's trembled, fighting the weakness and damage he had sustained. The only thing missing from the scene was the look of fear in his face. Steel blue eyes strained to glare at him as Jaune breathed heavily, his open hand gripping an empty clear bottle desperately.

"Tell me, what are you doing to make the world a better place?" Holt slammed his large blade for Jaune's head, scoffing as the little brat still had enough energy to dodge his attack. Death Rattle lashed out for his side, only to clang against the annoying white shield. "Are you willing to dirty your soul for a better world? To abandon your species to usher in equality for all? Spill the blood of one life to save a thousand more? Are you willing to become a monster and be seen as evil incarnate for a brighter tomorrow?" With Jaune busy stopping the blunt instrument he was defenseless for Holt's large hand snapping for his face. His eyes flew open in agony as the man increased his grip over his face to the point a crack could be heard.

" _ **Teres Mors! Uproot!"**_ Calling on his blood red short blade, Jaune shot the elegant vine whip below, stabbing Holt through his arm with a white spear from the ground.

Holt's aura resisted the spine, shattering the attack as the vine wilted. "Pathetic. You remind me of an animal who can only struggle instead of a human. Too wounded to put up a valiant fight anymore. And I've yet to stretch the muscle that is my semblance." A guttural shout escaped Jaune's mouth as he increased his grip.

" _ **P-Power Strike!"**_

"You never answered my question." Holt said dully, not even bothering to block the amplified sword swing striking his ribs. Didn't even hurt, "Are you willing to judge another for trying to change the world for the better if you aren't willing to blacken your own soul?"

Blacken his own soul? What kind of crap was he talking about now? "If it means turning out like you, then I would rather die then see a future created by someone like you!"

So that's a no then. How unfortunate.

"And Ann fell for an idiot like you?" Holt shook his head in disbelief, "The girl needs to learn to choose her friends better."

"Like you have any right to say anything about her."

Holt narrowed his eyes, a vein on his forehead throbbing as he continued to increase his grip, enjoying the sound of the boy's bones cracking, "I do. I saved that little girl when the world left her out to die. I treated her like my own daughter, clothed her, fed her, trained her to fight-"

"To deal with criminals, to spy on others, to kill if need to, and distrust everyone as if they had hidden motives." Despite the pain of his skull slowly being crushed in like a can, Jaune weakly glared at Holt through the space of fingers, "If you truly thought of her as your daughter, then you would have left her out of your mess. Because of you she's wanted like some criminal when she could have been living like some normal girl. You ruined her future!"

Not the best choice of words. With a growl Holt tossed Jaune across the room, diving into his shadow to zip after him and jump out swinging his blade. Again and again he repeated the attack, smacking him around like a pinball and dropping Jaune's health into the red.

"I saved her life!" He roared, batting his bandaged cleaver for his stomach, then his back, his side, and so and so on. He became a shadowy blur as he beat Jaune around like a rag doll, "I taught her how the world truly works! It's not some sunshine reality where everything will go your way, it's a dank reality fit only for the strong and wealthy. The only way to change such reality is by force! Alongside me, we will change this world for the better!"

' _I need to fight back.'_ Jaune gasped as a powerful strike to his head nearly knocked him out then and there. With one final wide swing, Holt struck him out of the arena and into the coliseum seats, breaking them apart in a cloud of debris. _**'Jaune Arc, 504HP/5,000HP.'**_ His vision was becoming blurry, slightly blinded by his own blood running down his face. If he didn't start actually fighting back then he would be done in the next few minutes. His inventory was running low and it looked like even his best abilities wouldn't do more then close to a hundred points of damage to Holt's health. But what could he do against Holt's shadows and strength?

' _We got a sale on Flash Dust, might come in handy in the Shadows.'_

That's right! Long ago, Jaune had no idea how to use Dust with his weapon, Dust was never much of an important item in his early life, but after reading over the pamphlet his Snow Angel had slapped into his face and finishing it, he had learned how to use Dust with his Gamer ability. Opening up his Inventory, Jaune reached in for one of the Dust's he had bought. ' _ **Flash Dust: Fusing together the Elements of Fire and Lighting just right along with a bit of Earth, Flash Dust is created! This little Element is harmless in damaging foes, but it's capable of creating a powerful blinding flash when struck. Great for distractions. Inflicts Blind, Daze, and Confusion. Chance of inflicting Status Ailment: 15%.'**_ The crystal glowed with a bright white hue. Just looking at it hurt his eyes.

' _ **Augment with Teres Mors? Yes/No?'**_

Struggling to stand back on his feet, Jaune dusted the debris off his torn clothing as he tapped on his scroll. The Flash Dust jumped out of his hand, floating in front of his face brilliantly. It spun, twinkling suddenly before splitting in half and flying for his short sword and shield.

Jaune wiped the smear of blood around his chin with his burnt sleeve, reaching into his stock of healing items for a warm treat to replenish his wounds. Velvet's Carrot Cake muffing fell into his hands, still as fresh as the day she had given it to him with a smile. Holt tilted his head curiously at him, watching as Jaune scarfed it down with gusto.

With the simple treat, Jaune's health was completely restored with an added 200HP permanently tagged on, including the other bonuses that came along with it.

"All I hear are excuses." Jaune said firmly as the bruises on his face began to fade. Taking out his sword from its shield, he aimed its now dazzling blade at Holt's narrowed eyes.

"You think your way will change anything? All you're doing is making the hate between everyone grow stronger and deeper. I bet even Ann knows that, it's why she wishes to run away from such a world one day, to escape people like you."

"People like me saved her for the better. And I know my little Ann would never leave me. I would keep her with me for all eternity against her will if that's what it would take. Only I can protect her and her future." Holt glared.

"You don't run away from family after all."

"Then I'll take her away from you, by force. Because that's what a real friend would do."

"Careful there, boy." Holt seethed, his aura surrounding him in wisps of shadows, "Them dying words."

"Then consider these my last words!" Jaune shouted, _**"Crescent Blade!"**_

A blinding arc of bright white shot out from Jaune's swing, whistling in the air as it closed in on Holt. Raising Death Rattle to defend his body from the attack, Holt was caught by surprise as the lunar like arc of energy exploded in a blinding flash of white. The pupils of his eyes shrunk, burned by the light crashing onto him. "Motherfuc-!"

" _ **Gale Speed!"**_

In a twinkle of light, Jaune dashed towards Holt in his daze. He swung his bright sword across his chest, slashing him repeatedly in frenzy. He couldn't waste one second now that he had an opening. Each swing dropped Holt's HP by 77points. As little as it was it was still something. Had to take whatever damage he could deal.

Growling hatefully, Holt caught one of Jaune's swings with his hand. He rammed the knuckled hilt of Death Rattle into the side of his face, sending him back a few spaces. From his sleeves he slid out his magnum and fired off a few Dust rounds after Jaune. The blonde boy moved quickly on his feet, evading each bullet while sending bright blades of light firing after him in return. Knowing what one would do if he made contact with it, Holt began dodging. The two danced around another in their projectile barrage.

Fed up, Holt reached into his coat for an incendiary grenade before throwing it into the air. The bandages on his blunt cleaver rustled, suddenly coming loose to snake the deadly explosive. He then swung his blade towards Jaune, whipping the bandages to toss the bomb after him.

Two could play that game. _**"Teres Blade: Coil!"**_ Pointing the tip of the dark blade at the incoming bomb, Jaune fired the vine after it. It coiled safely around it before he began to whip it around himself. Gathering enough momentum he swiped his blade to swing the whipping vine at Holt, the can like bomb glowing a deep orange.

Dropping back to the ground, Holt dived into his own shadow just as a black silhouette copy took the blow, swallowing it in the burning smoke and fire now carpeting the ground. Crocea Mor's shield snapped open as Jaune turned around to move in front of him. Just in time to block the heavy swing from Holt rising from his own shadow. Bright light flashed from the impact, blinding the leader of the humanizers as he shouted in pain. _**"Power Strike!"**_ Another flash blinded Holt created by the amp slash, disorienting him further.

Damn little brat! Where the hell did that come from? Did the boy use Dust to create a flash? Jaune truly was full of surprises. And he didn't like surprises.

Blinking his eyes furiously, Holt regained his vision to side step the rushing stab aimed for his chest. He then slapped the flat of his blunt cleaver at Jaune's back, wrapping his shadowy bandages around him as he stumbled forward and flung him high in the air. He took out his magnum, loading a fresh cartridge before firing at his airborne form before he could shield against the bullets.

' _ **Critical Hit!'**_ Falling back to the ground, Jaune ignored the immense pain of several bullets digging into his flesh as he jumped back up on his feet. Holt held his large blunt weapon in a reverse grip, dragging its flat tip against the ground to send a shadowed blade chasing after Jaune. The blonde knight countered, firing off an Air Slash. Black and white clashed as the blades met, exploding in an eruption of light and shadows. Panting lightly, Jaune shook his head to rid himself of the weariness.

Healing himself again and again was draining on his stamina. Even if he had an endless supply of healing items in hand, it wouldn't rid him of the pain and toll it took on his body. And they were only getting started. Holding back a groan, Jaune dashed after Holt, slashing the air to fire another flashing Air Slash. Holt rolled out of the wave of the blinding blade, sweeping his large weapon against the ground to kick up a dust cloud. With the dust clouding his body from sight, Holt opened his coat to take out the last of his grenades. He grinned as he threw them in the air, prepared to use the bandages of Death Rattle to swing them around and burn the boy alive.

" _ **Crescent Blade!"**_

The whistling arc blade of white magic cut through the cloud of dirt, missing Holt completely as it went for the six incendiary grenades above. Along with the bombs detonating over head, another blinding white flash stunned Holt, keeping him from escaping as the clouding flames fell over.

' _ **Holt Delmos, Shadow of Anubis. 19,709HP/23,000HP.'**_

Jaune bit his lip at the HP bar in his HUD. Holt was taking everything he threw at him like a wall. No wonder Husk had appeared to him before fighting him. If only he knew, he would have bought better items and abilities with what he had. Oh well, he sighed. He would just have to whittle his Health down till-

At the thought Jaune frowned, also noticing the light around his weapons begin to dim.

What was he suppose to do? All this was to free Ann, stop Holt's mad plans to hurt faunus and make them human, and save his friends. To do that, Holt needed to be stopped, obviously. Every Boss fight since he had woken up to this reality had either ended in him winning or meeting some unknown requirements to pass. The Grimm bosses died, the Atlesian Spider was destroyed, Cross was a test of strength, and Ann was knocked out to stop her after she calmed down. So this fight would be no different. Right?

A deep chuckle escaped out of the veil of flames roasting Holt. His silhouette could be seen in the flames, a dark purple glint piercing the flames from his eyes as he grinned widely.

"What's wrong, boy? Now would be a perfect time to go crazy and try to kill me. That's what you're here to do, right? Kill me to stop my madness, that's what you're sworn to do."

A strong gust of wind cleared away the raging flames and hot smoke from within, revealing Holt lightly burned by his own grenades. Due to the flames, the bandages wrapped around Death Rattle had been burned to ash. The cleaver was black in color, composed out of bladed segments with orange red fanged teeth lined against its edge. It's point was flat with a fanged blade slicked back like a sickle to point the opposite way. Honestly, it was surprising to see Holt wield the thing with one hand, a testament to his strength. The blades rattled like a hissing snake, releasing a light steam as its teeth burned deeply.

' _Kill?'_ The thought never came to mind in all his life. Killing another human being. Driving his blade into their flesh to stop their breathing. Just like the White Fang Lieutenant had done to him.

Holt smirked at the sight of hesitation in Jaune's blue eyes. Just like a rat, he didn't have it in him to dirty his hands. And he called himself a huntsman. In training, but the fact remained.

"You don't have it, do you?" He laughed, pressing a small button on the hilt of his weapon. The long blade slackened, allowing him to spin it around like a chain at his side like a buzzing saw.

"The instinct to win, to stop others, to do whatever it takes to met your goal at whatever the cost. The instinct to kill, to main, to slaughter, to rend the flesh of those in your way from their very bone. And leave nothing behind. No flesh, no bone, no ash!"

Gathering enough momentum from his spin, Holt swung his chain cleaver, extending its segments for a wider reach. On instinct, Jaune raised his shield to block the attack, only to be stunned as the snaking blade angled itself to fly around the shield and strike his unguarded side, scrapping against the edge of his shield as its flat tip burned through his hoodie and cut a scalding gash onto his skin. He jumped back from the smoking blade, holding his side with a grimace as he watched Holt retract Death Rattle. _**"Crescent Blade!"**_ Ignoring the new wound for a moment, Jaune fired off another whistling crescent blade, scowling as he noticed it lacked its blinding light. Looked like he needed to augment Teres Mors again. On that note, the deep red short sword was wrapped in light, dispersing in wisps as he lacked the necessary MP to hold its form any longer. Crocea Mors it was then.

Holt fell into his shadows, zipping by the streaking blade to chase after Jaune. From his shadow, the tip of his cleaver poked out, firing out to stab at the boy by angling itself in confusing patterns. Left with no other tricks but attack and defend, Jaune skipped back a step, missing the deadly snaking blade stabbing into him only to growl as it bounced off the ground and followed him. He side stepped it, jumped over it, and flipped out of the way it as it stabbed after him in the air. With whatever strength he possessed, Jaune swung heavily at the side of the shooting segments of its blade, disrupting its flow and sending it back to the shadows. The shadows that lurked below. As he descended for the ground, Jaune struggled to weave through the rain of gunfire raining from the pool of shadows. One of the bullets struck true, piercing his right shoulder and splattering his blood below as he held back a shout of pain. At least it didn't hit his bone, that was a good thing, right?

Shielding his body with his shield, Jaune blocked the sudden rising uppercut dealt with the hilt of Death Rattle. The force of which unfortunately sending him flying back in the air for another barrage of bullets. He spun in the air, dodging the rounds as he flipped to land on his feet. The zipping pool of shadows followed, firing another snaking whip to strike. But just before it made contact with his shield it paused, hanging in the air with its burning tip smoking. Jaune frowned. What the hell was going on?

A deep chuckled tickled the back of his neck, his heart nearly stopping as he swung his head around to meet the barrel of a magnum poking his forehead. His eyes widened in horror as he watched Holt grin widely with a savage expression.

"Die."

Blood splattered Holt's face as the image of Jaune vanished in an afterimage. Stumbling back at the far end of the arena, Jaune clutched his heavily bleeding forehead with a death grip. Gale Speed had just saved him from a taking a Critical Hit that would have left him auraless. The bullet had just pierced the skin and scratched the bone of his skull before he escaped with a burst of desperate speed. _**'Jaune Arc, 201HP/5,000HP.'**_ Shit, his health was in the red again. One more hit and he'd be open for a death blow. And he was down to one Large Aura Potion, two Small MP Drinks and his two Ambrosia's. With that in mind, Jaune reached for the last of his potions and the small mana drink, fusing them together despite the lack of MP. The action would drop his recharge rate, but that wouldn't be a problem with the item he was creating.

' _ **Small Ether, Synthesized!'**_ **+700EXP!**

Like a man out in the scorching dunes of the deserts, Jaune greedily chugged the small green decorative bottle topped with a lunar moon. Half his HP was replenished and his MP was charged back up with a ding. He wiped his mouth of the lemon-lime taste with a pant. He was down to his last leg, all this fighting and pain was becoming too much. His stamina was just about empty. It wouldn't be long till he could no longer pick himself back up. The gash on his forehead struggled to mend, leaving behind a bullet like scar on his skin.

Pyrrha was not going to like that.

Popping out the empty mag in his gun, Holt smirked smugly at the tired form of the blonde boy sagging as he did his best to stand on his own two feet. The boy was a tank! Soaking in all the damage he dealt and fighting on despite how under leveled he was. What did the boy expect? That he had the power to defeat him? A man who had been fighting for decades and evolving his semblance to a new level of capabilities? As if. This wasn't some fairy tale where the hero always came out victorious. He reached his hand out, calling on Death Rattle to rise into his hand before whirling it around by his side like a chain.

One would walk away, victorious. The other would lay dead in the ashes of defeat. That was the way the world worked.

"Did you see that, Jaune?" Holt asked sternly, dropping his amused attitude, "That there was killer instinct. I was ready to splatter your brains out the back of your head with one bullet, with no hesitation lurking in my eyes. That is what you lack, the will to kill another in your way, to end things permanently. If all you do is knock another person out, lock them up, even disable them, then you are truly not ending things. You use a sword after all, don't you know what a duel with blades means?" he scoffed as he lashed his blade out in front of him, firing a whipping blade of flames after Jaune.

"It means that you fight another with the intent to kill, never stopping till one of you lies in a drenching pool of their own blood. The fight is never over with till one of you dies by the others blade, that is what a fight with swords means!"

Raising his shield, Jaune was pushed back against the wall of the arena by the force of the lashing blade along with the many others slamming into his defense. Nonstop he was slowly being crushed by the heavy flames slapping into his shield, drenched in sweat once again by the assault of flames. What was it with the FoF and fire? With one final blade smacking against him the barrage ceased, allowing him to drop his shield arm tiredly. His weary eyes watched Holt closely, his sword arm trembling as he awaited the next trick he would throw at him.

Holt shook his head at the sight. This boy had derailed his plans? "Pathetic. You can barely stand at this point. You had me going with those flashy attacks before, but it seems the Dust you were using to blind me has worn off. As you are now, you have no hope of killing me."

"I'm not going to stoop to your level." Jaune growled. "I'm not some bloodthirsty monster! I'll beat you without killing you, and you'll answer for your crimes! I won't take the easy way out." he said firmly, raising his sword and shield in the stance Pyrrha had drilled into him long ago.

"The easy way out? You think all that I do, all that I've done, has been the easy way out?"

"What else would you call amputating faunus to make them look like humans as? Do you think that will change them? Their faunus at their heart, and there's nothing wrong with that! Hurting others and forcing their ideals on them is easy, but working with them, accepting them for what they are and what they look like, is harder! But the work is what makes it all worth it. The easiest path is never the right one." What the FoF were doing was simply taking an easy way out of accepting the faunus. Using cruel methods and making them believe that they were doing them all a favor, such acts will never work. And the world will know that when Holt's beaten and taken in for the crimes he's done and encouraged.

"Yet look at humanity. They all would rather take the easy way out, choosing to ignore the faunus instead of accepting them. What I'm doing is making them realize that we are all the same, we are all equal! By amputating their animal appendages, the humans will one day begin to see them as their brothers, realizing their was never any need for all the hate! And when that day comes, the faunus will no longer have to be amputated. It will be long and arduous process, but they'll come to understand the good I am doing for them, even if it costs a small handful of lives compared to the many I'll be saving."

"That's your end game?" Jaune said in disbelief. That's what the result of his plans, that humans would accept faunus because they can no longer tell them apart from themselves in the far future? And come to accept them in the future? "That will never work. You're insane!" he shouted, taking a moment to augment Crocea Mors with another Flash Dust. He then fired a Crescent Blade to daze the dirty blonde.

Holt dodged the whistling blade of flashing light, firing his own back, "Yet it's the best solution we have! It's not easy, but it's worth all the trouble to bring in equality for all! Humans pay good money for plastic surgery, I'm doing this nice little service free of charge. A little snip never hurt anybody!" He laughed.

With Death Rattle's teeth burning a deep orange, Holt stabbed it into the shadowy ground with one hand. And from the shadows all around them, he repeatedly stabbed its hissing blade upward from Jaune's shadow. Leaving the boy to jump back from the snaking teeth following his every step. Adding his magnum to fire after him didn't hurt either.

" _ **Hyper Blade!"**_ Beginning to huff from all the dodging and weaving, Jaune disappeared from sight, an afterimage taking his place as it was cut in half by the flat sharp edge of Death Rattle stabbing him from below.

That wasn't going to work anymore. Holt reeled in his chain cleaver from the shadows before closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, calming his breathing as his ears twitched. While he no longer had his old jackal ears to heighten his hearing, that didn't mean his humans ears were anything to scoff at either. After losing his animal ears he trained to enhance his normal hearing. Time to see how well he did. The boy's flashy attack emitted an odd little sound when he appeared.

Lights danced around Jaune as he appeared in front of Holt like a blur. He swung his flashing sword for his chest only to be blocked by the large blade swinging against his attack. A bright flash enveloped them both that unaffected him, only to frown as he nearly had his head chopped off by a swing for his head by a grinning Holt. If he didn't duck then he wasn't sure his aura would have had the strength to fight it. With Hyper Blade still in affect, Jaune began to wildly swing his blinding blade at the dirty blonde in hopes of leaving him in a daze from all directions. But again and again Holt was able to deflect his attacks without ever opening his eyes.

Holt sighed. This was getting boring. All they were doing was dragging out a fight that would have ended if he had taken this seriously. Truth was he wanted to get a read on the boy, see what made him tick. Ann was smart despite coming from the streets, she should have known better then to trust some random strangely. How was it that Jaune was able to get her to open up so easily? It had taken him years to crack open her shell and tell him her past. Yet the sappy idiot had done it in a few weeks? That didn't add up. He had potential, he would give him that. But it was wasted on him if didn't posses a killer instinct. He would never achieve his full potential with such a week will. It was time to put him out of his misery. Ann would understand, the blonde boy wasn't worthy of crying over.

" _ **Power Strike!"**_ Skidding to a stop a few feet away from Holt as Hyper Blade died away, Jaune charged in with a heavy swing with a two handed grip.

Opening his eyes, Holt focused all his strength in his next swing. He didn't aim for his exposed chest, his legs, or even his head. What he aimed for was the weak grip on his weathered sword. He slammed the toothed edge of Death Rattle against Jaune's gripping hands just before he swung downward, cutting through his brown gloves as blood hissed against the burning steel.

Jaune shouted in agony as he dropped Crocea Mors from the pain of his skin being burned deeply. He skipped back clutching the back of his palm against his chest, flinching from the feeling of his skin practically melting. Did he just break his hand?

Dammit, Crocea Mors was out of his reach. Holt smirked darkly at him as he walked over to his family's blade, stepping over it before kicking it even further from his grasp. But that didn't mean he was weaponless. Reaching for the back of his waist, Jaune unsheathed the large hunter's knife kept just in case. His right hand was useless, still smoking from the burns he was doing his best to ignore, looked like he was going to have to fight left handed.

"No, we're done here."

The image of Holt in his sight vanished in black purple wisps. From behind the man rose up from his silhouette, not giving him a second to turn around and try to block his attack as he grabbed a fistful of his hair and dragged him into his shadows.

The two disappeared from the arena, leaving only the aftermath of their fight behind. In another larger area of the hideout, a shadow bleed from the ceiling. A few of the FoF grunts guarding the place tilted their heads at the sight, some even raising their weapons at it from their positions on the railways of the storage garage. But before they could take any action towards it, a blonde blur shot out of the shadows, breaking through several of the rails as he fell for the bottom. The unknown object crashed atop a metal shipping crate with a boom, causing the grunts to rush for the bottom and see what had fell through. A familiar laugh stopped them before any of them got close to the object, their eyes turning back to the shadow above as their boss jumped out.

' _Nope.'_ They all collectively nodded before making their way out of the place. None of them were going to deal with the boss's fun. The man could turn into a wild animal when he got like that.

Blood seeped from Jaune's lips as his vision began to blur again. His body was wedged into the metal of the crate, trapping him still. Like he could move after falling through all those rails. It was surprising that his body could even break through the steel. Each one had chopped off a chunk of his HP as he fell, bruising his back and even cutting through his armor and clothing. It felt like his skeleton had been cracked.

' _ **Jaune Arc, 199HP/5,200HP.'**_ He was basically out of potions, save for his Ambrosia. Thank god for Professor Ivy. Reaching into his inventory, Jaune weakly smiled as the golden intricate bottle with a crystal blooming bud cork fell into his hands. All he needed was a drink and he'd be ready to go.

The heavy booted feet of Holt had something to say about that though. Crashing down onto his stomach with a double foot stomp, Holt had shattered his aura to nothing before he could recover it. He shouted loudly in a guttural voice, spitting blood against the man's sadistic expression. His arms fell to his sides limply, his strength leaving him as he panted from the pain all over his body.

' _ **Jaune Arc, -2,100HP/5,200HP.'**_

"Aww, don't tell me you're done after that? And here I was actually hoping you would shrug it off like a champ." Holt chuckled, patting the boy's bloody cheek. He quirked his brow noticing him try to raise his wounded right hand up. "What's this?" he grinned, grabbing Jaune's wrist and moving it closer to his face. A little golden bottle greeted him. How nice, a gift. "What a thoughtful kid, giving his elders a drink for all the trouble he's caused him. I was feeling a bit parch."

' _No.'_ Jaune tried to move up to grab his recovery potion, only to be punched back down. The blow blackened his vision for a moment before his sight came back to him. A simple punch had dropped his health by eight hundred via critical.

Popping open the fancy cork, Holt reared his head back and downed the little drink. Tasted like his favorite meal, steak and mashed potatoes with a side of wine. After he was done with all this, he was going to have to find out where the kid got it. Going to be a bit difficult with him dead, "Now that was surprisingly tasty." he chuckled. His wounds were even healing up faster then normal. Flexing his fingers, he whistled at the feeling of rejuvenation and energy running through his veins. Looked like the little drink had a kick to it. Felt like his strength had gone up bit. How curious.

' _ **Holt Delmos, 23,000HP/23,00HP.'**_

All that work, all the pain, it was for nothing. Even if Jaune healed all this wounds, he didn't have the energy to raise his sword anymore. His body was exhausted, beaten, and burned. It was too much. And Holt would only shrug off his best attacks as if he was an annoying fly. The Ambrosia he drank also buffed his stats even if he couldn't see how much, making the fight even harder then before. He was done.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Holt cracked his neck before grabbing Jaune by his face and lifting him up from his dent. From the looks of his beaten blue eyes, the boy didn't have the strength to fight back anymore. About time, he had better things to do then maul a kid in over his head.

"Do you now understand how idiotic it was to take me on? You're just a boy training to fight monsters, I'm more then that. I'm what monsters fear." Holt grinned as he added pressure to his grip. "You're fists could never harm me. I carry a weight on my shoulders heavier then anything you could ever posses, granting me strength far beyond your comprehension. You fight for your friends? I fight for the world! For a better future!" he roared into Jaune's bloody face.

"But if you wish to see them again, why not? I would be a cruel man to kill you before seeing them one last time."

* * *

Cardin grit his teeth, heaving his glowing mace high into the air as his looked on to the rising cloud of rushing rubble coming at him. He was still trying to get a handle on his semblance that had just appeared when he was beating Blake, so it was difficult to understand just how it worked. But after testing it out with the gorilla like Grimm, it looked like he just had to focus on what he wanted to be amplified. Hopefully it applied to Dust as well. With a mighty downward swing, Cardin detonated his own rising flames to meet the kicked up rubble cloud created by the Beringel's fist. Colliding, a cloud of flames and earth blew up in the middle of the ring, blocking their sights of the Grimm.

The Beringel howled lowly, moving its head around for its prey. It's bone platting was scratched and even sported a few gashes here and there. It's left fist was scarred by burns stretching up to its shoulders and it's bone mask was cracked. Scanning for sights of the humans, it pounded its fist on the ground as it noticed a silhouette charging through the heated cloud of dirt. It reared its fist back, ready to break every bone in the human's body. Once it reached a good distance, the Beringel slammed its fist atop the human, only to howl as the human vanished in a shadow. It turned its eyes up, finding the human girl with feline ears springing off another copy of herself like a board. She shot by its face, slashing the side of its cheek and tearing a smoking gash on its skin. It roared in anger and was ready to swing its fists at the girl, only to be stopped by an ax kick for its head. It nearly fell over from the pain splitting its body down the middle.

Jumping off the Grimm's skull, Velvet fell back to Cardin's side, panting tiredly as she gingerly balanced herself on her other leg. Adding aura to amplify her hits was doing damage, but she still felt like she was hitting steel. She'd be lucky if her ankles weren't sprained by the shock.

Leaning on Beaufort for support, Cardin peeked over to his 'ally'. Never in a hundred years did he think he would be fighting alongside faunus like this. And not just one, but two, with the second one having a hand in his mother's death. He shook his head tiredly at the scenario.

Well, at least his mother would be proud of him. Even if he did die.

Blake huffed as she skipped to the side, avoiding the hammer fist falling onto her. Jumping onto its large fist, she ran along it, repeatedly slashing at its arm with her hunter's knife. She then flipped over its swatting hand, switching out with a shadow clone to take its second swing before springing off its fist and stabbing her knife deep into its eye socket.

"If I wasn't still livid about the fact she had a hand in my mom's death, I'd be impressed." Cardin said flatly as he watched the Beringel swing its head around to shake off Blake. The girl was like a cat, she would not let go. Could have sworn she was hissing into its face.

Velvet chuckled weakly, "I'm honestly surprised we've lasted this long without our weapons. When my team had fought our first Beringel it had taken a good half hour to take it out. Seems this one has already been drained of its energy."

A look of disbelief appeared on Cardin's face. That thing wasn't fighting at full strength? The thought sent chills down his spine. He was nearly crushed into a pulp earlier. If it wasn't drained then there was a chance he wouldn't have survived.

Having enough of the girl, the Beringel tore her off its face and threw her off like a ragdoll. Her body skipped along the ground before stopping at Cardin and Velvet's feet. Her uniform was torn and her skin was bruised by the few blows she had suffered. As she was now, breathing heavily as she struggled to get up, she was helpless.

 _Kill her._

Cardin bit down hard on the inside of his mouth, his grip on the handle of his mace nearly crushing it.

 _Kill her. Kill her. Kill her._

The voices wouldn't shut the hell up. No matter how hard he tried to shut them up, they wouldn't let stop. And it was growing harder and harder to ignore them.

 _Scum. Dirty Mother Killer. Faunus trash. Savage._

 _Killer her. KILL HER._

 _KILL THEM._

A shadow fell over Cardin's expression as he raised Beaufort across his chest for a swing. His golden aura wrapped itself around the titanium metal, enhancing its durability and strength. Feeling a sudden spike of pressure around her, Blake turned her eyes up to Cardin. Her eyes widened as he swung his mace, flinching as she awaited the pain.

' _Please,'_

Bouncing off the ground, the Beringel spun around the air to gather momentum for its raging fist. The air around its fist twisted, ready to break apart the unfortunate soul in its path like a hammer smashing a squash. Its eyes were set upon the weak girl with the cat ears.

Beaufort swung against its fist just before it could slam it down onto Blake, breaking it as the golden aura around it streaked across its skin up to its neck. The streaks of aura cut deeply, splashing its blood onto the floor. A rush of air exploded from the impact, blowing back a cloud past them. Slowly creaking her eyes open, Blake was surprised to see the racist huntsman who had tried to kill her earlier defending her from the Grimm.

' _Forgive them.'_ Cardin's eyes were steel, his resolve solid as diamond. Even as he felt the bones in his mace wielding arm break and pain engulf it he continued to hold his ground.

The voices could continue jabbering on and on but their was only voice he would ever listen to. There was darkness in his heart, raging like a wild beast seeing nothing but red, but he still had a small ray of light in there. And it would continue to guide him past his own hate.

He wouldn't stop hating the faunus, nothing was that simple. And that was fine. Nothing worth achieving was ever that easy. This would be his first step to clearing his heart of all that useless hate. He chuckled at the thought. It was almost like Blake and Velvet were his only hopes to becoming a better person.

' _I'm not going to ignore someone in pain, even if they're a faunus. Shit like that shouldn't matter!'_

And that damn loud mouth, Jaune. Someone he had begun to consider a friend until that day in the lunchroom. Someone who didn't look at him in disgust or pity for his views. Just disappointment. He'd show him though, he'd show them all. Cardin was a huntsman, a warrior of the people! Even the damned faunus. The blonde headed knight wouldn't be the one saving him today, the one doing the saving was going to be him!

Right after he fixed his arm. Looked like he was going to have to fight with his lesser hand. What a joy that was going to be.

Grunting in exertion, Velvet hopped off her feet and lashed out her legs for the Grimm's face, sending it reeling back as she cracked its mask further. She winced as she landed on her feet again. Yep, definitely had a sprain going on there.

"We got to finish it as quick as possible. I don't think I can keep this up much longer." Velvet said tiredly.

Cardin nodded his head as he watched the bunny faunus help Blake up on her own feet. He gripped his left arm tightly as it hung by his side limply, "I'm on my last leg too. All I have left is one last Dust crystal on me before I'm just smashing the thing with my aura. And even that's starting to dwindle."

Smiling gratefully at Velvet, Blake turned her eyes back to the Beringel. It held its face in pain, slamming its fist down like a fussy child as it howled at them. The sight of its howling form and its wide mouth gave her an idea. It would be tricky to pull off, but even the toughest of monsters wouldn't be able to survive something like it.

"You said you have one last Dust crystal, right?" Blake asked Cardin, smiling as he nodded his head with suspicion, "I have an idea. Do you think you're amplification can work after its left you hand?"

The Beringel snorted, growling hatefully as a chip of its bone mask fell apart. Howling one more time, it charged after the small group of huntsman gathered around another.

Nodding his head at the two faunus girls, Cardin tossed Blake the last of his Dust before slamming his mace down to create a cover from his explosion. The three were hidden by the veil of smoke and flames, confusing the beast as it sniffed after them. From the cover, Velvet leaped out to rain a flurry of high kicks at its face. It tried swatting her away, missing as she acrobatically dodged each of its heavy blows. With two hunting knives in hand, she fell back to stand directly before its chest, her aura coating the small blades before she crossed them over her chest and slashed a bladed X at it. The aura blades carved into its chest, causing it great pain. It raised its fist above the grinning girl, dropping it down like a hammer to pulverize her to mush. Velvet just stood there, winking at it as the open tipped head of Beaufort chomped on the back of her waist.

Sweat dripped from Cardin's forehead as he reeled the girl back with a mighty pull. She landed back to his side with a grateful smile.

"You okay? I know it must be hard to wield your weapon with your lesser hand."

No duh. If he had known he would ever have to fight with his left, then he would have begun practicing with it long ago. "I'll be fine once this is all over with. It's Blake we have to worry about." He said sternly, watching as she dashed around the cloud cover still up to confuse the Grimm.

Velvet looked at Cardin blankly for a moment before her eyes turned gentle. He was full of so much hate before, transformed into a monster no different then the Grimm. The bully who had picked on her relentlessly in the last month was about to cross a line he would never be able to return from. And now here he was, fighting alongside them both, throwing away his hate to work together to survive. He was much different then the boy who hated faunus moments ago.

"Don't worry, we're all in this together." She grinned cheerfully as she laid her hand on the handle of his mace. She nodded her head firmly as she waited for Blake to set up for the finishing blow, her thoughts turning back to blue eyes and blonde hair holding her tightly to his chest earlier.

"We still have one more friend to save after all."

Within the cover, Blake evaded the swinging arm swings. She gripped the brightly glowing red Dust crystal tightly, calming her breath. She needed to time this just right. The more it became distracted with its want to kill her, the better. Velvet said it was smarter then most Grimm. Time to see how smart.

The Beringel had enough of the games. It raised both of its arms up, slamming them back down with a thunder like crack. The earth shattered to bits as a pressurized wall erupted around it to blast away the dust and clear its view. It howled in victory as it found the cat girl stunned by the blast, frozen in fear. It didn't think twice, crushing her body in its grip as it picked her up. So much despair. Her eyes were still in fright, locked up by the sight of the monster ready to bite into her. To which it did.

Opening its mouth wide open, the Beringel chomped down on the girl's fearful face, biting off her head like it was a lollipop.

Cardin smirked, watching as the headless body of Blake faded away like a shadow. Hook, line, and sinker.

Blurring by the two's side with a high burst of speed, Blake held her bruising sides with a wince as she shouted, "GO!"

Hot fire ran down the Beringel's throat into the pit of its stomach. Just before the monster had nearly crushed her within its grip, Blake had switched out with a shadow clone, leaving behind the amplified Dust crystal where her head had been. It's glowing form could be seen glowing through the skin of the Beringel's stomach, waiting to be struck and activated.

Cardin and Velvet nodded their heads before dashing in towards the puzzled Grimm. It growled deeply, eyes turning to the hunter's charging in as they both gripped the deadly mace. It raised its hand to crush them, only to be stopped as it found the cat girl leaping for its face and stabbing its last working eye. Leaving it wide open as it howled in agony.

Skidding to a stop at its chest, Bully and Victim, Human and Faunus, shouted as one as they swung Beaufort together at where the Dust crystal lied within its belly. The Beringel stumbled blindly back from the crushing blow, screeching as it held its stomach as red rays of light pierced through its skin. That probably wasn't a good thing.

Jumping far away from the trembling form of the Beringel, the three Beacon students watched as the dark gorilla raised its head up to howl one last time.

Flames bloomed from within the Grimm, erupting in a tower of orange red flames shining like a beacon. Its entire body was devoured from the inside, leaving nothing behind before it exploded in a dome of burning hell.

And that was that. Not even Grimm could survive being exploded from the inside. Already they could see the black smoke of its remains rise from the flames and return to nothing. The fight was finally over.

Velvet fell on her backside, supporting herself sitting up as she sighed in relief. She cleaned off the dirty sweat and grim on her forehead as she watched the Grimm's ash burn. Things would have been much easier if she had her weapon on her, the Beringel wouldn't have stood a chance. But, she thought as glanced at her little team, watching as Cardin grudgingly steadied Blake against himself with a sour look. She could have done a lot worse.

"Don't think this means anything." Cardin lightly spat as he helped Blake, "We still have a lot to talk about after we save Jauney-boy from that psycho. The idiot's helpless without us right now, so the melodrama can wait."

Blake stared at Cardin, lost at what to say. Tears gathered in her eyes as the very boy who's mother she had helped to kill helped her. She didn't deserve this. All her sins had finally come back to wreck its wrath upon her as justice. She should have died by his mace, not saved by his hands. But, at the same time, she didn't want to die.

Ruby, Yang, Weiss, all her friends at Beacon, they had become her family in these last few weeks. Even if they didn't know about her faunus heritage, that still didn't stop her from beginning to see them as friends. She had a new life at Beacon alongside her friends. She didn't want to give that up so early. Not now, not ever.

She closed her eyes happily, sniffing back her tears as she nodded with a small smile. Cardin was right, they still had one last friend in need of help. There was much to talk about that day long ago, but that would have to wait after they've put all this mess behind them.

"Right. Let's go."

After taking a moment for their aura to heal and Velvet tearing off some of her skirt and sleeve to make a bandage for Cardin's broken arm, the three hunter's began to walk towards the gate leading out of the large arena.

"Incoming!"

Their hearts stopped at the sound of a the cackling voice from above. From a pool of shadows above, something fell down like a star, blurred from recognition by its blistering descent. It crashed down a few feet away from their feet, its impact creating a crater from its thundering crash.

What the hell was that? Cardin waved away the smoke drifting out from the crater as they slowly made their way closer to the object. What could make such an impact?

"J-Jaune?"

Cardin's eyes snapped open in horror as Velvet choked back a sob from escaping her lips as she called out the blondes name.

Lying within the center of the crater was Jaune's near mangled body. His clothing had been torn apart by tears and burns, his skin was burned by second degree burns, littered with heavy bruises on every inch of his skin, and his face was painted with blood, cuts crossing over his face like an animal had clawed it. He looked like he was on death's doorstep. Velvet scrambled down after him, gingerly reaching for his broken body as tears began to fall down her face.

"Jaune! What happened to you!?" Blake shouted in despair. What kind of monster could do such a thing? It didn't even look like he was conscious, let alone breathing. If it wasn't for the slight hitch of his chest she would have thought he was dead.

Another loud crash boomed behind the hunter's, the one who had created it laughing loudly.

Holt tipped his hat with a grin at the hunter's, "Hey there, did ya miss us?"

Cardin glared furiously at his mentor, his knuckles cracking as hefted Beaufort on his shoulders, "You bastard! What did you do?" He hissed lividly.

Holt pointed a finger to himself in false confusion, "Me? All did was have a nice little discussion about equality and such with my little friend here. It's not my fault he couldn't take it." He grinned.

"I'm going to kill you!" Carding roared as he charged in with his mace swinging.

"Finally! Someone with actual balls to try!" Holt laughed as me Cardin's swing head on. Their weapons collided with a resonating clang, struggling to break the others lock. He grinned as he began to add more pressure till he felt something strike against his back. He turned to find Blake's yellow eyes wide with anger, her knife lashing out for his face.

With Blake and Cardin keeping Holt busy, Velvet turned her eyes back to the deathly wounded blonde knight held against her chest. She sniffed at his bloody sight, blood trailing down his face and dripping onto her tattered skirt. "Jaune? Speak to me. Say something." She cried, pleading for any sign that he was still with them other then his barely labored breathing.

"Anything, please."

Voices. Familiar voices. Blurry blue eyes tried to find the source of the voices, struggling to keep their eyes open. Jaune's fingers twitched, the last of his healing items held in his hand for his very life. _**'Jaune Arc, -5,159HP/5,200HP.'**_ 41 points of HP. One more hit and he would be done for. His life was hanging by a very thin thread, so weak a gust of wind could snap it off.

Where was he now? Holt had been slamming him through everything in sight, clawing his face with his oddly sharp nails. All he remembered before being slammed through another railing was the savage grin on Holt's face. Then their was excruciating pain, so much that he had blacked out moments ago. Then he heard a voice, one he couldn't put his finger on with his senses blaring with pain. It was female? Was that right?

She called out his name again. Sounded like she was crying. His body was numb to her hands patting his cheeks, trying to get him to focus on her face. His vision was swimming everywhere.

Wait, Velvet? If he had the strength, he would have frowned in confusion as she held his head closer to her chest, the sound of her beating heart soothing the mess that was his thoughts. She was alive. Even with his poor vision, he could still make out what looked like her bunny ears dropping. She was safe, safe and breathing. Thank god. The sounds of battle caught his attention, reminding him of the other voices he had heard. Was that Blake and Cardin? Fighting together? Just how hard did Holt hit him?

Twenty HP suddenly dropped from his health as he felt his heart begin to slow down. His breathing slowed down considerably as he felt his body go cold. The feeling wasn't a stranger to Jaune anymore. He chuckled deathly low, his eyes turning to the outside of the crater where he caught a blurry glimpse of what looked like Cardin and Blake dodging the whipping burning blade of Holt's Death Rattle.

They would do better against the man then him. They were all trained to fight, making it into Beacon for their incredible skills. Compared to his odds, Cardin, Blake, and Velvet would make it out of this no problem. Jaune was out of steam, his body was broken and lost too much blood. Death was reaching out to him again.

The feeling of death was haunting, its dark fingers wrapping around his heart to snuff out the last of his life once again. At least he knew this wasn't the end. He'd wake back up with his aura unlocked by Pyrrha, ready to take on The Game fully aware of how it worked. And everyone would be safe and sound, smiling at him just as his first life. So it was okay to die, it was just a game after all.

 **That'** **s** **right. Dying d** **oesn't** **matter. You would come back to life anyways.** **Just let go.**

 **Die.**

 **Die.**

 **Die.**

Jaune smiled sadly up at Velvet as he felt his heart go by its last beats. Why did she have to cry? He would see her again and they could be friends again. Like nothing ever happened. Teardrops fell onto his face, bringing back a sense of deja vu. Just like Weiss.

Just like before. When had left them crying over his dead body, leaving behind a world where his friends continued to live everyday without their friend, as pathetic as he was. The same pain he had promised to never fall onto Ruby ever again after finding her in this world again.

The faded scar on his chest began to burn a tainted red, pulsing angrily.

 **Die!**

 **Die!**

 **JuSt FUckInG DiE!**

NO! The fuck was he thinking? And where was that voice coming from? Sounded like he was talking to himself. Jaune bit back the bile of blood trying to escape his mouth as he tried raising his hand, the bottle of Ambrosia being his last hope of recovering completely. He didn't have much time, he was fighting off death's calling with every passing second. Just one sip, that's all he needed! There was no fucking way he was dying on them again! He still had to prove to Ren that he was strong enough to beat this thing on one life, he would never take him seriously if he died now!

Annabel, he still had to save her! And Cardin seemed to have dragged himself out of the pit of hate he was sinking into, this was the world where he could turn over a new leaf! He would be damned if he left this world as it was now and let it Reset!

 **DIE!**

 **DIE!**

 **DIE!**

 **FUCKING DIE!**

' _Not again. I don't care if I'll come back to life again! I'm not leaving them to grieve over my mangled corpse again!'_ Jaune's heart was ready to give out. He tried bringing the life saving nectar closer to his lip, only to fail as his arm's strength died. Tears ran down his eyes as he stopped trying, his body too beaten to even lift a finger. He wasn't even sure he had the power in him to even drink the Ambrosia.

But it couldn't end this way! It just couldn't!

Hurried fingers suddenly snatched the bottle from Jaune's hands, the sound of the cork popping open bringing his eyes to look up at Velvet's hazy image. What was she doing? He couldn't even drink in his state. What would be the point?

Soft lips opened up his bloody mouth, Velvet's gentle fingers rubbing his throat as she poured the golden liquid into his mouth via her own. His eyes were wide as dinner plates as a healthy blush painted onto his cheeks at the sight of the bunny girl locking lips with his own, her eyes shut with tears running down them.

 **. . .thump.**

Velvet gasped for air as she raised her head for a breath. She had no idea what that bottle was, but it looked like Jaune was desperately trying to drink it for some reason. It must have been some kind of potion, a rare one at that from the looks of it. With his beaten body, she had no choice but to help him, he was too weak to even swallow it. As embarrassing as the action was, Velvet didn't hesitate to pour it into his mouth with her own, she would have spilled the contents if she tried pouring it by the bottle.

 **Thump.**

She sighed deeply, praying to the gods above that the potion would work its magic and at least tear Jaune away from death's door. He was her friend even if they weren't as close as others. She could feel it in her soul, the bond they had created that day in the lunchroom when he had defended her from her bullies. They were friends, her heart would be crushed if she lost him now! So, please-

 **THUMP!**

"Don't die." Velvet sobbed, dropping her head onto his bloody hoodie as she pleaded to whatever force watching over their lives for Jaune to stay, "Please, don't die. You're my friend! I don't want to lose you!"

 **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!**

' _ **Congratulations! A special bond has been created with Velvet Scarlatina! Soul Link, ULW, Unlocked! Passive Skill, ULW Critical, Unlocked and Equipped!'**_

Velvet blinked away tears in confusion as a rush of light blue light shined from Jaune's body, erupting like a shining beacon to piece the ceiling of the arena. What was going on now?

Ducking under a leg sweep for his head, Holt swung his chain cleaver upward to slice Blake in half, only to hit her copy instead. He growled in frustration as he raised his hand up to block her appearing on his flank with her purple glowing knife, leaving him open for hammer drop of Cardin's glowing red mace. Like he would fall to something like that! He fall back into his shadow, diving in to escape the explosion engulfing his previous spot. All he wanted to do was send the blonde kid off with his friends close by to watch, but nooooo! The kids had to have a fit and attack him. Should have seen that coming honestly. But oh well.

Rising back up far from their positions, Holt smirked as he prepared to attack them with one of his wide rang attacks. Had to wrap things up quickly, Naragami was probably whittling down the White Fang's leader's aura as he fought. He couldn't miss his chance in toppling the annoying organization now.

He blinked, watching as a beacon of bluish light shot out of the crater where he dropped Jaune earlier. The hell was that? Wasn't the boy dead yet? How stubborn.

Jaune didn't know what was happening to him as he looked at his glowing hands, bewildered within the beacon. All he knew was that his wounds had completely healed and his exhaustion had been cured. Was that the power of Professor Antheia's Ambrosia? He looked on in marvel as he watched his clothing begin to waver, slowly morphing into new fabric coated by the new magic running through him. _'I have literally no idea what the hell is going on with me. One minute, Velvet's giving me the kiss of life, the next, I'm having my wardrobe change like I was one of those magical girls on TV. Please, let whatever this is, not leave me standing in a sailor girl's outfit.'_

' _ **ULW, Activated! Ready?'**_

A new power was threatening to burst from deep inside Jaune's being, ready to be unleashed at his command. All he needed to do was step out and fight. He was still alive, still breathing, still fighting! He would not repeat his death at the hands of a lunatic again. Never again! He had the power to win, now was the time to use it!

With a firm resolve, Jaune nodded his head, accepting the new power gifted to him by Velvet. He was going to have to thank her after all this mess for saving his life.

Now what the hell did ULW stand for?

* * *

 **And that's a wrap people!**

 **A mysterious voice whispers at death's door, a new power unlocked by a bond born in defeat, and the night is in sight, closing in on a day of chaos and death. The end is coming, but who will be able to watch the sunrise again?**

 **Damn, it's almost midnight. This is what I get for finishing up in hopes of an update ahead of schedule. I got work tomorrow. Let's hope I wake up in time.**

 **Chapter 15 will be the end of The FoF Arc. After that, we've got maybe six chapters left before the end of Volume 1. Then it's break time! Gotta have some time to work on my future profects and soak in Volume 4. I'd say at the end of the new volume, I'll be back posting chapters for this story and heading on to Volume 2. And boy, do we have a whole lot of drama and mystery there.**

 **There's probably more to say, but I need to sleep. I got to work on Chapter 15 tomorrow, and hopefully post my first Writer's Blog on RWBY Amino as well. I go by NeoS for any of you intrested.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out!**


	15. Hollow

**NeoShadows here! And it's time for a new chapter!**

 **After two weeks, again. Man, I swear I didn't think this one would take so long, or be so long either. I'm actually surprised with the length, I think it's more then the last chapter. Ain't that something? I've literally finished this chapter and finished editing it before bed. I also blame Dragon Quest, Fragments of a Forgotten Past. It's been hollering at me, and I needed to answer it.**

 **Life's been alright. My hours at work have been pretty screwy since we're short staffed, so I've come home more tired after so many coffees. And our little pup is good, but a handful. Can't tell you how many times I've stepped onto some crap. So, things are a good.**

 **I will say this, once again, I am worried for my progress. Pokemon Sun and Moon is nearing ever closer, and I know I won't be able to resist its seductive moans for me to play. I need to finish this up, we've only got six chapters to go before Volume 1 of this fic is done with.**

 **Before we go over reviews, DAMN. We got a lot of reviews last chapter. My story is now at 400+ reviews and we're halfway to a thousand Followers and Favorites. That's pretty good for a story that's been up for four months. Let's keep this going! Bathe me in your reviews! . . .I've kinda forgotten to shower.**

 **Now, to Reviews!**

 **GhostHornet: I won't confirm, but good on ya. Yeah, she was adorable. Ah, Greedy Death, that's a fun little ability that won't be seen for a long while. As for forms, you'll have to see. I like your idea though.**

 **Writer with Bad Grammar: . . .Aren't we all writers with bad grammar? Sorry, just had to with that user name. Me likey. You're are literally the first to think Unlimited Love Works. Nope, but now I'm thinking of a DLC piece involving the idea. And soon enough, this story will reach such high marks, we just gotta spread word about it is all. Tough to do with so many Gamer fics steering people away from it. And Adam and Ren's personalities were fun to make. Wait to you see the last of the four players.**

 **Jjshawn: . . .Really? Well. . .damn. Gonna have to fix that typo eventually. Gotta read that wiki more often. Thanks for the heads up.**

 **Im not Itachi: The health thing was explained in Chapter 10 right around the beginning.**

 **AmazaiTheAmazing: Never saw that anime, but I've heard the saying before in some comments online. Gotta watch it when I have the time.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Aaaaaand, now I have another DLC idea.**

 **Zachary2: Pfft, you haven' seen nothing yet. Huh? So, my writing has gotten a bit better? Sweet. Still need a beta though, still making some mistakes here and there. And yeah, the pain still there, but I'm better. Still got her memory to keep me going. Glad to know I make you smile.**

 **DoubleDamn: Ahh, the health thing. You wouldn't be the first to ask about it. Most it is explained in the beginning of Chapter 10, but Jaune's health dripping down is due to a Bleeding Status, dropping his health with every passing second based on the damage received. Doesn't sound whiny, it's a good question to ask. And yup, it is based on Kingdom Hearts. That game has heavily inspired elements in this game. It's my favorite.**

 **Kegi Springfield: . . .I ain't answering that. . .ya bastard. Good to see ya reading the fic, bud!**

 **Wandai: So much guessing! Guess what? You'll be guessing a lot more after this chapter. And boy, does shit go down here! The identity of the final Player is slowly coming forward, we may even get a peek of him next chapter. Ann isn't Cardin's sister, but that would have made one hell of a plot twist. And the Administrators are a curious bunch, who says any of them are bad? After all, if they watch over things, who commands them? So much we don't know! . . .Well, ya'll don't know, I know plenty.**

 **A Fan1204: Tell me about it, you know I tried to make this at most 15,000+ words? That wasn't happening as my fingers refused to stop typing till I was completely done. When I started this fic, I knew I didn't want it to turn out like the other Gamer fics, filled with so much mechanics that I would simply skim through them to get to the plot and action. That and I didn't know how to calculate much of that stuff. And adding more then one Player had never been the original intention when I had first begun developing this story. It sort of happened after thinking over some aspects people forget, that and playing Undertale had also inspired some ideas to the function too. Made it all the more original, so glad you liked it. Ren does know of the 'gods', but he simply doesn't care about them since he's given up interacting with them. Scarlet Knight? My man. Though I like many ships, that is on my top three. Now, lets see how long Jaune's new form will last. In Kingdom Hearts, the drive forms are limited, same goes here. Love that game and its ways of inspiring me. I'm sure you'll be guessing more after this hell of a chapter.**

 **TalonIbAlhad: Dude, you're groove is fucking back! I'm sad that you had to end the little tale, I was enjoying it. I can't wait for your fic to come out, I'm favoriting that shit! The fight with Holt was a bit tricky, but I believe it worked out on displaying how underleveled Jaune was. Scott Pilgrim? My brotha! Something for the future maybe. Ah, Adam. He was an interesting Player to work with. Wait till after this chapter. Life's rough, but we get by. Got you idiots to keep me going.**

 **Acerman: Don't worry about it. Can't wait to see what story you publish soon. So many questions, most of them will be answered in this chapter. And the rest in chapters to come. Trust me, bud, this final one is crazy. I like your OST suggestion, better find some good ones for this chapter. I recommend some sad ones, trust me, you'll understand. Don't worry, someone left the Onion Ninja out again, your tears are justified for now.**

 **Donzo! Time to get on with the show! I need sleep.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it belongs to RoosterTeeth. I do own some crutches from getting run over by a truck. Shit hurts. But they do make excellent beating sticks.**_

 _ **Hear that, Chris Hanseen? I got something to defend myself with now! What anime I watch is between me and god's shaking head of disappointment! I ain't some perv who loves lolis! . . .The grown woman simply resemble them, completely different. Especially when it comes to hentai.**_

 _ **. . . . .Why the fuck is my closet door unlocked? And where the fuck did that seat come from?**_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Hollow.**

Through the dank halls of the upper level of the main FoF hideout, Ann huffed as she ran in search of the damned blonde idiot known as Jaune.

The last thing she had seen before winding up in Holt's study had been Jaune's reaching hand. Her head still ached like someone had taken a jack hammer and focused all their strength into their arm muscle before dropping it onto her skull. She flinched as a sharp pain stabbed her head. Who would have thought Blondie would have it in him? It was a good thing her aura hadn't shattered in the fight, her wounds were still busy healing.

A loud boom shook the floor under her feet, stumbling her a bit before finding her footing again. She shook her head, gritting her teeth as she doubled her speed. Holt most be going wild down there, wouldn't be surprised if he had already whipped out Death Rattle it all its deadly glory. Which meant that Blondie didn't have much longer to live. While the huntsman in training had displayed great potential in fighting Grimm, Holt was on a level above those dark creatures. He was a monster of monster's with a goal, as twisted as it was. So much as scratching him would prove a chore in futility.

She didn't have long to stop them from killing another. She didn't know much about Jaune, but in a fight with a man like Holt, there was no other way to win then to kill another. The Rule of Swords, something her Boss held in high regard for some weird reason. It's why he fought most of the time with his weapon wrapped in bandages. Only those worthy of dying to his hands were worthy of seeing its glorious steel. If Jaune had any hope of surviving he would have to follow his rules and dig his sword into his dead corpse to walk away from this mess. The mess she had regretfully dragged him into the first place.

Her fault. It was her fault. What the hell was it about her that caused the few people she ever gave a damn about to die? Was it a curse for people to eventually die when she let them into her heart? What fucked up being would pull that kind of shit on her? It wasn't fair. Getting closer to others would only spell more graves facing her, more ghosts haunting her thoughts. Only the loud and drowning sounds of music could ever silence the haunting voices, blaming her for their passing's. And now the same curse was going to fall onto Blondie. No one could beat Holt with his years of training and semblance mastery.

Jaune's only chance of surviving was for her to reach him before Holt ran him through his mangled body. A loose tear slipped out of her eye, twinkling as it flew past her, getting closer to her only friend left in the world.

' _Please, don't let me too late.'_ Hope and prayer were the only things she had on her at the moment. For once she would pray to whatever psychotic being playing with all their lives for her friends safety. At least until she made it to him.

Sunset had passed, leaving them in the night of the next day to come. Tomorrow was coming. And she would make sure that those left that she cared for would be there to see it.

* * *

In all the fighting and drama going down below Vale, you would have to wonder what had happened to the remaining members of team RWBY and JNPR. With so much going on, what were the girls doing in all the chaos to reach their friends?

"MOVE IT, FATASS!"

Yang jumped over a swift ax swing aimed to chop her down from the waist, firing off a shotgun shell below her to send her flying up. She twisted out of the way as a sawing disk flew at her, firing another shell to rocket off the repulsion and smash her fist into the very large FoF grunt in her way. A deafening boom echoed from the impact to no reaction.

A guttural growl hummed from the man's throat before he swatted his odd ax at the busty blonde girl.

Weiss tsked, flicking her finger at Yang's form, summoning a glyph around her. Pulling her finger forward, her gravity glyph attracted her back to her and out of the way of the swing, thankfully missing her golden locks by a literal hair. Wouldn't want Yang losing anymore of her temper right now. Not when they were all so close to reaching Blake and Velvet. An odd vroom caught her attention, warning her of the sawing teeth edge of the claymore coming for her head. Weiss ducked under the sawing blades, flipping her feet to kick the blow away before spinning on her feet to stab her rapier in deadly thrusts.

"Sorry, Little Angel. You know that's not going to work. Don't you ever learn?" The female grunt winked as she refused to dodge the thrusts. Her body seemed to fade like an old image, her body becoming see through. The rapier thrusts did nothing, dealing no type of damage to the woman's body as she laughed boisterously. Still in her ghostly like form, the woman moved her claymore up, raising it high and dropping it down to bisect the pretty girl. Her arm became solid, ready to end the girl only for a bullet to bounce her attack back, sending her form stumbling back with a wince. She growled angrily, flipping her long black ponytail back as she cocked her hip at the redheaded girl flinging her golden round shield for her. That wouldn't work, she shook her head with a laugh as her body turned transparent. Again and again, the girl moved her magnetized hand around her to return her spinning shield to attack her from all directions, doing little to actually harm her body.

Said woman had a milk chocolate skin tone, the upper part of her face from her nose visible due to the face mask being cut off from the top. She wore the standard pants, only with an open vest to show off her finely slim stomach and short black tank top, black and white camo arm sleeves, no military goggles and a white berate. Her icy blue eyes winked at Pyrrha's frustrated expression before bouncing back as Nora spun in the air to slam her hammer where she stood. The ground was pulverized to pieces, lightning sparking from the impact and crater left behind by the bubbly orange haired huntress.

"That would have hurt." The woman sniffed as she landed back to the large form of her partner. The man stood 6 foot tall, his body bulging with muscles. His skin tone was the same as her own, standing shirtless seeing as their was no uniform in their stock that would fit properly on him without ripping apart. At least he was still fit enough to wear the standard pants and shoes. He wore the same arm sleeves, intricate spiraling tattoos running over his muscled arms up to his neck where a weathered scar ran along his neck. He had a buzz cut, his ski mask the same as his partner only designed after the bottom of a skeleton's bony mouth. His icy blue eyes peeked at her, the woman's eyes trembling with crocodile tears as she looked up at him expectantly, "Little Han, are you going to let them get away with nearly hurting your big sister? I could have been scratched awfully bad. Take them out for your big sis, Voila, will ya?"

"That's fucking bullshit!" Yang roared angrily, shaking her raging fist at the woman who turned back to pull down her eyelid and blow a raspberry at them like a child, "We can't even touch her with her stupid ass semblance!"

Han growled loudly in a throaty roar, pushing out his chest as his muscles bulged, increasing his mass and height in a glow of ghostly green aura. The ax's in his hand, designed with a red steel hilts with slithering dragons and intricate lunar arc like ax blades, were slammed together at their ends over his head, forming a double ended ax at arms length. Red Dust gems adorned the middle of each ax blade, igniting flames to crawl over their forms in blazing fires. He spun the newly formed labrys over his head, turning it into a buzzing wheel of orange red fire as he glared angrily at the huntresses who dared try to harm his beloved sister.

"He's like a male Yang, only the angrier he gets, the bigger his muscles and height get." Nora chimed brightly as she stood beside said blonde.

All four girls had received the message from Jaune revealing where Blake and Velvet had been taken and had scrambled to reach the sect of the city known as Crime Haunt. While it was strange that the blonde knight had quickly discovered where they had been taken too, they were too focused on making it their before something horrible fell onto their friends. Questions could be asked later when they were all safe and sound at Beacon. And after nearly an hour of running for the hidden nest of crime activity, they had made it to the gated entrance, only to met opposition to the way into the abandoned city. Grunts had greeted them to which they quickly dealt with. Their numbers were thinning from the looks of it, so they were no problem to finish. But then two new grunts had jumped in, completely unlike every FoF member they had faced until now. Finely trained and with unique semblances that made it difficult to mow them down.

And frankly, Yang was starting to get really pissed off at the two. Her partner layed over that damned gated off entrance, in the hands of a lunatic trying to play hero of some kind. Along with Velvet, a faunus that his little organization planned to amputate to make her seem human. Time was a precious factor here, the more time they wasted, the more the chances of saving them would fall. And here they were playing ghost tag with a couple of jokers. Her body erupted with a blazing aura, her eyes dying red as she growled at the two FoF members in her way.

It was never a good thing to get in her way when she was pissed.

"I don't know about you guys, but I've reached my limit of patience with these clowns!" she roared, loading another sleeve of shotgun shells into Ember Celica, "I'm ready to abandon strategy to go in fists blazing to pummel them to dust!"

Weiss rolled her eyes at the fiery blonde, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I know we don't have much time to lose here, but we need to think about this. One of them can avoid physical attacks at a drop of a hat, and the other is nothing but pure muscle mass at this point. Charging in like bulls won't do us any good. They're clearly well trained, they must be gatekeepers of some sort." The two left in their way were nothing like the grunts they've encountered so far. Well, the woman was. The bigger man didn't think much, listening to his partner's commands mostly. If they were going to reach their friends, then they needed to find some hole in their attacks and abilities to beat them.

Looking at the crater left behind by Nora, Pyrrha frowned as a thought struck her, "Did any of you notice the woman dodged Nora's attack earlier, along with any other she would attack her with?"

Weiss glanced back at Pyrrha, her face lightly scrunching up in thought, "Now that you mention it, of all our attacks, she would simply dodge and evade Nora's. And my Dust attacks as well. Why is that?"

"What have you been swinging with Magnhild, Nora?" Yang asked the orange haired girl who grinned back brightly.

"I've been infusing it with my semblance, silly! Gives my swings an added oomph! And a chance to paralyze her still for a home run!"

"Elemental weakness?" Pyrrha said in thought.

"It would explain why she's only been evading my glyphs instead of my rapier strikes." No semblance was perfect. Even her own glyphs had flaws. If she lost her concentration on even one, they would fail to work. She needed patience and clarity to command them just right. "That leaves us with one plan. But just how are we going to take out the bigger of the two? I doubt my attacks would even budge him back a bit." Weiss frowned in frustration. Even one hit of his fists could take her out of the count.

Yang grinned widely in response, her hair flowing with flames as she smashed her fists together, "Oh, don't you worry about the big lug. I got him covered."

The four huntresses readied themselves with their plans in mind. They loaded their weapons with the last of their ammo, prepared to finish this and rescue their friends.

A lazy voice chuckled at them from behind, tensing their muscles at the new comer walking into their fight.

"My, my, don't they look haggard? Maybe I should spare a gumdrop or two to get them on their feet again. What do you think, Professor?"

"That's Doctor, Mr. Pithos! I didn't slave over paperwork after paperwork for my degree! Besides, it's obvious that a nice, pipping hot, mug of coffee would better suit them after all their fighting. I know it's doing wonders for myself right now."

Voila narrowed her eyes at the new intruders calmly walking into their view. A man wearing an open labcoat and trucker's hat, chewing on a rather large taffy bar, walked alongside another man with wild green hair, glasses, an open explorers coat, and sipping from a thermos without a care, stood behind the four equally confused girls.

Great, more trouble. The boss was not going to like this at all. Couldn't message him now, he was in the middle of welcoming two new recruits. And with one of them having caught her own eyes, she couldn't afford to let them down. The blonde boy looked like he could fight, and he was kinda cute. She needed something to entertain her while she was working for the FoF and he looked like a screamer.

"Professor Oobleck, Professor Pithos? What are you dong here?" Weiss asked at complete loss at the two teachers standing behind them, unfazed by the events around them.

Professor Pithos frowned with a pout, tearing off a chunk from his treat as he answered for the both of them, "We were enjoying a nice little chat about Dust and its history in the Great War at a nice little coffee shop until these no good trouble makers barged in to take faunus hostage. So, naturally, we stuck them in time out for misbehaving. They won't be escaping those gel balls for at least five hours at most, just like the others that got in our way." He sighed in depression, a dark cloud hanging over his head despite the fact he was enjoying a taffy treat, "And I was enjoying a nice candy flavored coffee Bart had introduced to me. Now it's gone to waste. . . .it was peppermint flavored."

"Mr. Arc's message had been sent to all on his contacts list. And, as all teachers do on their first day of class, we had given him our numbers in case he needed any help in his studies. Knowing that two of our students were in the hands of some radical group of humanizers, we of course headed for their destination." Oobleck explained as he took a moment to sip from his steaming thermos. He smiled kindly at his four students, their uniforms torn and teared from their numerous fights. They must have called in their weapons from their lockers, and to think people questioned the use of a rocket propelled locker.

"It seems you're all just about at your limits for the day. I suggest stepping aside for the moment. Me and Professor Pithos would gladly clear you a path to your friends. Wouldn't want you going in exhausting all of your energy, now would we?"

"He's right." Pithos nodded in agreement, reaching into his coat before tossing four red colored candied balls at the four girls. They turned them over their fingers, finding a flaming cartoon head squinting with watery eyes and steam blowing out its ears, "Those are Hot Sparks, little redheads with a spicy kick to them. I synthesized them from my personal stock of treats and Dust. They should kick start your auras and help them restore your energy and stamina a bit. Should be enough for anymore obstacles in your way." he smiled lazily.

Nora grinned at the treat, popping it into her mouth hungrily. Didn't need to tell her twice. She needed a little sweet after the day she was having. Her face suddenly became red, sweating as she fanned her burning mouth.

"HOT! HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT!"

"I thought you said it had a little kick to them." Yang said flatly as she watched the hammer girl run around in small circles, "Stop, drop, and roll, dammit!"

Professor Pithos ignored the questioning looks of his students, instead focused on Nora's reaction to his sweet, "Huh? Guess I may have added a tid bit too much Fire Dust to the mixture. Note to self," he said boredly, taking a small recorder from his lab coat to speak into as he watched Nora try to scoop dirt into her mouth to relieve the burning sensation, only to be stopped by Pyrrha's hand, "Add a pinch of Ice Dust to counteract the intense flavor of fire. Too much of a good thing is apparently bad for you. Who would have thought?"

Weiss and Pyrrha eyed the very spicy treat with suspicion. Their aura's were growing a bit weak after all the fighting, didn't need to go into the base of the villain if they weren't in top form. They looked to Yang for her opinion, only for the blonde to swallow the redball and grit her teeth as her face became red. No pain, no gain, it seemed. Steeling their resolves, the two girls popped the treats into their mouths, fighting the hot sensation of the candy scalding their tastes buds.

Well, at least their professor was right. They could feel their auras kick starting and healing what little wounds they had on them. At the simple cost of their burning mouth.

"I feel like we're being ignored." Voila said with a twitching brow. They were threats for crying out loud! Who looked away from their enemies to munch on candy? She'd show them. Looking back to her brother, she gestured her head to the group of hunters, "Finish them off, little Han. I'm growing bored here."

Han's nodded his head with a growl. He didn't like it when his sister was upset. Gathering enough momentum from his spinning of his labrys, Han's swung his double ended ax against the ground in front of him, sparking a rising rush of flames to trail after the hunters in their sights. The rising flames towered the hunters, nearing ever closer to their demise.

"That's looks dangerous." Pithos said flatly while chewing his taffy. Sighing, the candy loving teacher pocketed his treat before moving his hands to satchel. Pandora's side popped open, revealing several colored buttons and dials hidden underneath the fabric. His fingers danced around the controls, the hum and whirls of his weapon deafened by the flames racing towards them. The satchel buckled, falling silent as an icy blue Dust crystal popped out from the top of a hidden opening of his weapon. "If you would be so kind, Doctor Oobleck." he said as he tossed the crystal up in the air.

Professor Oobleck nodded his head silently, catching the Dust in his hand quickly before dropping it into his thermos and shaking it furiously.

"My thanks, Doctor Pithos." he grinned as his little coffee holder began to morph. A lance like hilt dropped from the bottom of the thermos while the top sprung a cylinder like exhaust. Mist escaped the top of his weapon. With the flames just about to devour them whole, Professor Oobleck aimed his weapon forward, unleashing a torrent of chilling mist to met the attack head on. The two elements fought for a bit, refusing to back down to the other. But the cold front proved to be too strong, freezing the flames into beautiful crystal décor in its wake.

Voila frowned as she dodged the torrent of mist steering at them. Looked like they weren't to be judged on appearance. "Smash them to bits!" she shouted at Han's as she dashed after them. She held her claymore in both hands, separating them from the middle to wield two single edged long blades with saw toothed edges. Her body became faded as the top of Han's ax detached to fire a chained blade spinning like a saw, shooting through her ghostly image.

Sighing, Professor Pithos reached for the side of his waist, brushing his coat to the side to reveal a gun holster attached to his belt. A large 13 inch black hand cannon fell into his grip as he aimed it for the ponytailed woman charging at them. It's barrel was block like and possessed two triangle cylinders along with a shotgun pump. Six barrel holes greeted Voila instead of the normal one, aligned in two rows of three lining down. The top two barrels lite up with yellow light before he pulled the trigger. Two lightning fused caliber bullets fired after Voila, cutting the right side of her cheek as she tried moving out of the way. The sawing ax blade wasn't so fortunate. It was bounced back as the bullets struck it. Seeing the woman spinning around her fanged toothed blades to slash at Pithos, Oobleck stepped in front to block the strikes.

"Now would be a good time to run along, children." Professor Oobleck urged in slight strain, turning his blue eyes back to the stunned huntresses watching on, "While we may be locked in combat, it is still a school night. I don't want any of you missing class due to lack of sleep. We have a test tomorrow after all!"

"Awww, I was hoping he'd forget about that." Nora pouted.

Seeing Oobleck begin batting the furious swings from Viola, Pithos ran around his colleague to draw the attention of the muscle bound man swinging his chained labrys. A wide swing from the chained ax cut through the air. Aiming his six barreled hand cannon below, he jumped over the wide swing with the powerful recoil bouncing him higher then normally. Another chained swing followed after him in the air, causing him to flip over it and fire the last two rounds of his first revolver in retaliation. The bullets struck the middle of Han's chest, lighting his body with several volts of lightning as he grunted in pain. Smoke wavered from his lightly burnt body, his eyes seething mad at the man landing back in front of him. He swung his labrys down to split him down the middle. Pithos smirked, the barrel of his hand cannon extending forward and the bottom straightening to form a baton sized club. He side stepped the chop easily, rearing his arm back before swatting Hans wrist. Adding his aura along with the attack cracked the man's wrist's as he pulled it back with a grunting shout.

Han's saw red. Damn little fly. To think it could actually hurt him with the little stick of his. Grunting, Hans spun his labrys one handed before swinging around to slice the teacher to pieces. Pithos moved around the muscle mass that was a man, evading the deadly wheel of steel flashing with the intent to dice him. He still had one last full cylinder, time to make good use of it. He continued to dodge the swings as Hans detached the ax blades by their chains for better reach, deflecting one of the blades that came close to digging at his neck. Clicking the small trigger hidden behind the main trigger, his small club morphed back to his hand cannon. He pumped it twice, ducking the wide swing in a spin to stop behind the large man's exposed back. All six barrels sparked before firing all six of its remaining bullets into Han's back. A beacon of lightning swallowed the large man, scalding his skin as his body spasmed. Kicking his foot at the back of the man's legs as the lightning died away, Professor Pithos nodded his head the four girls as Hans fell forward, opening the chamber of his gun to load two new sets of ammunition from Pandora's satchel.

"Stop gawking before I shock you like I do with Lemon Head. It's getting late, you're all lucky we don't give you all detention for staying up past your bedtimes. So hurry up and find your little girlfriends, we'll met you all soon."

Voila ground her teeth as she peeked back to the sight of her brother dropped. That was a hell of a shot to knock him down. She jumped back and danced around the homing like missiles of cold mist shot from the torch, struggling as the missed shots created spikes of ice to litter the ground. She sliced the annoying obstacles to melting bits with her heated twin swords, charging back at the green haired teacher with double stab thrust.

"No one's going anywhere! I'll be dead before I let a single one of you touch ground on the Boss's lair!"

Oobleck spun his torch against the incoming stab, slapping the attack away and delivering jab with his elbow at the now tangible woman, sending her back and out of reach of his students. Looking back at them, he wove his torch across the ground, creating a wall of solid ice to block them from the FoF gatekeepers. He nodded his head, releasing the now drained crystal as his fellow teacher fell alongside him from a hard fist courtesy of the now recovered Hans.

"You holding up alright, Doctor Pithos?" Oobleck asked in concern as the man held his stomach gingerly.

Pithos chuckled, straightening back up as he took out one of the redballs he had handed the girls, "No need for all the formalities, Bart. Call me, Hope." He grinned lazily, tossing the treat into his mouth as he watched their opponents stand together. "You think the kids got the message? I'm flattered they want to watch a couple of old men like us brawl, but they're better off finding their friends."

"I couldn't agree more! Though I would argue on use being a couple of old men. We have many bright years ahead of us!"

"Not me, if I don't listen to that annoying doctor. Apparently sugar can be lethal in high dosages."

"Maybe you could switch over to sugar free?"

"Maybe you should switch to decaf?"

". . .I see your point."

"Doesn't feel good, does it?"

Voila's twitch grew. Again, they were ignoring them! "DON'T IGNORE US, FOR FUCKS SAKE! WE'RE TRYING TO KILL YOU!"

"We know, trust me, we know." Hope sighed tiredly, synthesizing another Ice Dust for his fellow teacher.

"We are strapped for time, so why don't we cut the chit chat," Bartholomew nodded firmly, taking a sip from his torch before dropping in the chilling element to augment his weapon. He grinned as he aimed his freezing torch alongside Hope's sparking hand cannon.

"And fight."

"Couldn't have said better myself." Voila grinned as she attached her twin blades to form her claymore again.

The sound of wing howling past them in the middle of the night was all that could be heard between the two sides, their eyes locked another, their weapons ready to clash once more. Time was ticking, on both ends. Words would only be a waste at this point.

* * *

Holt bit back a curse, his side being struck by a heavy swing from Cardin's mace in a lapse of distraction. His eyes were still turned to the beacon of bluish light emanating from Jaune's supposed corpse. He moved back on his feet, dodging a mix of mace and knife swings courtesy of Blake and Cardin fighting alongside another. Just what kind of bullshit was he witnessing? One hated the other for killing their beloved mother, and the other hated the other for his cruel treatment of her kind! They were cat and dog, enemies since fucking birth! Yet they could fight so well together when they were moments ago in a death match? Those flashing lights from Jaune's blade must have been messing with his vision.

"Out of my sight!" Whipping Death Rattle by his side, Holt lashed out a whipping blade of flames from his cleaver's segments. The lashing blade passed by the two hunter's as they evaded the attack, ducking together to avoid the wide swing, and kicked their feet up at the flat of the passing cleaver to stumble back the sportsman hunter. The last of the energy in Cardin's Beaufort flashed brightly before its head slammed into the man's chest, erupting in cloud of flames shrouding his body. Blake crossed over her knives across her chest, throwing them apart to release a crossing blade of purple aura to cut into the black shroud of fire. Pushed out with his feet skidding across the ground, Holt glared furiously at the two, a small trickle of blood running down his lip.

He was starting to get tired of this shit.

Stabbing his cleaver into his own shadow, a pool gathered around him before splitting into smaller shadows that zipped after Cardin and Blake. The small shadows zipped around them in a frenzy, warning them of the danger hidden within as they dodged a segment of the cleaver jumping out like a snapping piranha. With the shadows gathered around them in a circle, the two hunter's were forced to dance around another to avoid the snapping blades spinning in the air to dice them to fine bits. Looked like the pieces that made up the cleaver could come apart. Nicks and tears began to cut into their skin as the blades proved to be difficult to avoid.

Cardin panted, sweat dripping down his face as he spun around Blake, moving his head away from a spinning blade segment nearly digging into his left eye. Just how the hell was the bastard capable of performing a move like this? They barely had any room to evade the blades! While his aura was beginning to run low, Cardin shut his eyes, his only functioning hand glowing with a coat of golden aura as he gathered strength for his semblance. "Duck!" He shouted loudly as he reared his mace back. Blake nodded without a thought, dropping down to her knees to avoid the mighty wide swing flying overhead. A strong gale blew out from his swing, blowing away the spinning metal teeth as they jumped out at once. They fall back to the ground, swallowed within their own shadows to return to their owner.

"Thank you for the fore warning, Cardin." Blake smiled tiredly as she got back up. A heavy thud caught her attention to see her momentary partner falling on one knee, his face scrunched up as he breathed heavily. "Cardin! Are you okay!?" she asked in worry as she tried to help him back up.

It made him laugh weakly as he felt her hands gingerly hold him. Didn't he try to kill her? Why the hell would she be worrying about an idiot who fell for his own anger and hate? Stupid Faunas.

"I'm fine, just a little sore, everywhere." He scoffed, hiding the small smile making its way to his face.

"That I can understand." Blake smiled softly.

"Aww, how fucking cute. I think my teeth are rotting at the sight."

Cardin and Blake's eyes snapped open in horror, the deep chuckling ticking the back of their necks making them turn their eyes around to see the fanged edge of Death Rattle swing up in an uppercut. The blow missed Blake, its deadly intent focused on the broken armed huntsman. Cardin shouted in pain as he was sent flying far away, slamming into the end of the coliseum walls where he fell to his stomach. A gash burned through his armor, preventing him from doing anymore then lifting his head up to watch Holt grabbed Blake by the throat. "L-Let her go!" He roared angrily, wincing as his new wound burned hotly.

"I seriously don't understand you people at all." Holt shook his head in slight disbelief, adding more pressure to the cat girl's windpipe. "You switch beliefs so quickly, it's baffling! You hate her kind for all the savage, blood spilling deeds, that they've done! Costing you your own mother and sister in the process!" He aimed his cleaver at the down huntsman in a roar, narrowing his eyes as he moved its heated flat point under Blake's chin as she struggled to breath in his hands, "And you hate his kind for mistreating your people, refusing service, aid, work, and basically working them as fucking slaves! Yet you would both drop your solid beliefs at the drop of a hat! You go against both human and faunas nature. You should have killed another by now! But instead, I'm forced to watch this TV melo-fucking-drama! Well, guess what!?" He grinned cruelly, his eye twitching slightly as he pressed the heated flat deeper into the girl's skin, her cries of pain music to his ear, "I'm done stalling what needs to be done! Forget saving your annoying little soul, I'm slaughtering you like the disgusting animal you are! THIS CRAP ENDS NOW!" he yelled loudly with a laugh.

"NOOO!" Cardin shouted. He tried getting back up, only to fall back down, scrapping his chin. He looked on helplessly as he watched the man he had come to see as a friend raise his cleaver high in the air, intent on executing Blake with the burning edge coiling to form a hook like blade.

"MET THE FATE OF ANIMALS! DIE!"

" _ **Lumen Hysteria."**_

From the beacon of light, machine gun like fire of knives shot out, cutting through the air as they aimed for the stunned dirty blonde. Each small knife was made out of bluish light, striking Holt with the force of shotgun shells. The force of each blade picked him off his feet, slamming him towards the end of the coliseum in the same style he had sent Cardin. The cascade of knives soon came to a stop, dropping him onto his knee's as he gasped deeply from the pain.

The fuck was that!?

Tiny dots aligned the beacon, carving the picture of swords forming the beacon before flashing brightly. The light swords shattered, falling to the ground in twinkles of glimmering light around the now healed blonde knight standing beside a shocked Velvet. The bunny girl was at complete loss at what she was seeing, not believing her eyes at the new attire her friend was now dressed in.

It looked like her combat gear.

Opening his eyes, Jaune gazed at his new wardrobe in fascination. He now wore an open zipped brown long sleeved jacket with gold trimmings, a black cotton undershirt, brown pants, and brown shoes with golden buckles and bands. The golden bands encircled his waist and the bottom of his pants, golden spaulders were attached to his shoulders along with gold vambraces. A brown hood lined with gold came along with the jacket and Velvet's symbol was stitched onto his back in a family crest. The only thing left of his old attire were his brown gloves, changed slightly by the gold rings on each knuckle.

' _ **Unlimited Light Works, Activated! +13,500EXP! You're level has risen by 1! You've learned Ember!'**_

' _This is ULW?'_ Jaune thought in amazement. The power granted by a special bond formed with Velvet? Holy crap! The power flowing through his body was incredible! It was a rush of energy!

' _ **Congratulations on Unlocking ULW, Unlimited Light Works! The power of light is now under your domain of control! You've unlocked an Affinity, Light!'**_ Time around Jaune froze still for a moment, allowing the The Game to display the workings of his new power, _**'Soul Link is an incredible power bestowed onto The Heart from a bond held closely**_ _ **by two hearts**_ _ **. It allows The Player to gain new abilities and skills tied to the heart of the Soul they're linked to, unique in their own way. While in Unlimited Light Works, certain abilities will be switched out and attacks will change to better suit the new powers at your disposal. In this new form, your physical attacks have been transformed into magical attacks and your MP is greatly increased, allowing you to spam spells with no worry! Wisdom, Intelligence, and Speed is greatly increased, but Attack, Defense and Luck fall while in ULW form. You've also been granted the following Abilities and Skills while in ULW.'**_

' _ **Abilities: Gather, Lumen Flare, Lumen Hysteria, and Lumen Fall. Skills: Light Step, MP Overdrive, and Lucky Foot.'**_

Jaune stared blankly at all the benefits now at his disposal, withholding the urge to squeal in a moment of glee. Soul Link was incredible! Reading over the new moves and skills he was going to be using, he frowned a bit as he noticed a small bar circling his portrait on his HUD, another smaller portrait connected to it with Velvet's symbol pulsing. Looked like he couldn't take his time with Unlimited Light Works, must be limited by the amount in its bar. The second the world unpaused he would be running on the clock. He couldn't waste his time now.

A second chance had been given to him, to continue living in this world with his friends, new and old. He'd be damned if he didn't make good use of his second chance, even when there were many at his disposal with his status as Gamer. The others may live life as if it was a game, but it didn't matter if he could just respawn and start over again, the lives around him, his own life, were a precious thing that weren't meant to be taken lightly. His blue eyes looked firmly at the form of Holt staring back at him in his suspended state of animation, brought to his knees as he held his chest with an infuriated look in his eyes. This power, with this power he could win, maybe even prove to Ren he could stand against the forces The Game would throw at him.

And it was all because of his bond with Velvet. He looked back to the brunette girl with bunny ears, smiling sadly at her state. She was dirty, bruised, and her eyes were red from crying. But looking closely at her face, he could make out the slight lift of her lips. It was because of her that he was even breathing. No, he shook his head as turned his sights to Cardin and Blake, both equally hurt and exhausted from the hell wrought by Holt's ideals. They were all the reasons he was breathing and fighting again.

Sensing his urge to fight again and exit the pause, The Game messaged him his final instructions for his power for the moment.

' _ **To cancel the pause, and activate your Soul Link in the future, all you have to do is recite the Soul Link's Activation Oath. ULW Activation Oath-**_

Jaune nodded his head with a grin, flexing the muscle of his fingers as he readied himself for the final battle of the day.

" _ **By the Light born by our Bond, I call on upon the sword shining the proof of our Link, Shedding away the darkness clasping our Souls-"**_ Jaune recited to himself, clapping his hands together in a prayer as the world began to move again. His blue eyes shined brightly as he parted his hand, stretching out a copy of Crocea Mor's sword made out of bluish light.

" _ **Unlimited Light Works!"**_

The shards of twinkling light paused before flying towards the newly attired blonde knight. They spun around his body, flashing with the image of swords in the light.

"Jaune?" Velvet sniffed as she looked at Jaune in confusion. What happened to him? The energy flowing from his body was unlike anything she had ever seen. And it looked like he was wearing a male version of her combat gear. Was this his semblance?

Jaune turned back to her, grinning as he rubbed the back of his head with a blush.

"Thanks, Velvet. I'm pretty sure I'd be dead if you hadn't. . .you know?" Jaune smiled awkwardly, recalling the intimate way she had revived him from deaths doors.

Velvet's face lite up with a cherry red blush. She could still feel his lips over her own. If Coco ever found out about this, she wasn't sure she'd live it down. Kissing a first year, her leader would tease her relentlessly despite the situation. Still, she smiled happily as she watched Jaune scratch his equally blushing cheek nervously, it was more then worth it. Maybe next time she'd actually have a chance to enjoy it. At the thought she smacked her own head, shaking away such thoughts. Great, she kisses one boy in a life saving effort, and now she's fantasizing on kissing him without the taste of blood. Coco would definitely have a field day with this.

"Just. . .don't nearly die on me again." Velvet smiled with a tilt of her head, "Okay?"

That he could do. Nodding his head, Jaune went back to turn his eyes to Blake and Cardin. Moving one foot forward his body vanished from sight as he called on Gale Speed. A bluish blur picked up both wounded teens before Holt could move a muscle, dropping them beside Velvet as he appeared again like he never left.

The Game was not kidding, his Speed had vastly improved! Sweet.

"You alright, Cardin?" Jaune asked as he eyed Cardin's broken arm with worry. How the hell was he able to fend off Holt with his lesser hand? That took skill.

Cardin scoffed, hiding his disbelief at the new form his schoolmate had taken. Damn show off, "Don't look down on me, Jauney-Boy. A Huntsman like myself won't be taken down by a little sprain like this. It's Catgirl you should be looking over." He gestured his head over to Blake.

Said girl weakly glared at Cardin at the attention now pointed at her under Jaune's worried gaze, "I'm fine, just a little scratched up." She tried to play off with a smile, only to wince as her ribs ached and the new burn gash under her chin to beginning to act up.

Jaune sighed. Blake never did like attention. She always hid her problems from her friends, even when she was dead on her feet. Reminded him of himself. Two of a kind. Made him grin softly at her as he helped her up.

"It's alright, you just need some rest is all." He chuckled lightly as he rubbed her head, careful not to mess with her cute ears. This was as close to them he had ever gotten. They really were cute.

A grumpy pout met his touch, a light blush staining her cheeks at the blonde dork leader that was Jaune. Since when was he this confident? And touchy. It did feel regretfully nice though. Damn feline genes.

"You've all done more then enough here though." Jaune said firmly, turning away to glare at Holt's mad grin as he gripped his cleaver tightly, "Find the exit and get out of here. There's still one more person I need to save before I can follow you guys. And that won't be possible until I stop Holt here and now." Ann was trapped here. And the man who had taken her in would never let her free of his shadow. The nightmares created by Trail by Fire would never end till the madman was trapped behind a high security cell.

"Save? You were on your last breath! It's smarter to fight together then alone." Cardin argued, flinching as he tried moving his mace up in a stance.

"You're all too hurt to go on any further. Besides, I'm the only one of us who's got any chance of winning right now. Don't worry," Jaune grinned reassuringly as he began walking to the middle of the ring to met Holt head on again.

"You won't be seeing me in such a state again. I promise."

"Listen to the dead man, kiddies." Holt grinned savagely, his brow twitching madly as he aimed his blade for his fellow blonde, the fanged teeth glowing a bright orange, "This here is your only chance at escaping my wrath for a few moments. Once I'm done with this piece of soon to be charred meat, I'll be sure to treat you all the same kindly. So, I would take it if I where you."

Blake and Cardin moved to argue, only for Velvet's arms to pull them back. She shook her head firmly at their bewildered gazes. She didn't want to admit it and leave Jaune to fight, but he was right. They were far too injured to be of any help to him. And it looked like he was back at full strength by the looks of it. All they could do is believe in him.

"He's right. We would only get in his way and worry him. It be better to find help. I'm sure he's got a handle of things now." She said brightly as she began to lead her younger classmates to the gate entrance.

Cardin wanted to put up a fight, but held back as he looked back to Jaune' straightened back, his body flowing with a strength he couldn't understand nor comprehend.

Hero. His mother had always read to him stories of heroes and how their turned backs would inspire others and set their hearts at ease. To always trust the back of heroes to save the day. A knight in shining armor. The kind he had dreamed to become long ago.

Just once, just once he would trust in that image again. The one he had abandoned in his hate and growing anger. _'Don't think this makes you better then me, Jaune.'_ Cardin frowned as he followed after Velvet out the massive gate.

' _Next time, it'll my back you're putting faith into. You're not the only one who'll become a hero someday.'_

Blake was the last one to leave the coliseum, stopping in her steps as she turned back to Jaune. She didn't want to leave him all alone, to fight a man who frightened her to her core. There were too many questions she wanted to ask. How did he know she was a faunus? How did he wind up down here? And how did he know about her once being apart of the White Fang? She didn't want to worry over his life again, to see his mangled body at deaths door.

Jaune was her friend. And she only just now understood that.

"Have some faith in me, Blake." Jaune said back to her. Even without seeing his face, she could tell he was smiling at her.

"We're fellow Book Lover's after all, even if comic books aren't technically books. So, have some faith in your friend."

Tears ran down Blake's cheek, confusing the cat girl greatly as his words resonated with her soul for some weird reason. It filled her with relief and reassurance. From the depths of her being, she trusted him.

Wiping the tears away, Blake nodded at the back of the goofy knight, placing all of her trust into the image she was leaving behind.

"Just come back to us alive, okay?" Blake smiled softly before running for the gate, not waiting to hear his response as the gate fell to seal their way back in.

Seeing his stupid grin would be all the answer she would need.

Now that the distractions where out of the way, Holt focused his mad eyes back to the somehow wound free boy in front of him. He always hated the stubborn types who refused to die.

"I'm sure nothing else needs to be said at this point, boy." Holt said flatly. Words were beginning to bore him. Not to mention he still had things to do. He had a leader of a terrorist organization to kill.

"Nothing that will stop this peacefully." Jaune agreed.

"Your way to peace sounds boring, I'm much more in favor for the one where your blood is staining my coat and out of Ann's future."

"And I prefer the one where you're locked away and out of Ann's future."

"Cheeky little brat. Then what are we waiting for? Let's finish this once and for all already!" Holt roared as he swung his cleaver for a heated slash of steel.

' _ **Holt Delmos, Shadow of Anubis, Scale of Souls, 18,139HP/23,000HP.'**_ Jaune grit his teeth as he swung his shield arm for the attack. A light copy of Crocea Mors shield sprang up to block the slash by a twinkle of light gathered around him. The magical shield was durable enough to stop the attack in its place. Looked like Blake and Cardin had done just about the same damage he had when he had tried his best along with the damage done with Lumen Hysteria. That was good, he needed some headway. The shield wavered, alerting him to drop his guard and move away. Whatever weapons he created with his light wouldn't last very long. Each one had to count.

Throwing out his hand, he called on a light sword to materialize in his grip, releasing his shield to met Death Rattle's blade with his own. He swung the large cleaver back, stumbling Holt with the action and allowing him to attack with one of his newer abilities, _**"Lumen Flare!"**_ Another magical sword appeared in his hand, bursting into bluish flames before blasting Holt back like a ram.

Holt grunted as the light flames crawled around his coat, the attack actually stinging against his open skin. That was new and annoying. "Got some new tricks, huh?!" Holt grinned, spinning his cleaver around before whipping several flaming blades after Jaune.

" _ **Reflect!"**_ Raising his hand high above, Jaune summoned the pixel mirror dome to guard against the lashing blades. Unlike every other time he had use this spell, Reflect's range had grown by double its size, sending the attacks bouncing back in several directions with an amped boost. Dust clouds blew up around the spectator seats above them, tossing debris onto the coliseum. Seeing a few come his way, Holt batted the flat side of his blade at the rubble, blasting them like burning bullets. They streaked through the air, intent on hitting their mark.

Two swords materialized in Jaune's hands just as the burning rubble flew within reach. With little experience in dual wielding, he was still capable of dicing the projectiles to harmless scrap. The added boost in Speed really came in handy to make up for his lack of skill in the art.

Falling into his own shadow, Holt streaked after the blonde, raising his blade from his shadow like a shark's fin. It extended upward, angling itself to stab Jaune like a diving snake. Jaune easily dodged the stretching blade, his new skill giving him light feet to move swiftly on the go. Again and again Death Rattle angled after him, showing off its long reach with no end in sight. He knew this trick though, he wasn't falling for it again.

His eye's peeked back behind, the silhouette springing up not his own. _**"**_ _ **Power Strike!"**_ Instead of Crocea Mor's copy delivering the heavy hit, Beaufort, Cardin's own mace, struck in its place. The mace of magical energy slammed into Holt, the man having thrown his arms up on reflex in time to guard his chest. He grit his teeth openly at the new power slamming into him. Where the hell was the kid hiding something like this? And why hadn't he busted it out earlier? Jumping back, he began to counter the swift swings from the boy's odd sword of light, the mace vanishing into nothing. One of his counter swings missed, leaving him open for the bright edge slashing across his chest. His brown eye's widened in shock, watching as the blade cut though the tough material of his battle coat and lacerated the skin of his chest. Blood ran down, the sight only infuriating further.

The fuck was going on?! Moments ago the boy had been nothing! Nothing but a rag doll for his amusement to smack around! His blade was too dull to scratch him, how was it that he was now capable of cutting him?

Jaune smirked at the sight. He was running on the clock, the meter bar signaling the length of ULW was at one-forth of its limit. If he was able to spam his attacks till then, then now was the time. Who was he to play fair when up against a Boss? Swinging his open hand at the bleeding dirty blonde, Jaune called upon the lights gathered around him to float above Holt, _**"Lumen Fall!"**_ He shouted loudly. The lights transformed into rapiers similar to Weiss's weapon, raining down upon Holt like stars. Holt fought back a curse as he began to evade the falling thin blades. Each one created a small crater with their impact, no way was he getting hit by one of those!

Having had enough, Holt raised Death Rattle above his head, swinging it around to spread its segments for a farther range. He created a strong gale around him, forming a mini tornado and trapping the light blades in the spiraling wind. Each one was tangible, so why not send them back to their owner? He struck them back to Jaune, firing them like bullets. Jaune dashed out of the way, running to escape his own blades as they blew up against the walls around them.

"Where you running, boy?!" Holt laughed as he ceased his swinging. The segments of his cleaver stretched, slanting to form a hook like blade with fanged edges. Disappearing into his shadow, he jumped out of Jaune's own, swinging for his head with a wild grin. Jaune spun around, locking his sword with Holt. He sidestepped a downward chop, swatting a swipe for his side, spun his sword around to deflect three rapid swings before it lost its form, and created a shield to block the next rapid strikes. The shield didn't last long, vanishing to leave him to suffer a downward slash that tore up the side of chest, spilling his blood onto the ground.

 _ **'Jaune Arc, 4,708HP/5,400HP.'**_ Jaune gasped as he held his wound, calling on another sword to deflect Holt's next swing. Guess his Defense really did take hit in exchange for his new powers. That would have to do though. His MP was still fine at the moment and he still had enough time to dish out enough damage to last. Breaking away from his clash with Holt, he aimed the sword back at him to transform it into another blast of flames. The leader of the Friends of Faunas easily dodged it, dashing in for a spinning slash.

Each weapon created from his lights weren't capable of lasting long, but he had a way to fix that.

" _ **Gather!"**_ Several lights gathered into Jaune's hand, weaving together a stronger sword at his disposal. He spun on his feet, matching Holt's attack head on. They blocked each others slash, glaring at another as they gripped their blades tighter at the sound of their attacks clanging before slashing at another in rapid strikes, spilling their blood behind them. Taking a deep breath, Jaune spun his sword around his hand, his image blurring as several after images appeared around Holt in the air, swinging different types of blades at him, _**"Hyper Blade!"**_

Holt danced on his feet, slashing at every copy rushing in at him one at a time. His cleaver tore them apart, easily killing every fake Jaune. Finishing the last of them, he jumped high into the air, somersaulting in the air as he spun his chain cleaver around himself to turn into a far reaching saw of heated steel. The human saw descended onto Jaune, clashing with his Reflect spell as it struggled to break it apart. He was bounced back into the air, his spin broken until he attempted it again with a frustrated growl. Again and again he spun into his magical defense, cracking it further with each try. Sweat fell down his face as he was sent back. "Enough with these fucking games!" He roared, rearing Death Rattle to his side, igniting its fang to flare with fire. He spun around his waist, whipping his chain cleaver to slam the side of Jaune's mirror dome. It shattered to pieces, not stopping in its momentum as its fang dug into Jaune's side, burning his sides and sizzling the blood running down. He could swear one of the fangs scratched one of his ribs!

Agony, the pain was agonizing. Gritting his teeth, Jaune dug out the blade, his blood splatting onto the ground. Holt reared his cleaver back, smirking openly as his shadow enlarged. He stabbed Death Rattle into the puddle of darkness, sending the little pools splitting from below after Jaune. Jumping segments of his cleaver snapped out from the shadows, threatening to butcher him in a blender of spinning blades. _ **"Reflect!"**_ The blades were useless, thrown back from the magical shield. They fell back to their shadows, returning back to Holt as he ripped his cleaver out with a snarl on his face.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" He roared as he dived into his shadow. He appeared behind Jaune as Reflect died, swinging his cleaver to chop him from the waist up. Jaune summoned a shield to block, only for the force of Holt's swing to send him flying into the seats above. He crashed in cloud of rubble falling around him, coughing as he cleared it away to see Holt swinging his chain around him. Gathering enough momentum, he swung the tearing chain after him, cutting apart the area around them as the heated steel madly tore at everything in sight. Another Reflect bounced the attack back, protecting him once again from within. Holt flipped in the air, recalling his chain before swinging down with both hands gripping his cleaver. A rush of air blew back against him as he slammed his cleaver into the glass like dome, standing his ground to shatter the annoying trick. His eyes were wide, a feral grin appearing on his face as cracks spread across the dome from the point of impact.

Jaune swung two swords against Death Rattle as it shattered Reflect, locking blades as he fought against the incredible strength behind the weapon. His knee's buckled, the force hitting his body breaking apart the seats near him to rubble.

"Despite all the fancy tricks under your sleeve you lack the experience and strength to wield it right!" Holt grinned in Jaune's face. He increased the pressure to weapon, cracking the ground under their feet as Jaune flinched. "Just give up already! I've told you before, a boy such as you can never hope to defeat me, and my ideals! What I fight for can't be beaten by a boy who doesn't even have the balls to dirty his own hands for the better! So, stop fighting!" His body was enveloped with an aura of wavering shadows, his eyes growing red as his teeth seemed to sharpen like a wild animals maw.

"DIE A WASTE OF SPACE AND TIME!"

"NOT HAPPENING!" Jaune yelled back, his body gathering light as the swords in his hands faded away. _**"LUMEN HYSTERIA!"**_ Dozens after dozens of bluish knives rapidly fired into Holt, slamming into the flat of Death Rattle as he thought quickly. The force of the impacts slowly pushed him away as he tried to stand against the machine gun like fire, his feet skidding against the ground.

"Your way of thinking will only cause more pain and suffering then good! The world will never accept your twisted ideals like this! People aren't desperate enough to accept such a weak and easy solution, they're better then that! I've seen it!" Memories of his first life came to mind, the trouble with Blake and the White Fang, Weiss's acceptance of her friend's past, and the bond born from it. If there were people who treated the faunus unfairly, that didn't mean they represented humanity as a whole. Just like a few bad faunus didn't represent them all as a whole either. Jaune was hardly someone to come to for solutions to such a complex problem as equality and that was only because his answer was to simply accept others for what they were.

His blue eyes glared back Holt's brown eyes, both unwilling to back down from their own beliefs. That was life though, beliefs and ideals constantly hammering another. So that they could be accepted.

"You fight for the world? WELL MY FRIENDS ARE MY WORLD! AND I'M APART OF THEIRS, NO MATTER HOW SMALL A PIECE I MAY BE!" Jaune roared with all his being, his determination clear in his voice. A great sword formed in front of him, its point twinkling before it fired along with the small blades into Holt's guard. It broke his hold on Death Rattle, sending him falling back. Jaune raised his hand above his head, gathering light to float above the Boss, "AND I WON'T DIE TO SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF FRIENDS! _**LUMEN FALL!**_ " A curtain of rapiers crashed upon Holt, breaking against his aura yet damaging him with every magical blade.

' _This brat. . .he's actually hurting ME? The hell is happening?! He should be dead on his feet!'_ Each rapier him him with the force of a hammer, the pain actually clouding his thoughts for a moment. His fingers dug into the ground, his face livid as his body was being rattled around by the bombardment.

He was close, so close! He would not fall here to some boy not even half his age! The shadows underneath him dragged him in, saving him from the onslaught of magic blades as it snaked to Jaune's shadow. He dove out with a stab underneath him, missing as Jaune sidestepped at the last moment. Faster then Jaune could react, Holt slid his magnum out of his sleeve, emptying ever bullet in its cartridge into the boy. Three of the bullets hit their mark, piercing Jaune's body and exiting the back of his hoodie. Jaune gasped as he held the bullets wounds, nearly dropping to his knee's as the blood seeped through his fingers. Potions wouldn't save him now, he was completely dry. His HP was edging to the red, he couldn't afford to take more attacks like that.

Holt scoffed as he tossed away the empty gun, dragging the flat point of Death Rattle against the ground, "Friends do what's best for their friends. And as a faunus free of the stigma plaguing my people, I know that this is the right move. A human like yourself will never understand." He said tiredly.

Faunus? He was a faunus? Well that explained the sharp claws and teeth. But despite the shock of what he was doing to his own people, Jaune would give him no sympathy. What did it matter if he was human? It had nothing to do with him not understanding his logic.

"I may be human, but that doesn't mean I won't ever understand you. I've been ridiculed, looked down on, seen as lesser and undependable, because of my weakness. My weakness is my stigmata. A loser like me knows your pain to change and fit in with others." Jaune smiled tiredly, "But my friends still stand by me because of it, and I'm slowly growing stronger because of them. Faunus are no different, there will be people who will accept them, love them, and save them for who they are, not because of some dumb stigmata. And together, they'll grow stronger against the hate aimed at them. Because friends accept you for who you are, and that's something you just don't understand."

"Don't understand? It's you who doesn't understand!" Holt was fed up with this crap. He just wanted to kill the boy and be done with it already! Why couldn't he see words were wasted on him? Muscles clenching, Holt swung with all his might a left swing into Jaune's side, grinning as the blonde knight failed to evade with his wounds stopping him. This was it!

His eyes went wide in shock a second later as he watched his cleaver bounce back by some unseen force against Jaune's aura, sweating as not a drop of blood fell.

Lucky Foot, a skill that was based on Luck. It had the power to render random attacks null no matter how devastating or deadly they were. A life saver in long battles. And it was working its magic despite Jaune's low Luck stat.

Unfortunately, Unlimited Light Works decided to give out then and there just as Jaune retaliated with a swing of his magical sword. The blade vanished just as its point slashed across Holt's chest, ripping his coat open and opening a gash.

' _ **Holt Delmos, 9,790HP/24,000HP.'**_

' _ **Jaune Arc, 2,078HP/5,400HP.'**_

"ENOOOOOOGGGHHH!" Holt bellowed, the sheer volume smacking against Jaune like some invisible wall of pressure. He panted, gripping his new wound as his fingers were stained by his own blood flowing through. Bruises could be seen around the skin of his chest, little nicks cut open by the many knives that have hit him and the sleeves of his coat were ripped apart after guarding against his Power Strike. It had been a long time since someone had been capable of damaging him so, the feeling was maddening. Feeling so tired and hurt after fighting some kid who hadn't even graduated from school, it shouldn't have been possible with his skills and experience. How the hell could some brat's weak willed blade cut him?!

Didn't matter, he snarled as he raised Death Rattle high into the air, coating it with his aura to amplify the strike. Whatever power the boy had been using had faded away, leaving him as powerless as when he had been throwing him around like a rag doll. Nothing would stop him from finally finishing the job!

' _I'm not going to survive an attack like that with what little health I have left. I need to stop that damn cleaver of his before he cuts me in half!'_ Jaune thought in desperation, cursing as he noticed he no longer had a weapon to fight with in his regular form. Crocea Mors sword had been left in the small arena bellow and his knife had been lost as he was being crashed through whatever was in sight. All he had left were his fists. Time to see if he could discover something useful with what he had left.

" _ **Power Strike+Smash Guard!"**_ Rearing his right fist back, a yellow glow ignited it, forming an odd gauntlet of gold with an iron knuckle around his fist and three steel prongs running along his arm. Seeing the new attack coming at him, Holt swung the flat of Death Rattle in front of him, digging its flat point into the ground to block the giant illusion like knuckle.

' _ **Critical Hit! Shatter Armament, Discovered!' +1,000EXP!**_

Immense pain stabbed into Jaune's arm courtesy of the steel prongs stabbing through his skin and ramming into the bones of said arm, breaking the bone as his fists did the same to Death Rattle. He ground his teeth as his eyes flew open at the feeling of his arm breaking, watching as Holt was left in shock as his cleaver's bladed segments flew past him, leaving him defenseless as Jaune's fist dug into his gut like a firing piston. Blood flew out of his mouth as he struggled to stand his ground, only to be pushed back a few spaces holding his heavily bruised gut. It felt like he nearly been run through.

Regret, so much regret! Jaune swallowed a cry, his eyes tearing up as he tightly gripped his now limp right arm, trailing with blood from the gaping holes created from his new Ability. What was it called, the Humerus bone? Yup, that thing was shattered. Sad to say a whimper escaped his lips as he tried to raise it up, the pain being too much for him to handle. Well, he tried to grin as he eyed the shards left by Death Rattle laying around Holt, he wouldn't have to worry about fighting him with such a wild weapon.

He wasn't better off himself though. Fighting with his fists wasn't his specialty, let alone fighting with only one.

Holt was at loss of words. His prized weapon was broken into pieces by one attack. One that had robbed him of his own breath. He struggled to breath, coughing up a wad of saliva and blood onto the ground as he glared tiredly at Jaune. Looked like the boy was in no better shape, whatever he had done to break his weapon had cost him his arm. At least some good came out of it.

"What now, boy?" Holt chuckled in a rasp, "We both know you don't have the drive to finish me off."

"I told you, I'm not going to kill you! You'll have to settle for being beaten senseless. I'm not a killer like you!"

"And who said you had a choice in the matter? Only one of us is walking out of here alive, and I'm more then happy with dropping your corpse at the drop of a hat." Grunting as he left his aura to heal his wounds, Holt picked up two sharp pieces of his ruined cleaver, tossing one of them back at the blonde knight. Catching the blade piece with his left hand, Jaune looked at it with confusion, gritting his teeth as he watched Holt wield his own piece like a knife.

"If you wish to 'save' Annabel, if you wish to save your friends, and if you wish to stop me from humanizing the faunus in this city, then you'll grow a pair and dig your blade through my beating heart!"

"Then prepare to be disappointed. Because I'm not crossing that line!"

Silence filled the air, both hunter's taking a moment to catch their breaths as they gripped their small weapons with the last of their strength. They were beaten and bleeding, each left with nothing to fight with but metal scrap. For so long they had been fighting, dragging it on to the night as the chaos that had once been plaguing Vale had begun to fall silent. So many battles unknown to either one had come to their end, leaving the only ones still fighting being the two blondes. And the fighting wouldn't end till one either surrendered, or perished to the others blade.

It all lead up to this. Ideals of black and white clashing for a final bout. No force on this world could stop such a fight at its final moments.

"STOP!"

Well, nothing but the voice of a woman.

Just before Jaune and Holt could dash toward another to swing their makeshift knives, a familiar shout broke them out of their attacks, stopping them before they could make one step. Blue hair matted to the sweaty face of Ann met their gaze, gasping for breath from the massive gate closing behind her. They stared at her in, surprised to see her.

"Ann? What the hell are you doing out of my quarters?" Passing his shock, Holt growled at his little assistant, not happy to see her at the moment. Everything was kinda going to shit right now, having her in the middle of his fight with the blonde brat only made things worse.

A smile lite up Jaune's face at the sight of his friend, "Ann! Thank god, you're safe!" he frowned a second later, shaking his head as he turned back to Holt, "But you have to get out of here. If you stay then the Vale City Police will lump you in with the FoF! Run out of here while you still can, I'm sure you'll meet up with friends and if you explain to them the situation, they'll protect you until I get up there."

"And who says I'll allow that? Ann belongs to the Friends of Faunus, with her family. As if I'm going to sit back and watch her ruin her future because of some boy. She's staying here, with me!"

"If anyone is ruining her future, it's you! Ann has a right to leave this all behind her and start a new life! If you truly gave a damn about her, then you'd leave her out of your mess!"

"The only mess I see is the bloody corpse that will be your body!"

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!"

Ann steadied her breathing as she ignored her aching head to glare at both blondes staring back at her. Damn idiots, they never knew when to keep their mouths shut. They looked a mess. Had to give it to Blondie, she was surprised to see Holt bleeding and bruised, she wasn't sure she had ever seen him like that in her entire life. She did frown at the sight of his broken arm. Jaune wasn't any better off himself, it looked like he was ready to collapse. Was that a scar on his forehead?

"You idiots have no say in what I do. As far as I care, this craps gone on long enough. If you haven't noticed, boss, your plans have gone to shit. If Blondie's been working for the police then they already know our location and are on their way here. And Cross hasn't been responding to any of my attempts to contact him. You know how he never ignores one of our calls." Cross wasn't one to ignore any of their calls, the man was always quick to answer. Which meant that the worst must have befallen him. Someone must have been capable of taking him down while he was out sniping targets. The thought of the mechanical like man falling in battle actually stung. Despite everything, Cross had become like family, just like everyone else. It was only until her fight with Jaune that her eyes had been cracked open.

She looked sadly at her employer, a man who's ideals were twisted to all who hadn't fallen to his charismatic aura and words, who had taken her in like she was his own daughter instead of some filthy street rat, "Holt, no one above has been responding to any of my attempts to reach them, not even Naragami. Only two of our men have even contacted me since you don't have your communicator on ya, and that was to warn me of a group of hunters making their way here. Face it, your plans are falling all around you. There's nothing left to fight for." she sighed in defeat.

"Nothing left to fight for? What kind of garbage are you talking about, Ann? As long as I still breath, as long as I can still fight, as long as my will continues to rage, then my plans are far from over with!" Holt roared, turning away from Jaune to met Ann's eyes with his own.

"The Faunus will be saved from humanities cruel judgment! Even if the entire world of Remnant fails to see the good I do for them, I will not be dissuaded from my path. For it's the only way we can all live with another peacefully, we must change ourselves to fit their image of normalcy or continue being seen as nothing more then filthy animals!"

"Holt. . ." Ann didn't know what to say in the face of her boss's words or the face he was making. He was determined, nothing would stop him from the path he had started on so long ago. Reason would no longer reach him.

"You still don't get it, do you?"

Brown eyes gazed back at Jaune. The blonde knight's body was trembling, his broken arm making it difficult to concentrate on anything else but the pain. But he powered through with whatever adrenaline remained in his body. Face covered in dirty and dried blood, Jaune met Holt's angered gaze with a look of pity.

"Being different is not a bad thing. We're all different in some way. But that shouldn't be any reason we have to change ourselves to be accepted. If people can't accept you for what or who you are, then they can't be called your friends. But the ones who do accept you, animal ears, weakness, class and all, they're the ones you can look to stay by your side. And maybe, one day, those who don't accept you will come to see you as a friend too. Nothing is ever easy." Jaune grinned brightly, dropping the weapon in his hand to the ground. He raised his only working arm up, balling his fist into a stance Yang had taught him weeks ago.

"Being normal is overrated anyway. If a dork like me can find friends and be accepted by both humans and faunus, then why can't we all?"

"It's you can't understand, Jaune." Holt shook his head somberly, tossing off his tattered coat to the ground to reveal the blood dyed white shirt underneath. His body was aching with pain and sore muscles. Looked like whatever little boost that tasty drink had given him had worn off like coffee, leaving him on the verge of crashing. But he was still more then fit to fight a weak minded boy.

"You give humanity and the faunus too much credit. As long as we all have different ideals, we can never get along. We must accept the stronger and more populated sides ways to live with them. It's the only way."

"We don't have to do this, boss." Ann tried to reason, taking a step forward, "We can just escape and start over. I have more then enough funds for us to live on the lamb until this all blows over. Please," she pleaded, her eyes growing soft as she reached out for the man who had become like a father to her, "No one else has to die for your beliefs."

Holt sighed, turning his head back to his beloved blue haired assistant, "Ann-"

"You know, he's right. Humans and faunus will never get along with another."

Blood splattered onto the ground, a deadly single edged straight sword piercing the side of Ann's waist from behind, its blood red blade glowing with ill intent. Ann's face was frozen in shock, her eyes trembling as blood began to trickl down her chin.

"ANN!" Jaune and Holt both yelled in horror as they dropped their stances. They rushed for the girl, reaching their hands out for her as her attacker kicked her body forward to slip his chokuto out. From the shadows of the gate, a Grimm mask caught Holt's attention, immediately putting him on edge. A snarl made its way to his lips as he dashed forward in a burst of speed, leaving Jaune to catch Ann as he channeled his aura into his crappy blade. A blade of black purple stretched the pathetic scrap to swords length, allowing him to swing it after the dead man's head.

Adam smirked as he locked blades with the leader of the Friends of Faunus, easily holding the dirty blonde back. So, this was the leader of the annoying little group of humanizers? What a disappointing sight to behold. Scanning his body, he was actually surprised to see the Boss with his health so low. Looked like someone else had already gotten to him. But who? Ren was done playing against The Game, and his so called 'business associate' hired by Cinder didn't feel like dirtying his hands. That was the old man for you.

"You filthy sack of pig shit!" Holt roared furiously, his face livid with anger as he pressed on his attack. A heavy pressured force fell upon Adam, cracking the ground underneath him. He paid it no mind though, his brows quirking at the man fighting his blade.

"Interesting. Despite how damaged you are, you still have the will to fight. Can't say the same for that cyborg of yours." he grinned darkly, his words only causing Holt's rage to grow, "Naragami, was it? I must thank you for taking care of my old friend for me. I would have thought dicing up his arms to appetizer cubes would prevent him from fighting again, but you've made it so that he actually posed a fun challenge. Too bad he didn't last long once I became serious."

Words couldn't describe the fury taking over Holt. He was seeing burning red. "Y-You. . .BASTARD!"

The pressure increased, distorting the air around them as Holt's shadow grew to swallow Adam's. Black wisps began to trail up from the massive shadow, gulping the random debris nearing them. The redhead faunus could feel his aura fighting off some unknown force trying to crush his body like a tin can. Three large flat shadows shaped like hands began to slowly wrap around them, intent on swallowing them both in nothing but darkness.

"I take it you're trying to perform some special attack to kill me off? Not a good idea with how low your aura is. Leaves you wide open." Adam scoffed. His free hand glowed red before he slammed it into Holt's already wounded gut. _**'**_ _ **Critical Hit!'**_ He followed after Holt's body sent flying from the Power Strike with his chokuto trailing against the ground, its point igniting a spark of flames to run along it.

Biting back a bile of blood from leaving his lips from the intense blow to his internal organs, Holt skidded to a stop, calling on his shadow to snake around his hands. Midnight claws created by his aura and semblance weaving together met Adam's swift slash to his chest. The flames of Adam's attack proved to be more then show, eating away at his semblance and burning his hands. He kicked the bull faunus back, ready to dive into his shadow for a sneak attack.

" _ **De-Gift."**_

A thin golden blade of energy cut right though Holt before he could escape with his semblance, harmlessly passing him by as it died away. The shadow underneath the dirty blonde's feet wilted suddenly, losing its wild form and leaving behind his own silhouette behind him. Panic filled Holt's mind as he stumbled back as his semblance failed him. His eyes went wide, watching as Adam straightened his body, aiming his chokuto at him in a stance as a red aura coated his body.

" _ **Bull Point."**_

Jaune could only watch helplessly as Holt was sent crashing through the end of the coliseum wall by an unseen force drilling into him by a single thrust of Adam's blade. _'_ _Monster.'_ Did he effortlessly take out Holt without shedding a bead of sweat? Sure, Holt wasn't at full strength, but the man still had enough strength to fight. Where did he even come from.

Wait, Jaune frowned deeply as he watched Adam sheath his chokuto and turn his eyes back to him as he held Ann's body against his chest. What were those words he was speaking before attacking? They sounded like attacks.

"J-Jaune?"

"Ann? Are you okay!?" Jaune asked frantically, pressing his only useful hand against Ann's stab wound.

A weak annoyed look was Ann's answer, "Really? How cliche can you get?" Did she look fine? Was that even a necessary question?

"Sorry, that's usually the first thing to pop out of my mine when something like this happens." Just like the time he had held Weiss when she was hurt in his first life. By a White Fang member. His grip on her increased, the thought of the White Fang Lieutenant causing his scar to burn.

 _ **History tends to repeat itself. You'll die if you fight someone like him again. And have everything you've done be for nothing. Reset. Everything will be fine if you just die.**_

A throbbing headache accompanied the pain in his chest as Jaune grit his teeth. That voice again. Why did it sound like him? And why did it want him to die? He shook his head to rid the dark voice, turning his eyes to the ambling redheaded bull faunus coming his way.

"Holt. . .is he alright?" Ann couldn't help but ask even as she gasped from the hole courtesy of Adam's blade. She turned her head to the cloud of rubble created by his crash, clouding her sight of his status. Her chest tightened, every second he didn't get up worrying her.

Jaune nodded his head, his right eye summoning a crosshair to read Holt's condition though the veil of dirt and rubble. _**'Holt Delmos, Shadow of Anubis, Scale of Souls,**_ _ **109**_ _ **HP/24,000HP'**_

"He's not dead, that's something for a start." Jaune answered weakly.

Ann grunted, trying to get up only to fall back into Jaune's lap. She cursed, hating how weak she had fallen with one attack. Then again said attack nearly punctured her intestines, she was lucky he hadn't aimed for her lungs. Would not have survived that even with aura.

"We. . .have to get out of here. The man walking towards us isn't someone you can fight. Especially with the fact you only have one arm to fight with." she warned, panting lightly as her aura did its best to heal her wound.

"I have your boss to thank for that. Blame him." Jaune replied flatly. It wasn't like he was some weird dim witted being that wouldn't understand pain for five seconds. Hell, he was struggling to deal with the pain, having your humerus bone shattered wasn't a pleasant experience. He sighed tiredly as he pushed on, his fists cracking as he began to think of ways to fight one handed while holding Ann. It was like The Game had gone to functions and set the difficulty to impossible.

"Jaune, Jaune Arc, correct?" Adam stopped suddenly, his fingers tapping Blush as he addressed Jaune.

Jaune frowned in confusion, nodding his head wearily, "Yeah, how do you know that?" He wasn't exactly famous. How did a White Fang member know who he was?

Adam grinned, "You could say we've met before, though I doubt you'll remember. I'm surprised to see you down here, you've never been this strong. I wonder, why is that?" he said suspiciously, craning his neck as he looked over his battle worn state.

Jaune Arc was an odd NPC. His fate, his future, his destiny, was always tied to the light. A boy with wishes to be a hero and a legend like his ancestors. And he would come to fulfill those wishes, eventually growing to a man feared on the battlefield for his tactics and leadership in the coming events to take place in the next few years. Right now though, he wasn't any better then a common villager with their aura unlocked. Not even worth the pitiful EXP earned in his death or the Soul Points. But the oddity came in how such a common NPC came to be tied to the Story created by The Game.

The real question was what the blonde boy was doing, facing against the leader of the Friends of Faunus and still standing? He shouldn't have been capable of dealing so much damage against the leader with his skills.

' _ **Scan'**_ Adam couldn't help himself as his own crosshair scanned Jaune's stats. A face splitting grin took over his face at what he was reading, chuckling lowly before holding his sides as he bellowed with laughter.

The Heart of the Gamer? Jaune? Jaune Fucking Arc?! The dork knight was a Player?

"Has he lost his mind?" Ann asked as they both watched Adam try to regain control over his laughter. This was the dreaded leader of the White Fang?

Jaune wasn't able to answer, his face breaking into a cold sweat at what he had just seen. A dark red crosshair had hovered over the bull faunus eye, his brain clicking the pieces together as recalled the odd sayings the man would say as he attacked. He gulped, using his own scan to confirm his thoughts.

' _ **Adam Taurus, Body of the Gamer.'**_

Another Player? The aura surrounding Adam was terrifying, his presence felt overwhelming. And he worked for the White Fang?

After finally getting a hold of himself, Adam cleared his throat as he turned his attention to his fellow Player, "Sorry about that, I was caught off guard for a second. I just would have never thought that you of all people would be involved in 'this'." he smirked before frowning, "Though I'm disappointed, I would have thought you would have killed the boss by now. Can't be helped, I guess. I'm guessing you've only just begun this little venture of ours."

"What is he talking about, Jaune?" Ann asked, gaining enough strength to stand on her feet.

"It's nothing." Jaune bit out, glaring at Adam who shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I don't know what this creep's talking about."

Adam shook his head, "Really? Well, you and I have never met face to face, but I believe you've met my right hand man." he grinned, pointing his finger at Jaune's chest, "After all, my lieutenant is the one who gifted you that nice little scar that should have 'killed' you."

The scar burned hotter, nearly bringing Jaune to his knees as he gripped his chest. Not now!

 _ **He's the one! It's his fault! All because of that bastard, my body was stolen!**_

Stolen? Jaune grunted as he tried to ignore the feeling of his head splitting. First his arm, then his chest, now his head? Today just wasn't his day.

"You're the reason why I'm like this?" Jaune asked bitterly.

"Kinda. The Lieutenant disregarded orders that day and went to sate his blood lust with the Schnee heiress. I wouldn't have stopped him though. You would become an annoyance if you lived."

"Is that why you're here? To finish me off and save yourself the trouble?"

Adam shook his head with an amused grin, "Don't flatter yourself. While you're the newest contender in this little 'game' of ours, I'm not so cold hearted to kill you at your weakest. Where's the fun in that? You don't even have a weapon to fight with. Why haven't you called it yet?" he asked curiously as he looked around for the simple yet deadly sword of Jaune's. Looking back at his fellow Player he quirked a brow at the look of confusion on his face. Really? Did he not know how to summon it? It was one of the first things you learned with the power of The Gamer for crying out loud, "You don't know, do you? I swear, you've got to be kidding me. Hold your hand out and call on the name of the weapon you've equipped."

Hesitation surfaced at Adam's advice. He wasn't sure what to think of the guy. He was a Player too, but he was working for the White Fang. Having Crocea Mors back would help him out if things turned ugly. For now, Jaune decided to listen, reaching his hand out as he called out for his weapon.

"Crocea Mors!"

The soothing feeling of Crocea Mors falling back into his grip brought a smile to Jaune's lips as it appeared in a glow of white light. That's all he needed to do? Awesome! Now he didn't have to worry about losing it in a fight ever again. And it didn't cost him any MP. Why hadn't The Game informed him about that?

' _Something's not right here'_ Adam thought. Taking another look into Jaune's Stats, he was surprised he had such low max health on him. And he was only lvl16? Even when he had his aura unlocked he was at lvl10. It was almost as if his level and stats had been split in half. How odd. Information also seemed to be missing to the knight, that had never happened before to any of them. It wasn't like The Will to leave out such things in their 'coding'.

Didn't matter, he thought as he unsheathed Wilt. It didn't affect him so there was no point in questioning it.

Hearing the sound of a blade scrapping off its sheath, Jaune strapped his sheath to his hand with some difficulty as he moved Ann behind himself, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Seriously? What does it look like I'm doing? I'm finishing this little 'event' and reaping the experience from it. Question is," he said sternly, aiming his glowing red blade to Jaune's chest with a scowl, "What are you doing protecting the enemy?"

"She's not the enemy, she's my friend! And I won't let you harm her!" Jaune shouted as he activated his shield.

"Friend? What are you talking about? She's a nobody, no one will remember her name when everything's said and done. Didn't Ren tell you about it?"

The Reset. Was he trying to tell him not to waste his time with NPC's, especially the ones created by a Remix? Just like Ren. Why?

"Unlike you two, I actually care about the lives of the people around me. I'm not so heartless as to see them like you do."

Adam chuckled. The kid still didn't understand the way their world worked now. He still believed every soul on Remnant was special and full of meaning. How naive. Reminded him of himself, back when he had the same spark in his eye. Like looking at a mirror.

Hero. What a joke.

Adam's body blurred from sight, warning Jaune of a surprise attack. He spun his body around, intent on protecting Ann, only to nearly fall forward into the blue haired girl by a slash across his back. Adam stood behind him, his face passively staring into his blue eyes gazing back at him.

"You never change. The first thing to come to your mind is not to protect yourself, but to protect the person near you. Can't tell you how many times you've died this way." he said as he aimed to thrust his blade through him.

" _ **Reflect!"**_

Static energy sparked around Wilt's blade as it fought the mirror dome springing up to block his attack. He smirked at the spell and the boy glaring back him. A protection spell, how like him. Adam grinned as he reared his other hand back, his fingers clawing as they were enveloped by his aura.

Reflect was shattered into pieces by a simple claw thrust, breaking Jaune's defense to fall apart around him. He cursed, moving his shield to block Adam's descending blade. It felt like his arm had been cracked by the force slamming into it, nearly breaking his guard as he bit back the pain.

"What, out of potions? Wouldn't matter either way." Adam grinned, adding more pressure into his blade, "A broken arm can't be healed by simple potions, that takes some high quality stuff to heal, that or a doctor. So, why don't you stand back and leave me the girl? You can have the boss instead, you are the reason why he was so easy to knock out. Take it as a welcoming gift from one Player to another."

"Fat chance!" Jaune spat back, standing his ground, "Like I told Holt, I'm no killer! And Ann's my friend, I won't leave her to die by you! Even if it costs me my life, I won't let you hurt any of them!"

"You would rather take your chances fighting me, then walking away and taking free EXP? You really are stupid." That was fine with Adam. Meant more for him. He was running low on SP after his fight with Naragami. Killing all three would fill his points all the way back up.

Heat grew from behind the bull faunus. With his free hand, Adam spun Blush around and moved it behind to guard against the single spear thrust intent on running him through. Ann's visible eye was shadowed, her body raising the temperature around them by the leftover Dust running in her outfit.

The girl, Jaune cared about her, right? A dark grin took over Adam's features. Taking a deep breath, Adam unleashed a thundering roar from deep within, creating a shock wave in front of him, _**"King's Roar!"**_

Jaune felt the air around him sting, dropping his health by 200. He tried to withstand the shock wave, only to be pushed back on his backside. He grunted as he got back up, flinching as his shattered arm ached. Should have thought twice in discovering a self mutilation ability. Panting tiredly, he turned his eyes back to Adam, his eyes widening in horror as he watched the man grip Ann's wrist. Her weapon fell from her grip as she trembled before the horrifying aura exuding from Adam's body. She was being crushed by the killer intent hidden behind his mask.

Snap. The sounds of bones breaking rang out in the empty coliseum soon followed by a feminine scream of agony. Jaune's stared blankly at the sight of Ann falling on her knee's, clutching onto her broken wrist, biting her lips in a weak attempt to stop herself from crying. It looked like it was bent the wrong way as blood trailed from the peeking bone slipping out of the skin.

' _ **Annabel Wargray, 101HP/18,000HP.'**_

Adam's back suddenly blocked Ann from his eyes, the sight of the man raising his red blade high in the air with a dark chuckle boiling his blood to the point of eruption.

Ann would die. With how little aura she had protecting her, she would suffer a critical hit, one that would no doubt kill her if not deal a deathly wound. One hit, that's all it would take. He would lose her in an instant after saving her.

Jaune dropped Crocea Mors shield, gripping its sword with all this strength as he called upon Gale Speed to appear swinging his blade with the intent of stopping Adam at whatever costs. His sword flared with white aura as his shadow fell over the man, ready to sever him in half with everything he had.

Adam smirked, his eyes focused on Ann and the shadow snaking around her.

Like a mirage, Adam's body vanished, leaving Ann to stare in shock at Jaune as his sword descended upon her. Jaune's heart stopped, his arm failing to stop its swing in time.

' _ **Critical hit!'**_

A large splatter of blood stained the ground as the sword cut right through its target. Weak chuckling met Jaune's ears along with brown eyes filled with mirth. The shadows around the body faded, leaving Holt to grin with blood stained teeth at his fellow blondes gaze. Crocea Mors cut right across his body, stopping in the middle of his intestines. Blood gushed out the wound, pooling around the two quickly as the arena fell silent.

' _ **Holt Delmos, -21,999HP/23,000HP.'**_

Appearing at the end of the arena where Holt had crashed through, Ann covered her mouth in horror as the shadows crawling around her died away. Her cry was muffled as tears began to trail down her eyes, her heart clenching at the sight of the blood gushing out of Holt's body.

Holt's blurry eyes gazed back at Jaune, struggling to smirk at the look of shock and regret he could vaguely make out. "I-I told you, only one o-of us would walk out of h-here a-alive. I just wouldn't have thought it would be m-me dying t-to y-you." he tried to laugh, only to cough out blood midway through.

"Holt. . ." Jaune ground his teeth, his eyes tearing up. His body was frozen, his arm yet to let go of its hold as his sword remained dug into Holt's body.

This. . .This wasn't how things were suppose to have gone! This wasn't what he wanted! He never wanted to kill anyone! Blood stained his clothing from the death slash, painting even his face with the man's blood. Jaune shut his eyes of the sight, shaking his head to try and rid the image burned into his mind. There was too much blood everywhere, was this how he looked like when he had died?

Holt scoffed with what strength remained. Was the boy crying? Over the dying breaths of his enemy? Truly he was weak willed. What man bawled over killing their enemy? The boy needed to grow some balls or the world would eat him up.

"G-Get a g-grip on yourself, b-boy. This is how a fight with s-swords is meant to e-end. You should f-feel honored in taking the life of a m-man s-such a-as I. S-Seems you've f-found y-your killer i-instinct." Holt weakly lifted his arm up, gripping the sword cutting though him with a somber grin.

"HOLT!"

Sliding himself off the blade, Holt fell back as he heard the frantic steps of his little assistant rush towards him. His body fell into her arms, her tears smacking into his cold face. He tilted his head, his eyes meeting her sniffling expression as he felt the hiccups leave her. Such a sight wasn't meant to be on the face of a lady. The girl never did look like one.

"A-Ann, glad t-to see you safe." It took all over his remaining strength to switch places with her. If he hadn't gained consciousness in time and regained his semblance, then he would have been too late. The frantic beating of her heart was music to his ears. He sighed in content despite slowly losing feeling in his body. Everything was dulling, his heart beating slower and slower with every second that past by.

Ann openly grit her teeth, unable to stop the tears running down her eyes at the sight of the man who saved her so long ago. She had never wanted to say it, but he was like the father she had never gotten the chance to know and love. Holt had committed so many crimes in his life, too many to count, no one should be shedding a tear in such a man leaving the world. Yet she couldn't help herself as her heart broke.

Despite everything, she had only just realized how much she loved him. Her adoptive father.

"Holt, don't die on me! You can't just go out like this! You're stronger then this for god's sake! PLEASE!" she cried in anguish, not caring for the blood gushing as she buried her face into his chest. Tears mixed with blood as she gripped his bloody shirt, praying for once in her life for him to stay.

"Don't you leave me too."

' _I did this.'_ Jaune stepped away from the two, his eyes falling onto his bloody shaking hands still gripping the now red metal blade glaring into his soul. Bile rose up his throat, vomiting his stomachs contents onto the ground as his body trembled. Sick, he felt sick to deepest depths of his core. The sobbing girl pleading for the man who treated her like a daughter, he had caused it. His sword had cut down a man without ever meaning to.

It was easy to kill Grimm. The creatures of darkness didn't posses a soul, they didn't feel nothing but negativity. Just like when he was killing monsters in his games, he never felt a thing when he killed them. Or even people, they were just code and numbers. There were no real consequences. And in the end, the people he killed would respawn if he reset the game, they would come back. That's how games worked.

Jaune's life was now a game. What he did wouldn't matter in the great scheme of things, they would all come back if he reset. Killing some random nobody didn't mean a thing.

Was that how Ren saw it? How Adam viewed it? In the end, everything would just go back to normal in their next life. No consequences would follow them if they did.

"So, how does it feel in killing someone? You feel a rush, don't you?"

Anger, rage, Hate. Slowly turning his head to the amused voice, Jaune glared mutely at Adam, his blue eyes wide in barely contained hatred.

Adam shook his head with a small chuckle, his face turning somber as he motioned his hand at the younger man, "No, you feel sick, disgusted, ashamed, at what you've done, don't you? You're first kill is never suppose to feel good. The waste of life is a sad thing, but," he said firmly, "It is necessary for progress. You'll never grow any stronger then you are now if you don't wet your blade. You should really thank me for pushing you into your first kill, now it will only get easier."

". . .Easier?" Jaune hissed hatefully, grinding his teeth as his face became shadowed. Both his fists clenched, cracking loudly as the pain from his scar burned brighter. The pain didn't matter, too engrossed in the anger now consuming him, his thoughts drowned by the sobbing behind him.

Holt smiled faintly, his eyes growing heavy as his heart began to go through its last beats. So, this was how he was going out? Dying to the blade of a boy who didn't even mean to kill him in the first place? How pathetic. Here he was, trying to do some actual good for his people, only to die before he could ever make a difference of any sort. All the money, training, time and effort, put into his plans gone to waste. Because of some boy. A boy who didn't understand how the world worked.

But, at least he had saved his little Anabel from dying to her friends blade. In all his planning to humanize his own kind, she had been his little ray of light in the darkness he had drowned himself in. The little redheaded orphan living in a cardboard home in the dirty streets of Vale. His adoptive daughter he had raised for years and loved with all his heart. The only thing that proved he still had a soul.

Why? Why did he pick her up that day, so long ago? A human child that who suffered at the hands of faunus, distrustful to all who gazed at her. What did he see in those eyes staring back at him, ready to kill him if he moved the wrong way, to take her in and raise her?

A faint memory, now hazy as his thoughts began to fade and his consciousness died. The memory of a little boy with dirty blonde hair, jackal ears and a tail curling around himself, hiding in a little hut of damp cardboard and boxes as the rain poured, and the patter of feet moving by, ignoring his very existence, came to mind. Silent tears ran down the boys face as he looked at his own reflection in the puddles of rainwater gathered around him, staring hatefully at the droopy canine ears on his matted head. A boy that the world had ignored for his appearance. And the knife gripped tightly in his battered and dirty little hand, gleaming dangerously in his reflection.

Holt released a dying chuckle, his chest pausing with his last breath as the light in his dark brown eyes began to fade.

That's right, he saw a kindred spirit within those eyes. He could still see the same little girl he had brought back with him crying against his chest, her blue haired faintly replaced by her natural red locks. He always wondered why she had dyed such beautiful hair, red suited her better then blue. It was too bad he was dying, he should have said it to her earlier if he knew.

She was going to be alone again. Just like the day he had found her. No, he smiled one last time as his heart stopped completely, his chest falling as his body grew ice cold.

His little orphan Annie still had a friend in the world. Even if Jaune was a weak willed idiot. He could at least trust him to keep her safe.

' _ **Congratulations! You've Killed Holt Delmos, Shadow of Anubis, Scale of Souls! +232,000EXP! You're level has risen by 1! You've received Fragments of The Prideful! You've received Anubis! You've learned Piercing Light!'**_

Insulting. The message popping up in front of Jaune made him despise the new power running though his viens. It made his stomach even sicker. That in the end, Holt's death had made him stronger and rewarded him for the passing of the man. Even if he was his enemy, Holt still meant a great deal to someone, to Ann. The feeling of his body growing stronger and new items being dropped into his inventory felt hollow. And the burning in his chest felt like fire erupting out of his chest.

"You think you did me a favor? You don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Jaune spat, his aura escaping his body like fire. He raised his sword in front of himself, his mind going blank as the dark voice in his mind grew louder.

 _ **DO IT! FUCKING KILL HIM! HE'S THE REASON WHY WE'RE IN THIS MESS TO BEGIN WITH! WHAT'S ONE MORE DEATH?!**_

A red tint grew in Jaune's blue eyes as he carved an X in the air with his sword, the white symbol suddenly turning black as night as he aimed his blade at Adam.

 _ **KiLl hIM!**_

Stabbing his sword into the X, Jaune blankly watched as Crocea Mors fought against the symbol as it tried to reject the blade. Like glass, the X shattered, blasting a black torrent like rush of magic after Adam. It tore apart everything in sight, towering size of a grown man in both height in width as rippling rings of pressured air trailed after it.

Adam smirked at the incoming attack, blowing back his hair and rustling his clothes in the gale created. That looked pretty scary. Who knew Jaune had something like that in him? Partway unsheathing Wilt from Blush, Adam stood his ground as he prepared himself to absorb the attack. An odd whine sounded off as the special attack slammed into him, taking him completely by surprise as the rush of dark colored magic refused to soak into Wilt's red blade. He grunted, frowning as his feet began to skid back bit by bit. In the end, the attack broke Adam's guard stance, devouring him within the black and blowing apart the wall and seats behind him.

Jaune blinked sluggishly, his mind cleared of the dark voice haunting his consciousness. What did he just do? Did he just use an ability without even knowing what it did yet? The use of the ability felt draining, more then any of his usual abilities, his breathing had gone heavy from the strain. A sharp pang in his arm made him drop his sword, his HUD displaying that he had used up the last of his MP and then some.

Sniffling could be heard behind him, bringing his attention back to Ann staring at him with red eyes and a mix of emotions. Grief, anger, hate, remorse, so many that stabbed at his heart. All of them directed at him. He killed Holt, the only thing close to family to her in the world. He deserved it.

"I got to say, I was not expecting that to sting."

"I should have known that wouldn't take you down." Jaune sighed in frustration, looking back at the rubble created by his explosive attack. Through the cloud of dust, Adam strolled out, dusting off the bits of rubble on his clothing. His trenchcoat was ripped across his chest, revealing a burn like slash created by the stinging energy. Oddly enough, his aura struggled to heal the damage.

' _ **Adam Taurus, Body of the Gamer. 31,000HP/32,000HP.'**_

Only a thousand damage? With how draining his last attack had been, he wouldn't be able to pull off that much damage again.

"As impressive as that was, you and I both know you don't have it in you to keep fighting. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping you standing right now. You and the girl are as good as dead. So, why keep fighting?" Adam asked as he walked forward.

"Because I still have something worth fighting for, that's why!" Jaune shouted, panting as even speaking became draining. He struggled as he picked up Crocea Mors, raising it in a stance as Adam walked closer, stopping a few feet away from him.

"You still have something worth fighting for? That woman behind you is an enemy, part of a group of filthy humans that chop of the limbs that make my people faunus! She's no innocent then the blood of the man on your face. Why defend her?"

"Because she's my friend! Even. . .even if she ends up hating me for what I've done, cursing my name and wishing for my death, I'll protect her because she's my friend! And that's all the reason that I need!"

Reason, Adam mused as he tapped the hilt of his chokuto. He would die to protect some NPC that would only fade into nothing in the next Reset? Now that he thought back to it, his Lieutenant had killed Jaune in the last world while he had been protecting the little Schnee. It was a wonder the blonde knight had even been able to hold him back and wound him with how weak he had originally been. It was impressive to say the least. Reminded him of how Naragami had come back stronger after his supposed death. He grinned at the end results of their fight.

"Tell me, do you know what 'level' I'm on compared to you?" Adam asked, being careful to words his meanings. Did not want to be punished by the being controlling The Game for hinting even one NPC that their world was nothing but a game. He smirked smugly, swiping his chokuto at the coliseum seats above his side. Multiple twinkling red lines shined, collapsing the wall and all the seats in a pile of falling rubble diced to clean pieces. The rush of collapsing rubble created a wave of crashing dust, clouding the ground and drifting around their feet as he had effortlessly taken out a huge chunk of the spectators aisles.

"If, I don't know, say this was a video game of some sort." he paused for a minute, waiting to see if he had said too much, sighing when judgment didn't fall upon him before continuing, "Then I would stand to be lvl55, so high that leveling up becomes a chore at this point. Compared to some 'noob' who still hasn't grasped the full power they're capable of, you're but an annoying enemy with slightly high defense that I can kill with single swipe of my blade." he said confidently, leveling his blade to the bridge of Jaune's forehead, "Two if you got anymore surprises up your sleeves."

Jaune's swallowed a heavy lump in his throat, his face sweating at the demolition Adam had created. He didn't even see the swings from the first one that followed after the first. Still, he scowled with fierce determination, he wouldn't run away. Death was no stranger, and he had only fallen to it once since he had been granted these new powers. He would not fall to it again.

"I've been facing opponents leagues above me constantly since I 'first' came into Beacon, and nothings changed since then! If there is something that has changed since then, it's that I have a much stronger reason to become stronger! So, don't think you'll scare me into abandoning someone I care about!"

Jaune's breath hitched, his eyes trembling as Adam appeared in a blink to stare him down, the red chokuto piercing his sternum, stabbing through the space of his ribcage and nearly nicking his lungs. Blood bubbled up his throat, spilling out his lips without restraint.

"Spare me the heroic speech, will you? Words mean nothing if you don't have the power to back them up." Adam drawled, the slits of his mask digging into the blue eyes twitching in spasms of pain.

' _ **Jaune Arc, 507HP/5,600HP.'**_

Still had enough aura to keep him out of death's hands? How high was his Defense? Well, that was all he was good for. Sliding his blade out, Adam swiped it to the side, throwing off the blood in one swift motion. Jaune fell to his knee's, blood spilling out of his lips, too weak to even grip his newest wound to stop the bleeding before falling forward. Such a pathetic sight to see, he scoffed, turning his eyes to the last of the enemies left in his HUD. Didn't even look like she would put up a fight, her green eyes looked at him dully, dead to the world as her tears continued to stream down her face.

And Jaune wanted to protect such a sight? An NPC was worthless, but one created by a Remix was nothing but a speck in the grand scheme of things. Why waste a life protecting such a fleeting memory? He took a step forward, prepared to cut her down just like the blondes laid around him in their own blood, only to be stopped as his foot stepped down by a strong tug on his pants leg. Adam shook his head, his eyes finding Jaune still trying to stop him.

That's when he saw it. A spark, blazing in the young man's eyes that refused to die away. The spark of challenge. He couldn't help himself as he grinned widely.

With every Reset, Adam had come to grow bored with the repetitive challenges facing him in each world. Remixes were a godsend, bringing him some entertainment for a short while. Since the only other two Players in this endless game no longer cared to interfere in his plans for wiping out humanity or the reward of winning The Game, he no longer had anyone worth stopping him. Even Blake, who was the reason he was fighting to begin with, no longer posed a threat to him. With no one capable of challenging him any longer, Adam had become bored.

But that spark, that spark in Jaune's eyes, it invited challenge. The challenge of an opponent that would not stop until he had been stopped, risking his life to stop his 'evil' ways. It had been so long since he had seen such a spark, one that could grow to become a raging inferno to clash against his own in a brilliant display of resonating blades!

Adam's chokuto clicked as it returned to Blush, chuckling as he kicked off Jaune's weak grip.

Yes, Jaune was a hero. One that would try to stop him and his plans. And grow to pose a threat. He couldn't wait for the day. But he would need to live, they did say what didn't kill you only makes you stronger.

"Today's your lucky day, Jaune. Seems that killing you would do me no good. Don't misunderstand me though," Adam smiled darkly, stomping his heel onto Jaune's head. He ground his foot into his skull, enjoying the look of anger the boy was still capable of expressing in his state, "The only reason you'll live is not because you were strong, but because I allowed it. Remember that every time you wake up in the morning, every time you're enjoying a peaceful moment, every time you find something to smile at, every time you can breath easy, is because I didn't decide to drive my blade into your pathetic skull like a watermelon. Remember, that I can easily snuff out your life," he bent down, whispering into his ear so that no one could hear, "In every Reset. I can easily find you at your Reset Point and kill you every time before you can even breath. Because at the end of the day," he smirked as he stood back up, reaching into his sleeve to secretly go into his Inventory. A small gothic obsidian door made of glass appeared in his hand before he tossed it to the ground. In a poof of smoke, the little door enlarged into a regular sized frame, standing shut and leading to nowhere.

"I'm that much stronger then you. At what you're capable of now is nothing compared to the others. So, I'd think wisely and work on becoming stronger then you are now. Consider the girl I'm sparing a pity gift, a consolation prize for even scratching me. Next time though?"

Adam chuckled as he creaked open the door, revealing a swirling vortex of energy and stepping through. The door shut behind him with a click, dissolving the door in wisps of darkness as his voice rang with his exit.

"The one you're protecting won't be so lucky. Got that memorized?"

The blood stopped leaking, Jaune's aura now finally having the free time to focus on stopping him from dying of blood loss. His eyes shut tightly as Adam left, his heavy presence free of this area. His fingers dug into the bloody dirt underneath him as tears ran down his face in regret. All the pain hitting his sense meant nothing compared to the shame he had suffered.

Spared. Spared by the enemy out of what? Pity? Smugness? No, it was because he could. On whim, he spared his life, the life of a person who had taken a life without ever meaning to. Everything would have been for nothing if Adam had decided it, to take his life with ease. Because he was that much weaker compared to the rest of them.

 _ **Pathetic. To think, The Game chose you. Hmph, clearly it had made a mistake.**_

 _Drip._

Jaune's eyes snapped open at the sound, his exhausted eyes looking back to the heart wrenching sight of Ann, on her knee's still clutching onto the now icy cold body of Holt. Her face was blank, her eyes still streaming with tears as she showed no sign of even registering his existence. She looked so alone, lost to the world. Her skin was pale, her green eyes dim and lifeless. Completely opposite of the girl who had been annoyed with his presence.

Pain lanced through Jaune's being as he crawled forward, his legs refusing to listen to his commands to reach Ann. It didn't matter if she hated him for killing Holt, she had to know she wasn't alone! Not again, never again! He was still breathing, no matter how weak he was. He had more then enough strength to show her that!

Alone. She was all alone again. Ann had nothing left to live for anymore. Even the little paradise she had been working towards meant nothing to her, all the Lien she had slaved over dimmed to pale gray. What was the point in living when the only person to ever give a damn about her was no longer around to smile at, laugh at her, grin at her, and care about her? Why was it she had never realized how important the people she truly cared about were to her until it was far too late? Why was she doomed to lose the ones she loved every time she let them in to her heart?

What had she done to deserve such punishment? Damn aura, why couldn't it stop protecting her and let her bleed out like the trash she was? There was no point in protecting her any longer, there was nothing left to live for now. A world where she continued to lose whoever she cared for was not a world she wanted to continue living in, nor escape.

Why couldn't she just die? Could god not grant her that one wish?

Soft, dirty, bloody fingers tickled her tear stained cheek, momentarily snapping Ann out of her despairing thoughts. That's when she saw them, the drops of tears falling under the chin of the familiar mop of messy blonde hair. And the sadness pouring out of the blue eyes of the killer of her father figure. His battered hand trembled, ready to fall at any moment as it held her cheek.

Ann wanted to scream, to shout, to yell at his face with every dirty word she had learned in the slums she had grown up in. He had killed Holt, cutting him down with his sword in one fatal slash. Because of him, the only person who cared about her anymore in this world had passed on without fulfilling his dream of bringing both species together. If she had the strength, she would have treated him in kind, cutting him down just as he did to Holt. But, Ann couldn't do it, not when he had such an expression on his face. She couldn't see the face of a killer in those eyes, of a man who would not hesitate to cut those in his way.

All she saw was a dork, an idiot who failed to charm even a desperate woman. The same idiot who had stumbled into her heart like that with very little effort. Who treated her as a friend even when she had tried to drive her spears into his body. Who wanted nothing more then to free of this dark, dirty world she had walked through at the cost of even his well being and career.

In the end, all she could see was a friend reaching out his only good hand to her in her time of need.

"Ann, I'm sorry." Jaune cried weakly, turning his eyes down as his body shook with sobs.

Warm tears replaced Ann's cold tears, sniffling in an attempt to stop herself from crying anymore, only to lose as her hand grabbed onto Jaune's, hugging it closer to her face as she let loose all her pent up sadness and grief. She cried loudly like a child, nose dripping with snot as she struggled to even breath. It felt like she would choke in her sobbing.

What an ugly sight. Crying like some brat who lost their parents in the store. At least no one was there to judge her for it.

Only the stupid Blondie passed out in front of her, with a face wracked in regret.

* * *

"You know the drill, hands up where I can see 'em."

Voila felt her brow twitch in annoyance at the brown haired officer with slick back hair and the strawberry haired woman next to him. Really?

"And how am I going to do that, officer?" she said nicely, her smile strained as she was encased in a block of ice from her feet to her chin.

Ken shrugged his shoulders, tapping his foot as the bustle of police activity roared behind him. "I don't know? I got to cuff something, that's all I know. I don't think we have headcuffs."

"But we do! It's that thing people lock people's heads in before they chop off their heads!"

Ken blinked, turning to his sisters with a quirked brow, ". . .Do we have one of those?" he asked curiously.

Barbie shook her head with a wide grin, "Nope! But I do!"

"Why?"

"I don't question you about your fetishes, so don't question mine."

What the hell were these people? Voila's head slumped onto the ice, her lower mask torn away to leave her visibly pouting. Stupid coffee drinking bastard and his icethrower. Her semblance only allowed to phase through physical attacks and objects, not Dust or elements! Cheating old man. Her eyes turned to the side, catching sight of her little brother being chained up by what looked like some high quality chains. Poor little guy, he was burned all over by the candy loving freak's lightning rounds. A large bruise showed itself across his face, courtesy of eating an aura infused bat to the face.

Their fight with the two Beacon teachers had been difficult. Even when she and her brother worked together in sync, the two teachers were able to form a plan and smack them around like children. They were on the losing end of the fight, their auras declining with each hit. Eventually, they failed to activate their semblances, falling to their hits as their aura shattered and left them defenseless. The boss was a great guy and all, but their was no way Voila was throwing away their lives for the guy. So, they had surrendered at her word, dropping their weapons, but not before they had knocked her little brother out and encased her in ice for safety. Dicks.

She sighed dejectedly, turning her eyes to the sky as she could faintly make out the beginning of the sun rising from the horizon. This wasn't exactly how she had envisioned things going. They had only joined in hopes of making some money, and as revenge for what a faunus had done to her little brother, nearly killing him with a blade to his jugular. Justice, and all that yarn. In the end though, they were only criminals, about to be locked away for their crimes. Guess that's what they called justice too.

"Are you two still stalling? Get a gurney or something, we got to wrap things up before the sun rises. God knows I need some rest after having my jaw cracked by some half machine man."

Pausing their bickering over fetishes and personal privacy, Ken and Barbie straightened themselves up as Church walked towards them. He didn't look well with all the bruises slowly healing on his face, his arm bandaged in a sling, along with the dark stains of his dried blood on his tattered uniform. They still didn't understand why he hadn't just stayed back and let the nurses running around take him back to fully treat his wounds. To see him still willing to work until this was finally over with brought some major respect to their senior.

"Can I still lock her head up? I feel robbed in missing out in the action." Barbie pouted cutely, her back turned from her captive who shook her head pleadingly.

"Has she killed anyone?" Church asked.

"Not to our knowledge. I don't think she was even able to mortally wound a single person, honestly." Ken answered as he scratched his head in thought.

"Then, no." he answered, causing Barbie to hang her head in disappointment and Voila to sigh in relief. "Even criminals don't deserve such cruel and unusual punishment."

"Fine. I won't play with her until she's been convicted of worse crimes."

"Can someone else lock me up, please? I don't like the look in this chick's eyes!"

"But!" Barbie exclaimed loudly, poking Church's blood dried chest with a small glare, "You have to promise to see a real doctor after this is over with and not head back with those wounds. You look like you're ready to pass out, boss. I'm shocked you're even standing."

"I agree, you need to go to the hospital, or something. If it wasn't for your aura, you'd be dead. I can't imagine what Ashlee must be feeling." Ken shook his head with a chuckle, already imagining the look of fury on the woman's face, "If you don't die from those, you'll die by the ones your wife deals on ya."

Church sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he nodded, "Right, I hear you. Let me make sure everything's good and our little info man has made it out safely first." he frowned, remembering where the message of the FoF's final plans had come from, "Jaune's still inside there and none of my messages have gotten through to him. I have to make sure he's fine first, I won't be able to rest without him out of that deathtrap."

Ken could understand. Jaune was a cool guy, if not dorky. All this wouldn't be possible without the kid's help. In a surprising turn of events, there had been very little casualties, four from the looks of it. Bodies would have been piling up if they hadn't learned of their activities with Jaune's help. They owed the kid much more then they could ever repay.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's been able to put up with my sister's insanity. So, we know he's made of durable stuff." he grinned, pointing his finger back to said sister as she had whipped out some belts, tied them around the block of ice encasing Voila, and began to drag her away with a perky smile that sent shivers down their spines. Was that a paddle in the waist of her belt?

"Yeah, guess you're right about that." Church tried to smile, ready to go back to his work until a loud shout caught their attention.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS A DOCTOR!? WE NEED ONE NOW, FUCKING RIGHT NOW, DAMMIT!"

Barreling through the crowd of officers around the gated entrance to Crime Haunt, a large group of huntsman and huntresses rushed into their view. Beacon students from the looks of it with two teachers accompanying the eight of them. But what caught Church's and Ken's attention was the blonde boy carried in the arms of the busty golden locked girl shouting for a doctor, the girls eyes blazing red in search of the aid she needed.

"Jaune?!" Church nearly stammered, his heart dropping at the nearly mangled form. The two officers rushed over, stopping in front of the large team, their worst fears coming to life.

"What the hell happened to him?!"

"WHO FUCKING CARES RIGHT NOW!?" Yang bellowed, tears stinging her eyes, her hair sizzling as she glared at the men in their way, "JUST FIND HIM A DAMN DOCTOR, OR GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!"

"Ms. Xiao Long! Please, such anger will do us no good. We must remain calm and not lose ourselves to such emotions right now." Oobleck scolded with a frown, causing said girl grit her teeth but nod her head. Fixing his glasses, the green haired professor went back to the officers, his face stern as he spoke, "Please, if you may quickly find us the nearest doctor available. I'm afraid one of my students has sustained incredible damage to his body along with tremendous blood loss. He needs to see a doctor as soon as possible and be taken to the hospital." Turning to Yang, he urged the girl to hand him her fellow blonde, thanking Pyrrha as she urged the hotheaded girl to give her partner to him. Yang bit her lips, nodding her head as she gave Jaune up.

Taking his light bodied student in his arms, Oobleck was able to see just how much his student had been hurt. His face was bruised in blue and green tints, caked with both dirt and blood. His right arm was mangled, the humerus bone shattered horridly with some signs of the bone poking out of the skin. Tears and gashes covered his chest, tearing his signature hoodie and chest plate to scrap. Too much blood soaked into his clothing, hardening the fabric. Such a condition should have never fallen onto one of his students.

"Time is of the essence. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left if he doesn't get the help he desperately needs." Oobleck asked, his blue eyes pleading through his glasses.

Church swallowed the lump in his throat, his eyes frantically searching for a free doctor, "You don't have to say that twice! Is there an free doctor or nurse around here?! We have a critically wounded over here!"

"Well, it's a good thing I went out for a drink last night. Going to need a fresh pack of smokes after dealing with all the wounded brought to my ass." A feminine voice sighed from behind them.

Artemis Spriggan greeted their sights, dressed in her civilian clothes of a blue open jacket and white blouse, dark blue mini skirt, and white heels. She ground her cigarette into dust at what she found in Professor Oobleck's arms, pushing by the officers in her way as she spat out the smoking stick.

"For fuck's sake, what did the idiot do? Let an Ursa Major smack him around without his aura?" Artemis scowled deeply as she checked Jaune's pulse. She sighed in a small moment of relief, feeling the small but strong pulse on his neck. Moving onto the mess that was his broken arm, she cursed loudly at the bumps she felt by running her hands around it.

"Shattered, his humerus bone is shattered to hell. We need to perform surgery on him as quick as possible, or not even his aura will be able to fix the damage. Not to mention he's lost nearly four pints of blood by my guess, he needs a transfusion before anything else or he's as good as dead. I could write you a list of what he needs now, but it be better if we went off to the nearest hospital then waste more time."

Artemis swept her long pink locks back, cursing herself for not having any quality medical supplies on her. Went out for a drink and now it looked she was going to need an open bar after this. What was it about the blonde kid that had him going back to her with such nasty wounds? Was that a bullet scar on his forehead? Just what had he been caught up in?

Motioning her head to the coffee loving teacher, she turned her attention back to Church, fixing her satchel as she rummaged around for something. "Find us some transportation, now. I can already tell you that if we don't get him to a hospital in the next half hour, there is no point in saving him. He's lucky to be breathing." Finding what she was looking for, Artemis bite down on the syringe in hand filled with green liquid. Taking off its cap, she didn't waste a second as she stabbed its thin needle into Jaune's chest, straight into his heart before pressing down to release its liquid.

Aura could heal wounds, but it couldn't regenerate blood loss. The little mixture should at least buy her some time and pump a bit more in his circulation.

Church nodded, shouting at Ken to find them a ride. It didn't take long as he turned back to the teachers, motioning his head to follow after him, "Come on, we got police escort, so we should make it in time."

"Watch over the kids, Hope." Oobleck urged to the calm sunglasses wearing teacher. He got a nod from the man as he adjusted his hold on the weight on his back, the form of a blue haired woman passed out greeting him. Her wounds weren't as serious, the worst being a stab wound that had finished healing and a snapped wrist. They would be sure to find her some help as well when they had the chance.

"Understood, class is still session after all. Can't have them missing their studies, can we?" he smiled lightly, wishing he could reach into his pockets for a sugary treat.

Stepping forward, Pyrrha was ready to follow after the departing party. Professor Pitho's hand stopped her though, his eyes somber as he shook his head.

"Shouldn't we follow after? We need to know that Jaune's alright!" Pyrrha frowned, tears ready to fall.

"He'll be fine, you gotta trust in the adults to take care of things from here. You kids shouldn't even be in the middle of this mess in the first place."

"But Blake and Velvet were in trouble!" Ruby weakly shouted, her body carried on the back of her partner in a piggyback. She had used her semblance too much, draining her of her ability to even walk after making it to Jaune's location. Thankfully, Ren had carried her before they found their teams stumbling onto the missing girls, and oddly enough, Cardin. The mace wielding bully was the last person she would have expected to find helping them out.

"I understand, but the people you were facing weren't Grimm." Professor Pithos said sternly, his face body losing its normal lazy composure, "The people you were fighting weren't mindless, they knew how to fight and were more then willing to kill you. I know you're all strong huntsman in training, but that's just it, you're all in training, you're all still kids. The two guards watching over the gate were well trained and had strong semblances at hand. It's arrogant to think that every opponent you face will be taken down because you think you're special, the world is bigger then you know."

Words to live by. The kids in front of him were talented, just as gifted as he was when he was their age, but such confidence lead to many mistakes and losses. Maybe they could have been capable of beating the two FoF guards, but the chances of one them winding up seriously injured, or worse, were neck and neck with the odds as well. They were just children after all, they had years to go before they were ready for this kind of action.

And sometimes, such fights would end in the loss of life. To make a decision that would haunt them for the rest of their days. The dead body lying on the ground next to the two teens they found in the large demolished coliseum came to mind, along with the wound cutting right through the dirty blonde's chest by the red dyed sword by Jaune's side.

"Look, I will congratulate you all on what you have accomplished here today. You were all able to save many lives today and held your own against opponents even grown men would die to. But it's all over with now, your friends are in safe hands and hopefully Glynda won't be riding your little behinds for rushing into the fray as you did." he smiled lazily, dropping his serious attitude for the moment, "I'm sure people will talk about this day in history books to come, but for now you should all be focusing on the history on your make up tests tomorrow. It's pretty obvious none of you will be able to go to class today, you all look ready to fall over into dream land."

"But, Jaune-" Pyrrha began to argue only for her teacher to shake his head.

"Will be resting in the hospital when next you see him. What's important now is to let the adults take care of him and help him regain his health. There's nothing you can do now that will help him as he is now."

"Nothing? But I feel so helpless." Jaune was her partner, her first friend in Beacon. Yet here she was, waiting to see if he would pull through after getting involved in some fight with a leader of a criminal organization. How did he go from a student studying for tests to nearly dying in a night? What was he keeping from her that he wouldn't tell her, his partner?

Pitho's scratched his chin, not sure what to say before shrugging his shoulders, "Well, there is one thing you could do."

"What's that?" Nora asked, her mood sullen at the sight of her leader. Ren stood beside her, his chest bandaged and exhausted from his own fighting as she supported him in his weak state.

"Pray. When there is nothing you can do, all one can do is pray. If you believe in that kind of thing. As a scientist, I'm not much of a believer in that kind of stuff, but even I pray."

Weiss quirked her brow at the nonchalant man, "Really? That's quite surprising from a man such as yourself. Didn't think you would be the praying sort."

"Eh, you never know what lies beyond death. I'd like to spread my chances, just in case there does lay something at the end other then nothing." Pithos smirked dully, fixing the blue haired girl he carried on his back. Now that he thought about it, it was about time they themselves got checked on. The large brute had landed some hits on him, and his aura was doing its best to heal the damage. Wasn't much of a close range fighter, couldn't shake off taking a crack at his face from a man as huge as Hans.

"Let's go find us some medical attention. The little lady we've rescued is in need of some, aren't ya, kid?" he chuckled, nudging the girl a bit.

Ann's face scrunched, opening one of her tired green eyes to glare at the man carrying her, "Shut up, ya bastard." she said weakly, her voice rasp and low from the days events. Where the hell was she? Last she recalled, Jaune had passed out from his wounds and exhaustion. Then everything went black for a bit.

"Such language. . .want a gumball?"

If she could, Ann would scoff at the man. Instead, her eyes did their best to focus on the people around her, looking for signs of a blonde idiot amongst them. "Where's. . .Blondie?" she struggled to speak, her eyes falling in need of more rest.

"I'm guessing you mean Jaune? Don't worry, he's being looked after."

"Good." Ann smiled lightly, the answer being more then fine enough for her as she shut her eyes. As long as he was safe, she didn't care what awaited her. Just as long he was alive. "Then you can do what you want with me, I don't care. As long as he's good."

"What a character. I think I'll call her Sourdrop. Sound good?" he asked, getting no response as she fell back to sleep, ". . .I didn't hear a no."

"He is right." Yang agreed, nodding to his earlier comment of finding some medical treatment. After finally calming down, her attention fell onto her own partner standing with the support of Velvet and Cardin. Still surprising to find him of all people helping. What was he doing here? Shaking her head of the thoughts for the moment, she frowned at her partner's own state of wear, "You need to see a doctor too. I see you trying to hide that bruised rib, can't hide nothing from mama Yang. Got eyes like a dragon!"

"Doesn't she mean hawk?" Weiss said flatly, only for Ruby to shake her head with a sigh.

"No, no she doesn't."

"I'm fine, Yang." Blake smiled softly, only to hiss as a certain someone decided to poke said rib. She glared in annoyance at the unapologetic flat stare from Cardin as he retreated his finger.

"She's lying. Idiot could use some R&R." he scoffed, biting back a hiss as she returned the favor by jabbing his broken arm.

Velvet sighed at the two as they began repeatedly poking anothers wounds, "They both could stand to see a doctor. It's safe to say we've all had a very long day. I know I have a healed stab wound that could still use some disinfectant and my ankles are killing me."

"I hear that, sister!" Ruby grinned, earning a roll of Weiss's eyes as she swung her legs around, "Using my Speed all day has made my legs turn to jelly! Been a while since I ran so much, I felt like Professor Oobleck for a bit there."

"Velvet is right, worrying over Jaune's health won't do us any good. It's better to get some rest and heal up. We can visit the doofus once we're all rested." Weiss nodded. Besides, the sooner they went off, the sooner she could drop the speed freak she was supporting.

"My own team must be worrying about me as well. Coco's not going to be happy when she hears about this." Velvet pouted with a blush. Her leader was going to have her ass once she got back. Apparently she learned a thing or two after watching Jaune perform his 'finishing move'.

Cardin nodded at that, giving Blake one last glare as he rubbed his broken arm, "My guys have been messaging nonstop since yesterday. I guess I owe them the tale of our little adventure too. I've been keeping too much from them for too long. Gotta come clean." he sighed as he scratched the back of his head. Boy, were they not going to be thrilled.

With that in mind, the Beacon students began to head off for the nearest bullhead. The day had been long, and tomorrow was just shy of rising.

Pyrrha was still upset at not going along with her partner, but relented as they left. There were so many questions rising, and she would be sure to get them answered once Jaune was good and well. She never did like secrets.

* * *

From the top of the many buildings abandoned in the deserted part of the city, Adam watched on as the huntsman and police slowly departed. A notification window popped up in his HUD, rewarding him his prizes and items earned by completing the Event, going ignored as his eyes trailed after the form of Blake.

Once again, she was out of his reach. That would never change, sadly. Not as long as her ideals refused to change. Her love for the humans would always end in her demise. One of the few things in every Reset that would never change.

"I take it we won't be dealing with the Friends of Faunus any longer."

Adam nodded his head as the form of his lieutenant fell beside him, "They've perished, just like the rest will once the time comes." he answered, tilting his head back to stare at the slowly rising sunset above them.

"Are you disappointed? I know you've had your own deep seated grudge towards their leader."

The Lieutenant clenched his fists, taking a deep breath as he looked at the sunrise alongside his leader, "A grudge is a dangerous thing. If I had met Holt face to face, I would have lost my sanity. My anger and hate would have made me sloppy, leaving me to die at his hands. You've set me free of that one grudge, so you have my gratitude."

"They say our animal appendages make us animals. So, what does that make an animal once you've removed their beastly markings?" Adam asked, his eyes peeking towards the top of the Lieutenant's head.

"They may remove what makes us animals, but deep down, we are all just animals." The Lieutenant growled.

Adam smirked. The world did see animals, so why deny them their vision? And their was a rule in the animal kingdom.

It's eat or be eaten.

"We've spent enough time here." Turning away from the beautiful sight, Adam went off back to their own hideout. It was trashed a bit after his fight with Naragami, but it would do fine until the final phase of their plans began. The only trouble brought up from the damages would be the glare from Cinder demanding an explanation. Working with her was always an annoyance, but necessary.

"We still have much to do. Let the humans enjoy their remaining times of peace. It won't be long till we usher in the flames of our revolution."

By then, he would have to see how strong Jaune would become. Hopefully he would prove to be a challenge next time around. His blade was itching for a real fight.

The Lieutenant nodded as he followed behind, pausing for a moment as he couldn't help but look back at the humans and faunus students leaving for Beacon. A pair of bunny ears standing up at attention caught his gaze, the sight raising a smile behind his mask.

How sadly nostalgic.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Embe r[5MP]: Fires a ball of flames at the target. Inflicts Fire damage and has a 5% chance to inflict Burn. **_

_**Piercing Light [20AP): Only usable with a Light Affinity equipped. Coating their blade with holy light, the Player slashes an X like sigil in the air or on their target. Then, stabbing their blade into the sigil, they break the seal to fire a large torrent of light rushing forward like a thrusting spear. Deals Light damage and inflicts Defense Down. MP Cost: 40MP.**_

* * *

 **Fucking finished! Whew, I'm beat. Got work in the morning, dammit.**

 **The FoF Arc is done! Next, we have the aftermath of the attacks, some things that had been going during the events, and hospital visits. Not to mention the trip to Forever Fall is coming up. Will Jaune be able to prove to Ren he has what it takes to win this endless game? Or only prove he doesn't have the will to make an impacting difference?**

 **Volume 4 is only a week away people! Boy, am I hype!**

 **So, how was the Friends of Faunus arc? Was it any good? I know there were some bits that I could have done better, but time restraints be a damn. Let me know how it worked out to you.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	16. Warm Comforts

**Aye, aye, aye! NeoShadows here! Meaning a new chapter is up and running, compadres!**

 **I know, know. You're all pretty bummed that I was gone for two weeks. Again. Sorry about that, but I had some things pop up and take care of. First, my sister wanted my and my brother to watch the last ten episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood with her seeing as she didn't get to finish it after we introduced the show to her. And when you're watching a masterpiece like that you can't look away while writing. Also finished watching Luke Cage on Netflix, love that rap they made up, Bulletproof Love. And with RWBY Volume 4 finally up, I had to take a break to work over some of the new information discovered with just two episodes up now. And boy, how they helped fill up some holes in my story for the future.**

 **All in all, a combination of binge watching, and relaxing a bit, had stopped me from finishing this chapter. Plus, taking care of a puppy is a lot harder then I remember it being. That girl won't sit still and just wants to chew on everything in sight. If ever stop uploading, it's because of Bailey damaging my laptop with her chewing on its frame.**

 **Volume 4 is looking great so far! The new art style was weird to get use to, but after the first episode I was glad they made the switch in programming. It looks so beautiful now and expressive. Even teared up a bit with Jaune's scenes involving Pyrrha. Can't wait for Saturday.**

 **As always, time for some Reviews!**

 **B312: Damn. What a way to put it. But Adam's use to such things, stubborn bastard won't quit.**

 **DigitalEmperor001: Glad you enjoyed the arc. Yeah, it was pretty long. Honestly, I had originally planned it to last six chapters instead of ten. But the story kept going and my fingers wouldn't stop typing. Blame them for all the words, they will not listen. I no longer have any control over them. As for the DLC, well, you'll see at the end of this chapter.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Dude, Megaman BattleNetwork was my shit back in the day! The Double Soul thing didn't hit me till you mentioned it. Awesome. I know, I hear Undertale while I write sometimes too. And you aren't wrong about the Adam thing, he's not too hostile too his fellow Gamers as long as they don't get in his way. Or piss him off.**

 **FlameSparks7: Who is Bold-san indeed. Souls are a difficult thing to handle. And as for Velvet, that's a story for another time.**

 **Warhaler: Ah, bugs. That's what happens when you rush an unfinished product.**

 **MT's Souless6: That's Jaune for you. His view hasn't changed. Time will only tell if it will stay that way. DLC, you say? Funny you should mention that.**

 **Quathis: Thanks. When I started this, I did it with the idea of making it different compared to the other Gamer fics around. Glad you like the twists, got more coming in the future to keep you entertained. Happy you also liked the FoF, was worried not many people would take a shine to them.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Now, let's calm down here, bud. You're words are ruthlessly stabbing at my heart! I haven't forgotten ya, I was just really tired that day to answer all the reviews. Though your salty tears helped to make my scrambled eggs taste better. Unlimited Light Works was an awesome Link to create, wait till you see the rest. Jaune's known about magic for a while now since discovering his new powers, it's how he uses his stronger attacks. And The Game does its best to restrict him from using magic publicly. And Blake dying doesn't always happen, but the Event where she always leaves him does. Sometimes he kills her, sometimes he can't. You're theory is good, but nope! That wasn't Adam talking. Keep guessing, some clues have been left behind. Trust me, my neck feels the same as I edit.**

 **A Fan1204: Writing fight scenes can take up a good chunk of my writing, but they always have purpose. Plot development comes in all forms after all. And they're damn fun to write. Just like the teachers fight was fun to come up with as well as making up their dynamic. Glad to see you liked that bit. Also happy to see my fans enjoy the OC's, I was really worried that you would all despise them. Like all fandoms, OC's get a bad rap, finding good ones is always a pleasure. Blake and Cardin's dynamic will definitely change, but romance? Huh? What would you even call that ship? Something to mumble over another day. Seems you've gotten Adam down to a T. Or have you? The man is a complex monster in hindsight in this game. You've got some good guesses for The Voice in Jaune's head. The clues are there, souls are a tricky thing.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: Finish this. Why haven't you written your own crack?! These little stories you're writing are gold, I would follow the shit out of them! Poor drag Jaune, even when he's in a dress, he attracts more ass. I feel ya on OC's. I hate them with a passion, but I also love them too. Some can be pretty cool. . .and sexy. Nice to know you and the rest can stand my own. And soon enough, with enough time, I will reach the like of Cour. Spread the word, depraved hermano!**

 **Wing0x: It took you 2-3 days to read this story? Damn, I have been writing shiz load. Happy to have you on board.**

 **Alright, we had the first arc which was the shortest and spanned Chapter 1-5, which I dub Reset. And we've just finished the second Arc, spanning Chapter 6-15, dubbed Trials of Fire. Now we have the last Arc of the Volume starting here! I call it, Verification! Can a white lie be fixed? Is it too late to prove one's strength? Cheaters will be punished, but can one prove their worth before it's too late? The Player's are coming to light. What price are you willing to give for another chance? Your soul?**

 **This is going to be fun! Let's get started!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth. I ain't got time to run a business! Can't even drive a car anymore after being run over by a truck, getting rear ended while my sister was driving, and being born during a car accident. Car's hate me. Which sucks seeing as can't drive to a strip club to see some tail. Mama threatened to whip my ass cherry red after I asked her last time. Spoil sport.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Warm Comforts.**

"Surely, you understand where I'm coming from, old friend? Years of investigations and documents gone to waste in a single day. So, you can see why I'm a little upset that Holt Delmos, a man with ties to Dr. Merlot, who's been in possession of modified Grimm, with a list of crimes spreading across nearly all four kingdoms, and leader of what many were saying was the human White Fang, has died."

Ozpin rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat within his emerald tower, thanking Glynda as she poured him a fresh mug of coffee to drink. His face was lightly lit by the hologram screen on his desk, the man speaking to him sternly frowning from his place in Atlas.

General James Ironwood. An old friend, a trusted man, and one of the biggest pains in his ass as of late.

It's been three days since the FoF raid and things were finally starting to quite down. Every FoF member that had been a part of the movement had finally been apprehended, the police had finished the last of their investigation with the evidence they've found in their hideout, and the damage the group had created was under construction. The day of violence had been stopped before any major damage had been dealt, but sadly, their had been a loss of life. Seven officers, five firefighters, and five civilians had been killed in the mess, leaving a total of seventeen graves to be dug up. Including two casualties from the Friends of Faunus. A man with cybernetics leaving him far from human, and the leader of the humanizers, Holt Delmos.

Ozpin sighed. So much problems had arose with the death of one man. The general had been keeping tabs on Holt, following his every move for the man to slip up. Holt was no common criminal, everything the man had done had been out of the books, leaving no paper trail to trace him back to. As far as the world knew, Holt Delmos was a retired huntsman with a hobby for hunting, having gathered a vast fortune from his investments in military weaponry and research in cybernetics. He was a supporter of Ironwoods works until he had walked away and begun his plans on humanizing faunus. Safe to say, the general had a bone to pick with the man.

The only problem was that dead men told no tales. And with everything the man had known and the connections he's gathered, he could understand where the general was coming from. So much information lost and nothing to salvage from the man's private study. Must have had a back up plan in case he ever perished. A virus had wiped out everything on the man's personal computer and scroll the second they unlocked his devices.

"Yes, James, I can understand. I know you've been planning on sending in one of your specialist to apprehend the man with all the information the Vale City Police have gathered, but these things tend to happen."

General Ironwood continued to frown, "And I would accept that if it wasn't for the fact the man was well trained to the point he had evolved his semblance, something only the most skill huntsman are capable of. I would have never thought that a man who could hide in shadows could think of such deadly tactics to attack with. I've even had the pleasure of fighting the man myself and know he was no push over. What really bothers me, is how a first year student of yours was capable of killing him!" he nearly shouted in frustration, taking a deep breath to settle himself.

A first year, a fucking first year! How could a boy who was learning how to fight kill a monster like Holt Delmos? While Ironwood himself could handle him if he had the chance, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe it would be easy. Even his top specialist would have trouble taking him down. Yet a first year had been able to kill him? How was that possible? How talented was he to achieve such an accomplishment?

The general sighed, rubbing his forehead. What he wouldn't give for a drink right now, "While the ugly matter of the Friends of Faunus has finally come to an end, many questions still remain. What happened to all the hidden White Fang that they had captured and found? How were they able to gather that many men without anyone noticing? What was that strange bluish pillar of light peaking out from their location like a beacon? And why where two of your students inside their base? Mr. Arc isn't the only one under my scrutiny, Mr. Winchester's past is well known to me. Another poor soul damaged by the White Fang, sparking a hatred to their kind. It would be easy to connect him as a supporter to their cause."

"I hope you aren't insinuating that one of my students is a hateful criminal." Ozpin said with narrowed eyes, "Mr. Winchester has been cleared of such suspicion by the Vale City Police and testimony of his peers. If it wasn't for him, two of my students wouldn't be attending classes in my school ever again. For that, he has my thanks and gratitude."

Ironwood reluctantly nodded, deciding to drop that matter. He was right, Mr. Winchester wasn't entirely innocent, but he was not guilty of anything serious other then gambling. The information he had gathered while he was being recruited had helped immensely in sentencing the remaining organization. Couldn't jail the kid, especially when Ozpin was protecting him.

"Understood, but I'm more interested in your other student, Jaune Arc." Ironwood said sternly, scowling deeply as he spoke, "The Arc family is considered a family of huntsman, not the most famous, but even men such as myself know of their past valor. Except I have no recollection of Alexander's boy ever having any huntsman training." he said suspiciously with a knowing look, "I've searched the records of every combat school on Remnant, and not one of them has ever cleared Jaune Arc for any level of combat. He had no records, yet he was accepted into one of Remnant's top combat academy's with questionable transcripts without a second thought. And he was responsible for the death of the leader of a terrorist organization at that? Forgive me, but I find it all rather suspicious. I have half a mind to have the boy interrogated."

"And that other half will understand that accusing the boy who stopped said terrorist organization of anything will put you under more fire." Glynda butted in besides Ozpin's face with a glare, "Your military is already being questioned for their morals in their study of robotics crossing some dangerous lines. The media's already praising Mr. Arc and his friends for their role in taking down the Friends of Faunus alongside the police. While we've done our best in hiding most of what he's done, like his hand in killing Mr. Delmos, the parts retaining to him being responsible for saving his friends has made him out as a hero thanks to the police. Painting him out as a criminal would not bode you well."

"I'm not trying to paint him out as a criminal, Glynda." Ironwood sighed, "But because of him, I've lost one of my only leads on the odd Grimm popping out around my labs. Someone has been trying to sabotage my research with a Creeper that detonates on death, forcing me to raise my security. Dr. Merlot was under suspicion of practicing illegal experiments on Grimm, even thought to be responsible for the massive surge of the beasts invading Mt. Glenn and forcing the people underground, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was responsible for the attacks. Me and that man never did get along, and something tells me he didn't perish in the fall. And I know Mr. Delmos had been in contact with a suspicious informant before he departed our research lab." Leaning back on his own chair in the office of his ship, Ironwood rubbed the bridge of his nose, stressed out from all the news. He looked back to his old friend, feeling older then normal, "I have nothing against Jaune Arc, I'm even willing to trust you on your decision to let him into your school, but his actions have thrown a wrench in my investigations. I simply need to know if he has any information on Merlot. Captain Rola has briefed me in on the boy's role as an undercover informant, having gained trust in Mr. Delmos. He must have a sliver of information that can help me."

"Well, you'll have to wait. Mr. Arc is still recovering in the hospital. He hasn't even woken from his surgery. He's clearly in no position to be talking." Glynda smiled politely, almost smug in the face of the general, "We don't even know when he will come to. So you'll just have to hold off on sending in one of your men."

"I believe that's already too late." Ironwood said flatly, his expression unforgiving as Ozpin narrowed his eyes at his friend, "She's already been deployed to Vale. I am far to busy to met the boy face to face physically, but I have found some time to talk to him via scroll. And she will be there to set up the call and make sure things go accordingly."

"You didn't." Ozpin hid his face behind his hands, shaking his head. This wasn't going to go well.

"What? Can't an older sister visit her little sister without it being more then business?"

* * *

Sunlight. It was the first thing to greet Jaune's eyes as they slowly parted open, stinging his sight as his cloudy mind tried to get a hold of itself. He moaned weakly, his mind more then well enough to register the feeling of his exhausted, beaten body. What the hell had happened to him? Memories flew by in an instant, playing like an old movie reel in his head.

The Friends of Faunus. Finding Cardin, Blake and Velvet. The chaos that ensued at the hands of the Event, Trials by Fire. The many fights that had sprung up because of it. And the blood dripping off the edge of his blade as it cut right through Holt's body like butter. Ann's tear clouded eyes stared back at him, blaming him for the death of her father figure. Then darkness as his injuries took away his consciousness.

Jaune sighed deeply, holding back the wetness from spilling out his eyes. A lump formed in his throat, his guilt coming back full force. His bandaged hand found itself covering his face as the memory of his sword cutting through Holt refused to die away, his blue eyes haunted as they peeked through his fingers.

He killed someone, a living, breathing, human being with a beating heart. A part of his mind tried to reassure him that it was the right thing to do. Holt Delmos was a man possessed by twisted ideals of peace, stopping at nothing to force his way of peace onto the innocent. He had committed many crimes, probably killed more people then he was comfortable thinking about, and watched people die at the maw of Grimm for sport. Any right minded person wouldn't have thought twice about putting a man like that into a grave.

Teary eyes, lost and empty stared into his soul, Ann's gaze popping up at the thought.

No, even a monster like him had someone that loved him for all his sins and cruelty. Holt had raised her since she was a little girl out in the slums, giving her a life better then the one she had found herself in. It may not have been a normal one, but it had been leagues better then being lost and alone in the world. His aura was dark and twisted, but to her, it was warm and comforting. Seemed that even monsters had hearts.

And he had killed him. What was worse was the fact he had never meant to cut him down. Jaune wanted to stop him from ever hurting another soul again, but he didn't want to stop him by killing him. Life was precious, his mother had always told him that. And he knew the feeling of dying to another, it wasn't pleasant. He had crossed a line he never wanted to cross. And it was all thanks to Adam.

The third Player he had met in The Game. One that was beyond his level right now. Adam had spared his life for no other reason then whim. And it looked like he was part of the White Fang, the same group that had ended his life the first time. If Jaune had never missed his attack and landed it against Adam, then Holt would still be alive.

Would that have been a good thing? Holt had clearly been lost in his own beliefs, even if Jaune had beaten him and had him locked up, the man would not have stopped, bidding his time until he had formed a way out. Holt was too prideful to give up on his path, only death would stop him.

Right and wrong were at war with another, trying to justify what he had done while blaming him for what had done. Or was he just naive? He was a huntsman in training, working on protecting the world of the threat of Grimm, not man.

In the end, he would have to live with his mistake. With the image of his sword painted by the color of another person's blood running along its edge. Sighing again, Jaune let his head fall back onto his hospital pillow, suddenly taking notice of his right arm heavily bandaged in a pearly white cast. He tried to flex the fingers, failing as they felt like lead. Why couldn't he feel it? The numbing sensation running along the entire arm was scary.

"I would stop trying to move your arm around, it took us two hours of surgery repairing the shattered bones in your arm and I wouldn't want to bloody up my clothing any more."

Blinking at the sound of a familiar voice, Jaune turned his eyes to the door of his hospital room, finding the tired green eyes of Nurse Spriggan closing the door behind her. Dark bags could be seen below her eyes, her elegant ponytail disheveled as she fought a yawn. What was she doing here? She watched over the injured in Beacon. Did she have a side job as a doctor or something?

"Ms. Sprig, what are you doing here?" Jaune couldn't help but ask, scratching his cheek as the nurse reached for a seat by the nightstand by his hospital bed. With his mind clearing, he could make out the IV hooked up to his arm. His upper body was wrapped with bandages and gauze, his lower body being the only part of him free of damage other then the soreness.

Man, did he mess his body up. It was a wonder he was still alive. Had to thank the physics of The Game for still kicking around.

Artemis grumbled to herself as she took a seat by his bedside, rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly before speaking, "I was originally enjoying a nice drink out Thursday night, when members of the FoF started running around abducting hidden White Fang members and innocent faunus. With so many being wounded, I had no choice but to play nurse and heal up the idiots too stupid to dodge. And naturally, since I was hired by Ozpin to take care of his students, I was messaged to follow after the police once they raided the hideout of the criminals to make sure you were all taken care of. That's when I found you." she glared, cursing the rules of the hospital for forbidding her from smoking. She needed something to take the edge off, "Bleeding out in the hands of your teacher with a shattered humerus bone, several gashes by what looked like sawing heated teeth, and just about exhausted to death. If your aura wasn't still up, you'd be dead."

Sounded about right, Jaune nodded stifly. Professor's Antheia's Ambrosia had saved his ass thanks to Velvet. Once he was all healed up and ready to leave, he was going to have to stock up on all the healing items he could get his hands on.

"And you stayed around to help?" Jaune asked, still not understanding why she was still here.

"I'm more then some simple nurse, you know?" Artemis answered, resting her weary head on her hand as she moved her arm to his bed, "Before the Headmaster found me months ago, I had been a combat medic under Atlas with training as a professional doctor. I know more then just scraps and sprains. With every available medic busy, I had begun working on you once we made it to Vale's hospital, it helped that I had already memorized your medical records since your first visit. I've been watching over you since then. Thanks by the way for the lack of sleep." she grumbled with a scowl.

Guilt overcame Jaune with her words. Didn't mean to cause her any trouble, "Sorry about that. I am grateful for you healing my wounds." Jaune smiled awkwardly.

"I'm owed more then grateful, kid. I'm sure I'll figure something out sometime." she yawned into her hand. Once this was all over with, she was heading off for some much deserved rest. And a smoke, maybe a beer or two, "And you're not completely healed. Your arm will take a week to heal and you'll be sore and weary for the next twenty four hours. Be grateful that's the least of your worries."

"I am. If grateful for all that you've done for me. I know I've caused you enough trouble back at Beacon." Training with Yang had him sent to Nurse Sprig's office more times then not. The girl did not understand the meaning of holding back. The pink haired nurse was probably fed up with seeing him constantly.

Artemis didn't care for the expression on Jaune's face. While she wasn't fond of bloodying her hands saving an idiot, she still cared for her patients. Scoffing softly, she flicked the depressed blonde's forehead, knocking him out of his funk as she grudgingly smiled, "Snap out of it. While I've lost my fair share of sleep, it's the least I could do for a hero like yourself." Seeing the look of confusion in his blue eyes, she continued, "The news has been blowing up with what happened and praising you kids for helping stop the FoF. You're a hero, even if you're an idiot."

Hero? Jaune's eyes dulled at the word, looking down at his bandaged hand resting on his lap. If that's what they thought, then they must not have known what he had done to Holt. No one would call a killer a hero. But, he weakly smiled, the thought of Blake, Velvet, and Cardin safe at Beacon bringing him out of his depression for the moment. He had saved his friends, at least he had done some good.

"I'm no hero, not with what I've done." he smiled somberly, shutting his eyes as the sight of Holt's bloody grin refused to leave his thoughts.

' _What's wrong, killer? Not happy having stepped up to being a man? You should thank the dirty faunus, he's given you something special. A killer instinct.'_

Dead men couldn't talk, right? That was a load of bull, Jaune thought as his fingers dug into his hospital blanket, nearly tearing through the fabric as he grit his teeth. Holt's words still reached him from beyond the grave, taunting him and congratulating him for his death. Looked like dead men still had voices.

Artemis frowned, having caught an all too familiar look in Jaune's blue eyes. Regret, shame, and emptiness. The kind of gaze she had seen in soldiers after they've been forced into doing something that would haunt them for the rest of their days. A kid like Jaune should not have such a look at his age, he was still a student. Seems that a lot more had happened below the city in the FoF's main hideout, tormenting the blonde knight.

"Maybe not, but you're something special to your friends." Artemis said softly, running her hands over the heavy cast of his left arm carefully. The memory of picking through the shards of bone and fixing them back together like a puzzle for his aura to heal sent a shiver across her skin. Definitely one of the most gruesome surgery's she had ever performed. "Don't bring yourself down with what happened, that look on your face doesn't fit you. You're not the brooding type, you're the dorky kind. I know your friends will be upset and worried if they walk in to such a depressing aura hanging over you. So, be grateful for the life I've saved, because I'm not sure if I'll be willing to save it again if this is what's going to greet me if I do." she winked as she tapped his nose playfully.

Jaune stared at Artemis blankly for a moment, blinking once before a slow smile grew on his face.

She was right, he wasn't the brooding type. If this kept up, he'd wind up like Ren. Their was no denying it, he had killed someone. Didn't matter if he meant to or not, nothing would change that fact. But that didn't mean he was anything like Holt or Adam. He wouldn't cross that line ever again, not if he had a choice. Jaune was better then that, better than them. And he would show them that.

Steeling his eyes, Jaune nodded his head, _'Just watch me, Holt._ _I'll show you a world not paved in blood or tears. Same to you, Adam. I'll stop whatever you're planning and make you regret sparing my life.'_ his blue eyes gazed at his bandaged hand, the memory of blood painting them slowly fading from his sight.

It wouldn't be easy, overcoming what he had done. His hands would forever be stained by the blood of his first kill to the next. But that wouldn't stop him, not when he had finally begun to prove himself as a huntsman worthy of attending Beacon. He could only grow stronger by it. If he had the power and strength to take a life then he had the power to save a life too.

"Thanks, Nurse Sprig. Seems you know more then just healing my body." Jaune grinned brightly, the dark aura hanging over him vanishing to nothing. Artemis smiled softly at the sight.

"My, my, seems that you must be better if your using such a flirty line on me. Careful, ladykiller, I'm sure you've got enough ladies chasing after you, don't need me falling for you." Like her friend, Ivy. Woman had an obsession with the blonde kid, saw him as a knight in white armor. Truthfully, she couldn't see what the plant loving professor saw, but looking into those blue eyes of his gave her a bit of an idea.

At that Jaune laughed sheepishly, "Nah, no one would fall for a loser like me. I'm nothing special. I'm just a regular guy."

True, she nodded. Maybe that was what made him special? He was just a regular boy, with wishes to be something more. Riches, glory, status, none of that meant a thing to him. All he wanted was to be seen as someone you could count on.

"Sure, let's go with that." she chuckled, patting his head affectionately before standing up. She stretched her back, grunting as her bones cracked. A smirk made its way to her face, catching a peek of Jaune staring at her, her chest popping up with the action before looking away with a blush. Still got it.

"Well, we'll be keeping you here for the day until further notice. Like I said, your left arm will take a week to heal properly, so no straining it and no combat classes until I say so. Your body will be sore for a few days as well due to muscle strain, lucky for you the doctors here will write you a prescription to handle the pain, and the stab wound along your ribcage has fully healed, but the area is still tender. An inch or two more, and we wouldn't be having this conversation. Other then some light scarring along your shattered arm, not counting the gunshot scar on your forehead," her green eyes glared at said scar, still not believing how he had survived to attain such a thing. The bullet would have broken through the skin, impacting on his forehead before somehow stopping it from exiting through his skull. It was mind boggling trying to think how he had escaped such a death, "You should be fine with some rest and medication. Won't be long till you're stumbling back into my office at Beacon with some scraps and bruises." she said in amusement.

Could not deny that. With how rough Yang fought in their training, he wouldn't stop coming by to bandage his wounds.

"Good to know. I've only just woken up and I'm already sick of sitting in bed. Wish I had my scroll to pass the time." Jaune sighed as he laid back against his bed. That would definitely eat up some time. Still needed to see what he had earned from finishing Trials by Fire.

Cocking her hip, Artemis gave the blonde boy a pout, "What? Talking with a pretty woman not good enough for you? I'm insulted."

"N-No, no! It's not that! You're gorgeous and pretty sexy in that nurse unifor-" Jaune froze mid-sentence, gulping suddenly as his hands clamped against his dirty mouth. His own thoughts were slipping past his lips dammit again.

Yup, Artemis nodded smugly, not doubt about it. Even when she was in a bloody doctors coat she could still drop jaws. Reaching into the pocket of her uniform, she tossed Jaune his scroll onto his lap.

"Stop blushing, I'm only poking some fun out of you. If you want your scroll so badly, there you go. Had a feeling you might want it while you wait to be visited by all your friends later today. Visiting hours start around nine in the morning and end at eight, just shy of night. Only four per visit, trust me, with all the people that want to see you, you'll understand why."

"That many people?" Jaune said in confusion. Other then his own team and team RWBY, who else would want to see him like this?

Artemis nodded, "You're a lot more popular then you think." Too bad one of his visits included being visited by an Atlas specialist. Did not want to be around when that happened.

Turning her back to Jaune, the pink haired nurse made her way towards the door, leaving him to mess with his scroll. She suddenly stopped, her fingers gripping the side of the door as Jaune paused what he was doing to look at her with confusion.

"You know, before Ozpin found me, I was retired from the practice of medicine and patching bodies together. Do you know why?"

Jaune shook his head with a light frown, wondering what the nurse was trying to say, "No, why did you retire? You seem to be a great doctor, you fixed my arm and saved my life. Even brought me out of my funk. Why would you retire with such a gift?"

"Because of idiots like yourself. Throwing your bodies to the grinder for some 'noble' cause, not caring about how much the people you fight for suffer at the mauled corpse you leave behind. I was tired of stitching your half dead bodies together, a person could only stomach so much gore before losing their emotions to save their sanity. I retired from the Atlas Military four years ago because I had lost someone dearly close to my heart stopping a wave of Grimm from invading a village along with many soldiers and was content simply working as a simple waitress instead of being elbow deep in blood. When Ozpin came to me with the offer of being a nurse at his school, I thought, what the hell? Paid really well and came with benefits. All I had to do was take care of a few bruises and an occasional broken bone. Until you came along." Her eyes looked back to Jaune, her face somber as her eyes saw through all the bandages and gauze to the ugly trauma beneath.

"Another 'hero' content with throwing away his life saving others, not caring about how much he suffers even while training. You remind me so much of 'him'. Seems no matter where I run, I will always find idiots such as yourself putting your lives on the line. Hmph, guess that's not much of a bad thing, we can at least trust in the faith we put in you. Just. . .try and take care of yourself from now on. You're the type of person who's death would leave behind a pile of broken hearts."

' _ **Congratulations! You've unlocked Artemis Spriggan's Friendship! You've unlocked a Perk! Fairies Grace, Unlocked!'**_

As the door shut behind Nurse Spriggan, Jaune smiled softly as the door clicked, staring at the new Friendship he had unlocked on his scroll. Guess his mother was right, there were friends all around him. The more he had, the stronger he became.

' _That's how I'll do it. I'll become stronger then every Player in this Game by the bonds created with every friend I encounter.'_ he thought in determination, gripping his scroll tightly. The Game rewarded a boost in EXP with every kill, making it easier to rise in Level then simply defeating their opponents, but that wasn't the path he would follow. It wasn't the only way he could become stronger, his friends would push him forward to break the limits of his abilities and achieve his own power, stronger then even Adam's. Even Ren, he would prove to him the strength of bonds. As long as he had them, Jaune would continue to fight and survive.

Reset after reset wouldn't fall onto him. He was finishing this game and stopping whatever being was playing puppet master with their lives. The Will, he had caught the snippet from both Husk and Adam, connecting it to his abilities almost like some Game Master. A being that decided what he was capable of, sounded like a god of some sort.

To kill a god? Jaune chuckled at the thought. There was so much he still didn't know about The Game. Just what was responsible for granting him and the other three Players these powers? Was it The Will he was hearing about? Or something beyond his imagination? Such thoughts were beginning to tire him out. Then again, he was coming down from multiple drugs sedating him. Looking around the hospital room he was stuck within for the moment, he caught eye of a few comfy chairs lined against the end of the wall in front of him, a small hologram screen beside him for watching movies from what he could guess, and white fluffy curtains of the window to his right. He quirked his eyebrow suddenly as he finally noticed all the bright flowers and balloons by his right, decorated neatly with stuffed animals and gift baskets. Reaching out for one of the many cards clipped to the flowers, plushies, and baskets, Jaune flipped it open.

' _Hope you get better soon, Jaune! Don't worry, as your fellow team leader and BFF, I'll copy down an extra set of notes in class for you! And I'll even bake you some of my famous double, NO! Triple chocolate chip cookies with strawberry filling! How I get the filling in is a secret. I can't thank you enough for saving Blake and Velvet. . . . .Thank you. You're my hero._

 _Ruby Rose.'_

A single tear ran down his face just as he reached for another.

' _Don't believe what Ruby tells you. Knowing her, whatever notes she copies will be a jumble mess of mistakes. I'll take care of your notes for you, and stop her from sending you back to the hospital from sugar poisoning. And expect a scolding once you regain the ability to think properly! Running into the fray like that, do you wanna die so young? . . .Thank you though, for saving Blake and Velvet. Words can not express the gratitude we have for what you've done. Guess you're more then just a doofus._

 _Weiss Schnee.'_

' _Yo, Vomit boy! Better watch out when you get out of bed next you see me, cause I'm going to break your back with the biggest hug you've ever felt! A hero like you deserves even a little smooch for saving my partner, wink, wink. But don't expect me to go easy on you when we go back to working on your hand to hand, it's obvious from how fucked up you looked that you need to work on it. I don't want to see you so messed up ever again, so expect to have your ass handed to you!_

 _XiaoLong from your very sexy buddy, Yang! Eh, eh, get it?'_

Even in letter form, her puns were terrible. Jaune laughed hoarsely as more tears ran down his face. He continued to read every letter, each one thanking him from the bottom of each writers hearts. For saving their leader, their best friend, their partner, their teammate, even wishing him well from the other students he hadn't even gone to know. His teachers even wrote to him, hoping for a fast recovery. Though Professor Antheia should have been watched over while she was writing, some of the things she had written down were burning his cheeks. Using wordplay and hidden meanings did not make it any less obvious what she was implying. It was official, his teacher had the hots for him. How the hell did it take him this long to realize that? Intelligence was both a boon and a bane.

And in each letter, he could feel how much he meant to each one of them. Despite the blood on his hands, they cared for him all the same. Wiping the tears off his face with the back of his hand, Jaune put down the last of the letters feeling a lot lighter then he did when he woke up. As long as he had his friends, he wouldn't lose his way, not with such words keeping him from falling into a deep hole of despair.

' _I wonder what the_ _y're_ _doing?'_ he thought out of curiosity and boredom. He did have a way to see. Focusing his powers into his scroll, Jaune brought out the Game Menu before going into Bonds and checking the status of his friends. Finding Ruby at the top, he clicked onto her to see what the little reaper was doing. Huh, seemed her status was connected to Weiss's too. Must both be hanging out with another.

Jaune stared blankly at the screen, watching as a chibi Ruby laid on the kitchen table of the dorms, her leg propped up and twitching as she dumped a bag of chocolates into her mouth with a goofy look on her face. Chibi Weiss was running circles around her, flailing her arms in the air with a shut eyed panic look on her cute face as the small oven near them bellowed black smoke. Tiny text bubble hung over their chibi forms just like the time he had checked Pyrrha's status.

 _ **'Chocolate~! Nomonom.'**_

 _ **'Fire! Run away from the fire! Save yourselves!'**_

Were they baking? Someone needed to call 911. A sudden cough of fire blew out of the mini oven, stopping chibi Ruby from her gorging to stare in in alarm at the now growing fire and cause chibi Weiss to jump on top of the table with her. _'. . . .I'm sure they'll be fine. Snow Angel can just freeze the fire if it becomes too much. I'm sure they've got it all under control.'_ Hopefully.

Time to see what the others where up to.

Chibi Yang was smiling happily with a hum in her dorm room along with Blake as they busied themselves packing some things in a basket, Chibi Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were walking somewhere, Cardin seemed to be doing the same along with Russel, Nurse Spriggan was smoking outside with a content smile, and Professor Antheia was watering plants happily. Almost forgot that he could check on them with his powers. With that out of the way, Jaune opened up his Quest and Special Events option. Trials by Fire was completed, time to see what he got out of it.

' _ **Trials by Fire, Completed! By defeating the Main Boss of the Event, you've Unlocked the Title 'Hero in Training', giving you a +10 in Charisma and trust of the Vale City Police. You've also been rewarded an HP Boost, Tectonic Devastation, and 7,500Lien! Congratulations on completing your first Special Event!**_

 _ **Special Event, Hospital Visits, Activated! This Event is Noncombat related. While this Event is active, EXP in Friendship and Affection is boosted. New Events may even pop up in the future on the outcome of each dialogue with each Character. Good Luck, there's more then one way to earn a broken bone other then combat.'**_

Jaune gulped at the notification. Getting some visits from his friends sounded good, it would break the boredom of simply waiting to be cleared of the hospital. But The Game always found a way to screw with him. The rewards were pretty good though. An HP Boost would come in handy after the beating he suffered. At least it provided a chance to level up his Frienship with everyone.

A frown made its way to Jaune's face as he noticed something. Of all the Friendships he had unlocked, the only one he hadn't unlocked was Ann's. After everything they've been through, he would have thought that he had gained her trust. Then again, he did kill Holt in front of her eyes. Not unlocking her Friendship made sense after what he'd done. He groaned, wondering what he could do to make things right. What happened to her after he was taken away? If Officer Church stopped by, and hopefully he did, he would have to ask him if she was in good hands.

For now, Jaune would simply have to wait. His body was still sore and he was starting to feel a slight pain from his broken arm now that the drugs were beginning to wear off. Now would be a good time to rest before he was bombarded with questions from his team and team RWBY. Shutting his eyes, Jaune shut off his scroll before taking a nap.

* * *

Jaune's little nap time lasted a good hour before his hospital room door was kicked wide open courtesy of an orange blur of pink and white. Blinking sluggishly, Jaune didn't have much time to think about the identity of his intruder before his face was smothered by the heavenly firm, yet bouncy, bosom of the one and only sobbing Nora Valkyrie. Said girl sobbed hysterically as she hugged her favorite, and only, leader tighter, rubbing her snot running face into his blonde mat of hair. If this was a cartoon, he was sure there would be a waterfall of tears springing of her eyes.

"Jaaaauuunnneee-Jaaaauuuunnneee!" Nora bawled, blowing her nose into his now sticky hair. Shower, he was going to need a shower after this.

Wait, how was he going to shower? He could barely fight with one hand, let alone bathe. Did that mean the nurses would give him a sponge bath? He couldn't help but blush at the thought, and the flesh pillows smothering his face. Was breathing optional at this point?

Walking into the room of his so called leader, Ren sighed at the sight of his partner suffocating the recovering blonde. Blue was not a good color for Jaune's face.

"Nora, please give Jaune some room to breath. We want him living, not dead." Ren lightly scolded. Well, they wanted him living. He himself was still on the fence about not driving his fangs into the naive blonde's skull.

Gasping for a breath of air as Nora reluctantly released her hold on her leader, Jaune nodded his head in thanks to Ren. Dying of suffocation by breasts was not on his list of deaths. He wasn't some masochist, dammit.

Sniffing back her tears, Nora laughed in embarrassment as she scratched her head. Got a little carried away there. It was just relieving to see Jaune up after how they had found him days ago. "Sorry, Jaune-Jaune! I'm just happy to see you awake! We. . .we were really worried about you, you know?" she said softly as she looked down her feet.

Guilt, thy old friend was back. It wasn't often that you would see such a look on bubbly Nora's face, it was as rare as a comet shooting across the night skies. Only it was a sight that you wished you didn't see. Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he smiled back at the orange haired hammer girl.

"It's alright, Nora. And I'm sorry that you had to see me like that. I know it must have been hard on everyone." he replied with a guilt stricken face.

Nora snapped her head to his guilty expression in confusion before smacking her cheeks and shaking her face off of her own depression, "No! You don't have to apologize for that. But you should apologize for not asking for our help before you ran off to play hero." she huffed, her cheeks puffing as she glared at her sheepish leader. Who did he think he was? One of the heroes in his comic books?

"I had my reasons." Jaune sighed as he laid back on his bed, "First, where is Pyrrha? I thought she'd be with you guys?" he asked, his eyes searching behind his teammates for his partner.

At that, Nora laughed nervously, "Yeah, see, the thing is, Pyrrha's kinda ticked off with you right now. She's actually behind the door right now."

"She is? Why won't she come in?"

"It's like Nora said, she's upset with you." Ren answered as he laid his back against said door. He shut his eyes, his senses picking up on the red aura of the spartan girl.

"You went off on some secret mission with the Vale City Police and didn't think twice about talking to us about it? And look where that got you, sitting in bed with a newly repaired arm after hours of surgery and blood transfusions. Something like that does tend to tick off your partner."

"And she's a girl! We tend to feel pretty emotional about these kind of things. We're ticking time bombs of raging emotions that can't be contained!"

"What she said." Ren motioned flatly to his grinning partner.

' _But I told you about it!'_ Jaune thought in annoyance, only to get a deadpanned stare in return. Almost as if he was saying he had nothing to do for his state of wear. And throwing him under the bus alongside him wouldn't do him any good.

"So, she won't talk to me, huh?" Jaune groaned. Great, just what he needed after waking up and realizing he was a killer. A pissed off girl friend. Not good.

"She will, after we're done visiting you. Says she wants some alone time with you." Nora grinned brightly.

"Good luck with that. She was going hard against the training drones the other day."

"Yeesh, must have destroyed her training partners."

"Training partners? Jaune, how long do you think you've been asleep?" Ren asked with an amused smirk.

Jaune frowned in thought, "I don't know? A day?" Didn't feel that long.

"Try three. It's Monday."

"THREE days?" Jaune stressed, whistling at the number. Man, was he out. Then again, he did nearly die, again and again. His body needed all the rest it could take. "What did I miss?"

"Not much, just a whole lot of worrying over your well being, making get well cards and pancakes, missing out on day of class, studying for the test we missed for tomorrow, and trying to wrap our heads around Cardin not being as big of a jerk as we thought." Nora said brightly.

"Other then guilt, and fear of said test, what's this about Cardin not being a jerk?" Jaune asked as he crossed his hands over his chest, "I thought you wanted to break his legs?" he said with a teasing grin.

"Break his legs? When did I ever say that?" Nora frowned.

Jaune winced at the slip of tongue. That's right, in this new timeline he wasn't bullied by Cardin, so Nora had never threatened to break his legs for messing with him all the time. He really had to be careful of what he said.

"I mean, I've thought about it whenever I saw him messing with faunus, but I've never said it out loud, you know?" Nora said before gasping dramatically, "Unless you're some kind of psychic! Quick, make me a balloon animal! Preferably a sloth."

"That's a clown, not a psychic."

"They both wear funny outfits and creep me out, so I beg to differ."

Moving on from that, "So, what's this about Cardin? What made you guys realize he wasn't such a bad guy?"

"Oh! Well, Velvet and Blake explained that Cardin was actually part of your hidden investigation. He was skipping school to gather information and when he found out that they were both kidnapped, he fought back to protect them. But the big boss was too strong and broke his arm until you showed up and saved the day!" Nora cheered as she threw her hands up, "I was actually surprised that Cardin's a good guy. He's still a racist, but at least he's willing to put that all aside to protect someone, even if they're a faunus. Didn't think he had it in him."

Ren nodded his head, his eyes still shut as he thought about said mace wielder. In every timeline he had passed, Cardin's personality had pretty much been the same. Racist, arrogant, prideful, had very little care about peoples opinion on him. Down the road he would sometimes turn over a new leaf, usually after the Fall of Beacon, or he would fall further down, eventually turning into an enemy that would block their way. But for him to change his personality so early, it was actually shocking. And it had been some time since Ren had been shocked by an NPC. Cardin seemed more tempered then ever before, as if he had some heavy weight lifted from his shoulders after years of enduring.

No doubt about it, whatever change had come over Cardin had to be the result of Jaune's actions somehow. That was the thing about Players, even the smallest actions by them could drastically change even the thought process of an NPC. Sometimes. There were certain NPC's hardwired to follow a certain pattern in personality, so even their actions were null to change their ways. It was why Cinder was never anything more then an Antagonist with every Reset, The Game refused to make her anything more.

' _Even when you're not trying to, you still seem to find a way to change people for the better.'_ Ren thought in a moment of fondness. Even as an NPC, Jaune had been capable of such a unique thing.

Still didn't change his thoughts on his leader. If he truly wished to prove to him he had what it takes to even try to beat The Game, he would have to show him he was ready for the grind. He had already gone through one step, a step all Players had to pass even NPC's. Their First Kill.

"How are Blake and Velvet doing anyways?" Jaune couldn't help but ask as the two girls popped into his head.

Nora waved her hand dismissively at the worried look on Jaune's face, "They're fine! Blake suffered a few sprained ribs and bruises, and Velvet suffered two lightly sprained ankles along with some ouchies. Hell, everyone came out fresh as daises compared to you." she frowned as she marched over to his bedside. She stared into his nervous eyes unflinchingly as she raised a single finger in the air, giving him a flat look before poking his heavily cast arm.

"Boop."

"OOOOOOWWWWWW! CHRIST, HOW STRONG IS YOUR FINGER?!" Jaune shouted in pain as he nearly jumped out of his bed. Why did that hurt so much? It was under layers of bandages for gods sake!

"And that's what you get for charging in like an idiot. The pain you're feeling now is nothing compared to the hurt we suffered when we found you." Nora glared as she sat down on the seat pulled next to his bed. The memory of his near beaten, bloody body flashed before her eyes, causing her to grip onto the railing of his bed tightly to the point of bending the steel, "You know we all thought you were dead when we found you lying in a dried puddle of blood next to some strange girl and a dead man. Yang had been the first among us to break out of shock and check for your pulse. It was so weak, but the professors said that your aura was keeping you alive despite how horribly wounded you were. If you didn't have it up. . .we wouldn't be talking right now." A slim tear ran down Nora's cheek, dropping onto Jaune's pearly white sheets to stain.

People always assumed that Nora was just a goofy, hyperactive, pancake obsessed, sloth loving huntress in training, that nothing could ever get her down. Well, they were wrong. Even she couldn't smile when her friend had nearly been killed doing something stupid he could have gone to his friends, his teammates, for help with. Jaune was their leader, their friend, yet he couldn't trust them to have his back? What was the point of being in a team if they couldn't even protect each other from something like this happening to one of them? It pissed Nora off that he had left them in the dark for who knows how long, but in the end, she was simply happy he was still alive with them.

If her leader died, Nora wasn't sure she'd ever be able to smile honestly ever again.

Cleaning of the stray smudge off her tear, Nora gently ran her hands along Jaune's broken arm, "We're your friends, Jaune. Knowing you were fighting off some insane maniac hell bent of humanizing an entire species of people by yourself tends to make us worried for your safety. It really hurts, knowing you didn't trust us enough to even have your back. Makes me feel like it was our fault." she said in guilt.

"IT'S NOT!"

Snapping out of her depressed mood, Nora was taken by surprise as she found Jaune's left hand grabbing onto her wrist as he shouted loudly. Ren's eyes flew open at the sudden rise in volume and anger, quirking a brow at the fierce look on Jaune's face.

Jaune shook his head as he stared directly into Nora's seafoam green eyes, "Nora, what happened to me wasn't anyones fault but my own. And it's not like I didn't think about telling you guys about all the undercover stuff. For the last month, all these secrets have been eating away at my soul, I've barely gotten a good nights rest with all the things I've kept from you guys keeping me up. But I had to leave you all in the dark, I had to do this on my own. Otherwise, what kind of leader would I be for leading my team into danger and risking their lives because of what I wanted?"

Saving Ann from Holt's shadowy reach had nothing to do with his team. Look at what fighting their leader did to him, he had nearly died. There was no way in hell that he would take a chance on any of them suffering the same as he did. The burden would fall on him and him alone. God knows the amount of crushing guilt he would suffer if any of them had so much as broken a finger.

"Now that I think back on it, all this started because I wasn't telling the truth. Hell, I'm still lying now. A guy like me should have died fighting a man like Holt with the lack of training I have."

"Lack of training? Jaune, I don't know if you know this, but you were accepted into Beacon because you're so strong. How else would you have gotten accepted?" Nora asked with a small grin.

And there was the origin of every mess he had gotten into. Lie Number One. The one that should have been discovered ages ago, yet had surprisingly enough had never been found by anyone other then Pyrrha and Cardin. Did no one ever question how a loser like him got accepted into Beacon with zero wins under his belt in combat class? Or was that some unspoken rule?

"Try fake transcripts." Jaune sighed as he scratched his cheek with a look of shame, "I. . .wasn't exactly accepted into Beacon because of my awesome grades or even recommendations. I bought some fake transcripts and I lied. I never went to a combat school, just a regular civilian school where I learned normal stuff that didn't involve hunting monsters. I'm not strong like you and Yang, I'm not fast like Ruby and Ren, I'm not gifted with some awesome semblance like Pyrrha and Weiss, I'm not even agile or sneaky like Blake. I'm just a regular guy who wanted to become something more, a warrior like my father, and his father, and his father before, all the way to my great great grandfather who fought in the Great War. I don't belong here in Beacon, not like you guys, I'm just a fake trying to play hero." he admitted in regret.

How hard did everyone have to work for their spot here in Beacon? How many times had they hurt themselves, trained from day to night, studied hours after hours, and slaved over the mechanics of their weapons, to get where they are now? And here he had strut in with zero experience and training acting like he belonged alongside them. A nobody like him had no right to call himself a huntsman in training.

"That's a load of bull."

"Eh?" Jaune asked in confusion as he suddenly found Nora's finger poking his forehead.

Nora nodded her head firmly, "So what if you lied your way in? That doesn't change the fact that you do deserve to be here with us. I don't know where all this low self-esteem is coming from, but it needs to stop. You may not believe this, but you're strong, really strong. You've been doing a decent job in combat class, you're passing the rest of your classes just fine until you started this undercover stuff, and you saved a whole bunch of people by stopping some boss of a terrorist organization. I bet, that if you were to take the entrance exam right now, sans the broken arm, you'd pass with flying colors."

"Aren't you at all surprised by my fake transcripts?" Jaune asked, a little stunned by the orange haired girls words.

"If I am surprised at all, it's that you think you had to lie to get into Beacon Academy. Even if you don't trust us, we still think you're a great leader. And friend." Nora grinned happily.

Ren shrugged his shoulders from the door of the room, "What she says." Wasn't at all surprising seeing as he had known about the transcripts for many years.

Jaune was speechless. Telling them about what had been his darkest secret had always been a fear of his until he had told Pyrrha that night on the rooftop in a fit of anger. And after what had happened with Cardin in Forever Fall, he had been scared to death telling the rest of his team about it. Only for them to react the same way. He smiled.

Some things never changed.

Lifting himself to sit up right, Jaune suddenly brought Nora into a one armed hug, taking the girl by surprise at the new action. In all the time they had known each other, Nora was always the one to initiate the hug, having him do it first was new.

"I do trust you guys, I'm sorry I made you doubt otherwise. Next time I'm dragged into some undercover mission to stop some maniac, I'll be sure to let you all know first. We're a team after all, we stick together no matter."

It was Nora's turn to remain speechless in the warm embrace by the normally goofy knight. Here she was chewing him out, and now she couldn't think of a word to say. She couldn't help but grin as she hugged back lightly, careful not to aggravate any of his wounds.

For some weird reason, her soul felt. . .relieved at the feeling of his beating heart. Like it had missed its rhythmic beat after so long. Weird.

' _ **Nora Valkyrie's Friendship has gone up! You've Unlocked Thunder Strike! You've Unlocked a Perk! Valkyrie's Blessing, Unlocked!'**_

No ship like Friendship.

Releasing their embrace, Nora affectionately ruffled Jaune's hair as she stepped back with a blush. Thinking back to the first day she had met the awkward blonde, she never had her doubts about him, especially with how he handled himself in their first fight with the Deathstalker. Yet he still doubted himself, never believing he was good enough. Looked like it would be up to them to make him see how great he was.

"Good to know, I don't like being left out of city saving adventures. I crave action! . . .And pancakes. Ren?" Nora grinned hopefully as she set her eyes on her passive partner.

Ren sighed, chuckling to himself softly, "I suppose I can whip up another batch once we go back to Beacon. We just have to wait for Pyrrha to finish talking to Jaune."

"Oohhh." Nora winced, "Should I just say my final words to him then? Because Pyrrha's going to tear him a new one."

"I suddenly feel very unsafe in this hospital."

"Sounds about right." Ren said smugly as he stepped off the door. "We should really give them the room to themselves. They have a lot to talk about." Did not want to be around when Pyrrha chewed into him, as fun as that sounded. Nora nodded her cheerfully before getting off her chair and skipping towards her friend. Reaching for the doorknob, Ren was ready to exit the room and wait for the spartan to finish her talk with their leader only to sigh as a famaliar sensation fall over the world.

Should have seen that coming.

"What is that you want now?" Ren asked with some annoyance as he turned back to the bedridden blonde knight. Jaune frowned at him, his fingers digging into his covers tightly.

"Who's Adam?"

Ren scowled deeply, returning to laying back against the door as he crossed his arms.

"I take it you met him? I thought the wound across your back looked familiar. He's known to deal a clean slice with that chokuto of his, I've felt his blade against my skin many times before as well." he acknowledged with a grunt. Seeing Jaune continue to frown at him, Ren decided to continue.

"Adam is known as the 'leader' of the White Fang. He's also the second one of us to be granted the power of The Gamer, he's Player Two. And the only one to still be playing against The Game. Compared to the rest of us, you could say he's the strongest among us, and that's only because the first one to be granted this curse doesn't care for the games we play."

"Leader of the White Fang, huh?" Jaune whispered as he held where the stab wound Adam had inflicted on him laid. So, Blake had worked with him once before, with a monster like him? He could still remember the heavy aura surrounding the redheaded man. No wonder she had left. Even worse, he was part of The Game.

' _You should really thank me for pushing you into your first kill, now it will only get easier.'_

Hate seeped into Jaune's being at the memory of his sword cutting through Holt and the man who was responsible for his first kill. Adam had played him the entire time, setting him up as he dodged his power strike with his incredible speed. What made it worse was the fact he hadn't been planning on him killing the leader of the humanizers, his original target had been Ann. If Holt hadn't regained consciousness and switched places with the blue haired girl then it would be Ann's blood haunting him.

Jaune didn't want to say it, but he was relieved that Holt had taken Ann's place. Killing her would have been more traumatic then his death.

"If he's so strong, why did he leave me alive? What good does that do him?" Jaune couldn't help but ask his fellow Player. Ren had known the guy from the sounds of it, maybe he understood how he thought.

"I'm guessing it's because you pose an ongoing challenge, you possess potential." Ren didn't want to admit it, but Jaune was actually powerful in his own right. Once he understood what he was capable of he would grow into a fine leader and strategist. With how bored Adam usually became after several runs, the bull faunus most likely saw an opportunity for a conflicting force to entertain him. Sparring Jaune had planted hate into him, "Adam sees you as an obstacle, one that will won't quite until you've stopped him from achieving his wish. He's playing on your hero complex to oppose him in the long run of this game. Leaving you alive must have planted some negative emotions, he could have killed you then and there but chose to spare you because he could. And knowing the kind of person you are," he scoffed amusingly as he caught the blonde dig his finger's into his blanket in frustration, "You're pride has taken a hit. He made you feel weak, took away your control, and it upsets you."

"Course it does. What Adam did was completely different to the times I was bullied by Cardin." Jaune nodded his head stiffly, "Every fight I've been through so far has been against opponents levels above me, literally. But I've come out of each one by trying my hardest and using my head. I was already on my last leg when Adam had shown up and took both me and Holt out like it wasn't even worth the effort. Even if the both of us had been at full health, I'm sure Adam wouldn't drop a sweat to kill us."

"He's been playing The Game longer then I can remember. Even if he was lvl1, he could still take out even the most well trained huntsman on his skill alone."

"He could have killed me, Ren." Jaune shut his eyes, his body trembling with emotion as he thought back to the redheaded Player grinding his heel onto his head like he was dirt, "All the progress that I've struggled to earn would have been for nothing if he killed me. And I would have had to start all over again, losing the friends I've found. Someone with that kind of power is a Player, and he wants the genocide of humanity? I can't let him go through with that."

Ren shrugged his shoulders, "Why not? He's been close to accomplishing his plans many times before. But The Game always Resets before he could take his first steps to bringing about such a world. Until this game ends, we don't have to worry about such genocides. Everyone he kills will simply be brought back to life on the next world."

"Well, I'm not like you. I can't easily ignore the loss of human or faunus life. Guess my hearts too big to let me not care about people." Jaune smiled sadly as he stared up the white ceiling.

At first, Jaune had planned on beating The Game simply to prove to Ren that it was possible, and that if they worked together they could stop whatever force was manipulating them. He wanted to set his friend free of his burden. Now, he really had no choice in the matter. If Adam was planning on reaching The End by leaving behind a trail of bloody corpses in his path, then Jaune would simply stop him with whatever power he could gain. All this was about saving the lives around him, not the glory or the prize of some ultimate risk free wish.

Ren continued to stare at his leader. Why did he think that convincing Jaune of all people to abandon what awaited him would work? A hero was a hero for a reason, their selfless attitudes and heart would always push them to never give up. Even if said hero had a weak spine and acted like a dork most of the time. Sighing tiredly, Ren nodded his head. It wasn't as if he was heartless, just tired of it all. And why worry about the lives of billions when they would resurrect in the next Reset to live their lives all over again? He understand Jaune's reasoning, as futile as it was.

"You at least have some understanding of what awaits you now after going through your first event. You'll come close to death many more times after today, and you'll be forced to kill again if you want to save even an NPC." Seeing the startled look on Jaune's face, Ren nodded, "I saw Crocea Mors blade, it was painted with an excess of blood, connecting that to the dead boss close by wasn't difficult. Whether you like it or not, you'll be forced to do it again." Before Jaune had become a Player, he had crossed that line time after time to protect the people he cherished. There was no escaping it now that he had killed his first.

Jaune scowled but chose not to say anything now. Ren would just call him naive for believing he didn't have to kill anyone to progress.

"And as much as I cherish these conversations of ours," Ren said sarcastically as he turned back for the door, "I have to head back to prepare lunch for later. So, if you don't have anymore questions to waste my time with?"

Shaking his head, Jaune sat back with a tired grin, "Nope, not right now. I do need all the rest I need for Friday."

"Friday?"

"The trip to Forever Fall. Where I'm going to prove to you just how strong I am, and that it's not too late to still try and beat this game we're trapped in."

"It's not just about strength, Jaune." Ren frowned, "There is more to it then that. I doubt you'll understand, but I guess I'll have to humor you if it means beating you will make you stop bugging me."

Not giving Jaune a chance to say anymore, Ren ended the pause with a snap of his finger. Opening the door, he stepped out, pausing for a moment outside the door. Pyrrha's hesitant green eyes gazed back at him, the spartan girl standing right next to the open door to her partner's room in her uniform. She had skipped out on changing out of it to see her partner as quick as possible.

"He's all yours." Ren smiled gently as he patted her shoulder, "Just don't break him anymore then he is now. He's our beloved leader after all."

Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment as she nodded her, steeling her features soon after. Her partner had a lot to answer for.

"I'll try not to make him feel worse then he already does, but I can't make any promises." she joked before stepping into the room.

With the shut of the door behind her, Ren went along his way to find his own partner. Probably harassing the hospital kitchen staff for their crappy cooking and lack of buttermilk pancakes. Better to find her quick before the hospital sent their team a bill on damages.

Sweat ran down Jaune's face as Pyrrha entered the room, her face not so pleased in the state he was left in after the events of the last few days. She drummed her fingers against her crossed chest, her frown deep as she walked to his bedside. No words were said as silence fell upon the room.

Did it just get chilly? Next time Jaune saw the nurse, he was asking for more blankets because he was freezing up in here. Swore he could see his own breath.

Taking a seat, Pyrrha's gazed stayed on her partner till they fell upon his broken arm. The memory of blood and even bone poking out of the appendage sprang up, causing her to flinch and run her fingers across the cast.

"What were you thinking, Jaune?" Pyrrha whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow.

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, failing to find the right words to ease his partner's thoughts as he looked down in shame.

Tears pricked Pyrrha's eyes in response to the blonde knight's silence, "Jaune, speak to me. We're more then just partners, we're friends. And I'm tired of all these secrets you've been keeping from me. Why would you not tell me about working with the police to bring down a group of criminals, about the girl you've been hanging around with, or the fake transcripts that allowed you into Beacon?"

"You. . .know about the transcripts? And Ann?" Jaune asked in surprise. Seemed officer Church had covered for him with his business with the FoF, but he hadn't said anything about faking his way in or Ann. How did she know?

"The hospital doors aren't exactly thick, you know?" Pyrrha chuckled softly as she rubbed her eyes of any tears, getting a nod of understanding from Jaune, "As for Annabel, I actually had a chance to talk to her before one of the officers escorted her away. She was being treated for her wounds and after convincing an officer by the name of Kris to let me talk to her, she explained everything to me. I told her I was your partner and she felt it was only right to give me the uncensored version of what you've been up to for almost a month." The frown returned to Pyrrha's face, growing deeper as she recalled everything the blue haired girl had revealed to her. Underground blood sports, sneaking into a hive of criminal activity, running back top secret information which if caught would spell his death, and even betting his own life against the creatures of Grimm with only a hunter's knife at his disposal? It sounded ridiculous, but it did explain Jaune's weary state the last few weeks and the bruises and scratches on his face when he came back from his trips to Vale.

The fake transcripts weren't even an issue for Pyrrha. If anything, it confused her that Jaune would think the only way he could get into Beacon with his schools was to fake his way in. He was plenty strong as it was, the only thing he was lacking was confidence. That, and intelligence. Going on such a secret undercover mission with no one behind him proved that he wasn't exactly smart.

But what hurt the most, was that he wouldn't trust her of all people. They were partners, teammates, for the rest of their stay in Beacon they needed to protect one another and help each other. Not since the day she had met him during Initiation did they even have a chance to really hang out with another. How were they suppose to trust another if they didn't even spend time together? Where had the awkward blonde with a dorky yet charming smile go?

"I'll ask you again, what were you thinking when you agreed to all of this? Look where it's left you! Laying in bed with a broken arm, numerous wounds and bruises, weak from blood loss, and is that a bullet scar on your forehead?" she moved closer to his face, not caring about the closeness as she parted his hair back a bit to see the almost gash like scar from the impact of a bullet. Just another scar that panged her heart.

"I was thinking about saving a friend from from all this mess." Jaune admitted, holding back a blush as he got a good look into Pyrrha's eyes. Were they always so green like emeralds? Shaking off the slight daze, he continued, "When I had first gone off on my own to Vale, I met this girl who didn't have enough money to pay for her breakfast, naturally I paid for it without any thought of getting anything in return. But she was adamant in paying me back the five Lien, giving me her number just so we could meet up again to pay be back with interest." Jaune couldn't help but laugh a little. Come to think of it, this whole series of events had started with five simple Lien. The smallest things could change so much. "After a few days had gone by, she messaged me to met up in Vale. We met up and went out for some food, but she was so stingy with her money that I paid for both our meals. Which lead to her telling me of a way to make more money as a payback. After seeing her off, I was going to head back to Beacon before the police following her took me in for questioning."

"That's why you had been locked up for night?" Pyrrha asked, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah, they weren't exactly gentle about it back then." Jaune laughed sheepishly. Still had nightmares about Barbie's belt whipping. "From there, one thing lead to another, and suddenly I found myself working along with the police to bring down the Friends of Faunus. All I asked for in return was that they reduced whatever punishment was in store for Ann. She may have been a criminal, but all I could see was someone who simply needed a friend to watch out for her." his eyes turned to blue steel as he spoke, reflecting his lack of regret in what he had done. Pyrrha was actually taken back by such a look, the determination in his eyes speaking volumes of his actions.

"I'm sorry, for everything. For worrying you whenever I came back beat up, for lying to you about what I was doing, and for nearly dying on all of you. I understand why you're so upset with me, and I don't blame you or being angry. But I won't regret saving my friend."

Pyrrha shut her eyes as she collected her thoughts. Past the determination she could make out how sorry he felt about his actions. But he didn't regret what he had to do to save his friend. It lessened her anger a bit. Still, she sighed as she opened her eyes to glare at the blonde. He wasn't getting off that easy.

"I can understand your reasoning, but I'm still upset with you. We're your team, if you can't trust us, then how will we be able to work together? How can I trust someone who I don't even know? Half the time I feel like you're a stranger, I don't even know your favorite color." she smiled sadly.

' _But you do! At least, you did.'_ Jaune ground his teeth in frustration. That's when it hit him, the realization of his lack of actions.

Back in the first timeline, Pyrrha had unlocked his aura and trained him to fight. She was his mentor, they use to hang out with each other every night as they trained. They had spent so many nights talking with another, learning about their favorite food, colors, music, and so on. Like Nora and Ren, they had become best friends, trusting each other with whatever problems that plagued their minds. The beautiful green eyes gazing at him sadly were different though. They lacked the trust they once had. He had no one else to blame but himself.

Jaune wasn't the same blonde that needed her help when they had first met. No longer did he need her to train him every night, with his new growth and past experience he could finally stand his ground in a fight. He wasn't a burden to her any longer, he wasn't the damsel in distress. But because of that, they no longer hung out as mush as they did. Their bond was lost in the Reset and he hadn't done anything to make it as strong as it once was.

Compared to his first life, they were simply two people working as partners, not as best friends. That special bond was no longer there. And the thought of that made Jaune's eyes tear up as he looked into those hurt green eyes that no longer held the same memories of their times together.

' _I'll be damned if let that continue any longer! Just because the memories are lost, doesn't mean we can't make new ones just as special!'_

Sniffing lightly, Pyrrha reached her hand back, only to be startled as she found Jaune's bandaged hand grabbing onto her wrist. The action brought a blush to her face, growing deeper as his expression became sterner. Damn his boy pretty features! How could she keep up her composure when he was so close with a face like that?

"White."

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, "What?"

Jaune grinned brightly at her, "That's my favorite color, white. My favorite thing to eat is dinosaur chicken nuggets with mash potatoes and gravy, and I love to eat Pumpkin Pete's cereal for breakfast every morning. I also love to read Xray and Vav, play Grimm Hunters, I still sleep in my onesie, and I think I'm allergic to tree sap."

Still looking at the blonde in confusion, it finally hit Pyrrha as a smile broke out on her face, She giggled, already knowing most of what he said from living with him. His favorite color though, that was new. Matched his aura, what a coincidence. The redhead girl shook her head, rubbing her eyes of any tears as she grinned back.

What was she thinking? She knew plenty about him, just because they didn't hang out as much as others didn't mean their bond wasn't as strong. What they had was special. Odd as it was, it felt like she had known him her entire life, her soul could feel it, just how special he was to her. Seeing him so wounded had made her upset, making her say such untrue things. Now she felt guilty.

"How can you think you're allergic? It's either you are, or you aren't?" she asked with a teasing smirk.

"If a doctor hasn't said anything about an allergic reaction when I was born, then I can't be sure that it's responsible for my puffy face and difficult breathing."

"Right." Pyrrha drawled. Noticing that he was still gripping onto her wrist, she coughed awkwardly as she gave it a little tug. Jaune sputtered as he let go, blushing as he apologized. The two laughed at the situation, the heavy air between them vanishing as everything returned to normal.

Just another new memory to add to their bond. One he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

' _ **Pyrrha Niko's Affection and Friendship has risen! A new Skill has been unlocked! Victory Rush, Unlocked!'**_

For the moment, Jaune ignored the newest notification as he smiled softly at his friend, "When I'm all better and ready to leave this place, we should all go out. Head to the arcade or something, maybe stop by for some pizza?"

Pyrrha nodded her head happily, "Sounds grand! I'd love nothing more then for all of us to spend time together." Though a small part of her would have loved it more if just the two of them went out. Like a date. Well, for now she would simply have to play her cards right and hope to get through that thick headed skull of his.

Maybe she should just throw it all out the window and buy a giant sign declaring her affections for the dense blonde?

* * *

"It's Weiss's fault! She had one job! ONE JOB!"

"I wasn't trained for this kind of thing! Back home, I had a butler who did these kind of things for me. How was I suppose to know that cookies can randomly detonate into an inferno?"

"You bring shame upon this school dorm, SHAME!"

"And what of yourself? All you were doing was stuffing yourself silly with chocolate chips! It's not my fault you weren't watching the oven. And who replaces the school issued fire extinguisher with whip cream?"

"Someone who's willing to put her whole team in danger for a quick laugh! Yang?"

"I regret nothing! Only that I wasn't there to see it all go down."

Jaune watched the little scene between team RWBY with a quirked brow as he busied himself eating a nice plate of shrimp fried rice courtesy of the blonde of the female team. Surprisingly, it was pretty tasty. Who knew Yang had it in her? Or that she could sneak a basket full of warm home cooked food past the hospital staff.

After Pyrrha had left with a promise to visit again soon, Jaune had a good half hour to himself to read over his new skill. Victory Rush was an ability that increased his Strength by 5% with every victory for a limited time. A pretty useful skill whenever he was locked in a battle against multiple opponents. Once he was settled back into his bed, his stomach began to let itself be known as it growled. When was the last time he ate again? Feeling the ache of hunger set upon him, Jaune was ready to press the call button to get some food sent up when the girls of RWBY barged into his room. And with them they brought the answer to his aching stomach. Sweet food.

His eyes gazed at the plate of charcoal black remains of what he was told were once cookies, still lightly smoking by the small table by his bed. Desert wasn't an option it seemed.

Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss sat around his bed with plates placed onto tv tray tables. Where they got them from, he had no idea. He was still trying to figure out how they got the food in here unnoticed. Smiling at their company, Jaune dug back into his food, licking his lips as he brought another spoonful of the delicious rice to his mouth.

"Shit!" he suddenly flinched, a sharp pain splitting against his hand causing him to drop his spoon. A small mess of veggies, shrimp, and rice fell onto him as he stretched his hand to relive the pain.

Blake rolled her eyes as she set down her plate. Seeing as she sat on his right, she quickly cleaned up the mess before taking his spoon from him. "What did we say about taking it easy? As if eating with your less dominant hand wasn't easy enough, the doctors said that your left hand was also sprained. If you're having trouble eating, all you have to do is ask for help." she sighed in the face of his sheepish grin. Looked like she was just going to feed him herself.

"Awww, look, Rubes." Yang cooed with a grin at the sight of Blake feeding Jaune, "Our little bookworm is getting friendly with Vomit Boy. Gotta thank her hero somehow I suppose. I honestly think a kiss is much more rewarding though, don't ya think?" she wiggled her brows teasingly at the blushing pair.

"It's fine, Blake. Just a little sting." Jaune smiled weakly as he waved the spoon of rice away from his face, "I can feed myself."

"No, you can't. You've only just woken up after hours of surgery and rest, you're still unfit to even walk, let alone feed yourself." Blake argued before shoving it into his mouth.

Weiss nodded as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, "She's right. I'm still surprised you're even awake. They said it would take five days before you regained conscience. Seems you're just full of surprised, aren't you?"

Swallowing his food, Jaune gave Weiss a charming smile, "Well, I couldn't stay asleep with the thought of my Snow Angle waiting for me."

"Really? You come back from nearly dying, and the first thing on your mind is flirting with me?"

"The heart wants what the heart wants-Ow!" Jaune winced suddenly as Blake missed his mouth and stabbed her spoon onto his sore cheek. A flat stare looked back at him in response.

"Oops, I missed." she replied dryly.

"Ignoring our little Blake's new found jealousy, you were still in the middle of telling us about what you were doing in the hideout of the FoF." Yang prodded, ignoring the indignant glare on her partner's face. He was getting to the good part.

At the mention of his storytelling of the events that went down days ago, Jaune nodded his head before going into thought of where he left off. Parts of the story had to be left out of course, couldn't have them discovering he could use magic, one of the big no-no's Ren had warned him about., "Right, well I had just broken my arm shattering Holt's chain clever when he threw one of its shards at me to fight with. He said that one of us wasn't making it out of there alive, and he was more then fine with leaving himself." he sighed somberly, the memory refusing to leave him.

"So, what did you do?" Ruby couldn't help but ask softly. It was one of the questions they were afraid to ask once they had calmed down after saving him. Beside him had been a dead body, from the very man who had kidnapped Blake and Velvet, in a dried pool of his own blood. And in Jaune's hand was Crocea Mors, its metal blade painted dark red.

Jaune struggled to speak for a moment, scowling sadly as he spoke, "I was going to knock him out, I wasn't going to stoop to his level. But Ann had stopped us before we could continue fighting again. And for a moment, I thought she had gotten though to him, he was hesitating for a second. But that changed when the leader of the White Fang barged in and stabbed Ann through the back." he growled, his fingers balling into his sheets.

Rice fell onto his lap again suddenly as Blake lost her grip on his spoon in shock. Her eyes trembled, her heart stopping. _'_ _Adam?'_

"Blake, are you alright?" Weiss asked in worry as everyone noticed the quite girl's frozen demeanor.

Shaking off the shock, Blake smiled in apology as she got to cleaning the mess she made, "No, sorry. I just remembered I forgot my special copy of Ninja's of Love back at our dorm room. I was going to let Jaune borrow it while he was resting." she replied quickly, making up an excuse on the spot. Inwardly she was smacking her head.

Yang quirked a brow, "You were going to lend him your porn while he stayed in the hospital? He only has a one hand, and it's not his dominant. Kinda hard to enjoy 'em, unless you plan on sticking around to help him out?" she said with a husky grin.

"I don't get it." Ruby plainly blurted as Weiss hid her blushing face, "All he's doing is reading, how could she help him? No, wait." she smiled brightly as she smacked her head, "He can't turn the pages with one hand. I see why he might need help with that."

Innocence, what a beautiful thing. Also hilarious in its own way.

"Right." Jaune coughed into his fist as he fought the hot blush on his face. That image wouldn't be leaving him soon, "Moving on. The leader of the White Fang came out of no where and attacked us, knocking away Holt before setting his sights on Ann. I tried to protect her, but he was too strong. And when he broke her wrist, I lost control." he grudgingly sighed, losing his appetite as he fell back and stared at his hand, "I ran to stop him, putting everything into my next strike. But he vanished, dodging my swing so that I would cut down Ann instead. But, Holt used the last of his aura and energy to switch places with her, taking the blow instead. I lost control of myself after that, attacking the leader in a blind rage before he ran me through with his blade. I passed out from my injuries moments later" A sad smile made its way to his face.

"Heh, when I think about it, despite everything he had done, he still had a heart. He would rather throw away his life after everything he's done to fulfill his ideals then let her die. Guess even bad guy's have families they care about."

You could call Holt what you may, but you couldn't say he didn't love his foster daughter. The best he could do is remember the man the way Ann saw him instead of the sociopath that attacked Vale.

"So, you killed him?" Weiss said slowly, getting a slow pained nod as he looked down mutely.

"I. . .I didn't mean too. I couldn't stop my sword in time before it. . ." he couldn't say anymore, growing silent as his eyes went distant.

What else could be said in the face of a murderer? Blood stained his hands and he was responsible for his death. Wouldn't be surprised if they all left him after hearing about what he had done.

"It's not your fault, so stop dragging yourself in a funk."

"Hmm?" Jaune moved his head up in surprise, finding his beloved Snow Angel's icy blue eyes glaring back at him. Why wasn't she looking at him in horror or disgust? He did kill a man. Stuff like that tends to turn people away.

Rolling her eyes, Weiss nodded her head, "While the thought of you killing another human being is shocking, you had no other choice in the matter. You can't change what you've done in the last few days, but you can choose to move past it. We're huntsman, it's our job to protect the people from threats, even human. And while there may have been another way to settle things, you're hand was manipulated. In the end, what you did still saved lives. Poor Velvet would have been amputated if you hadn't stepped in, and god only knows what they had planned with Blake."

' _Guess she found some way to hide her ears when they found her.'_ Not surprising seeing as Blake was still sensitive about revealing her secret to her team. Which didn't make much sense when Cardin of all people came to accept her. A little. Tolerating another sounded much better.

"Weiss's is right." Yang nodded with a small grin.

"Aren't I always?"

"Quiet you. It's a bad rap that you killed the guy, but you didn't mean to do it. You aren't a killer like the rest of those assholes, you're Jaune. The dork who vomits whenever he step foots on a moving vehicle."

"I keep telling you! It's a much more common problem then you think!"

"Right." Yang nodded along sarcastically, "Point is, what happened, happened. As long as you continue to act like the same lovable idiot we've come to love, then we have nothing to worry about. So you shouldn't be feeling down about it, especially when you have four very attractive ladies surrounding you." she leaned forward provocatively, pushing out her chest with a seductive smile.

' _ **Yang Xiao Long's Friendship has risen! You've Unlocked a new Ability! Temper Surge, Unlocked!'**_

"Love is a strong word. Tolerate sounds much more acceptable in this case." Weiss nodded as she crossed her arms. Jaune wasn't the type to go crazy with blood lust after his first kill, he was the type who would fall into a pit of his own despair for years, never to come out due to the blood on his hands. And while he wasn't her favorite of friends in Beacon, he was still one she wasn't comfortable seeing in such a state. Loath she was to admit, but he was much more himself when he was flirting with her shamelessly whenever they passed another. He was a bumbling goof of a hick who didn't know his place or status and nothing more.

No one in the world would ever hear her say it out loud, not even if they were to threaten to slit her throat on the spot, but. . .that's how she preferred him. To always be stumbling over himself with a bright smile at the sight of her, not her name as a Schnee. She wouldn't have it any other way.

' _ **Weiss Schnee's Friendship has risen! You've Unlocked a new Skill. Angel's Radiance, Unlocked!'**_

"She's right, well, Yang is." Ruby brightly smiled as she jumped onto Jaune's lap. Ignoring his indignant cry of pain from her action, she patted his gauze cheek cheerfully as she got comfortable.

"Nothing you could do can ever change the way we see you. You're my first friend in Beacon, I know you would never turn into some bad guy. I'd stake an entire life's supply of cookies on it!"

'Ruby Rose's Friendship has risen! You've Unlocked a new Ability! Sure-Shot, Unlocked!'

"You're better then that." Blake agreed as she laid her hand on his own. Her grip on his own tightened as the image of the awkward smiling blonde was replaced with the haunting image of Adam's masked face for a second.

Long ago, she had witnessed Adam make the same 'mistakes' and held her tongue. Body after body eventually began to pile up, the worse case leading to the Canterbury Bombings. Still, she said nothings, choosing to trust him instead and follow his lead. It was all for a better tomorrow. How ignorant she had once been. If only she had spoken up when it had all started, as slim of a chance she may have had she could have saved him from himself.

' _This time, this time will be different.'_ Blake smiled firmly. Jaune wouldn't fall into the same path as Adam, she would lead him into the brighter path, one where he wouldn't have to resort to spilling blood as he did ever again. Someone like him couldn't be lost to his own darkness. _'You really are better then that, Jaune. I can see it in your eyes, what I wished I had seen in Adam's long ago. Regret. I swear, you won't stray into such a dark path as long as I'm here. I won't lose you as I did Adam.'_

' _ **Blake's Friendship has risen! A special Bond has been created with Blake Belladona. Soul Link, KS, Unlocked!'**_

"It's not going to be easy, but we'll help you through it. You're our friend, so don't be afraid asking for help."

No more crying! Jaune rubbed his eyes of the tears furiously, doing his best to stop his sniffling in the face of the girls in front of him. Seemed all he had been doing was turning on the waterworks today. With such kind words and looks, he couldn't help himself. His mother always said he was a big softy. When she was right, she was right.

"Thanks, it really means a lot to me. I was really worried that you would all see me as some kind of monster."

"Monster?" Weiss scoffed, "I hardly see anything about you that would send chills down my spine."

"What about chills of ecstasy? Have I shown you my guitar?"

"Yes, and I'm not impressed."

"Well I think its impressive, Vomit-boy." Yang grinned as she patted the pouting blonde's back, "You don't see many guys who know how to play a guitar that you don't have to plug into an amp. Next thing you know, you're going to tell us that you can dance."

"Well I do have seven sisters, didn't have much of choice in those lessons." So many sore ankles and bruised toes. Was it worth it? Kinda. Helped in dodging attacks from Grimm, footwork was footwork.

"Really?" Yang blinked in surprise, getting a nod in return. He was only a few steps away from the perfect package. "You'll have to show us some time, been looking for a dance partner who knows his steps." she winked.

"That will have to wait till they let me out. When are they clearing me?" Jaune asked curiously as he patted Ruby's head. Didn't look like she was going anywhere as she laid back on his chest happily. The girl liked to snuggle it seems.

"Two more days. They want to make sure you don't suffer any permanent damage once you're back to full health again." Blake answered as she watched Ruby sigh in content at Jaune's ministrations. Times like this she wondered if she was secretly a dog faunus.

"Permanent damage? It wasn't that bad." Jaune smiled as scratched his cheek.

A deadpanned stare looked back at Jaune from all four girls before Blake spoke up again, "You nearly died of blood loss, shattered the bones in your right arm, suffered multiple lacerations, stab wounds, burns, and gunshot wounds. Didn't you promise me you wouldn't end up in such a state again when you created an opening for us to leave?" she glared at the now sheepish blonde.

"Wait, wha?" Ruby frowned as she turned to Blake.

"Believe it or not, but he was injured worse then when we found him, practically scratching at death's door before Velvet saved him somehow. He looked like a mangled corpse when the leader of the FoF sent him crashing onto the coliseum. I. . .actually thought he was dead." The memory wasn't pleasant to recall as Blake rubbed her arms.

Jaune winced as he remembered what he had said to Blake before sending her away. Right, he did promise her that, didn't he? He just couldn't stop lying, "Blake, I'm sorry I lied to you-OWW! RUBY, WHY?!" he wailed in pain as he found the smaller dark redheaded girl continuously poke his broken arm. Could no one understand that it was not okay to touch it?

"Bad Jaune, that's a very bad Jaune!"

"Are we going to stop her?" Weiss asked Yang as the watched their leader aggravate the knight with a fussy pout on her face.

"Eh, give her a minute. Jaune deserves some punishment for playing a thickheaded hero."

Biting his lip to stop the whimper of pain from leaving his mouth, Jaune was ready to kick the small girl off his lap, only to flinch as her finger poked his nose. Her silver eyes glared at him, pouting in a way that made him gulp. How could a pout be intimidating?

"No more."

"No more?" Jaune repeated slowly as she nodded firmly.

"You're not going off on your own anymore. I know you want to be a hero, we have the same dream, but you can't run into danger by yourself like this. Look at what's happened to you." she sadly gestured to his patched up state. Hesitantly, her small hand pressed against his chest, shutting her eyes as she listened to his steady heartbeat. If Jaune had died being a hero, she wasn't sure she would be able to go on. Not after losing her mother the same way. The thought of Jaune dying gripped her heart in a vice, nearly robbing her of her breath as her fingers gripped his hospital gown.

Jaune had a special place in her heart, even if he didn't know it. He meant too much to her to see him like this.

"Pyrrha would agree with me, she's your partner and seeing you like this must hurt her just as much. And I know she wouldn't know what to do with herself if you died when she could have been there to save you, like me." Ruby murmured softly as she laid her forehead on his chest.

"She's right, Jaune. You got to think about how we would all feel if you had died. You may not think much about your own life, but we do." Yang scowled sternly. She had frozen deathly still when they had found him bloodied and beaten. Something inside her had snapped her out of it before the rest, a part of her that couldn't stand around and do nothing. Her feet moved before she could think, stopping to reach her fellow blonde and take him in her arms.

Questions arose on how he had even gotten down below and found Blake and Velvet, but all she cared about was his safety. His heart was still beating, as light as its beat had been. Careful to worsen his wounds she had ran out for the exit, not caring to see if the others had followed her.

"I ain't going to drag your sorry ass out of another near death again. Remember this, Jaune, everybody gets one." She wasn't going to go through that hell again. Once he was all healed up, their training sessions were going to be upped. The next time he was alone in a fight with no help in sight, he would at least have her training to keep him up on his feet and win.

"Noted. But, if I may, are you guys done making me feel bad." Jaune sighed tiredly, "I can only go through so much on one day. I wonder if all my visits are going to end up like this."

"Take it as punishment. If we had to suffer then you do too." Ruby nodded.

Jaune grumbled, "Fine. But can I finish eating? I haven't eaten in days."

"Don't worry, I got more stuff to keep you stuffed, eh, eh?"

"Bad Yang!" Ruby shooed as she took off her shoe to lob at her sister's head, knocking her off her seat, "Jaune's hurting enough, he doesn't need to suffer anymore with your puns. Cruel and unusual punishment is illegal."

"Make the bad lady go away." Jaune quivered as Ruby held his face against her chest. He blushed at the contact as she soothingly combed his hair.

"Don't worry, she can't hurt you anymore."

As second visits went, this was too bad. Was it criminal to enjoy the embrace of a fifteen year old girl with a modest chest? The sentence alone made him hear sirens in his head.

* * *

"I think the bastard did you a favor."

Velvet frowned, lightly smacking her leader's shoulder as their team gathered around her hero. She didn't have to be so crass.

Coco Adel, leader of the lustrous team CFVY, rose a single brow at the bunny girl, "What? You saw what remained of his huntsman attire. I thought I'd never seen such lousy combat gear until now." she shook her head incredulously.

It had taken so long for them to discover the disappearance of their teammate. They had already begun worrying about her when she hadn't answered any of their calls. Before they could even step foot on a bullhead to Vale to find her in the chaos, Velvet had answered them, messaging them that she was now fine and that she would explain to them what had gone down.

Kidnapped by a psychopath hell bent on cutting off her ears to make her human? What kind of mess did she get herself into, she was suppose to be going out for breakfast for helping the blonde leader of JNPR with his studies! Once they made their way to their teammates location they were surprised to see her in such a worn out state and with Cardin Winchester of all people helping her stand. The hell happened in the last twenty four hours for the guy to not look at her in disgust? Maybe she had been drinking too much coffee again? Damn Ozpin for getting her hooked on the junk.

Once Velvet was all healed up and settled back at their dorm room, their teammate begun to tell the tale of her little adventure. It was a bit rattling that Velvet wouldn't even be there to tell them about her kidnapping if it hadn't been for the blonde freshman kid, Jaune. For saving her cute bunny girl's life they were in his debt. A debt she had a good idea on how to repay.

"My gear wasn't that bad." Jaune grumbled. It was the best he could buy once he had learned he had been accepted into Beacon. The blacksmith he had bought his armor straps from had assured him that the metal was of good quality for what he had paid. And his hoodie had cost him fifty Pumpkin Pete box tops. Kept him protected this for, that was something.

"If you weren't so injured, I'd be slapping you across the face for uttering such words." Coco sighed as she pinched the bridge of her brows, "What was going through your head when you were designing your gear? All you had was a flimsy chest plate and spaulders on your arms. That's it, nothing else to protect you against any other type of harm. How are you even alive with such horror of a combat gear?"

"I'd like to think I'm very stubborn."

"Clearly."

"Please forgive Coco, she means well." Yatsuhashi chuckled as he laid his big hand on Jaune's shoulder, giving it a good shake, "We are very grateful for protecting our teammate, and my partner. You have my eternal thanks, Jaune." he smiled gratefully.

Standing by the door, Fox nodded his head, his white eyes shut and silent as ever. Was he blind? Even when Jaune had met the team in his first life, he had never gotten an answer, the guy hardly spoke. Reminded him of Ren, didn't know if that was a good or bad.

"Yeah, yeah." Coco smirked as she ruffled Jaune's blonde locks, pulling her hands away as she felt some odd hardened goop in his hair. Did not want to know, "You did us a hell of a solid there, Freshy. Taking down a criminal organization and playing knight in shining armor to our girl? Seems you new kids are going to be making this year one hell of a riot. I like that." she grinned widely. God knows she could use more excitement other then the Grimm extermination missions they took in their second year.

"I really am grateful for all that you've done, Jaune." Velvet smiled cheerfully, the sight of her undamaged after everything that had gone done relieving him of any fragments of worry. All in all, the only injuries she had left over were her sore ankles which would be fine in another day or so.

"It was nothing, I couldn't just turn my back on you guys even when I was half dead myself. Trust me, even in death it would haunt me." Literally, dying didn't mean much to him anymore.

Velvet's cheeks grew a light red at the smile aimed at her. What an odd man. She was happy to have met him that day in the lunchroom when he defended her. He was like nothing she had ever seen. Like he had come out of some story book of knights and dragons.

"You aren't much for taking a compliment, are you?" she giggled into her hand.

"With clothes like that, I can understand why."

"Coco, be nice."

"What? How you fell for him is anyone's guess." the fashionista sighed with a playful grin.

Velvet pouted as she smacked her leader's arm, "Shut up. He's my friend is all. And what about you? You don't have any armor on you to protect you."

"Aura's a wonderful thing, isn't it? At least I look good when I take hits. Don't you think?" Coco grinned saucily at Jaune as she cocked her hip.

"Uhhhhhhh."

"Thought so." she nodded smugly, patting the blushing blonde's cheek, "Don't worry, seeing as you lost your gear and armor in the fight the least I could do for saving our girl is design you some new threads. A hero like yourself can't be seen in Beacon with such poor taste. I can't have any friend of mine embarrassing me like that."

Friend? "We're friends?" Jaune asked, getting a soft smile in return as Coco leaned closer to his face. Her sunglasses slid down her nose a bit, revealing her dark brown eyes.

"Course. Any friend of Velvet is a friend of mine. Especially when you went out of your way to save her. I bet I can teach you a thing or two about style too, clearly you've been dressed by your mother or sisters until you left for Beacon." she teased with a smirk.

Was she psychic? Because as much as he didn't want to admit it she was right on that front. A buzzing from his scroll alerted him to a few new messages.

' _ **Congratulations! You've Unlocked Coco Adel's Friendship! You've Unlocked Yatsuhashi Daichi's Friendship! You've Unlocked a Skill! You've Unlocked an Ability! Ammo+, Unlocked! Mountain Feller, Unlocked!'**_

The amount of abilities and skills he was unlocking today was crazy. Then again he was in the middle of an Event that boosted the EXP in his relationships. Jaune hid a frown as the only friendship he hadn't unlocked had been Fox's. From the corner of his eye, he peeked at the silent dark skinned huntsman leaning back with shut eyes. Didn't look like he cared much about the visit.

Just to be safe, Jaune scanned Fox's status for any signs of the huntsman being another Player.

' _ **Fox Alistar, The Silent Fist. 15,000HP/15,000HP.'**_

Good, Jaune sighed inwardly. Didn't want to deal with another Player trying to kill him. Adam and Ren were enough.

"Are we done here? We still have things to do." Speak of the devil and he will speak. Fox opened one of his eyes to look back at his team passively, not sparing the blonde a glance as he uncrossed his arms.

Yatsuhashi frowned at his teammates rude behavior but nodded, "We do have a mission to prepare for tomorrow. We're scheduled to depart for Misenwood, they've had an alarming rate of Grimm creeping their borders."

"Which sucks. Velv's still healing and they expect us to head off first thing tomorrow?" Coco scoffed. The Headmaster could be cold sometimes.

"It is because of our skills and record that the Headmaster has requested our help. You could have said no."

"Yeah, but Velvet insisted that her injuries shouldn't hold us back. Said she'd be fine by the time we left."

"And I will. Just sore ankles now, you get those from running around too much on your heels." Velvet pouted. She turned back to Jaune with an apologetic expression on her face, "Sorry, Jaune. They are right, we have a mission to get ready for. I really wish I could stick around a bit more." she laid her hand on his cast, a pang of guilt striking her heart.

Seeing the guilt written on her face, Jaune smiled warmly at her as he laid his good hand on top of hers, "Don't worry, Velvet. Just knowing you're okay is more then enough. We can always talk when you come back."

"Right." Velvet said happily, going shy for a moment as leaned back and forth on her feet, "We can even go out for lunch and talk about my mission. You do owe me for worrying me so." she mumbled with a cute pout.

Couldn't argue with that. Jaune was going to have to make it up to a lot of his friends for lying and nearly dying on them. Least he could do is take Velvet out for food when she got back. Gave him time to build their Friendship.

"Sounds like a plan to me." he grinned widely, earning a bright smile from the brunette bunny girl, "I know a great noodle stand in Vale."

"Aww, how sweet. Our little bunny's found her a pretty boy. Wish I had one." Coco pouted, ignoring the slaps to her arm from the madly blushing faunus. Nodding her head to her team, she motioned them to start heading out the door. Fox was the first to leave, not saying a word as Yatsuhashi followed after him. Waving her hand at the blonde knight, Velvet soon left, leaving Coco and Jaune by themselves. Turning for the door, the well dressed brunette paused her hand on the door handle.

"We really do appreciate you saving Velvet, Jaune. I don't know what we would have done if that bastard had gone through with his sick plan. You really are a hero."

Hero, huh? That word was being thrown around a lot today. Jaune rested back into his bed with a tired smile. Doing what was right shouldn't be considered being heroic, it should be something everyone is capable of. It did feel nice to finally be seen as something more then a lovable dork who couldn't fight.

"I'm just another guy willing to do whatever it takes to protect his friends. Honestly, all this praise is a little uncomfortable. I ain't use to being called a hero." he chuckled weakly as he scratched the back of his head.

Coco smiled. So, that's what Velvet had seen in the kid. Just a regular guy capable of some amazing things. What a breath of fresh air.

"Careful there, Freshy. If you continue to act so oblivious and wear that heart on your sleeve, you just might attract some attention that's not afraid of getting what she wants."

Opening the door, Coco walked out, shutting it with a click as Jaune looked on in confusion. Interesting kid, she would have to keep an eye out for him. No telling what awaited a guy like that.

"I don't trust him."

Coco quirked a brow as Fox waited for her in the hall, the rest of their team further down. His face was set in a deep frown, white eyes narrowed as they pierced through her to the blonde huntsman laying back in his bed. She rolled her eyes at her partner.

"Really? Is this because he's attracted the attention of the girls in your team? Afraid he might steal us away from you?" she teased.

Fox's flat stare didn't think it was funny, "No. There's something off about him. And my eye's don't lie." he said sternly.

Right, the odd ability of his. Coco still couldn't understand if it was part of his semblance, the ability to sense and see the aura of others. An aura spoke loudly of a person's personality, moving around to the rhythm of their souls. Just by looking at a person, he could read their intentions. It was kinda creepy.

Still, Jaune had saved Velvet and he seemed like a nice guy. Sometimes you had to go with your gut. And her gut had nothing wrong with the cute blonde.

"Usually I trust that little trick of yours, but I gotta argue with you about this one. Jaune's a good guy, doesn't really scream threatening to me." the blonde kid looked as threatening as a milk man.

Heading after the rest of her team, Coco patted the normally silent huntsman arm as she dropped the matter.

"Come on, we got so preparations to make. Those Grimm aren't going to kill themselves. And I wanna see what kind of shops they got in Misenwood, heard they opened up a few after our last visit."

Fox scowled but chose to remain silent. While he trusted his eyes, he trusted his leader's faith more. Still, he looked back at where he could see through the walls to Jaune. He would have to keep his own eyes on him.

That black wild speck of aura within Jaune's white aura unsettled him. It felt malicious and twisted, almost like it was alive. And it was centered in the center of that ugly scar on his chest. Sent chills down his spine.

* * *

With a groan, Jaune stretched his arms out. It was tiring being copped up in his bed all day. Reminded him of the times his mother would shut him in his room when he was sick. Good thing he had his scroll and a few games he downloaded to entertain him. Maybe he should consider paying that monthly subscription to stream shows and movies on it. Would really help in killing time.

Looking at the time on his scroll, he was mildly surprised to see that it was past eight already. All those visits really helped in passing the time. _'I wonder if Cardin and his team are going to visit me. Guess not, visiting hours are basically over.'_ Dinner was right around the corner. Too bad there wasn't any of Yang's cooking leftover. Hospital food could never compare to a home cooked meal.

With a grumble, Jaune reached for the service button to order his dinner. _'Maybe they can give me some more pain medication. My arms starting to throb real bad.'_

The turning of his door room's handle startled him from pressing the button, catching his attention as the door began to open. Who could that be? Must be one of the nice nurses, Nurse Sprig already headed back for Beacon once the head doctor had assured her he would be fine. A familiar set of icy cold blue eyes greeted him as the door opened, widening his eyes at the breath taking visitor.

"Hello, Jaune Arc?" the white haired stranger greeted, closing the door behind her. From her attire, she looked to be from Atlas, dressed almost similar to General Ironwood. In her hands, she held a fancy looking tablet, adorned with the same crest Weiss adorned on her back. Just looking at her reminded him of his Snow Angel. Did his heart just skip a beat?

Jaune gulped nervously at the woman, she really was breath taking.

"Yeah, I mean, Yes!" he corrected himself quickly. If she was similar to Weiss, then he would have to speak formally. The woman had a noble air about her.

The beautiful woman smiled politely, laying her hand on her chest as she stopped by his bedside.

"My name is Winter Schnee, and my employer would like to have a word with you."

* * *

 **DLC #6: Locks of Gold.**

Night had finally come and Jaune couldn't have been happier. So much had happened today, exhausting him of all his energy. Got some pretty awesome abilities out of the Event, unlocked new Friendships, and got to enjoy a nice lunch courtesy of Yang. Not to mention the fact he had learned about Weiss's big sister. Chills ran down his body at the memory of their conversation. What a woman.

Only problem was that he couldn't sleep. As tired as he was, his eyes wouldn't keep shut. He groaned as he turned in his bed, finally fed up of the idea of getting any sleep as he sat up. Running his hand down his face, his baggy eyes looked around for something to help ease him to sleep. Couldn't call the nurses for any sleeping medicine after taking his medication, against the labeled rules. His eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar worn out leather book set atop the small counter by his bedside.

Before team RWBY had left, Ruby had left him the double edged sword that was Lost Fairy Tales. Nora had passed it along to hand it to her leader after she had forgotten to leave it behind. Believed that some reading material would help in any boredom.

Jaune sighed tiredly as he reached the old book, wondering why it appeared dusty every time he found it, "Every time I read you, I end up in some crazy world that robs me of my memory of the last hour. But you've really saved my ass, especially in my fight with Holt. So, you can't be all bad. Just wish I knew what those girls did to me when I blank out." Was he still a virgin at this point? Why was that even a question that needed to be answered? At this point he didn't know if he wanted the answer.

Some light reading would help him sleep, every time he finished reading the book he would find himself sleeping. And he could use another life saving reward. Never know when he would find himself in another mess. Only problem was that he still had one functioning arm to work with. Hopefully whatever world he was warped into would momentarily remedy that.

Cleaning off the dust, Jaune sucked in a deep breath before bracing himself for whatever awaited him within the book. _'_ _Please, no cabins. I don't think I can handle another sexy psycho jumping me again. Two's enough.'_

Bright light flashed before Jaune's eyes, blinding him as the familiar sensation of his entire body being sucked within came again.

* * *

"Why is it always a forest? Every time I open my eyes, all I see is green and green. For once, I'd like to find myself in a village or something. There's something menacing about forests and woods now."

As always, Jaune found himself opening his eyes to the sight of trees in the middle of the woods. Again his clothing had been switched out for a cotton shirt and leather vest, brown pants, and white socks and sandles. He spun his head around, searching for crazy dwarfs, sleeping sadistic princesses, wolf killing riding hoods, or cabins. Was not going through that shit again if he could help it.

On a good note, it seemed his right arm was fixed. Jaune flexed the muscles of his fingers in awe, not a scar on the skin. It was as if he had never shattered it in the first place. Pretty neat if he did say so himself.

Parting through some of the foliage in front of him, Jaune prayed to whatever force controlled this world to not come upon another cabin. Luck smiled upon as he came upon what looked like an old tavern. Wasn't exactly comforting, then again it wasn't a lonely cabin in the woods leading to sexy yet scary things. A nice drink did sound nice after roaming through bushes and trees for what felt like hours. And they could give him directions out of the damn place, did not want to repeat his last visits.

Walking over, Jaune was surprised to see several motorcycles parked by, each one decorated after the bikes owned by biker gangs. Note to self, do not touch. If the owners where anything like Yang and her motorbike, Bumblebee, then he'd be waking up with another broken arm. He slightly grimaced as he caught the whiff of alcohol in the air and smoke. From the smell alone he could guess he stumbled onto a dive bar. Did not meet many helpful folks in places like this.

"Don't have much of a choice." Jaune grumbled, sucking in a deep breath as he pushed open the worn oak door. In situations like this, he was expecting to walk into a packed bar full of colorful bandits, cons, mercenaries, and other riff raff that walked on the wrong side of the law, their eyes glaring into his soul as all activity paused to check out the new guy. Just like in the movies. Instead, he was greeted to a dining room and bar devoid of energy except the few drinkers calmly going about their business. Everything was tidy, sparkling like diamonds. It look like a cozy little family diner despite its outside appearance.

By the bar, a red pig tailed woman in a white cotton shirt, green vest and tie, smiled at him cheerfully as she cleaned a few mugs. Her cheerful mood didn't seem to be dampened by the drunk bikers on the verge of passing out in their own drool and beer. She even had cute freckles.

"Welcome to The Three Brother's Tavern! Where drink, food, and lodgings are just right!" the woman winked, her yellow eyes sparkling as Jaune walked over to the bar. "Name's Scarlet, what can I do for you, handsome?" she smiled happily.

Taking a seat by a stall not close to the drunks, Jaune smiled back, "I'm actually new around here, so I don't know where I am. I was hoping for directions to he nearest town or village near by."

"Oooooh~! A newbie! I love entertaining newbies passing by Evergrow woods." Scarlet clapped, her smile growing wider as she jumped in excitement. Always loved hearing about new people in the area. Especially with the company she always had to deal with.

"Evergrow woods? Is that where I am?" Jaune asked as Scarlet handed him a menu. Wonder if his Lien worked in this fairy world.

Scarlet nodded, "Yup! Evergrow is a large woodland area that touches every major kingdom in Fae. You must be sailor from another continent if you don't know about this place. Surprised you found our little tavern out here without any knowledge of the place, it's really easy to get lost and wind up in some unpleasant company." she warned as she waved her finger at Jaune .

Didn't have tell him twice, already too late for that to be of any help. Did that mean he was always dropped into the same world and woods every time? What a terrifying thought, god only knows if that was true and he would run the chance of meeting with Red or Snow again.

Shivering slightly, Jaune shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind, "I'm more of traveler then a sailor. Finding this place really was a stroke of luck, thought I'd be lost forever."

"Well you're here now, handsome. I'm sure I got traveler's map laying around here somewhere, but it'll cost you. The bosses won't be happy if I go giving even a cap of water away without pay."

Jaune frowned lightly, looking at his hands in thought. Game mechanics still worked if his little fight with Charming was anything to go by. Time to see if he could use his Lien. With a bit of magic coursing through his fingers, Jaune summoned some Lien from his inventory. The cards shimmered in his hand, magically transforming into glimmering gems of ruby, sapphire, and emerald. Huh, guess The Game took care of everything.

Dropping the gems onto the counter, Jaune pushed them forward with a sheepish smile, "Will these do?"

Scarlet grinned brightly as she pulled the currency forward, "Yup, yup! Even got plenty leftover for a king's buffet and crown! I'd be more then happy to get you anything else for a haul like this!" Just looking at all the gems made Scarlet's eyes sparkle.

"I'll just have a mug of grape juice. You're more then free to keep the change for yourself." Jaune chuckled, happy to see such a look of joy on the pretty girl's face. Looked like she had stars in her eyes.

Scarlet held herself back from a squealing in delight. She could pay her rent for the next three months with all these gems and not worry about food to boot! What a guy! Nodding her head feverishly, Scarlet dropped a sapphire into her register before moving the rest into her tip jar. Good thing the bosses weren't around, did not want them sticking their fingers in her tips again.

"Coming right up! I'll make sure it's the cleanest mug we got and the freshest grapes in stock. Just give me a minute to run back and fetch your juice." The grin on her face just wouldn't leave, she was so happy. Glaring at the passed out drunks around the dining area and counter in warning, the happy pigtailed woman skipped to the back of the tavern for his order and map. Leaving him behind to await her return.

' _What a nice girl. Wish I could met more of her type in this world instead of the crazy and sadistic. Surprised to see someone like her working here.'_ Jaune thought as reached for some peanuts by a snoring drunk. Must be the reason why the place was so spotless.

Cracking the nut with his fingers, Jaune popped the nutty treat into his mouth, munching on it without a care and unaware of the loud commotion outside the tavern. As he reached for a few more, his little peace of mind was broken by the loud sound of the wooden door being violently swung open. The sound startled him, causing him to choke on his peanut, going blue as he pounded on his chest and fell back on his stool. Too caught up in not dying by choking to death, Jaune missed the terrified looks on the patrons of the place before they ran out of the place, even the drunkest of them stumbling out as quickly as he could.

"Hurry up, Noir! We ain't got much time before the drug wears off! It was hard enough slipping the herbs into her breakfast without her noticing, don't make it go to waste!"

A heavy object was suddenly flung across the entrance, slamming into the back of the bar where it slumped to the ground as the bottles shattered and fell around it. Gagging slightly, Jaune spat out the remains of the peanut with bile. He coughed hoarsely, panting from the exertion as he tried to regain his breath. The hell was going on? Could he not even enjoy a peanut without something going wrong?

Heavy footsteps walked over to him, the owners feet stopping close to his feet as he weakly looked up. Three muscled bound men looked back at him, puzzled to find a scrawny boy still in the tavern.

"What do we got here, boys?" the dark skin toned man of the three grinned maliciously as he cracked his neck. His head was bald and covered in scars, one stretching over to his right eye and blinding it. He wore a studded biker's jacket, leather pants, and boots. A shotgun rifle was holstered across his back, his red eyes leering down at Jaune, almost begging him to make a move.

"A witness from the looks of it, Noir. Seems some people don't know when to mind their manners and scram." Standing next to Noir, a pale white man scoffed as he tapped the hilt of his odachi. Unlike his brother, he wore a clean white tuxedo, black undershirt, checkered tie, and fancy dress shoes. The man had pale blue eyes with dark bags under his eyes and spoke with an odd accent. His black hair was combed back neatly, his whole image giving off an air of sophistication.

Walking past his brothers, an unruly brown haired man jumped over the counter top. He wore a red and black checkered shirt, dirty brown overalls, brown leather boots, and a fuzzy beard. The man grinned proudly at whatever he tossed back, turning his olive green eyes back to Jaune. He was ready to say something, only to whistle as his eyes fell onto the tip jar by the register.

"Blanc, Noir, look at what our little Scarlet has gotten in her jar! Wonder how much skin that girl had to show to bag herself such a haul?" the man bellowed with laughter, reaching his muscled fingers into the jar of gems. He bounced the glittering rocks in his palms, impressed at how much he was counting.

Blanc sighed, turning back to his brother as Noir poked the barrel of his shotgun to Jaune's forehead, "Marron, don't you think you should leave the girl at least a ruby? We hardly pay her enough as it is for running the place by herself." No one else was crazy enough to stick around under their employment. Well, no one living.

Marron scoffed as he played around with the redheaded girl's tips, "The girl works for us! Paying her is enough as it is, she's lucky we pay her at all! Besides, what's a girl with no family or friends going to do about it? If she has a complaint, she'll just have to take it up with my baby." he chuckled darkly as he unclipped the deadly chainsaw from his back.

"Bastards!"

Noir blinked, digging his barrel harder against the blonde kid's temple as he leaned his ear closer to the boy's mouth.

"I'm sorry, but did you say something, brat? My ears are a little hard of hearing from the screams of the last sucker who thought he had something to say to me." Noir said innocently, grinning to his ear when he was met with silence.

"Bah, tie the boy up, Noir. We can hold him for ransom if he behaves. If not, well the trees do need some more of our 'special mulch', I'm sure he would do wonders." The grizzly man chuckled as he went back to their other visitor.

Picking Jaune up by the scruff of his shirt, the blonde knight was finally able to see what the men had thrown to the back of the bar. What he saw made his eyes go wide with horror, making his fists tighten in anger and rage.

Laid against the alcohol stained wall and shards of bottles on the ground, was a gorgeous blonde curled girl, hands tied against her back and mouth tied by a dirty cloth. She wore a black velvet satin ruffled dress, gold hooded cape, and black ribbons tied in her hair. Her dress was torn open around her chest, revealing a fair amount of her cleavage as her blue eyes gazed at them weakly and lidded. Blood ran down the side of her head from a heavy blow to her bruised temple.

Marron couldn't help but lick his lips as he leaned over the golden lock haired girl, squishing her face as his dirty fingers grabbed her cheeks. Such fair skin.

"Look where we are now, Goldi? You know, we could have settled things in a more civilized manner, but you just had to make things difficult, didn't you? And now you're powerless to stop us from getting what we want." his yellow stained teeth grinned hungrily as ran his fingers across her cheek to her neck, stopping dangerously close to the skin of her chest. No, he shook his head as he moved his hands back. That would be too easy, he wanted her to suffer. Had all day to mess around if he wanted.

The golden haired girl's lidded eyes trembled as Marron roughly ran his filthy fingers through her hair, the action bringing tears to slide down her face as he pulled her up by her hair.

"Boys, don't you think Goldi's in need of a nice little haircut? Just look at all that hair, she could trip over it and break her skull." he smirked, earning grins from his brother's as he heaved his chainsaw above the girl's head. Mad revving filled the air, flinging bits of wood and dirt from the teeth of his weapon onto Goldi as he edged closer to her silky hair.

"How about we start cutting? We'll know when to stop when blood starts splattering onto the floor!"

" _ **Gale Speed!"**_

Eh? Marron stopped his chainsaw at the loud shout, confused as he turned back to his brothers. What the hell was that?

A weathered gray blade fell onto the grizzly man, causing him to grit his teeth as he blocked the attack with his chainsaw. Teeth fought to shred the sword to scrap, sending sparks flying around the large man as he glared into the furious blue eyes of the blonde boy. How the hell did the kid move so quickly? Marron turned to Noir, his dark skinned brother just as confused as he looked at his empty hand in surprise.

Dropping his attack, Jaune moved away from the tearing chained teeth as it fell to the wooden floor. His hand blurred, grabbing a fistful of Marron's checkered shirt before releasing a breath and picking the muscled bound man up. Jaune yelled as his body released his aura for all to see before he swung the man around, flinging him across the room and into several tables.

' _ **Marron, The Grizzled Bear. 7,700HP/9,000HP.'**_

Flexing his fingers, Jaune thanked Yang for the new ability, Temper Surge. Before it would have been impossible for him to toss a man as heavy as Marron around like that. Moving back to where Goldi laid, Jaune's anger only grew as her chest rose rapidly, tears still running down her face as she fell back with her dress only ripped further down.

He had enough just standing around as these creeps did what they wanted. His stomach was growing sick watching them steal Scarlet's tips and lay their hands on a woman that reminded him of Yang. She looked so helpless, unable to do more then cry. Grabbing that drink and map would have to wait, he had some asses to beat down.

"DAMN! You got knocked the fuck out!" Noir roared with laughter, snorting as his brother stood back up with beer running down his face.

Marron growled, hocking a loogie as he heaved his chainsaw up, "Don't just stare like a couple of bitches! Kill the fucker!"

Blanc nodded as he unsheathed his odachi, its blade white as the purest of snow.

"My blade has been itching for the taste of blood."

' _ **Blanc, The Chilled Bear. 7,000HP/7,000HP.'**_

"Man, I was hoping we could just play with the girl. Guess this brat will do." Noir grinned cruelly as he loaded several shells into his shotgun.

' _ **Noir, The Cruel Bear. 6,000HP/6,000HP.'**_

Three against one? Jaune never liked those odds, but he would have to suck it up. Compared to the monsters he had faced days ago, the three large men were nothing more then obstacles. Ones he was more then capable off knocking down.

' _ **Warning! Boss incoming, The Three Bears, Brother's of the Dark. Get Ready!'**_

Jumping over the counter, Jaune readied his sword against the three larger men. Time to see just how strong he had become since his first day.

' _ **Fight!'**_

Charging forward, Blanc swept his long blade for Jaune's head. Jaune deflected the swing, spinning on his feet to ram his elbow into the large man's chest. The blow sent him stumbling back with a gasp before a downward slash tore open his tux. Blood stained its white fabric as he grimaced and fell to his knee.

The sound of a gun pumping alerted Jaune to jump back, missing the powerful shells whizzing by and exploding the seats in their way. He raised his shield up, charging through the barrage of shotgun fire as he withstood the damped damage to ram into Noir. Said man snarled, moving back from the charge and aiming for Jaune's back as he missed.

" _ **Reflect!"**_ Shells fought against Jaune's pixel shield, falling under its power before reflecting back to their owners. Noir shouted as he was kicked off his feet by his shells smacking into his chest.

"Magic? That's just cheating!" Dragging his chainsaw against the ground, Marron swung it around madly at Jaune. The blonde knight dodged the swings, blocking any strikes too close to comfort. While they were strong enough to create a gust, they lacked any real speed to them.

Cheating? Coming from a guy that was abusing a helpless girl and stealing from his own employee? The man was just asking to get his ass kicked. Catching swing of Marron's chainsaw with his shield, Jaune pushed it back before throwing his open palm at the stumbling man, _**"Ember!"**_ His palm glowed orange, firing a baseball sized ball of flames from his hand to smack into the man's chest. Marron's clothes were soon lite by fire, eating away at him as he rolled around to snuff them out.

"Blanc! Use that magic of your to cool me down, you bastard!"

Mending his wound, Blanc raised himself back up before flinging a chilled blast of air at his brother. With that taken care of, the nicely dressed man dashed after Jaune. The two locked blades, falling into a blitz of steel attacking and countering another. Using only one hand to lock his blade with Jaune again, Blanc raised his other hand up high in the air as it glowed with snowy magic.

" _ **Avalanche!"**_

Shit, Jaune cursed as he looked up to find blocks of snow and ice slip out of what looked like portals above him. He tried to move away, only for Noir appear behind him and fire his shotgun to his back. The attack dropped his health by two hundred, dropping even further as the avalanche of ice crashed onto him.

Patting the remains of the flames off of him, Marron grinned madly as he ran towards the bellowing cloud of snow engulfing Jaune, intent on ending the boy where he stood.

"Die!"

" _ **Round Table!"**_

A lashing shock wave of spiraling blades parted the snow, sending both Blanc and Noir flying back. Seeing Marron ready to saw him in half, Jaune channeled his anger into his sword, _**"Temper Surge!"**_ Jaune's Strength doubled for a second, fueled by the image of Goldi's wounded state. The increase of strength ran through this muscles as he met Marron's chainsaw head on with Crocea Mors, slamming the man's own weapon into his chest and sending him flying off his feet.

Noir gasped as he held his chest, three lacerations bleeding out against his fingers. The hell was the kid? Someone that scrawny shouldn't be able to hit like that! Loading another shell into his weapon, Noir was ready to shove the barrel down the blonde's throat. He cracked his neck and shouted a war cry as he swung his head to met the boy. Twin golden arcs met his face before his vision went dark.

' _ **Noir, The**_ _ **Cruel**_ _ **Bear, defeated!'**_ **+5,200EXP!**

One down, two to go. Jaune turned back to the remaining brothers, meeting the sight of several blades of ice flying after him. Blanc's odachi was coated with frost as he rapidly swung his blade, tearing apart everything in sight to cut the annoying blonde down. Shivering slightly as the temperature dropped, Jaune brought up his inventory, scrolling through his items till he found his Dust. A Fire Dust crystal fell into his hand before he slammed it into the metal of his blade, infusing it with the elements properties.

Each blade of ice that shot at him was melted by the swings of his heated sword, sizzling against the metal as Jaune ran at Blanc. An avalanche of ice bombarded the area around the blonde, leaving him to weave by the falling ice. With the pale man stuck casting his magic, Blanc was left open as Jaune fell into his guard.

" _ **Crescent Blade!"**_ A flaming arc of fire cut through Blanc's body, the intensity of the pain rolling his eyes to the back of his skull as he lost conscience and fell back with a thud.

' _ **Blanc, The Chilled Bear, defeated!'**_ **+8,000EXP!**

The heat in Crocea Mors cooled down as Jaune walked over to Marron as he knelt, broken furniture laying around him as he slowly rose up with the support of his chainsaw. His face was bruised and cut after being tossed around, it was becoming difficult to stand!

"You stupid little shit! Do you even know what you've done?!" Marron panted tiredly, struggling to raise his weapon back up and start it. Seeing the blue eyes glaring at him not respond, he chuckled weakly before spitting a wad of blood and snot across the floor, "We're not simple men, we're leaders of some of the strongest gangs in Everwood! Only one person is capable of stopping us, but that ain't you! Our men will hunt you down, day and night, not stopping till they drown your mangled body in a metal canister of acid! Do you still want to go through with what you're doing?" he mocked with a bloody grin.

"Trust me when I say they'll never find me." Jaune said flatly before rearing his fist back. One Power Strike later and the huge man fell back with teeth flying around.

' _ **Marron, The Grizzly Bear, defeated!'**_ **+9,000EXP!**

' _ **Congratulations! You defeated The Three Bears! You've Unlocked a Special Gift! Stardew Fruit, Unlocked!'**_

Special Gift? Like the one Velvet had given him weeks ago? Nice, if it hadn't been for her muffin he would have died during his fight with Holt. With that mess out of the way, Jaune headed for the bar counter top, jumping over it to run back to Goldi. Stopping in front of her, he helped her sit up as her eyes began to blink, shaking her head around as whatever drug they had slipped seemed to wear off.

"Okay! I got your mug of grape juice and a map of Everwood ready to go, handsome! If you need anything else, just let me kno-WHAT THE SHIT?!"

Jaune winced as said items fell to the ground as Scarlet yelled in shock at the state of the tavern. Her jaw was dropped to the floor, too stunned to utter a word as she tried to understand what had happened in the span of five minutes. Picking up her jaw, the pig tailed redhead nearly fainted, finding the bleeding knocked out bodies of her boss in the dining area. Seriously, the fuck happened? Was she seeing snow and ice?

Scarlet slapped her face, cursing as the pain insured her this was no dream. She was as good as dead once they woke up. Turning over to the only customer left in the mess, Scarlet was ready to demand what had happened, only to stop as a familiar set of blue eyes looked back at her.

Oh, no.

"Sorry, Scarlet. I may have knocked out your bosses after they threatened to hurt this girl over here. And the brown haired guy stole your tip! I couldn't stand by and let the bastards get away with it." Jaune apologized as he worked on undoing the golden curled girl's ropes. Poor thing, why did they have to tie them so tight? The ropes were close to cutting her skin. What reason would they have for that?

Scarlet trembled, wishing her legs would listen to her to runaway. They were all dead at this point.

"I think this girl's name is Goldi. Do you mind handing me some alcohol to clean the wounds? I'll pay for it and the damages if that's oka-!" As Jaune undid the last of the ropes and loosened the cloth tied around Goldi's mouth, he was suddenly knocked back on the floor with hungry lips prying his own open. His breath was robbed of him as the beautiful girl of golden locks ravaged his lips, clouding his mind with pleasure as her fingers ran though his hair. Her ass ground against his crotch, raising his member to scrap against his zipper painfully.

Pulling back from the hot kiss, Goldi sucked in deep breath as she grinned hotly at the hero she sat atop of.

"I have no fucking idea who the hell you are, bub, but you've just stolen my heart! I've never seen a man such as yourself take out the head of three criminal gangs so easily, my hearts still pounding." she gasped as she clutched at her chest. It was pounding so rapidly, it felt like it was about to burst! Seeing the blonde boy in a daze, Goldi smirked seductively as her fingers fell onto the buckle of his belt.

Caught up in his daze, Jaune was quickly brought out as a shiver ran down his spine. Something was in his pants, taking a tight grip of his stiffness, and it didn't look like it was going to let go anytime soon.

"Wait, wait, wait! You don't have to do this! Saving your life's enough, I'm still a virgin!" Maybe. Again that question was still up in the air at this point.

"Bub, do you know who I am?" Goldi purred, licking her lips as she pumped the 'sword' in her hand.

"Names Goldi, Goldi Locks, leader of the Purple Dragon's, one of the most notorious gangs in Everwood. And I always get what I want. Seems I want a hubby now, and you'll do more then nicely." she licked her lips again, tearing off her ruined dress. Her melon sized perky breasts greeted Jaune as she slipped his pants off effortlessly, his member slapping against her navel with its freedom.

Not again! Why?! Why?! Why does this kind of thing always happen?

Standing aside from the arousing sight, Scarlet gulped as she began to slowly inch her self away from the graphic scene. Didn't look like she needed to stick around.

A hand suddenly grabbed her ankle, causing her to slowly turn her head to the seductive leer of the naked golden haired crime boss staring her down like meat.

"Where do you think you're going? I aim to make this fuck memorable, and three is always better then two."

Scarlet whimpered as she was dragged into the action, the strong hands easily sliding down her black skirt. Seemed she just found a new employer.

* * *

And so, Jaune had fallen asleep after everything went white. Again. It was starting to grate on his nerves. If he couldn't remember having sex, nor prove he did, how could he say he was still a virgin? Maybe he could bug Ren about it. The silent Player was the only one he could speak to about these kind of things and believe him.

At least he was rewarded another Ability out of the mess. Dragon's Blaze seemed like a cool ability to try out when he had the chance. If only he could remember what went down after Goldi ripped off Scarlet's uniform french kissed the redhead.

Back in the world of Fae, Goldi hummed happily to her self as she changed into a spare blouse Scarlet had in the back. Good girl, she was definitely bringing her in. Needed a second in command after losing her last one to The Three Bears of Everwood. How as she suppose to know that one of the warehouses she busted into belonged to those creeps?

"Boss, what should we do about them?" Finished cleaning the last of the mess, Scarlet pointed to the pile that was her bosses, still knocked out even during the hot action that had just gone down. She blushed as she could still feel the touches, nibbles, smacks, and thrusts of earlier. Wasn't living that one down anytime soon. Nope.

Cracking her neck, Goldi jumped over the counter, quirking her brow as she picked Noir's shotgun. Nice, the guy was known for modding his weapons. Looked like these were capable of explosive fire. Keeping it~!

"Kill 'em. Left alive they're more of a pain. Plus, with them dead, we gain ownership of their tavern. You can run the place however you like it and not have to deal with drunks anymore. How's that sound?" Goldi grinned widely as she kicked the last of Marron's teeth out. Damn bastard had the gall to touch her hair. Only her husband was allowed such a privilege! And her new lover.

Goldi blinked in realization as Scarlet sighed at the new task handed to her. Well, at least she could live out every disgruntled employee's dream and shoot her bastards of a bosses in the back of their heads. Should have stayed back in her mother's cottage where it was safe all those years ago.

"Hey, Scarlet." Goldi called out to her new right hand just as the girl was ready to drag them to the back and finish the deed. Catching her attention, the golden haired gang leader frowned, "Did you ever catch the name of my husband? I don't think he ever told me."Huh, should have asked him that before fucking the life out of him.

Scarlet frowned back, tapping her lips in thought as she thought back to their earlier conversation. Yeah, no, she didn't know either. Where did the blonde knight disappear anyway? When they had woken up after the threesome, he was no where in sight. It was like he vanished into thin air.

"Sorry, boss. I never got it either. Kinda hard to talk when you're shoving my face into your breasts as you rode the guy like a horse." she deadpanned as Goldi scratched her head sheepishly.

Damn, well, she shrugged as she nodded to Scarlet to continue her business. She now controlled a larger part of Everwood. Surely she could find one blonde haired knight in the vast greenlands?

If not, then Goldi would simply call in a favor from her best friend, Snow. The girl still owed her after helping her take down her evil step mother. Hopefully she wasn't too busy to lend a hand while she was searching for her own husband who had vanished. Same thing happened to her friend, Red.

Weird.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Tectonic Devastation [20AP]: An immense surge of the Earth's aura overflows the Player, creating three golden bands that encircle their arm. They are then able to deliver an earth breaking attack with their fist, completely shattering the airspace around them. The Player's Attack is raised by 40%, breaks any form of guard, and Stuns. Deals Earth damage. MP Cost: 50MP. Level Requirement: Lvl23.**_

 _ **Fairies Grace : Ups the healing rate of healing items by 15%. Capable of evolving.**_

 _ **Valkyrie's Blessing : Grants the Player Lightning Affinity automatically. Critical Hits deal Lightning damage and gives the Player a 15% chance to inflict Paralysis with every physical hit.**_

 _ **Thunder Strike [7AP]: Only usable if the Player is equipped with a Lightning Affinity. Summons a bolt of Lighting magic to strike the Player's sword before slamming their weapon down, unleashing a shockwave of lightning damage to strike surrounding targets. Has a 10% chance of inflicting Paralysis. **_

_**Victory Rush [10SP]: Increases the Player's Strength by 1 every time they defeat an opponent. **_

_**Angels Radiance [SP12]: Envelops the Player in a chilling aura of snow, speeding up aura regeneration and adds Ice damage to Physical damage.**_

 _ **Sure-Shot [10AP]: Only usable with a Firearm equipped. Fires a locked on shot with a 100% Accuracy. Has a Critical Hit Ratio of 5%.**_

 _ **Temper Flare [10AP]: Raises the Player's Strength based on their anger. The Percentage rate varies on temper; From 1%-100%. Effects last only a minute.**_

 _ **Ammo+ [5SP]: Adds extra ammunition to the Player's Firearm.**_

 _ **Mountain Feller [15AP]: Usable only with a Sword, Greatsword, or Scythe. Gathering all their strength, the Player delivers a monstrous bladed slash capable of cleanly slicing by the hardest of metals. Said to have rend the top of mountains. Strength increases by 30% and inflicts Defense Down and Stun. Must have a Strength stat of over 60 to equip.**_

 _ **Dragon's Blaze [15AP]: Only usable with a Fire Affinity equipped. Must also have Ninja Wires and alcohol with a 50 percent or more alcohol level in their inventory. Firing several sharp tipped wires soaked in alcohol wrapped around their fingers, the Player takes a deep breath before blowing a stream of blazing orange red fire from their flame lit thumb to run along their wires. Inflicts Burn and Fire damage. The wires can also be swung around to deal cutting damage.**_

* * *

 **I seriously have to stop myself half way through when writing DLC like this as my fingers stray to write the graphic scenes of love making. I ain't the Spookiest of Noodles or Maxaro! Writing smut is a talent, one don't believe I'm ready to perfect!**

 **. . .How do I go from writing plot to porn so quickly? Eh, called stress relief for a reason I suppose.**

 **Anyway, we begin our new Arc, Verification! This one should last six chapters. Maybe. I like to say so, but it's all up to these hands of mine. They're the boss, not me. I'm just the rugged face, here for looks and nothing more. Already up to a 1-2,000 words so far on the next chapter, I'll do my best to have it ready by Thursday. Work has been draining me of energy and time, so it's been a bit of a chore to write. But your reviews and kind words are keeping me going strong still! We still got much more to go. Hopefully I'll have time to finish that other DLC involving the return of summons. Been itching to get to that.**

 **I'm tired. Time for sleep to take me in. Got work in the morning and coffee to chug. And I also have to finish that Writer's Blog piece on how to write fight scenes. Just about done and ready to upload next week.**

 **Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	17. Worth

**I! The Great NeoShadows, have returned!**

 **Sup? Now, I know what many of you are thinking. Why have I been gone for almost an entire month when I promised that this chapter would be finished by Thursday? And to answer that question, I have only one thing to say to you!**

 **I was binging, again. Along with finished some more anime that I had been meaning to get to, I was also preoccupied with my copy of Pokemon Moon. Oh, did I play that game none-stop when it arrived, not even looking at my computer as I trained my pokemon on this new adventure. I had just finished the game too when my copy of Final Fantasy XV came in. Luckily, I was able to stave that off long enough to finish Chapter 17 and its DLC along with getting Chapter 18 going. Also got some news on the story for ya's.**

 **Instead of uploading every Thursdays, I will be uploading every Saturday instead. That way I can edit late into the night seeing as I don't work on the weekends. Not to mention I've had to work with some new pieces to the story. I swear, this story is evolving everyday, and with Volume 4's episodes, I'm able to connect so much missing pieces together.**

 **Now, onto some reviews!**

 **Rantam11: That's no plot hole. During Events like this, all Players are able to kill another in the time span that the Event is up. The reason why is still unknown, but its important.**

 **GhostHornet: I try to keep things fresh, so do expect the occasional weird shit here and there. Blake's DLC is going to be a whooper! As for Anna, you'll see in this chapter. You know, I'm actually a fan of Jaune/Nora. I can't help it, I love shipping him with almost every girl to see the interactions of their dynamic, one of the reasons why I love playing Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Nice theory, but nope! It's much more complicated then that. Though, I will say it has to do with Jaune's death. The hints are there, I wonder if you'll discover it?**

 **DigitalEmperor001: I hope to reach that point too, just got to spread the word of my story. Sometimes I think people turn away from it because of it being a Gamer fic. Most of those fics are just riddled with gaming mechanics and texts that take away from the stories word count. Oh, trust me, the day when all four girls realize that will come.**

 **Writer with Bad Grammar T-T: I do my best to make this story well written. Especially keeping the characters within character, which can be difficult. Writing Ironwood had actually been a bit of a pain. With this story being a Gamer fic, I can see why some people would be turned away from it. Most of them are filled with gaming mechanics, which can be a turn off. Hopefully they'll turn back to give it another chance. KS, oh, that ability is going to be 'interesting'. For the pairing, I've mentioned that it's currently a joke harem. But, once this story reaches its end, it will have Epilogues, one-shots with different endings with some of the girls that he's become romantically interested in. I guess it still counts as a harem, maybe I should make a harem end?**

 **Unchanined: Wow, you just described what I've been saying since the start of this fic. And I thank you for giving this story another read. That's what I wanted out of this fic, I wanted to create a Gamer fic that wasn't saturated with numbing stats and mechanics. I wanted an actual story centered around it, making a twist out of it. Imagine if I wrote down all those mechanics, this story would be reaching five hundred thousand words by now. Maybe. I feel that's the reason why people pass this story, because of the reasons you wrote down. Eventually though, I'm sure they'll give this story a chance and become fans like you. The Ann arc did run long, I'll admit that. It was planned out to be about six chapters long, but these fingers of mine won't stop typing! Glad you gave it another go, I won't disappoint you.**

 **Zachary2: I tend to do that. Some part of me just wants to say fuck it, and write the lemons to relieve the blues. It's a hard fight to resist that voice in my head, egging me on to write smut. Pairing is a joke harem, for shits and giggles. But I do have something planned for the multiple pairings in the end of the story, so don't worry.**

 **Sarinman: Feel no shame, brother. I've been there as well. Do I regret it? No. Would I do it again? . . .I don't want to answer that in front of the internet.**

 **Luther Cross: You know, I am working on writing descriptions for Jaune's skills and abilities. Instead of making a separate thing, I'm going to put them down at the end of each chapter that they are brought up, including going back to earlier chapters too.**

 **SonicFanFlame: The Game is confusing. It's a being of untold power and form. More of which will be explained as the story goes on. Do I trigger you? Good, gooood.**

 **A Fan1204: All about the mega's, baby! I swear, if they ever made a Fire Emblem like game out of RWBY, that would be a pairing I would like to see just for the interactions. I got a thing for crack pairings, it's an addiction, you could say. As hard as I try to shake the Fairy Tail out of me, things like this still slip in. But! Will Jaune continue with the naive belief that can win this game without killing? Time will only tell. Huh, guess I actually gave Jaune's harem a purpose. . .Sweet. The team interactions, I honestly felt I could have done better too. But, I've planned to spread it out throughout the chapters after this. Like Blake's talk, that's coming along soon. And Velvet's got a date scheduled. Oh, it seems you're getting somewhere with your theory. But while it does have to do with the Lieutenant killing Jaune, it's not him speaking to him. You're getting there, you bastard.**

 **Man, do I need some more medicine. I've been forced to drink hot water mixed with hot chocolate, no milk, while I've been sick. It's good, but I miss drinking coffee. Weeks been fucking me with this flu, but I'm feeling better. Chapter 18 is coming along, I plan to get back to writing it after I've uploaded before going to sleep. We'll see if about another DLC for next week. let's see what strikes me up. If you got a suggestion, let me know.**

 **Let's get this chapter going already! I'm sure you've all waited long enough for it. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. All rights belong to RoosterTeeth. So, Weiss and Blake have moms after all? Damn my inner pervert, all I can think about is MILF. As if having Summer and Raven wasn't enough. Now I want to write something pairing them with Jaune, just for the kicks. Truly, I am a shameless writer and pervert. And I have no shame.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Worth.**

Cinder was a calm woman. Well, most of the times. Problem with having to work with individuals like Roman Torchwick and Adam Taurus was that she had to deal with their loose cannon ways. One wanted to gallivant around Vale and rob every Dust shop with style and flair for the worlds attention, and the other disdained her very presence and would stab her in the back the moment she showed weakness. Unfortunately she had use for them, their skills were crucial to her plans in finding the Fall Maiden. For now she would have to deal with their mess until she had no use for them any longer.

Her fingers drummed against her crossed arms as she looked onto the last of the damages wrought by the surprise attack her hideout had sustained in the mess that was the FoF, her eyes shut as she collected her thoughts in the rhythmic hammering around her.

"Again, do tell me how one simple intruder was capable of destroying 15% of our Dust, let alone find our location when Vale's own law enforcement is none the wiser? I believed that your men were on lookout, so how was it that our security was breached so easily?" Cinder's yellow glare was set onto the back of one Adam Taurus, the man nonchalantly overseeing his men fixing the damages.

Normal men would cower under such a scathing gaze, but Adam's fallen under it so many times in his endless life that it no longer had much affect. Sure, the woman was still currently stronger than himself for the moment, but with his powers and experience he could still take her out. It would be a long arduous boss battle that had a chance of ending with his death, but he had done it before. Cinder was important though, that he couldn't deny. Especially her ties to Salem, he would need them both to reach his End. She was as much an asset to him as he was to her.

"My men were on lookout, problem was they weren't prepared to deal with a man leagues above their training." Inclining his head back to Cinder's direction, Adam continued, "Make no mistake, this was no simple intruder. He was skilled, capable of easily dispatching whatever opposition in his path and bypass our terminals with ease. Fighting him was no easy task."

It was actually enjoyable. Those cybernetics of his had made the fight interesting. Fighting cyborgs was always fun. Or was it androids?

"That does little to excuse their failure." Cinder said coldly, her eyes glowing with a spike of anger. "If so much as one person was capable of locating our position, there's no telling if more will follow."

"And? I don't see what you're so worried about?" Adam scoffed, "The Friends of Faunus have been disbanded, their own leader dying in a pool of his own blood. Without their leader, their members immediately surrendered to the police without a fight. No one's left to stumble upon our operations again. That you can trust me." he grinned savagely.

Cinder refused to drop her glare. That alone wasn't enough to satisfy her, "Our security was still breached. I expect you to remedy that. Our systems are finally online again and I'm having them scanned for any bugs the intruder may have left behind. I will not take a chance on our location being tracked. Don't forget," she walked to his side, her smile dark and deadly as the faint aura of flames escaped her eye, "We're both partners in this. We wouldn't want either one of us losing our trust in one another. Would we?"

Trust? Ha, what a joke. They both knew that once they out lived the others use they would off each other the moment they had. Had to admit, working alongside her did have its perks and fun. There was just something about fighting against the world that brought a grin to his face. Had to do something till he found a way to end The Game under his terms.

"No, I suppose not."

Nodding his head, Adam gave one last look back to his men before heading out. Things would go slow for a bit until the Breach reared its eventful head again. Might as well polish up on his lesser used skills. Fighting Naragami had reminded him that he couldn't blitz his way through most enemies. Who knew leaving one man alive would come back to bite him. He chuckled at the memory of their fight and its end result. How strong could a man become after being left for dead twice?

Such arrogance. Cinder sighed, shutting her eyes to calm her thoughts again. The man truly was a monster, the air he carried himself with was almost overwhelming to the ordinary man. Even with half the Fall maidens powers within her, she could still feel its pressure bare down onto her like snarling fangs. It was thanks to that power that she didn't have to worry about dealing with the man. If it ever came down to it, she would still put him down like the animal he was.

A buzzing on her scroll broke her from her thoughts. Taking it out, she read her message, her lips quirking as her shoulders eased.

Seems the fake transcripts from Shade academy had gone through with no problems. Say what you will about Roman Torchwick, but the man knew how to forge a document. Now they simply had to wait for the Vytal festival to slip in. Phase 1 was going along smoothly despite a bump or two. Wonder if her old school uniform still fit?

Passing the underground halls of their hideout, Adam threw up his hand, clawing his fingers in the air as they glowed with energy. Like peeling off plastic wrap, the illusion of the walls beside him were torn away, revealing a smirking orange haired man wearing a black bowler hat. A small woman with mismatched eyes of pink and brown stood beside him, her hair colored like neopolitan ice cream and twirling a parasol umbrella in her hand with a small grin.

"Roman, what a surprise." Adam said blandly, tilting his head to face the so called master thief.

Roman gasped in dramatic shock, taking a step back from the horned faunus, "Adam? What a surprise indeed! Didn't think I'd be running into you in these halls. What are the chances of that, Neo?" he asked his assistant innocently.

Neo shrugged her shoulders, her eyes wide like a child. Woman could pull it off, it weren't for the deadly glint in those psychotic eyes of her's. One of the few NPC's that put even Adam on edge.

Chuckling, Roman turned his green eyes back to Adam, an easy grin on his face, "It really is good to catch up with old friends. You've been so busy leading your people as of late. Tell me, how's good old Sienna Khan doing? Still as ferocious and savage as always?"

Faster then the master thief could see, the blood red blade of Wilt tickled the skin of his jugular. Adam's masked face stared him down, the slits glowing a dark red tint.

"Don't. Speak. His. Name." he whispered scathingly.

"What? Don't tell me our false leader is sour about his illusion of power? Or does your leader's name haunt you?" the blade pressed harder against his neck. If he pressed just a bit more the damn faunus would be staining his nice suit with his own blood. Wouldn't that be a shame.

Red stained Adam's vision, his grip on his chokuto shaking as memories of his many lives crept from their graves. A bloody scream clouded his thoughts along with a black ribbon laying in a pool of blood and empty gun shells. Fire blossomed, devouring the memories as he regained control of himself.

"What do you want?" Adam's arm blurred, sheathing his weapon back into Blush as he straightened his back. No need to lose control, not when it was so early in The Game.

"Just a moment." Roman held up a finger as her rubbed his jugular with a slight wince, his gaze moving over to his tiny assistant boredly twirling her hair around her finger without a care, "Neo, in case you may have forgotten, I pay you for protection and many other services to keep your insatiable ice cream stuffing habit going. So, do tell me why you let our good friend Adam nearly stab me through my neck? Just for curiosities sake." he lightly glared.

Neo tapped her lips in thought, her eyes rapidly switching between pink, brown, green, and white. Coming to a conclusion, she nodded her head firmly as she cocked her hip, giving her boss a thumbs up and a winning grin.

"What do you mean, 'I got this'? I do not pay you to stand around and look cute, I pay to hide in the shadows and stab. You failed at number one, and number two. Guess who's not going out for frozen treats after this?"

Neo huffed, pouting as she kicked the wall. He shook his head at the sight. Half the time he wondered if she was child and not a mute killing machine.

"Where were we again? Oh! Right, we were catching up." Leaning on his cane, Roman took a moment to slip a cigar from the pocket of his suit along with his favorite lighter. Smoke filled his lungs, the nicotine taste bringing a smile to his face. Always eased his nerves. "Well my next little escapade is going to need some decent man power to carry the luggage. Your boys are always capable enough to get the job done compared to Junior's, so mind sending a few my way? It would really help a brother out." he grinned smoothly as he blew out some smoke.

Adam grimaced as he waved away the smoke. Never understood why idiots smoked the damn things. Nothing but death awaited them, "It would have been simpler to go to Cinder for more men. Why hide in your illusions to ask me such a simple question?"

"You know how it is with the woman, Adam. Talk to her and she subtly applies her dominance over you, maybe even singe a bit of your skin, her yellow eyes glow with fire, and she gives you that condescending smirk of hers. Which is sexy in that femfatale kind of way, but mama warned me of sleeping with crazy. Then the kids of hers are brought in and it turns into a whole thing I rather not get into. Talking to you is much better and less painful. After all," Roman chuckled, his green eyes shining with mischief as he leaned back.

"Our kind has to stick together."

The grip on Adam's hilt tightened. An overbearing force threatened to crush his being like a rusted tin can. A single bead of sweat ran down his face before Roman's easy grin as the very air visibly wavered.

Sucking in another lungful of smoke, Roman tipped off his cigar as he fixed his suit. Had to be careful with the damn ashes. Didn't need to send another suit to the cleaners because of his little habit. Whatever pressure bore down upon Adam vanished into thin air, causing him to gasp for fresh air. He grit his teeth angrily, fighting the urge to cut the stylish man down where he stood.

"I do so enjoy these talks of ours. We should really do it more often over a drink or two. I'll be sure to reserve us a nice little spot at Junior's, he still owes me a solid after all. Heard he recently finished repairing his dance floor to boot. Might even meet a nice little pussy cat while we're there." Down to the last of his nicotine treat, Roman dropped it to the floor, grounding it to fine ash with the butt of Melodic Cudgel. He nodded his head to Neo, patting the bull headed faunus on the back as he walked on. Dust was a'calling and he needed to look his best as he robbed the city blind.

"Don't get cocky, things are about to change. I've met them, I'm sure you'll be meeting them soon enough."

Roman stopped, his back turned to Adam as he silently looked ahead in thought. Neo looked at him in confusion, wondering why her boss had stopped. Wasn't like him to gain such a look on his face.

A lax grin slipped on his face as he nodded, continuing to walk on as his assistant followed after.

"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to be on my best behavior. Wouldn't want to leave a bad first impression." he chuckled ominously.

As Roman left for whatever robbery he was going on next, Adam regained his composure. Damn old man, and they said he was a monster.

* * *

"This is torture! What kind of person subjects another human to such punishment!"

Sweat poured down Jaune's face as he jogged in a white T-shirt he had laying around and blue shorts. Beside him, Pyrrha nodded her head as she joined him in his jogging around Beacon in her own exercise wear consisted of a gray sweat top and shorts.

"I agree. Jaune's still recovering from his injuries, he's not fit enough for this level of training."

Appearing beside her fellow blonde, Yang shrugged uncaringly as she smacked Jaune's shoulder, earning her a shout of pain from the panting huntsman. Like her friends she was dressed in similar wear in an orange top and black tight shorts, smirking as she caught a few wolf whistles from the students around the courtyard.

"Too bad. His arm's hurt, not his legs. And after the sorry state we found him in, I've decided to up his training regimen. That means four laps around Beacon Academy instead of his usual two. Gotta build up your stamina and drop those five pounds we've been working on!" she grinned widely before lightly frowning in thought, "That reminds me, why are you joining him in his training? You know you don't have to mother him twenty four seven. Sends the wrong messages~!" she teased.

Pyrrha blushed, "Like I said, he's still recovering. And you do have a tendency to play rough. Besides, I'm his partner. If he's training, then I should be with him. Can't have you hogging him all to yourself." she mumbled with a pout. Wasn't fair that everyone else got to spend time with her leader.

' _What I wouldn't do for Nora to break my legs. Another broken bone is better then this hell.'_ Was this punishment for lying to them for so long? If so, Karma was a vengeful bitch. With all the sweat running down his body, Jaune was going to need a shower after this. Only problem was that having only one arm made things very difficult.

Two days had gone by since Jaune had woken up in the hospital after the events of the FoF. The doctors had cleared him the next day, warning him not to strain his arm so it could heal right and handed him some medication in case the pain became too much. At most it would take a week, week and a half, for his arm to be fully healed. Aura was great for healing wounds, but mending things such as bones was a lot more complicated. If the bone was set wrong, or there was some complication, then the aura would mend it wrong. And they would have to break it all over again to set it right. Some rest was his best bet on making a full recovery.

But Jaune was a huntsman. Wasn't much rest for the protectors of humanity. At least Yang had the decency to wait another day before dragging him out to train. Still acted like a slave driver though.

With classes for the day over with, the buxom boxer had clamped her hands over his shoulder and thrown him into his dorm room to change, threatening to go in there and do it herself. Not wanting Yang to see him in his birthday suit and be teased mercilessly, Jaune had changed into his exercise wear with some struggle. Making it to the dorm before him, Pyrrha had argued with going out to train so soon but relented only if she went along too. If he was going to make up to her their lack of time together then she may as well join him in his training.

Catching a bench coming up by the courtyard fountain, Yang decided to give Jaune a break. Couldn't have him dying on her after surviving near death. Coming to a stop, she wiped her own forehead of sweat as Jaune and Pyrrha fell in alongside her. "Let's take a breather, Vomit boy. You look like you're about to pass out." she said with a joking grin.

"Not a joke, I'm really going to pass out if I go another step." Jaune gasped, swallowing as much air as his greedy lungs could drink. Was his vision suppose to be swimming? With a pained moan, Jaune fell back onto the grass, sighing in content against the oddly comforting blades of green. A bottle of chilled water greeted his eyes, thanking whatever gods watched over them for Pyrrha's kindness.

"Thanks, Pyrrha. Don't know what I would do without you."

"A lot more if you didn't go off on your own." the redhead said flatly as she sat beside his laid form. Jaune groaned at the stab to his guilt. They wouldn't be letting that go anytime soon.

Alright, guess they were just ignoring the nice bench for three then. Yang shrugged as she sat next to them on the bed of grass. It was more comforting then hard wood. Her purple eyes fell on Jaune's cast arm, riddled with writing from his friends and classmates in different colored ink. Slight guilt ate away at her. Taking him out so soon to train was a bit of a jerk move. If she was being honest with herself, she only did it to spend some time with him. These training sessions of theirs were always fun, it was nice to have someone listen to her advice and chill with. Blake was becoming one of her best friends, but she wasn't into the things she liked, like playing video games. Jaune on the other hand was a gamer like herself.

"We can stop right here for today, Jaune. Pyrrha's right, starting up your training this early isn't such a good idea. Can't have you back in the hospital again." she said softly, looking up at the still blue sky with not a cloud in sight.

Despite the pain and sweat, Jaune shook his head, "Don't worry, I can still keep going. Like you said, my arm's the only thing broken. After fighting Holt, I've learned that my stamina still needs improvement. I could barely lift my sword halfway through the fight." Pain no gain. Any chance in raising his stats he would take. Plus he missed training with Yang, it was their way of bonding.

The last few days had really spoke to him about how lacking he was. Despite being capable of standing his ground against enemies that would normally pound him to the ground, it no longer was enough. He needed to be better then good enough, he needed to be strong as the people he was surrounded by. He needed to be a huntsman. Which left him with one idea on how to achieve that.

Looking up at the afternoon sky, Jaune raised his bandaged right arm up to the sky. He was going to have to make a note of never using Shatter Armament again. The ability was too powerful to use after he had read over its description. Shatter Armament, by breaking the limits of a Player's Strength they are able to summon an incredibly powerful armament from another world, capable of destroying whatever weapon in its way. But it came at a cost. The limb equipped with the armament would shatter as payment, ignoring any defenses or aura along with dropping the Player's Strength by 75%. Still, if he hadn't discovered the new ability he wasn't sure that he would have survived his fight. That and it cost a hefty amount of AP to equip.

Like Ruby had said, no more. Couldn't win his fights by a hairs breath any longer. Nearly dying twice in one day wasn't good for his health.

"Still can't believe you shattered your arm into pieces." Yang whistled, gazing at Jaune's cast as she laid back beside him. Her training regiment must be really working if he had delivered a blow powerful enough to result in such a traumatic break.

Jaune chuckled at the attention falling said arm, "I can't either. I'm lucky Nurse Sprig and the doctors were able to fix the pieces back in place. Aura really is a handy thing."

"Speaking of aura, what is your semblance? I've never really understood what it does, but it looks like it's the reason you can do those fancy tricks of yours." Yang mused, thinking back to his earlier fights.

Pyrrha was curious as well. As semblances went, Jaune's was unique from what she could tell. It allowed him to change the appearance of his weapon and its functions. She'd never seen anything like it.

Jaune scratched his head in thought, brows furrowing as he tried to come up with an answer. Couldn't exactly tell them he was basically a video game character that could learn crazy moves and skills that could defy logic. And for what he had planned later on, he was going to need to come up with some sort of explanation for his abilities. Just going to have to make something up.

"I don't really have a name for it. All I know is that it lets me. . .summon things to fight with. And those items and weapons grant me special powers. Still don't understand it myself." Jaune smoothly lied, his face sheepish as he put down his arm.

Nodding her head, Pyrrha tapped her lips in thought. She was right, his semblance truly was unique. It was unlike anything she had ever heard of. His fighting style alone could change based on the weapon he summoned.

"Summoning? That's pretty cool." Yang grinned, "So, what? Can you summon some buster sword and instantly know how to fight with it? Or summon even a dragon to fight beside you like in RPG's?" Just thinking of the possibilities made her giddy.

"Don't know. I'm still trying to understand it and what I can do with it. Summoning a dragon would be pretty cool. Would have been really useful a few days ago." Jaune grumbled.

No one would dare fight a guy wielding a dragon of all things.

Shrugging her shoulders, Yang turned her eyes back to the sky, sighing in content. It was good for things to be back to normal again. Action was great and all, but it was the downtime hanging out with friends that she truly enjoyed. Especially after Jaune's near death. Just laying down next to him put her at ease.

"Then we should train your semblance. If we focus on its abilities, there is no telling what you'll be able to summon." Pyrrha suggested.

"It's a little more complicated then that, Pyrrha." Jaune tried to explain. At least this gave him time to figure out how to explain his powers in a way that made sense to normal people. "The items and weapons I summon appear kinda randomly, usually after I've gotten stronger. Focusing on it doesn't do much other then summon what I've discovered, training seems to be the only way to discover new ones."

"That's why you're so insistent on training?"

"Pretty much, that and Yang was right. My hand to hand was pathetic until she started training me. Now if I ever lose my weapon, I can stand a chance against my opponent. I think I might even win a match without my weapons."

"Eh, you're getting there alright. But you still don't stand a chance against fighters like me and Pyrrha." Yang winked as she ruffled Jaune's hair, "Though if you were up against someone like Ruby, then you would be able to beat her without her weapon or semblance. Should have really taught her how to fight without them." That would come to bite her little sister in the back one day.

Stretching out her arms with a groan, Yang kicked her feet up, pushing herself off the ground and onto her feet. That was enough relaxing for the moment. If he wanted to continue his training then who was she to deny him? While he couldn't practice his hand to hand right now, she could still build up his strength and stamina.

"If you're still feeling like running another lap more, then let's go. After that, we got forty squats and you'll be good for the day. Going to have to take things light for a bit till your arm's back to a hundred percent. We should be able to work up an appetite after this." Yang licked her lips at the thought of food. They were serving roasted turkey, homemade apple pie, three cheese macaroni, and mountains of mash potatoes. A holiday feast!

With Pyrrha's support, Jaune stood back up, ready to go. A broken arm wouldn't stop him from going an extra mile.

* * *

Ruby giggled as she poked her straw against Jaune's head over the table of the lunchroom. The blonde knight's forehead laid against the table, too tired to raise it up and politely ask her to stop. Instead he moaned groggily as his hand weakly slapped her straw away. Could she not tell he was exhausted?

"I still can't believe they let you all back into the cafeteria so early. I thought Nora had been banned for entire semester?" Weiss asked as she took a sip of her ice cold water.

"Yes, but after helping the law enforcement in Vale stop the FoF, they thought it would be rewarding to let her set foot onto the their grounds early. All they ask for is that we keep a close eye on Nora and prevent any sort of mishaps as before from happening again." Pyrrha explained from her spot beside Jaune, her brow twitching slightly with a strained smile.

"You need to finish eating. We told you it wasn't a good idea to start training so early. Now you need your strength, whether you like it or not."

"But I can't! My good arm feels like a wet noodle, just like my legs. I don't even think I have the strength to chew."

"You don't need to chew mash potatoes. But if it helps you eat, I'll mush the rest of your food."

Pyrrha's smile creaked, watching by as Blake sat on Jaune's left, helping her exhausted partner eat his dinner with a stoic expression on her face. But the ninja girl couldn't fool her eye's, she could see that slight lift in the girl's lips as she stuffed the blonde's face with mash potatoes. Damn her, damn her for having more courage than her! That should have been her feeding Jaune intimately!

Swallowing his food, Jaune blushed as he pushed Blake's hand away, "That's not really necessary, Blake. I'm just being dramatic is all. I can feed myself just fine." Someone was being awfully motherly as of late.

Blake huffed as she put down Jaune's spoon, "Well with how beaten up you still are, you have to forgive me for believing you still have trouble gripping even a spoon. It is my fault you're like this."

"It's not, and I'm better then I was a few days ago. My wounds are all healed, all that's left is this broken arm of mine." Jaune gestured to his still bandaged arm, "Besides the few scars here and there, I'm perfectly fine." he chuckled good naturally.

"Like that scar on your forehead?" Weiss deadpanned with a fine quirk of her scarred brow, "I am still baffled how you could survive a headshot like that. Even with aura, it should have been enough to cause brain damage. I think." she frowned in thought. Never heard of a case of a huntsman dying of a headshot with their aura fully in tact. Still, if it was enough to break his skin, then the bullet should have continued in its path and broken through his skull.

"I think it looks cool. Makes me look kind of rugged, don't you think?" Jaune winked with a flirtatious grin and wiggle of his brows.

Weiss gave him a flat glare, slowly raising her finger up to said blonde's forehead before flicking his newest scar.

"Ow!"

"Truthfully, I'm not a fan of scars. Scars are a permanent reminder of your mistakes. Which makes sense why you have your fair share. A doofus like yourself has probably made more then he can count." Weiss huffed as she went back to her meal with a smile.

"Weiss, be nice." Ruby chided as she patted the now dejected blonde knight, "He's still recovering, I don't think he can handle your rejections just yet."

"That's his fault. How am I the bad guy for saying no?"

"Yeah, but it's like saying no to a puppy. Just look at that face!"

Again, Weiss stared flatly at Jaune as Ruby reached across the table to lift his head up to her face. His quivering lip and wide blue eyes gazing back at her hopefully did little to sway her thoughts.

"So, are you a dog now?" she asked plainly.

"Eh, woof, woof?"

". . .No."

"Shot down again! That makes it four times today!"

"Nora, you aren't helping." Ren sighed, watching as said girl took tally of Jaune's rejections on a notebook. At least she was on her best behavior. Nora was a social creature, she needed attention.

"Other then your usual attitude towards vomit boy," Yang mused, ignoring the indignant 'hey' from said blonde, she looked curiously at her white haired teammate and her rather cheery attitude, "What's with you lately? You've been smiling pleasantly since Monday nonstop. It's kinda freaking me out."

"Hush, you." Weiss said pointedly before her smile came back strong as ever, "But, if you must know, the reason for my rather pleasant demeanor is due to my older sister having stopped by Vale. I was lucky enough to be excused from classes to spend the afternoon with her before she had left back to Atlas. Said she had some classified business to handle that was finished with and that she had enough time to catch up on." she sighed in content. It wasn't often that she could talk to her sister anymore, not since she had left for the academy before joining the military. Whitley wasn't the most talkative of siblings, and their was something off about her brother that she could never put her finger on. Winter was the only other person that she felt could understand her. Having had the chance to meet with her after so long was a dream come true.

A loud thud caught her attention along with the rest of the two teams. Their eyes fell on the blonde knight, his head once again smacking into the table. It looked like he was shivering for some reason.

"Jaune, is something wrong?" Pyrrha asked with a hint of worry in her voice as she laid her hand on his back.

Jaune shook his head sheepishly, his eyes glazing over slightly at the memory of his encounter with a certain snow haired goddess.

* * *

"Wha?"

Winter Schnee, eldest of daughter of the Schnee family, one of General Ironwoods finest specialist, and all around ice queen, titled her head to side in confusion at the boy gazing back at her with a dropped jaw. Wasn't exactly the first time she had seen such a reaction before, but it was still an oddity, especially coming from one so injured as the Arc boy. Meeting the general of Atlas was shocking she supposed.

Straightening her posture, Winter nodded her head as Jaune picked up his jaw, "As I said, my name is Winter Schnee, a Specialist under the command of General and Headmaster James Ironwood of Atlas. And he would like to have a word with you." she said in professional manner.

None of which Jaune had understood as his mind had frozen still, capturing the beautiful goddess of a woman standing at his bed side. Her fair complexion, white hair done in a bun that allowed her bangs to fall over the right side of her face and eye, pale blue eyes, and the single stray of curled hair falling over her right ear; it brought a blush to his face. Not to mention her posture made her impressive chest stick out. But one word had stuck out to him, enough to bypass her beauty and snap him out of his daze.

"Wait, Schnee?" Jaune frowned, shaking his head as his full attention fell on Winter. The stare made her scowl mildly.

Here they go. Another person interested in the Schnee name. Winter sighed as she nodded her head stiffly. Should have seen that coming. With the Schnee name being so well known by their products, and unfortunately, their shady business practices, her name was bound to bring attention. It was hardly ever the good kind.

"By any chance are you related to Weiss Schnee?"

At that, Winter blinked, completely caught off guard for once. Of all the things she was expecting out of the boy that was certainly not on her list. Her eyes narrowed, "Yes, Weiss Schnee is my sister, my younger sister. Why do you ask?" she asked with suspicion.

"Weiss is a friend, kinda. Her team and my own always hang out. I never knew she had an older sister though." Jaune mused to himself. It was like his whole world had been turned upside down with that little tidbit.

Winter quirked an elegant brow, "Really. I thought Weiss would have made more. . .adequate friends."

"Was that an insult? I feel like that was an insult."

"As interesting as this conversation would be, the General is short on time as it is. It's very urgent that we move things along." They could talk later on. If this boy was friends with her sister, then she would have to evaluate him herself. Couldn't have someone who only saw the Schnee name associated with her.

Brushing back a lock of hair, Winter's fingers tapped swiftly on her scroll. With a final tap, she nodded her head in satisfaction before walking to the end of Jaune's bed where she laid her tablet on the ground. A blue light shined from the end of his bed, widening to reveal a hologram of General Ironwood standing before him, his arms crossed as he looked sternly at the bed ridden knight.

"Greetings, Jaune Arc. My name is James Ironwood, General of the Atlas Military and Headmaster of it's academy." Ironwood introduced himself politely.

Even in hologram form, the general carried a stern and intimidating presence about himself. Jaune gulped, nodding his head stiffly as he spoke to the general.

"Hello, sir. It's pleasure to meet you acquaintance." Jaune smiled nervously, doing his best not to sweat.

Ironwood chuckled. There was no real reason to be nervous. All he wanted to do was talk. Then again, with how much he really knew about the Arc boy, he supposed that Jaune had every reason to be nervous. It would be easy to crack the boy of information. But no, it wouldn't do him much good to play with that tactic, especially with Ozpin watching closely over the boy.

"Settle down, Jaune. I am simply another teacher like your own in Beacon, your nervous attitude isn't warranted. I am simply here to ask you a few questions is all. Questions concerning to the Friends of Faunus." Ironwoods eyes hardened, uncrossing his arms as he stared down the blonde boy. The information he held could greatly help him in discovering Merlot's locations. Anything at all would come at a great help at this point.

Jaune frowned, "Friends of Faunus? Couldn't you go to the Vale City Police for information on them now that they've been taking down? Why come to me?" he asked.

"That's simple. Unlike the whole of the world, I know that FoF hadn't been taken down by the police with the help of a few huntsman in training. They were toppled, their leader and master, single handedly taken out, by You." he bit out with a hint of frustration. His knuckles tightened as Jaune visibly flinched, the memories of his first kill jumping back from the back of his mind. "I know about your undercover investigation with the police. I had originally warned them that I would personally handle the situation in Vale if they didn't prove to me that they had things under control. And the very day that I had planned on sending my men with the approval of Vale's council, they inform me of their inside contact within the FoF and the drop of activity. I trusted them to handle things, this was after all their problem, not Atlas's, but on the single condition of one thing. One thing that you broke so carelessly."

"You killed Holt Delmos."

Again, he was reminded of what he had done. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? The memories were bad enough to deal with. Didn't need to be reminded anymore today of his mistake.

Shadows obscured Jaune's face as he looked away. The hell did they want him to say? "So? What do you want from me? All that I knew was handed over to the police. There's nothing more that I know of that would help you out." he said bitterly.

"You don't seem to understand." Ironwood shook his head, his eyes narrowing at the boy trying to ignore him, "Holt was a man of not just great skill, but of great importance. He was responsible for funding many of Atlas's military projects before he abandoned his country to humanize the faunus. And had ties to a very dangerous man who's been illegally experimenting with Grimm."

"Wait, you mean the Mutants?" Jaune couldn't help but ask curiously. Those were some nasty Grimm, unlike anything he had ever fought before until he had stepped foot into the UGC. Special enemies created by The Game and its Remix.

"Mutants? So, that's what they're called. Grimm modified by an outside force, not unlike a Variant Grimm." Scientist back at Atlas had gone to dubbing the beasts Enhanced Grimm. Mutants seemed much more fitting due to their unique mutations. Saving it for later, Ironwood pressed on, "Yes, the Mutants are creatures of Grimm created by Dr. Merlot, a once brilliant scientist who had lost his way in his studying of the twisted monsters. He is believed to be responsible for the flux of Grimm that eventually overran Mt. Glenn. He was believed to have died in its collapse, but recent developments these past few years beg to differ. I knew before Holt's departure he had been in contact with an unknown contact that helped further his own studies in some unknown experiment I have yet to uncover. And with his death, I no longer have any way of finding the man's whereabouts!"

Ironwood's holographic fist slammed down onto Jaune's bedside, phasing by its metal frame. Standing by her general's side, Winter jumped a bit with his rise in voice. Wasn't often that you would see the normally calm general so frustrated. She turned her eyes to the blonde boy, expecting to find him shaking in his bed. Instead, she was taken by surprise to find the boy's blue eyes glaring coldly at the holographic image of Ironwood.

"I never meant to kill Holt in our fight. What happened was a mistake that I wish with every fiber of my being to take back! Sorry that my mistake has set you back, but I don't know anything about Dr. Merlot!" Jaune growled, flinching one of his eyes in pain as he gripped is broken arm in his anger. Pain lanced up his arm, worsening with his medication now worn off. What he wouldn't do for some of the pain medication he was promised, "All that I do know is that Holt had been paying for the Mutants for his blood games. I may have gone in there to discover his secrets, but I was never close to him. Everything that I had found out was due to An-"

Jaune bit down on his tongue, shutting his lips to stop himself from saying anymore. Ann had been in enough trouble with the fall of the FoF, bringing someone like General Ironwood to wherever she was would only further drive a wedge between them.

"You were saying, Mr. Arc?" Ironwood scowled sternly, crossing his arms as his fingers tapped on against his sleeve "If you know anyone who may know more of Holt's dealings, then please, elaborate. Such information is vital in bringing in a man that can wipe out any town or village if he so pleased. I can not stress the importance of this enough then I can."

Seeing the blonde boy continue to remain silent, Ironwood massaged the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Stubborn, just like his father had been. Fine, he had other ways of making people like the boy talk. He could always apologize to Ozpin on a later time.

"Mr. Arc, if I may ask you, how exactly did you enter Beacon Academy?"

Jaune's head snapped up to meet the general's hologram eyes, his heart stopping as his eyes widened. What did he just say? He ground his teeth in frustration catching the knowing look in the general's eyes. No, how was it that he had been found out now? Especially when the Headmaster had never said a thing about his acceptance.

"I. . .graduated basic combat school like everyone else. Why?" Jaune asked, trying his best to keep his cool and steady his breathing.

"Really? So why is it that when I try to find any records of your history in any combat school I find nothing as much as a mention of your name? All huntsman and huntresses in training have records proving their worth, and if not, then they would face the entrance exam for those who were unable to attend a school to be accepted." The general's stern features hardened, not fond of the poor lie he was being feed. Only a complete fool would fall for such pathetic excuse of transcripts. And Ozpin was far from such a thing.

"Uhhh, bug in the servers?"

"Atlas tech prides itself in ironclad defenses, both on our walls and in our programming. Trust me when I say there was no mistake." Ironwood glared impatiently. "As far I know, you're a ghost, caught in the middle of a bloody end of a group of humanizers lead by a man that had once supported my tech. As far as I'm concerned, you had no right to step foot on to such a scene, let alone Beacon's academy. Making you a criminal in the eyes of The Atlas Military despite what the law enforcement or Ozpin has to say." Whatever respect or honor Jaune had earned after the fall of the FoF meant nothing to Ironwood. He needed answers, clues, even the smallest scrap of a hint to Dr. Merlot's location. His men back at his lab were having trouble dealing with the new modified Grimm, many injured from the suicide bombing Creeps taking them out. Turrets were already added on every side of his walls but they were still not enough, especially with the addition of a Beowolf Mutant that could tank his bullets. Dropping his arm, Ironwood extended a hand to the cold sweating blonde with an almost cold smile.

"Tell me what you know and I'll drop this little dirty matter as if nothing had happened. You'll be seen as a hero, not the fraud that you truly are; you're career as a huntsman will continue with a glorious start and not end in a shame. The choice is entirely up to you."

Jaune's face twitched as his teeth ground together in frustration, his face set in a glare toward the hand reaching out to him. Blackmailing him to give up Ann, that was just low. She had gone through enough and with her records of crime she would be locked away like that. The general wouldn't go easy on her like Captain Rola had agreed. What kind of friend would he be if he gave her up to save his own ass?

Life was a game, but Ann's life wasn't. Career be damned, he was more then willing to risk it.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune steeled his features as he shook his head, surprising the general and Winter as he scowled deeply, "Forget it. If it means risking her freedom after being lost down a path she forced herself into, then I'd rather lose my status as a huntsman to keep her safe! She's been through enough in her life and I won't be the reason she suffers anymore!" he spat, his fists clutching his bedsheets in response to his anger.

Ironwood held back a biting remark, cooling his temper as he shut his eyes. Was that why Jaune was refusing to tell him about the only person who could help him?, "I don't know what you think I'll do to 'her', but such an important contact wouldn't be in danger of imprisonment. Not if she's willing to cooperate with me and tell me what she knows. Prisoners are much more tight lipped then you would expect, so giving her any reason to not cooperate would not be in my best interest, especially if she holds the information I'm seeking." he said flatly with a deadpan expression.

"Really?" Jaune uttered slowly, not believing what he was hearing. Honestly, he was expecting the general to grill him into submission. Hard to believe he wouldn't lock up Ann with everything she knew.

Nodding, Ironwood smiled as he gestured his hand to the boy, "Yes. From what I've gathered, I believe the contact you're trying desperately to protect would be Anabel Wargray, Delmos right hand. In the aftermath of the FoF's collapse, only two of Holt's higher ups were unaccounted for, Ms. Wargray and his left hand enforcer, Naragami Endo. Captain Rola had no word on the girl's whereabouts, but I could see through his facade; he was protecting the girl for some reason and forcing the answer out of him would do me no real good. Please, if you can allow me to talk to her and ask her what she knows about Dr. Merlot, I promise you nothing will happen to her." he said sincerely, holding his hand to his chest in a vow, "True, she is a criminal and wanted for a series of crimes, but I'm more then willing to pardon such crimes in exchange for what she knows. Information can a be a very valuable thing, enough to even buy her a second chance if she's willing to listen."

A second chance? At a new life? Jaune bit down on his lip, fighting with believing what was too good to be true. This could be it, a way for Ann to walk freely onto the streets without worry of looking over her shoulders. She could be free, make a new start. But could he trust general Ironwood's words? He didn't know much about the man, only that he was highly respected for his leadership and strength.

What choice did he have? Wary eyes looked at the man skeptically, weighing his options. Didn't have much of a choice in his position, the general could lock him up if he wanted to.

"How can I trust you?" Jaune asked slowly, his eyes glaring into Ironwood's.

Ironwood rose a brow, chuckling at the suspicion. "You don't trust the general of a country, or a headmaster of a school? Rest assure, I have no need to lie to you. All I need is your trust, even if I had Ms. Wargray in my custody she wouldn't cooperate with me, your word would help me. You don't have much choice either way, I'm more then willing to do things peacefully, but believe me" he glared coldly, even by hologram his expression could still drop the temperature of the room where even Winter lightly shivered, "I won't hesitate to do it by the books and lock you both away without a glimmer of sunlight to your cells."

Jaune gulped, chuckling weakly as he nodded with a shaken smile, "I think I can take your word for it. As long you keep your word that she'll be safe. She's my friend, and I don't care if you're a general, a headmaster, or some great huntsman that I have no hope of scratching," he glared back, matching Ironwood's gaze as best he could, "I'll stop you from touching a hair on her head."

Winter tilted her head at the odd scene she was witnessing. To see a huntsman, a huntsman in training barely into their first year, not back down in general Ironwood's presence was something to behold.

After several moments, Ironwood eased his glare, his face breaking out with a soft smile of acknowledgment as he nodded. Color himself impressed, the boy was Alexander's son alright. The cold blue steel in his eyes was all too familiar.

"You have my word as a huntsman, general, and headmaster. I don't need your mother hunting me down after breaking her son's promise, the woman has one hell of a mean streak."he chuckled.

"Tell me about it. She'd run without stopping to teach me a lesson if she found about what happened to me during my fight with Holt." Jaune groaned. No telling how his sisters would react, nothing was scarier then all eight woman of his life working as one to scold him. Sighing, Jaune nodded his head stiffly, his shoulders sagging. All he could do is trust Ironwood, he seemed like a trustworthy man anyways especially if he was a friend of Ozpin. Surely Ann would understand, it was for her own good. She'd finally be free.

"Fine. I'll talk to Captain Rola later and tell him it's alright to see her. I still can't believe that he's willing to lie to a man like you because of me. He could lose his job and ruin his career with that." Hard to believe that the captain would do such a thing, seemed like a strict man.

"You have the respect of the police of Vale for what you did. They see you as one of their own now for your heroics. Something that is no easy task."

Ain't that the truth. Beating Holt and ending the Event had rewarded him the trust of the Vale City Police, something he was only now understanding fully. Still debating if it was worth the shattered arm, bullet wounds, and near headshot.

The tension in Ironwood's shoulder's eased, breathing a sigh of relief. Truthfully, he didn't want things to turn ugly between them. But he was more then willing if he had to. A low beep rung from his watch, the timer set to warn him that he was running out of time making him frown slightly. Sad to say their talk was going to have to come to an end. He was actually hoping to see how the Arc family had been doing. Especially with their loss years ago.

"My time is running out it seems. I thank you, Jaune, for understanding and cooperating. I know Alexander would have been proud." he smiled wistfully.

If the boy wanted to become a huntsman so bad, why didn't he just come to him? It would be the least he could do for all that his father had done. Questions for another time it seemed.

Jaune nodded, slightly confused. Weird how the general was using past tense about his father. Weirder that they knew about another, his father had never mentioned his connections with the Atlas headmaster. And he knew his mother?

"No, thank you. Even if I never get the chance to see her again, it makes me happy beyond belief that Ann can leave her past behind her now. She deserves another chance, I know she does." he grinned happily.

Ironwood shut his eyes, nodding as he chuckled. Certainly took after his mother's caring personality. What a combination.

"I'll be sure to let her know that you're the reason she can walk freely on her own path. Just don't disappoint me, Jaune. You have the makings of a great huntsman, lack of qualifications aside." With his business finished with, Ironwood turned his to Winter and nodded his head. The Schnee specialist nodded in understanding with a salute before working on ending the call.

Ironwood took one last look at the Arc boy before his hologram image flicked and faded. It was good to know that the Arc family name of warriors would continue on. Alexander would truly be proud of his son.

As the image of the general went away, Jaune fell back to his bed with a loud sigh of relief. Did he just get the general of an entire country to keep a promise? Had to be his high Charisma, about time it came in handy. Their was no other explanation for it.

"That was certainly impressive if I may say." Tapping the screen of her tablet, Winter spared Jaune an impressed glance. The general would normally make the subject of his questioning submit to his demands. To see him actually promise a boy he'd keep up with his word was surprising.

Almost forgot about the older snow haired beauty. Jaune blushed as her eyes fell onto him, his eyes drinking in the sight of the Atlas specialist. Now that he got a good look at her, it was hard to believe he didn't peg her as Weiss's sister. Wonder if Weiss would eventually grow up to resemble her? The thought made him blush even harder as the image of a bustier Weiss came to mind, turning her nose up at him in a haughty pout.

"Not really, I bet I would have caved in if he didn't go easy on me." Jaune said nervously as he looked away. Damn blush, why couldn't it go down already?

"The general is not known for 'easy'. None the less, I trust in his judgment all the same. So I won't say a thing on your fake qualifications." Winter smiled politely as she walked to his bedside. It was curious to see how red the boy's face had become. Must be a side effect of whatever medication they were giving him.

Seemed even a Schnee could be oblivious.

"T-Thanks." Jaune stuttered, looking down in an attempt to hide his blushing face. Why did she have to stand so close? He gulped nervously as he caught the hint of her heavenly perfume. Even if she was a huntress it didn't mean she had to smell of sweat and dirt.

Winter looked over the red faced blonde curiously. What an odd huntsman. In her line of work she had never come across such an individual. From what she had gathered he had the strength to take down a man as powerful and fearsome as Holt Delmos, a man who could hold his own against a trained huntsman, yet he didn't seem to carry himself to fit the image. A huntsman carried themselves with an air of confidence, bravery, and charisma; the blonde knight lacked it all. And Weiss was friends with such a person? Her little sister could sadly be judgmental.

At the thought, Winter's face developed a light frown. Normally the people who sought out her sister's friendship only saw the Schnee name. Having just met the boy, her suspicions weren't at ease. Well, while she was here, might as well see what the boy's intentions with her little sister were.

"Mr. Arc, if I may have a word with you?"

"Sure?" Jaune answered slowly, wondering what someone like her would want to ask him. The hell was with all the attention lately?

"You're 'friends' with my younger sister, Weiss, correct?" she asked, her icy blue eyes piercing into his own as she walked around his bed with her arms crossed behind her back.

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, even if she doesn't outright admit it sometimes. Despite her icy attitude she's a great person to hang out with." he smiled.

"Right." Winter nodded, "So, what is it about her that made you seek her out as a friend? Surely her personality wasn't what had drawn her to you. Especially with the Schnee name being so well known." her eyes narrowed, watching Jaune closely to see through any lies that may pass his lips. She wouldn't stand by and let some pretender come close to precious sister to use her.

"About that." Jaune blurted, raising a solitary finger in the air as he met her intimidating gaze with question and curiosity, "What does the Schnee name mean? Ain't that just another Dust company?" he couldn't help but ask.

It had been bugging him for a long time now. The reason Weiss acted so cold to him and ignored his advances was because she believed he was after her name. Schnee, as in the Schnee Dust Company of Atlas. Coming from a nice home away from the kingdoms, Jaune wasn't all too familiar with the biggest names in the huntsman world, it's why he had no idea what Aura and Semblances were, let alone Dust outside the use of household items. Why was the Schnee name so important? So they were rich, big whoop.

All suspicion, wariness, and intimidation was drained from Winter by that one question. Her brain ceased function as she stared at the wounded boy like a statue, not making a single move other then breathing. If she wasn't such a professional she would have pinched her arm to see if this was real.

"I'm sorry, what?" Breaking out of her stupor, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, raising her hand in a stopping motion as she gathered her thoughts, "Did you just ask what the Schnee name means? One of the world's largest distributor's of Dust on Remnant?"

"Sooooo, you're family is really rich?" Jaune quirked a brow, not really impressed.

Really rich? Try rich enough to buy a country, theoretically.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it. The Schnee Dust Company supplies the entire kingdom of Atlas with Dust and has trading rights outside the kingdom, supplying towns, cities, even villages in the other kingdoms as well. As well as supporting and financing advances in technology and weaponry. Saying we're really rich is an under statement." she said flatly.

"Then you're ultra rich? Is that a thing?" he asked himself with a frown. Sounded silly.

Was this a joke? Because if it was she was sicking one of her Beowolves on the punks playing games with her. There was no feasible way that the boy had never heard of the SDC and not understand its wealth and importance. Their brand was well known in every household for crying out loud! Was he a hick?

"Where did you grow up? I find it hard to believe that a huntsman in training hasn't heard of the Schnee name." she frowned deeply.

"Oh, well my family is settled in-"

Pain, sharp lancing pain. So razor sharp it had taken Jaune back as his head recoiled, his vision blurring for a second as his memories turned to static. Gasping in pain, Jaune clutched his head as he sat back. Winter was taken back but quickly moved closer to the blonde boy, her hands grazing over his face as she tried to find the cause of his pain.

' _The hell is going on?'_ Jaune grimaced as he tried to focus. What was wrong with his memories? It was like he was watching tv with a horrible signal, everything was going to static.

 _ **Hurts, don't it? How does it feel to live a lie? Those memories. . .DoN'T BeLONg tO YoU!**_

Jaune hissed in pain, his vision growing worse as a red hue appeared in his pupil. The voice? Hadn't heard from it since his fight with Holt. What the hell was it babbling on about now?

' _What do you want? Who are you?'_

As quick as the pain arrived it vanished to nothing along with the dark voice. A light sheen of sweat stuck to Jaune's face as he panted. Creaking his eyes open, his blurred vision cleared away to leave Winter's concerned face hovering over his own.

"Are you alright, Mr. Arc? Where does it hurt?" Brushing back the hair over Jaune's forehead, Winter carefully moved his face around to scan for any signs of to his pain. Hard to do when his face was already bandaged and gauzed, everything was pretty much hurting for him. Whatever medication they had him on must have finally faded, leaving him to reel back from the damaged he had sustained.

Jaune's breathing grew heavier, gulping audibly in the face of such a beauty. Close, so close! His eyes wandered over to her lips, glossy and subtle.

Finding nothing out of sorts other then his wounded condition which hadn't really changed, Winter sighed in relief as she moved her hands back. She was going to have to call for the nurse to give the boy medicine to relieve his discomfort.

"Well you seem to be over the sudden spike of pain now. I'm guessing that healed wound over your forehead must be causing you problems?" Winter mumbled to herself, moving back his hair to look over the scar in slight wonder.

"Yeah, it must be messing with my memories. A gunshot to the head would do that." Jaune laughed tiredly as he rubbed said scar.

Gunshot? Winter looked at him incredulously. How does someone walkaway from a bullet to the forehead even with aura?

Ignoring that matter for the moment, Winter went back to her original line of questions. "Seeing as you're fine now, you have yet to answer my question. Why did you seek out Weiss as a friend? If you've known her this long then you know how. . .difficult she can be." she finished off with a cough. Love her sister she did, but with how they had been raised in Atlas they had trouble getting along with others beneath them.

"I guess you could say Snow Angel can be difficult sometimes. When I first met her she blew me off immediately. Can't blame her though, I'm not exactly much to look at." Back then he was just an annoyance that wouldn't leave her alone, now she actually talked to him, even if she still looked down on him from time to time. Things were different now. He was her friend, someone she could rely on. As difficult as she may be, Weiss was still Weiss, the Snow Angel he had given his life once to save. And he would do it all over again.

"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet, it's something my mother had said to me years ago. I kinda live by it when I think about it. Weiss was just another stranger I wanted to befriend, that's all really." he shrugged.

Was not going to tell Weiss's big sister that he was also romantically interested in her too. As an older brother himself he would immediately put whoever was interested in his siblings under the grill. Did not want to go through that with his current condition.

"So, the Schnee name means nothing to you?" Winter asked with a quirked brow. Hard to believe such a thing.

"A name is just a name. It is kinda intimidating knowing that Weiss can literally buy and sell me, but it doesn't change anything. Weiss is Weiss, she's my friend." Jaune smiled honestly.

It was as simple as that? Winter's gaze didn't leave Jaune's as she tried to wrap her head around the boy in front of her. Was he just simple minded or something? Maybe he just didn't understand how big the Schnee name truly was. They were globally famous, hearing someone who never heard of them was surprising.

That, or maybe the world was bigger then she thought. Joining the Atlas Military had not only been a way to escape her father's controlling shadow, but an opportunity to explore the world, to get a broader scope of the people and their beliefs. And while she had gone to many new towns, villages, and continents as a Specialist, there was still so much she hadn't seen yet.

The thought actually made her happy. To know that there was still so much more to discover and explore. And to know that there existed people that could care less for titles or name. The Arc boy was proof of that.

Winter smiled, shutting her eyes as she nodded approvingly. Oddly enough, she felt a pang of jealously for her little sister. To find someone who didn't see her name this early was lucky. And if her letters were correct, she had a whole team who treated her like a normal girl. What she wouldn't have done to be in her shoes at that age.

"Seems Weiss made a good choice in befriending you. I can only ask you one thing though."

One thing, coming from Weiss's big sister? Jaune had an idea what that would be.

"You want me to watch out for her, don't you?"

The Arc boy just kept surprising her. Winter shook her head amusingly as she nodded, "Yes, how did you know?" she couldn't help but ask.

"As an older brother, I would ask the same thing." Jaune grinned, the memory of his sisters coming up at the thought, "I'm not exactly the oldest in the family, but I got little sisters too. Even now, I worry about them. But knowing that my older sisters are back home, watching out for them and protecting them, fills me with ease. Honestly, you should be asking Ruby and her team to watch out for Snow Angel, they'd do a better job then some bedridden dork."

"Perhaps, but they aren't in front of me to ask. For now, you'll have to do." she said said jokingly, earning a sheepish grin. A slight beeping from her scroll caught her attention as she opened it up. Looked as if the general still had some work for her to do in Vale. Well, if she left now she could still have enough time to take Weiss out on a surprise dinner.

"Seems I must be off, I still have things to do." she sighed as she shut her scroll. Getting a nod of understanding, Winter turned for the door, stopping for a moment to look back at the blonde boy. She smiled at him one last time before leaving.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Arc. Do watch out for Weiss, will you?"

With her last words, the door shut behind Winter, leaving Jaune to stare after the door. He fell back against his hospital with a huge sigh, his energy for the day spent. His heart was still racing from the older Schnee's visit. To think Weiss had an older sister. Had only one thing to say after meeting her.

"What a woman."

* * *

Fingers snapped in front of Jaune's eyes, breaking him out of his daze. He shook his head to clear his mind, finding his friends looking at him in slight concern.

"Sorry, what were you guys saying? Kinda got lost in my own thoughts there." he smiled apologetically.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? I'm surprised you know your left from your right, Jauney-boy."

"That's why I have it written on the bottom of each shoe, Cardin!" Jaune shouted back in annoyance, only to look up in surprise as he turned his head over his shoulders. Cardin's smug grin met him face to face along with the rest of his team standing behind their leader with sheepish grins.

"Cardin? What are you doing here?"

"Finding seats to eat our lunch. Our usual spot was filled up pretty fast, mostly because someone here had to waste ten damn minutes brushing their hair." Cardin glared back to the long dark blue haired member of his team, Sky Lark. Said huntsman flicked his long locks with a scoff.

"Sorry, but when you have hair like mine, you have to take care of it hourly." Sky smirked.

Cardin's brow twitched, doing his best to stop himself from smacking his friend upside. How he became a huntsman he would never know. Spent more time combing his hair then training his weapon.

Yang grinned back at Sky, pumping a fist, "I hear that! Some people just don't understand fine hair care and the work it takes."

"See, she gets it."

The mace wielder glared flatly at Yang, "Don't encourage the idiot. How Russel deals with him, I'll never know."

"A pair of earbuds and mirror for him to amuse himself with and I'm fine." Russel nodded sagely. It was like giving a bird something to keep its attention on.

Taking noticing of their lunch trays, Ruby smiled at them as she gestured for them to sit, "Well there's more than enough room in our table for you guys to sit down!"

"Are you sure about this, Ruby?" Weiss whispered lowly to her partner as the four huntsman nodded gratefully before dividing and sitting on each end of the two teams. While she herself had issues with the faunus, she wouldn't go as far as berating and bullying them for her own amusement like team CRDL.

"Course, they aren't so bad. Don't forget that Cardin helped save Blake." Ruby whispered back, "I know they were a bunch of meanies in the past, but they're good now. I haven't even seen Cardin pick on a faunus since the fall of the FoF. People can change you know."

Cardin nodded along from his seat next to Nora who sat on Ruby's right, "I would say I tolerate them after the days past events. Also, you guys fail at whispering discretely."

"I think he's on to us, Weiss."

"It's alright, we know we were jerk asses during the first semester. It's hard not to notice all the glares and whispered hushes behind our backs when we use to pick on the faunus." Russel sighed depressingly from his seat next to Ren as he poked at his green peas. The other students may not have said anything to them or stood up to them, but their gazes said more then words could express. Bullies, assholes, douchbags, racists, and so much more. Couldn't blame them, they weren't exactly wrong on their part. "We just followed after Cardin, believing all that he had told us about them. Plus he was very aggressive about pushing his beliefs onto us, you can't say no to a guy who could break the exoskeleton of a Deathstalker." he laughed nervously.

Yeah, Cardin grimaced shamefully as he thought back to his earlier treatment of his team. Couldn't deny what he was saying. Even he now understood he was a giant asshole.

"Then why follow after him? I'm sure if you came to Ozpin about it he would have reassigned you, or at least talked to him about his behavior." Pyrrha asked. Surely Beacon wouldn't allow such a team leader in charge of a team with behavior like that.

From his seat next to the red haired tournament champion, Dove shook his head with a frown, "You forget that Beacon isn't a normal school, it's a place designed to train warriors to fight. Even if your commanding officer doesn't have the best behavior or sound beliefs, you follow them regardless into combat. Cardin may have been a racist asshole with anger problems, but he still knew how to lead and fight soundly. Doesn't matter what he believes, as long as he can do his job, there's no problem."

"Somehow I feel as if you guys didn't have the best impression of me before." Cardin grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"But," Dove smiled reassuringly at his leader along with the rest of his team, "Despite how much of an ass Cardin behaved, he was still our friend. We would follow him no matter, you don't just abandon your friend like that when you can help them overcome their hate. Though, we weren't much help in regards to that." he turned his eyes over to Blake, nodding his head thankfully, "If you hadn't broken him from whatever haze he had been overcome with, I'm sure we would have lost our leader to the FoF. You saved him from that one bad day that could have pushed him to a line we wouldn't be able to follow."

"I didn't do much, trust me." Blake deadpanned as she recalled how she had 'saved' Cardin. All they had done was fight with the stronger huntsman abusing his odd semblance to overwhelm her at her weakest. How that made him see the errors of his ways she had no idea.

"Well, what's important is that we're all friends now!" Ruby grinned cheerfully.

"Is she always this bright and cheerful?" Cardin asked Jaune.

"I blame the cookies and milk."

Ruby pouted at the two, ready to tell them off for blaming her favorite treat for her abundance of energy. But before she could open her mouth, the loud sound of a guitar strumming broke her from action. Curious silver eyes looked over her table to find a small crowd of students gathered in the middle of the lunchroom where the sounds of an electric guitar could be found. Sounded like someone was playing rock music. Weird.

Following Ruby's line of sight, Cardin grumbled to himself.

"I was hoping team HRTH was still away on their mission. That damn Helio and his electric guitar, always making a big show of himself like he was top shit."

"Who's Helio?" Yang asked as she nodded along to the nice rhythm.

"Helio is a second year, like Velvet and her team. His team usually goes out on extermination missions and hardly goes to class. Hell, you should know him, you did beat his leader in combat class."

"Really? Huh, I never really paid much attention to her team, she usually leaves right after her match along with them. Sometimes I think she doesn't really care about winning or losing any of our fights." The small girl would much rather spend her time with that small Grimm Griffon plush in her hands then spar in the ring.

"When you're that strong, fighting becomes a bore, I guess." Dove shrugged, recalling his own fight against the girl in class. Took him out with one punch. For Yang to stand her ground against her and win was beyond him. "Helio is actually a great guitar player, he could give up on hunting and make a name for himself as an artist. Wonder why he chose to become a huntsman?" he wondered as he lifted a forkful of gravy soaked turkey to his hungry mouth.

"He's a showboat is what the bastard is." Cardin scoffed, "The guy always wants to be the center of attention. Probably became a huntsman to be an even bigger star or something."

"That, and Cardin hasn't won a single match against him. Helio likes to boast his winning matches, rubbing it in their face. Safe to say, Cardin has a bone to pick with him."

"Lousy guitar playing prick."

"Coming from the guy that was harassing faunus for the last few weeks? I don't think it's fair for you to judge." Blake deadpanned to Cardin with crossed arms. Said huntsman grumbled a curse at the secret faunus as he looked away.

"She's right, Cardin. Just because you can't luck out a win with a star like me, doesn't mean you have to say such bad things. Learn your place, Freshy."

Cardin brows knitted together in an annoyed glare aimed to the owner of the voice. Jaune blinked in confusion at the new voice, feeling its owner standing behind him. Turning his eyes back, he came face to face with a red haired teen smirking arrogantly at him specifically.

The teen's red hair was done up in a wild ponytail reaching to his back, a few frays of red hair spiked and falling over his forehead. He wore an open black spike studded jacket, blood red shirt made of thin chain mail links, ripped faded black jeans and scratched gray armorec boots. His amber eye's looked down at Jaune, almost sneering at the knight in disgust. It looked like he painted the visible black bags under his eyes. From the redhead's back, Jaune could make out what looked like the neck of his guitar.

"Sup? You must be the so called 'hero' people have been talking about while my team's been absent. Got to say, I don't see much." he grinned widely, his eye's leering.

"Who are you?" Jaune asked, almost gulping at the teen staring him down with a crowd of student's gathered behind him. Some of them were murmuring to another, watching on with interest as the red haired teen visibly flinched before growling in annoyance.

Cardin scoffed from his seat, looking away from the scene, "That's who I was talking about, his name's-"

"Hey! Butt out, will ya, Cardy?" the teen said with a strained smile, his eyes threatening before turning back to Jaune, "It's only fair that I introduce myself here to the kid. Name's Helio Lyre, The Star of Beacon and member of team HRTH. It's actually insulting that you don't know about such a star like myself. What, have you been living under a rock these past few weeks?" he tilted his head mockingly.

No, more like constantly running back and forth across Vale with information of a humanizing terrorist group bent on hunting the faunus. Jaune could hardly think back to a single day he had been on Beacon grounds outside of classes and sparring with Yang after his trips between Crime Haunt and the Vale City Police. Looked like he had been left out on a few things created by the Remix.

"Wait," Jaune suddenly frowned in realization, earning a smug grin from Helio. About time the kid realized who he was, "Team HRTH? You're Hera's teammate? How's she been? It's been a while since I talked to her." he smiled. Last time he saw her she gave him a mean pout after sending him flying with a monstrous fist. Reminded him of his sisters.

Helio's brow twitched as he stared at the blonde boy. Did he just blow him off for the squirt? His teeth ground together as he fumed. Unacceptable.

The students along with team RWBY, CRDL, and JNPR gasped as Helio picked Jaune up by the scruff of his uniform, glaring at the grimacing blonde knight dangling in his fist.

"Listen here, punk. It's not so polite to blow off a star, you might get burned. So, pay attention, you crippled little knight." Helio said almost seething, ignoring the glares pointed at him from the knight's little posse, "I don't like all the attention you've been grabbing for stopping a bunch of idiots with some hacksaws skipping around Vale. There's only one center of attention everyone should be revolving around, and that's yours truly. Any idiot with a stick could have done what you've done, so don't go thinking you're top shit, aight?" he smiled politely, his eyes shut as his grip tightened to point he was slightly choking Jaune.

"Let him go, you bully!" Ruby shouted, standing up from her seat to glare at the red haired rocker.

"Bully?" Helio blinked innocently, pointing his free hand at himself before smiling brightly, "I'm just giving him a little light warning. He's a huntsman after all, something like this shouldn't cause him discomfort." he grinned mockingly as Jaune grimaced.

All three teams stood up from their seats, their eyes narrowed and angry at the smug huntsman as the rest of the students couldn't help but look on to the drama unfolding before their eyes. You couldn't make up drama like this.

"Alright, that's enough."

Everyone watching on were taken by surprise as Helio's smug face went blank, sweating suddenly before he was blown off his feet across the lunchroom by a monstrous force. Whatever had sent him flying was no where to be seen. All eyes scanned around the lunchroom, trying to find the one who had shut up the rocker and created a strong gale whipping around them. What the hell hit him?

Falling back on his seat, Jaune rubbed his neck in discomfort before his eyes moved up. Blue eyes locked with his own, taken by surprise as he recognized the small girl in a Beacon uniform that looked to be tailored for a middle schooler.

"Hera?" he coughed, getting a nod from the small brunette. Eyes turned to the leader of HRTH, wondering how such a girl had got past them all without a notice. Must have been her height.

Hera wasn't so fond of the attention now falling onto her. Huffing, she raised her hand up, putting her thumb and middle finger together as her golden aura coated the digits.

"Stop gawking and leave us alone."

Snapping her fingers, Hera created a thunderclap bang that dispersed the crowding student body around her, sending them running with their hands clapped over their piercing eardrums. She sighed as she waited for the first years students that sat with Jaune to regain their hearing after her little trick.

"You okay, Jaune?" Hera asked in concern as she watched the blonde boy clean out his ears with a groan.

"I think my eardrums were blown out." Jaune whimpered. Was it normal to hear a whine in his ears?

Right, he was the closet to the bang. Well, that was what aura was for. His ears would be repaired in a second.

"You got to learn to control your strength, Hera. The poor kid doesn't need to be deaf along with crippled. It would make hunting Grimm a real chore."

Walking up behind the short leader, two more students Jaune had never seen before greeted him as he regained his hearing. On Hera's right stood a silent pale skinned girl with midnight hair done in a top knot ponytail. Stray bangs fell over her red eyes. And on her left stood a light tan smiling forest green haired boy with wavy short hair, his eyes shut tightly as he nodded to the first years. The forest haired boy chuckled apologetically as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry about my partner, Helio. He can be a real. . .well, mamma always said if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut and smile politely." he smiled gently, his smooth, soft voice matching his feminine appearance.

"He brings great shame to our team, we apologize." the midnight haired girl bowed, her voice harsh and cold.

"That's alright, wouldn't be the first time I was manhandled in a public space." Jaune laughed nervously. What was it about his face that made people pick on him? He was a good guy, honestly! "Aren't you going to check up on your teammate? It looked like he was hit pretty hard." looking back to where said redhead was blasted off, Jaune winced sympathetically at the sight of his body smashed cleanly against the wall. He could even make out a few students laying around dizzily from the powerful force that blew past them and knocked over their tables. Was that a plate of turkey and gravy over his face?

"Oh, he's fine! Wouldn't be the first time our leader had to teach him a lesson or two for behaving like an ass. I swear, that boy is incapable of learning a lesson." the boy sighed.

Hera rubbed her fists with a pout, grumbling about annoying redheads and thickskulls, "These are my teammates by the way, my partner Tsuki Yumi, and Helio's partner, Rue Edesia. We just came back from changing into our uniforms before we noticed the idiot was nowhere in sight. And knowing his showboating ass he would either be in the courtyard or lunchroom playing his weapon. Didn't think he'd cause any trouble so early."

"I did~! Mr. Center of Attention got word of the heroes of Vale, and you know how he hates it when all eyes aren't on him. Again, we apologize for his behavior. Hope he didn't aggravate any lasting wounds." Rue said in concern.

Having gotten her own hearing back, Pyrrha busied herself checking over Jaune, careful not to cause him any discomfort. What was it about her partner that drew in trouble? Swear he must have been cursed by some greater being for its entertainment.

"No, it looks like I'm fine." Jaune reassured them as he waved away Pyrrha's attention.

Tsuki titled her head, gazing at his bandaged arm with interest, "Even your arm? The fool did not harm it, did he?" her eye's narrowed chillingly.

He shook his head furiously, "I'm alright, really!"

"Good." Tsuki nodded sternly, lowering her face to stare Jaune dead in the eyes, sending goosebumps down his spine at the cold look in her eye, "We wouldn't want you getting hurt."

' _ **Congratulations! You've Unlocked Tsuki Yumi's Affection! A new Ability has been Unlocked! Warp Strike, Unlocked!'**_

' _No.'_ Jaune's jaw dropped in disbelief, speechless as the girl walked away and headed for her teammate. _'T-That's not it works! We only just met! This is Professor Antheia all over again!'_

"You sure you're alright? You have that stupid look on your face again." Hera said flatly, waving her hand in front of Jaune' s eyes.

"Don't worry!" Nora grinned, "That's just what he always looks like."

"I can believe that."

"Just in case though, why don't you head to the nurse? Don't want you aggravating something after going through such an ordeal." Rue suggested, wincing as he watched Tsuki yank Helio out of the wall by his ponytail. Good thing he was unconscious, he was going to need to take a picture of his partner's stupid expression.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Pyrrha nodded as she helped Jaune up, "Here, I can help you there."

"No, I can make it there myself. Besides, you still haven't finished eating. Aren't you the one that's always telling me that it's unhealthy to miss a meal?" Jaune smiled as he gently move Pyrrha's hand away from his shoulders. As much as he was trying to build their old relationship back up, there was actually something he needed to take care of himself. Having her with him wasn't necessary, this was something he needed to do by himself.

"Are you sure? You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. We've been over this enough times for you to understand that." she pouted as she narrowed her eyes.

"I do need to use the restroom. Even one handed, I'm fine."

Blake looked at Jaune skeptically, "How? Shouldn't that be difficult on your own?"

"Are you suggesting that you could be of service, Blakey?" Yang teased, earning a glare from her parter's blushing face, "How saucy."

Rue nodded along, "My, how naughty. Are all first years so forward and daring?" he said with a mischievous grin.

Ignoring the teasing, Jaune reassured the rest as he began walking away. "I'll be alright. Just going to get a quick check up and I'll see you guy's back at the dorms."

With the blonde knight gone, Ruby sighed as things finally returned to normal. First day back in the lunchroom and they were close to causing a fight. At least Hera had arrived in time to calm her teammate down, forcefully. Turning her head to Nora, she frowned as she noticed a missing member of their table.

"Where did Cardin go?"

* * *

Now that he was gone from the lunchroom, Jaune sat himself on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. His scroll was stretched out, the contact page of a siren pulsing lightly as he talked.

"How did she take it?"

Through the other end of the line, Officer Church sighed tiredly as he scratched the back if his head, "Well, at first, she was furious. Anabel never liked dealing with any type of authority, so having a military specialist from Atlas talk to her about spilling the beans on her workings alongside Delmos was bound to set her off."

Jaune winced, "How bad?"

"She grabbed the closest sharp object, which in this case was a spoon at the time, and threatened to carve out her jugular."

"But. . .who threatens someone with a spoon?" What harm could you do with a spoon for gods sakes?

"Jaune, when you've worked in this business as long as I have, you come to realize even a stuffed animal snuck in can become an instrument of death. Poor Richard, you never would think that a plush bear could fit in such a hole."

The blonde knight stared at his scroll incredulously. This was a line of conversation he didn't want to continue.

"Right, anyways, was she able to calm down?"

"I was able to ease her into a conversation after wrestling the spoon from her, earned a few bruises from that. Seeing as the General was busy in meetings the entire day, Winter was the one discussing the deal they would have with me standing by to make sure things didn't escalate into another charge on her record. At first, Ann was wary about talking, she was on edge the entire time, but once Winter mentioned that her records would be wiped clean, she began listening. But even with that, she was still apprehensive about it all. That is, until Winter mentioned your name and how you had made the general and headmaster of a country swear to keep his promise if she complied." Church chuckled. The look of surprise and disbelief on the blue haired girl's face was worthy of a photo. Which he had taken when she was stuck like that for a few seconds. Ashlee was going to be begging for a copy.

"After telling her how little old you was ready to throw away his career as a huntsman to keep you hidden from a government known for its advances in technology, she called you a dumbass before looking away from us in thought. We were worried she was going to tell us to stuff it up both our asses, but she gave a nod, promising to tell us what she knew about Holt's dealings with Dr. Merlot as long as they followed through with their promise to you."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders easing as he sagged, "Good, I was worried she would be too stubborn to comply. How is she doing by the way?" he frowned in worry, remembering the last time he had seen the punk girl.

"Other then some bruises and soreness in her wrist and abdomen, Ann's doing well. She's settling just fine where I'm keeping her."

Another relief. Knowing that she was healing and that she hadn't suffered anything permanent finally settled his unease. Had to thank Captain Rola and Officer Church for risking their careers protecting Ann for him. Couldn't have done anything without them. Smiling, Jaune looked up at the blue sky, gazing at the faintest tints of orange from the sunset slowly rising up.

"Can I talk to her? There's. . .a lot that we have to talk about now that she's safe." The last thing she had seen was his pathetic form trying to apologize to her after killing her father figure. He needed to mend things before it was too late.

Silence met Jaune's end. Some rustling could be heard along with footsteps before he could make out the sound of hushed whispers. A sigh answered him back.

"She. . .doesn't want to talk right now. Ann said that there are some things she needed to take care of before she can speak to you, let alone see you again. Sorry, kid." Church apologized.

Jaune shook his head with a sad smile, "No, it's alright. I had a feeling she wouldn't want to speak to me right away. Just let her know, that after everything that's happen between us, she's still my friend and I'll never forget her."

". . . . .She's not in a talkative mood, but I know she must feel the same. I got to go Jaune, the old misses has dinner going. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later." Jaune nodded before the line was cut. He stared at his scroll sadly, sighing as he shut it. Was really hoping to talk with Ann again, but he should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The very thought of him must raise memories of that day. Staying away from him was best right now.

He wouldn't give up on her though. They had spent too much time together these last weeks for it all to be for nothing. Maybe he could find some way to amend things. Just needed to find someone who could mend metal. Was their a blacksmith on campus?

"So, this is where you ran off too? Had a feeling you weren't going to the nurse, pretty sure she's gotten tired of your face by now."

Turning his back, Jaune once again found Cardin making his way to him. The brunette huntsman smirked at him as he made his way around the large fountain.

"Cardin? What are you doing out here?" Did he follow after him? Why?

"Eh, wasn't really hungry." Cardin shrugged, stopping in front of the knight, "That and I was tired of being in the same room as Helio. This may be the pot calling the kettle black, but the guy's an ass. I'd be careful with him." he warned, narrowing his eyes at his memory of their fights in combat class, "He's not exactly a bully like I had been, but if you ever have the misfortune of drawing him as a sparring partner, he won't hold back and beat you into the dirt."

"Thanks for the fair warning. I'll be sure to stay clear of his radar." Jaune grumbled as he got up from his seat. Just what he needed in his life, another problem. Why couldn't things be smooth sailing after the Event?

"Just steer clear of things that make you out as a big shot or hero and you'll be fine. Which will be hard after we brought down Holt's organization, can't beat that." Thank god he wasn't charged and tried as a criminal when the dust had settled. All he had to do was tell them everything he knew about the FoF. Which was plenty seeing as he had been taken under Holt's wing. Blake and Velvet's little white lie about how he had saved them hadn't really gone past the police, so he had no choice but to cooperate.

Jaune scratched his head with a sheepish grin. Being a Player entitled that he would be involved in some big events to come. Couldn't escape the spotlight if he wanted to beat The Game. Who knew being a hero could become a burden?

"Just wanted to warn you. As strong as you are, I don't think you're ready to face a second year like Helio yet." Turning away, Cardin was ready to walk away, only to stop mid-step. He wrestled with his pride, grudgingly sighing as he made up his mind.

"And. . .thanks for not giving up on me. Most people would have cursed my name out if they found me in the FoF's base and attack me without question. Not you though, you cried out to me to not lose myself in my own darkness when I was more then ready to dive in. And in that darkness, all I could hear were your words and my mother's. You even saved me, Blake, and Velvet from my mistake." Glancing back at the shorter huntsman, Cardin couldn't help recall the heroic back that had assured him that everything would be alright. Hard to believe such a person he had once pegged as weak, simple, and scrawny was capable of so much more. He smiled, nodding back at Jaune before heading off back for his own team.

"I'm glad we're friends. But don't think I'll go easy on ya in class. Consider this a declaration as your rival, next time we fight it will be on a bigger stage in front of people from all four kingdoms. The Vytal Tournament is coming up, so don't slack off on your training. I want you to be at your best when I beat you."

' _ **Cardin Winchester's Friendship has risen! A new Skill has been Unlocked! Argonaut, Unlocked!'**_

Jaune smiled softly as he watched Cardin leave. It was weird having him as friend when it had only been a month that he was being bullied by said huntsman because he was weak. Dying helped in starting things over, but having more experience had jolt started the friendship. The angry, racist, smug bully he had once been tormented was gone, replaced by a teen wanting to amend his mistakes and follow his own path.

With a crack of his back, Jaune turned his eyes to his real destination. Still had one last thing to do today. And it would make or break his career. What he was about to do was career suicide, but it needed to be done. All the lying had to end, he was coming clean with one last truth. Hopefully they would understand, and if not, then he would simply have to earn his place like the others.

Beacon tower, the tallest building on campus, greeted Jaune's blue eyes. Emerald lights shone from the mighty tower as the sun set, the cool breeze passing by him calming his thoughts as he gathered his strength. His feet were already on the move as they guided him to the tower, where the Headmaster of the academy sat in waiting for their meeting he had set up.

Surely they could overlook a heroes false transcripts, right?

* * *

"You know, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to talk to him. Despite everything, he still wishes to be your friend. Don't you think you could at least talk it out with him?"

Back in Vale, Officer Church sat in his old weathered grassy green sofa in his living room across a certain green eyed girl. Her face dimmed by the shadows of her hoodie over her head as she sat on a lazy reclining seat of the same color.

"He's better off without me in his life. All I've brought him is pain, a dirty street rat like me has no right to be friends with an idiot as trusting as him." she said softly as she looked back at Church. Her fingers reached for her hood, pausing as they touched the edge before pulling it back. Red locks of hair fell out, brushed back with a sigh.

"Blondie has a career to think about. He's got great things in his future, someone like him will make a name for himself and save so many lives. All I would do is taint that pearly white image with my filth as I am. I got no one to blame but myself for that."

Church shook his head with a scowl, "Don't say that. When I had stumbled onto you all those years ago, robbing a bakery of its sweets to feed yourself, I made the mistake of letting you go. I could have saved you from falling into such a bad crowd, put you into a loving family instead of the streets. And when I found you working with the FoF two years ago, I let you go again. If it's anyone's fault for the life you fell into, it's me." His finger's dug into his knee's in frustration.

Back then, he had felt so sorry for the little redhead girl, dirty, hungry, smelling of old rain water and garbage as she ran from the baker running his shop. Seeing as he had frequented the spot often, he had run off to catch the girl. But when he caught her, he didn't have the heart to bring her in. So, he let her go, even gave her the muffin he had bought along with the sweets in her muddy hands. That was the wrong thing to do though, letting her go off by herself into such a dark and dirty world.

Seeing her again now, haunted by her own mistakes after finally breaking away from such a life, all Church could feel was regret. It was his fault she had fallen. That was the past though. Looking at her, safe and sound, and in his own home to boot, he was going to right this wrong.

"Whatever plans you have for yourself, know that me and my family will be here for you. But, even though you're being cleared of your mistakes after talking with Winter, the captain wants you under watch. Basically house arrest. So, I hope you enjoy my place for the next few months. Consider it home." he grinned cheerfully.

Ann quirked a brow at the officer. Was he really trusting a thief to live in his home? With his family? Seemed Blondie wasn't the only trusting idiot around. Still though, it did sound nice having place to live in that wasn't behind bars. Well, she didn't have much of an option. She was under house arrest, might as well relax for once in her life without having to look over her back for a knife or a too friendly hand wanting some fun.

Speaking of which.

Without looking back, Ann's hand swiftly snapped behind her, catching the foam bullet aimed for her head. Her green eye's twitched, crushing the annoying toy in her hands before turning her head behind to the entrance of the living room. A small boy, around five to six years old glared back at her with a pout over the corner of the entrance way. He had dark hair and wore a red shirt and brown shorts along with glasses for his dark brown eyes. A small toy pistol could be seen in his small hands.

Church pinched the bridge of his nose at his son. Ever since he had brought Ann to his home, his little boy had grown jealous and had immediately begun trying to drive her out. His wife said he was at that age, whatever that meant.

"Benjamin Church, what have I told you about harassing our guest? A gun to the face is not a polite way of greeting someone." Church scolded. If it was, then every criminal he had locked up were upper class gentleman.

Little Ben's answer was a raspberry before rapidly firing off every foam bullet to the intruder of his home. Ann's hand was a blur to his young eyes, snatching every of his shots easily out of the air before they could hit her. His face grew red, stomping his feet before waving his toy gun at the redhead girl.

"You dead! I kill you so hard you die to death!" he shouted, sniffing back his tears before running away. Most likely to tell his mother about the bad girl not letting him kill her.

"Sorry about that, Ben's been watching too many action movies about cops and thugs. I blame Ashlee." Certainly it had nothing to do with his father being a cop.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I can get him back." Ann wasn't above pranks herself. She'd show that little brat a thing or two.

Going back to their conversation, Church gave Ann a reassuring look, "It's not too late to at least message Jaune. You have his number, it wouldn't hurt to text."

Ann shook her head, frowning sadly as she rubbed her bandaged wrist, "Like I said, someone like me has no right to be in his life. Not right now at least. I want to change first, I want to become a better person then the one he had met." her eyes were firm with her new resolve.

When she met Jaune again, she wouldn't be a girl with a criminal record, untrusting to the world but money. She would be a woman with a brighter future, someone he could trust and never doubt to have his back. Red dusted her cheeks at the thought, of meeting him again as a normal woman just walking by his side through the streets.

"Jaune, is someone special in my heart. I don't care what anyone else says, I won't see him again until I've changed who I am. When I see him, I want him to stumble at the sight of me, at the new girl he has never seen before. Then we can catch up and talk about all things that have happened in the time we missed together."

Something Church had never seen before met his eyes. He took his sunglasses off, rubbing his eyes before blinking at the sight in front of him.

A sunny bright grin lite up Ann's face, completely opposite of the young woman he had met. Like a ray of sunshine breaking a dark cloudy sky.

"Just like friends do after so long apart. And I'll bet my bottom lien on that tomorrow."

* * *

Elevator music filled the small space as Jaune waited patiently to arrive at the top of the tower. Nodding along with the pleasant melodies, he was suddenly taken by surprise as his scroll vibrated. A new notification, well at least he had something to look over before meeting Ozpin. Sliding it out of his pocket, Jaune was met with a message. After reading over the game text, a single warm tear slid down his cheeks, his face breaking out with a wide happy grin he couldn't contain.

' _ **Congratulations! You've Unlocked Annabel Wargray's Friendship and Affection! A new Affinity has been Unlocked! A New Ability has been Unlocked! Fire Affinity, Unlocked! Firebolt, Unlocked!'**_

* * *

 **DLC #7: Premium Hearts and Dragons.**

"So, is she part of you weird ass Semblance, or am I missing something here?"

Sweat poured down Jaune's face as he struggled through his pushups. Training his hand to hand with Yang entitled that he build up his muscles, and after going through some improvement, she upped his set of fifty to seventy. That was twenty more! Why couldn't she give him a break? The added weight on his back wasn't helping.

In the wide grassy courtyard of Beacon, Yang was busying herself watching Jaune go through his workouts. When she first began training him, she had to correct him on the proper way of sit ups and pushups. It was sad how poor a form he had begun with. Now though, he was on his way to a proper form, was even developing a nice lean body. She did raise a brow at their new guest accompanying the scrawny blonde.

A mature woman with long locks of raven hair reaching down her back with the tip resembling a dolphins tail, stunning red eyes, and a flawless complexion sat on his back as he performed his pushups. She wore a simple white tank top with red suspenders, a black miniskirt, boots, and armored greaves. Plus a chest that she was beginning to question was real. No way anyone could match her girls.

"Semblance?" the beautiful stranger asked, titling her head as she tapped her lips at the new word.

"It's a special power, kinda like your Limit Breaks I guess. And yeah, she's part of my semblance, kinda. Honestly, it's hard to explain." Jaune groaned as she answered both busty girl's questions. Only thirteen more to go! Couldn't lose count now.

Yang nodded her head at the answer. He did mention something about being able to summon things from distant worlds. As mind blowing as that was, she had no idea that also entitled living beings. Pretty cool, like summoning heroes in the video games she played. Almost like his semblance revolved around gaming. But even that was crazy.

"Soooo, are you going to introduce us, or are you going to keep a lady waiting?" she grinned, earning a grunt from the blonde knight in training.

"Yang, Tifa Lockhart, Tifa, Yang Xiao Long." he huffed, panting with sweat running down his face. Just a bit more!

Tifa waved at the busty blonde girl in the orange workout top and tight black shorts, "Hello, nice to meet a friend of my master." she smiled cheerfully.

"Master?" Yang said slowly, blinking at the word before a shit eating grin grew on her face.

Hearing himself being addressed as master, Jaune's face broke out into a blush, losing the strength in his arms at the same time. He fell onto his stomach with a curse, smacking his forehead into the grass as he mumbled into the grassy blades.

"Jaune, you dirty dog! I didn't know you were into that kind of thing. You think you know a guy and his fetishes." she leered, bending forward to grin at the cursing knight. Turning her purple eyes up, she turned her mischief onto his 'servant', "So, how is he? Does he know how to properly handle his sword, or does he fumble like I've guessed he would?"

Tifa gave Yang a flat look, "You have a rather dirty mind for a young girl." Reminded her of Yuffie. Which was not a good thing.

"Answer the question!"

"It's not what you think." Jaune sighed, muffled by the grass. Moving his head back up, he fought the blush on his face from the point of view Yang was presenting him. Damn her and her sexy ways! "As part of my summoning semblance, anyone I summon enters a contract with me. They tell me about their world and their story, and then pledge to follow me on my own adventures whenever I call on them. Unfortunately, each warrior I summon has a habit of calling me master for some reason." he grumbled.

"I always did wonder what it was like for a summon to be summoned." Tifa mused, gazing around her new surroundings with piqued interest. What a new world. It felt devoid of magic and their materia was called Dust. Not to mention the one to have summoned her looked like a tamer version of Cloud. Did that make her a great warrior? Guess defeating Sephiroth had spread across the worlds.

"You know, you can get off me whenever you want."

"Nah." Tifa grinned as she patted the tired blonde's head, "You actually make a great seat. Besides, shouldn't you be enjoying having such a beauty on your backside? I know an entire world of men that would kill for a chance like this."

"And you summoned her, why?" Yang couldn't help but ask. Training didn't seem like a good reason to summon a warrior from another world. Not that she thought about it, why wasn't she freaking out at the idea of their being other worlds? That was some mind blowing shit right there. Professor Oobleck would be having a discovery orgasm at the news.

"Well, I was planning on seeing what she could do before you found me and started making me run your drills. At least she's not as bad as Lightning when she first appeared." Jaune explained, sighing in a moment of content as Tifa ran her fingers through his hair. She was giggling as she somehow made his hair stick up in gravity defying points.

Yang nodded her head, smacking her fist into her palm in realization. Lightning, the woman in silver armor and gunblade that had stayed with team JNPR for a week? And here she thought she was a relative of Pyrrha come to visit. That explained the powerful aura around her and the out of this world air about her.

"Wait, how long do your summons last?" Yang frowned. Lightning had been around for a week before his team said she had returned back to her home in Mistral. And what a month it had been; Pyrrha and Lightning had constantly been at eachothers throats for Jaune's attention. Guess he was a ladykiller.

And he could summon powerful woman from other worlds. Forget ladykiller, he was a harem king in the making.

There came the root of his summoning problems. When he had first performed his summon, a summon bar appeared in his HUD, detailing how long his summon would last before leaving. And that's when he had soon found out, shortly after Pyrrha and Lightning had torn apart Beacon's grounds in a battle of sexy proportions, that he was gifted with a powerful skill.

Summon OverLimit. With this skill in place, his summoning time was literally broken. The amount of time they would stay by his side went beyond a few minutes, it lasted days! Lightning had basically become his second partner in that time, helping him to improve his swordplay and spells. Which had helped immensely. If only she wasn't so possessive. Couldn't count the number of times he found her snuggling his head into her breasts when they slept. Or the number of times Pyrrha found them like that and jumped onto the pink haired goddess like a hissing cat.

But Tifa seemed chill. Having her stay a few days shouldn't be a problem. When he had explained it to her she simply shrugged without a care. Said she was in need of a vacation.

"Well, Tifa will be staying for a week like Lightning. When I summon people, they stay longer then weapons or items for some reason." he answered, grunting lightly as Tifa got tired of sitting on his back and opted to lay on him instead. Her large firm breasts pressed against his shoulders as she continued playing with his hair, only making his cheeks burn hotter.

"Do you have gel? There's a style I want to try out that I think you'll like?" Tifa grinned mischievously.

As fun as talking about Jaune's amazing semblance was they still had training to finish. He wasn't wiggling his way out of their routine now.

"Alright, I think we've done enough girl talk for the day. It's time we move onto your next workout!" Yang grinned. Moving away from the two, Yang came back with a set of dumbbells, each twenty pound each. She dropped them in front of his face, proudly standing by to wait for him to start his sets.

Tifa looked at the iron weights with an unimpressed quirk of her brows, "That's it? Back where I come from, those are considered baby weights. I'm sure my master can do better."

"Please, you should have seen him when we first began training. He's got some natural strength, I'll give him that, but he's still a daisy compared to the rest of us."

Jumping off of Jaune's back onto her feet, Tifa gave the blonde brawler a quick look over. Her red eyes trailed up down the girl's figure with scrutiny as Jaune slowly got back up.

"See something you like?" Yang winked flirtatiously.

"I'm not impressed." Tifa said frankly with a deadpan.

Yang's fun loving attitude fell quicker than an anvil in the ocean. Her right eye twitched as her smiled strained to stay up, her knuckles cracking like thunder. It was enough to make Jaune wince.

"Say again?"

"Don't get me wrong, for a girl your age, you seem pretty strong and skilled. But my master would do better being trained by someone who's mastered hand to hand if he hopes to improve. Having him train with simply twenty pounds is not enough. Training him at thirty while running and dodging attacks is a much better regiment then curls." Tifa nodded to herself. Turning her head to her master, she shocked both blondes by taking a giant cleaver the size of her body out from no where before tossing it into his arms.

With a shout, Jaune fell back, gasping as he tried hefting the heavy blade off his chest. Holy crap! What kind of monster swung a blade this big? This was physically impossible! Where were the physics in wielding this thing?

"Let's start off with fifty chops of Cloud's Buster Blade, twenty side swings, and twenty forward stabs. By the time you've gotten the hang of it, I swear you'll be ready to slay even a one winged god."

"I can't breath! I'm being crushed under the weight of progress!"

"Listen, new girl. I'm Jaune's hand to hand instructor. He came to me for help, not you." Yang growled, her eyes switching to red as she walked up to Tifa to face her face to face. "And I think I know a thing or two about training your body to physical fitness. Have you seen my guns? Let alone my gauntlets?" she puffed out her chest with a smug smirk.

Tifa scoffed, "Honey, please. When you've beaten down weapons that can wipe out an entire country, insane scientist and their experiments, dragons, and a man that's known as the one winged angel with hair that would put your hair to shame, then you can talk to me about strength. Besides, I think we can both agree who's got the bigger gauntlets here." she smirked back, pressing her own impressive chest against Yang's.

The two brawlers growled at another, fighting to push another back with their chests all the while Jaune struggled to lift the heavy buster sword off his chest. With all his strength, the blonde knight heaved it off, tossing to the side as he breathed in a gulp of fresh air. He coughed, shaking his head before his eyes turned to the growling woman in front of him.

"Jaune! Tell this bimbo that she has no idea what she's talking about! Because if she wants a fight, oh, you best believe I'll give her one!" Yang leered, butting her forehead against Tifa's.

"Master, I will follow your every word as your servant, but if you don't tell this little girl to back off, I can't be held responsible for decking her to the other side of the planet!"

"Can't we all just get along? Besides, you're both great in my eyes." Jaune smiled nervously as he found two sets of red eyes glaring back at him.

Yang huffed as she dropped her head butting. Giving the ebony summon one last glare, she walked back to Jaune, clutching his arm to rest against her chest.

"Come one, Jaune. We can take a break for the moment. How about you and I go out for some burgers? You can consider it a date." Yang widely grinned as she snuggled closer to Jaune's side.

Jaune stuttered at Yang's clingy attitude. Dear god, he could feel her hot breath tickling his neck! The look in her leering eyes wasn't helping, it was bad enough her breasts were rubbing against him! His trouser demon was beginning to rage.

That little hussy! Tifa's fist shook as she found the blonde girl blowing a raspberry at her as she got comfortable with her master. She wasn't stupid, she knew what that girl was trying to do. Well, she'd be damned if the little girl won over her.

"Don't listen to her, master! You don't need her when you have me around. Come on, I've yet to show you what I'm capable of." Taking his right arm to herself, Tifa nuzzled her head against the crook of Jaune's neck. Her red eyes fluttered at his gaze, giving him an ample look of the pearl white valley of flesh rubbing against his arm.

"Forget that old cow! Why go for some older hag, when you have this young sexy thing!"

"Old hag?! Unlike you, I know how to please a man! And not fumble about like some child!"

"You bitch! I can out fuck you any day of the week! Just you watch!"

Ripping Jaune out from Tifa's grasp, Yang threw his dazed form over her shoulder before rocketing off the spot. She ran from the courtyard, blasting past anyone in her way with the added boost of Ember Celica keeping her out of the ebony brawler.

"Ha! See that, Vomit boy? An old bitty like her can't keep up with someone like me." she grinned victoriously as she patted her fellow blonde's ass, "Now, how about we get to some real training? I got a workout that you and I can both enjoy." she licked her lips as she headed for RWBY's dorm room. Next time that bitch saw her 'master', he would be mumbling, Yang, Yang, Yang, with a satisfied expression on his face. That ought to show her who was the better of the two.

Jaune held back the churning bile threatening to escape his mouth as the wind whipped his hair. How did a simple workout lead to this? Settling his queasiness, he turned to look at the passing students for help, only to gulp in fear.

Red eyes blazed after them, easily keeping up with Yang as she tossed anyone in her way to the side.

"Yang, hate to tell you this, but we haven't lost her." Jaune whimpered.

Turning her head to see what he was talking about, Yang growled as she caught eye of Tifa.

"Get lost! Haven't you heard that three's a crowd?!"

"You're right, so why don't you leave me with my master and buzz off!" Cocking her right fist, Tifa took the two by surprise as she shot a human sized fireball after them. Unable to dodge, Jaune and Yang were engulfed by the licking orange flames.

"Tifa! You know you're hitting me too, right!?" Jaune shouted back as they ran past the flames. Thanks to their auras, they weren't in any danger. The only thing damaged by the attack were Yang's tank top and shorts. Holes littered her workout clothing, leaving her running around Beacon in burnt rags.

Said woman flinched, smiling apologetically at the ticked off blonde knight, "Sorry, master! I'll be sure to make it up to you!"

Like hell she was giving Jaune up like that! Now in the dorm halls, Yang fired off a couple of shotgun shells after Tifa. The Midgard warrior easily dodged each shot, weaving through the streaking shells as they blew up the halls around her. Skidding to a stop, Yang caught eye of her dorm, smirking as she bolted for her door. She kicked the door wide open, nearly tearing it off its hinges before tossing Jaune into her room. Turning to Tifa as she dodged the last of her shells, she gave her a wink before tearing off her burned rags and slamming the door behind her.

Tifa snarled as she stopped in front of the door, slamming her fists against it as she could make out her master's voice.

"Yang? W-What are you doing? Why are you swinging your hips like that? Where are your clothes, and why are you licking your lips like that?" The sound of ripping clothing only made Tifa bang her fists harder against the door, cracking its frame as girlish scream of embarrassment could be heard. "Oh, come on! Can't we cuddle?! W-Wait, wait, wait! I haven't even showered, you shouldn't be licking tha-tha-that!"

Enough was enough! Equipping her strongest weapon, Premium Heart, Tifa blasted the door wide open. She huffed as she rubbed her fists with a grimace. The hell was that thing made of, Adamentium? Ignoring that, she glared at the blonde haired woman 'polishing' her master's sword before throwing off her clothes to the side of the room and slamming the door behind her. No way in hell was she being showed up by some rookie!

"Tifa! Thank god, you're here! Hurry before I lose the last of my will pow-NOT YOU TOO! Both of you, let go! One is enough, I don't think I can handle tw-Mmmphh!"

Loud banging, screaming, moaning, and slapping could be heard from the outside of team RWBY's battered door along with the sounds of furniture breaking. Across the door, team JNPR's door slowly opened. None other then Lie Ren stood at the door's entrance, his face blank as he wore nothing but his favorite pink towel wrapped around his waist and green face cream. Water dripped from his soaking raven hair which had been wrapped by a smaller pink towel as he stared at the banging door. He simply nodded, already having an idea to what was causing the noise before he reached for his scroll and dialed an all too familiar number.

"Hello, Ms. Goodwitch? It's happening again. Across the dorm, team RWBY's. . . .No, I will not get involved. Hmm? Can you speak up, I'm not wearing pants right now."

An hour or two later, the rest of team RWBY arrived to their dorms to find their door horribly battered. It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer and gone wild with rage. Creaking open the door, Ruby gasped as she found their room trashed. The nightstand had been smashed, their poster were torn apart, books littered the floor along with their clothing, and all their beds had been crashed, lying in rubble. And in the middle of the mayhem, laid one Yang Xiao Long with a wide shit eating grin. She was naked, sweating with hickies along her neck to her lower body hidden my Weiss's blanket. And in her arms was Jaune, appearing as if he had run a marathon as he laid back against the crook of her left arm panting. As if that wasn't enough to shock them, in her right arm laid a naked raven haired woman with ruby red eyes, pouting with an annoyed look.

"What. . .are we looking at?" Blake's mouth was open in disbelief, inwardly crying at the sight of her many precious copies of Ninja's in Love on the floor in terrible wear.

Weiss was stuck in a mix between anger and mortification, her face growing red with embarrassment and fury as she glared at the smug blonde boxer laying back without a care in the world. The final straw to her psyche came from the sight of seeing the tent created by Jaune's 'sword' poking her sheets along with the dampness around the area. She fainted from the rage and embarrassment, falling back as she frothed from the mouth and twitched.

"N-No m-more, no m-more." Jaune gasped as his chest heaved. His hair was matted with sweat and other. . .fluids as he was on the verge of passing out, "This isn't how I pictured I'd go out in the world! I'm bone dry, dammit!" The scratch marks on his chest and back weren't even healing!

"Yet your soldier's at attention!" Yang grinned brightly.

"What kind of pill was that!? It won't stand down!"

"Yang, what did you do?" Ruby gulped anxiously as she found her eyes drawn to Jaune's sweat form. And his weapon hidden by the sheets.

Tifa grumbled to herself, refusing to make eye contact with the blonde girl. The hell kind of stamina was that? To think, she lost to some green horned girl still in school. Even worse was the soreness and limp she was going to be leaving with. At least she knew her master had a whole lot of potential.

With a satisfied sigh, Yang smiled cheerfully at her little sister as she kicked up her legs.

"Let's just say that no one beats a dragon in a battle of stamina."

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Warp Strike [7AP]: Flinging their weapon, the Player warps to the location of their weapon to strike their opponent. MP Cost: 7MP.**_

* * *

 **Why? Is it just impossible for me to write a DLC that isn't perverted? I swear, it's just an excuse to let my inner pervert out. I need to write something that doesn't blue ball people.**

 **Now that I'm done with Pokemon Moon, for the moment, I can get back to writing. Even sick, I will continue to push on and finish this volume! Just got to try and resist playing the new Final Fantasy for too long. Too many temptations, man. I will say this, playing Moon has helped in my future story. I've also been taking some time to write out future stories for the future, next year. If you haven't yet, I got some summaries on each on my Bio if you want to take a look.**

 **A new team has been introduced! Team HRTH, Hearth. Let's how they play out.**

 **The semester is drawing to its end. And there is still much to do. New rivals, old enemies, and one more Player to met. Forever is calling, will Jaune Fall?**

 **Next chapter should be ready by Saturday. See ya then!**

 **Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	18. Steps

**It is I! The Great NeoShadows! Here with another chapter of Multiplayer.**

 **Man, I had been hoping to finish this chapter last week, but I was completely drained of energy every time I came home from work. I was really sick, sneezing, coughing, and dealing with a hell of a headache. Add on to not being allowed to drink coffee while I was ill, I just wasn't able to muster the strength to finish this chapter. Luckily, I was feeling a lot better this week and was able to finish it Wednesday and touch it up today. Sadly, I wasn't able to finish the DLC; I can post it up next week though.**

 **On that note, Christmas is drawing closer. Or, whatever any of ya might celebrate. Happy Holidays! Actually, I was wondering, do you think I should make a Holiday piece for Sunday? I've actually been thinking about an idea that I've playing with for a while. I just wanted to know seeing as I'm just about ready to start writing it out to see how it goes.**

 **And, before I forget, I finished writing the descriptions of the available abilites for Jaune. I will be posting them at the end of every chapter they've been introduced. Gives you all a little incentive to go back and read the older chapters. I'll eventually come around to writing the updated Friendships, Affections, and Stats when I have the time. I'm currently working on editing the older chapters too; never noticed how many mistakes I left behind even after editing. I'll post the updated pieces once they've all been cleaned up.**

 **Next up, Reviews!**

 **Unchanined: Final Fantasy XV has already set me back a bit. But it's also given me some new ideas. Plus, Cindy keeps drawing me in. Damn.**

 **The Immortal Doctor Reid: Will not confirm or deny. The Summons aren't really connected to Final Fantasy, only the two that I've showed. They're based on great warriors in Video Games. Plus, I've actually only ever played Final Fantasy XIII and XV. Never had the chance to play the earlier games as a kid.**

 **The NakedFlame: Could happen, might happen. I won't say a thing. Glad you love Anabel though, makes me happy that my OC has been received well.**

 **Solomon07: Well have to see if your guess is right. And don't worry, I'm glad you liked my DLC's. They're my favorite too.**

 **JustJustin3099: Yeah, seems I've yet to master writing. Should have paid more attention in school, which makes no sense seeing as I've always gotten good grades in English. As for your question, when Jaune gains the Affection of an NPC, that NPC develops interest in him that grow into feelings of romance as their level of Affection rises. At Lvl1, it's simply a small crush that varies depending in the person. At its highest level, Affection can evolve into Endearment, feelings of love. Hope that answers your question.**

 **Benthino: So, that's where I got the fear of spoons from? I always liked watching that show with my little brothers. And yes, you can thank Death Battle for that DLC.**

 **Dandaman5: With Gods speed, I will continue on!**

 **Pltrgst: Yes, the game mechanics are pretty light. I try to keep it that way so my readers don't have to sift through all those paragraphs of game mechanics.**

 **L337 M4n: Can't deny nor confirm. Ah, FFXV, it's been giving me some neat ideas for skills and abilities for the future. Haven't even finished the game yet.**

 **A Fan1204: Gotta love that character development. Trust me, you'll be seeing the end results of Jaune's fight with the FoF in later chapters. Shit like that doesn't just fade away. Explaining The Gamer as a Semblance in fanfic is difficult as all hell. It's one of the reasons why I didn't make it a semblance for all four Players, it's a power cursed onto them by some higher being. I was literaly scratching my head for almost half an hour trying to come up with some explanation that would work in this world. So, I decided on Summoning. Makes a bit of sense, all his abilities would matter on what he's summoned. For now, that's what I got. Still trying to work in sensibly. Grimm Eclipse, man, I loved that game. Once I began playing it, I had begun creating its own arc that won't be revealed till later, right after the Second Act. I always did wish that they had made Jaune met Winter in the show too, would have loved to see their interactions. Least we got fanfiction to remedy that. Maybe even this one? Your theory is good, sadly, I can't say much on it right now. Again, Character Development. I got some things planned out for Cardin, especially post Fall. Dude. I fucking love Danmachi! I fucking discovered it like two months ago while I was taking a break on writing this! I could only watch the anime, but I fell in love with it. Wish I could find a way to read the light novels. Watching that show makes me want to make a crossover or something. And for you, I will clarify what's Canon DLC and what's not. I will call the Canon DLC, Purchased DLC! I will impliment that little title with each one when I have the time. Till then, see ya!**

 **GhostHornet: One of these days, I will make something with both RWBY and Fire Emblem. One day. Never played any other FF besides XIII and XV sadly.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Dude, you have to get your copy! I need someone to battle other then my brothers. Interesting theory, can't say much of it now.**

 **Trey of the Rebellion: I don't know? I mean, I've seen that show with my little brothers and sisters, but I don't know what you might be referring to.**

 **Aight, it's time to get his chapter rolling. It's an interesting chapter to say the least.**

 **(Page Break.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. You know, I've been watching Fan Service on RoosterTeeth lately, and it's because of that, that I've learned of what Keijo is.**

 **I. . .I have no words to describe what I've seen. As a man, I'm turned on? It's so sexy, but at the same time, it's ridiculous! They fight with their asses and breasts for crying out loud! It's hard to watch it when I'm fighting with dealing with my 'soldier' at attention and laughing out loud at the seriousness they portray. And for that, I love it.**

 **It's like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure for perverts!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Steps.**

Glynda Goodwitch liked to believe she was a sharp intellectual. In the large continent of Sanus, she was regarded as one of the strongest huntresses, it was one of the reasons why she was selected as Headmaster Ozpin's Deputy Headmistress. One would have to be of clear mind and strong will to put up with such an enigmatic man as Ozpin. She was also a natural born huntress with extensive knowledge on combat along with an incredible semblance that allowed her to manipulate objects with her mind. Safe to say, she was no idiot.

So, why was it, that after having Jaune Arc attend their school for a good month now, that she had never realized that his transcripts were forged?

Sitting before the desk of Ozpin, Jaune sat anxiously as he waited for the gray haired headmaster to say anything about his recent confession. Instead of uttering a word, the man continued to sip from his precious mug of coffee, ignorant to the world as he savored his favorite beverage.

It was taking all of Glynda's willpower to not snap her riding crop in frustration. Instead she chose to stand beside the headmaster as they waited for what he had to say about the matter.

' _How? I've looked over every applicant that has ever passed through Beacon's doors, how is it possible that I never realized his papers were forged?'_ Everything on his transcripts weren't exactly making sense now that she looked back on them. The school he had graduated from didn't exist after a quick search on her scroll, his grades were too perfect, and his abilities in combat were sub-par at best when he had first came into her class. That wasn't to say he was weak. Jaune showed great potential and had made major leaps in his skills and abilities in class. If anything, he had every right to be in Beacon.

So, why lie? Graduating a combat school wasn't the only way to be accepted into a school like Beacon, they had an entrance exam created for those who weren't lucky enough to attend a school yet still were capable of fighting. Like Ms. Belladona, she had never attended a combat school but had aced their exam to be accepted into their school. There was no reason someone like him wouldn't have been able to do the same.

After what felt like an eternity, Ozpin finally set down his steaming mug, his eyes aloof as they gazed back at the blonde boy sitting across his desk. He cleared his throat, fixing his glasses before speaking.

"I already knew."

Jaune's jaw dropped open, his face twisted in disbelief. He what?!

"You what?!"

Ozpin winched slightly at Glynda's sudden outburst, rubbing his ear to ease the ringing. Should have seen that coming.

"Honestly, Mr. Arc, you would have to be blind to not realize your papers were forged, albeit well done." he smirked, subtly jabbing at Glynda. The annoyed scowl meeting him back didn't appreciate his sense of humor. Spoil sport.

That didn't make any sense. Jaune shook away his disbelief, frowning in confusion, "Then, if you knew that my transcripts were faked, that I lied my way into Beacon, why let me in? Isn't what I did a crime?"

"Yes, as white collar a crime it may be, falsifying documents is a criminal offense." Glynda explained, her brow twitching madly as she sent a glare to the calm headmaster, "And if we feel like it, we may purse some form of punishment."

"We can also be sued for allowing a boy with no combat experience into our school by said parents if they felt like it." Ozpin added helpfully, taking a sip of his mug as Glynda sputtered. She dragged her hand over her face with a depressed sigh.

"You're right, this could end badly on our end. Especially if a certain someone truly did know about said fake papers." she growled. Dear god, she could feel her temple throbbing from all the stress it could all spell.

"You're still not answering my question." Jaune asked, intent on finding out why the headmaster would allow him into his school when he had no right to step foot on campus. Even before he had gained the experience he had now from his first life, the enigmatic headmaster must have known about him then. Why send someone with no combat experience out into the field, it was practically sending them off to their death.

"Oh? Have I not told you before?" Ozpin paused his sipping for a moment to look back at Jaune in nonchalant surprise. Both Jaune and Glynda couldn't decide if he was playing around with them or if he was truly taken back. "The reason I let you attend my school is due to all the wasted potential I saw in your eyes. It would have been truly a waste to pass you by when you had such a spark in your eyes." he answered simply.

"Now I'm really confused here." Jaune sighed in frustration as he crossed his arms, or his one good arm, "You got all that from my transcripts? Because I'm pretty sure I've only met you once before and that was during your speech before initiation." And when he had picked his spirits up a long while back.

The joking manner in Ozpin's eyes quickly died away as he frowned deeply. Even going as far as pushing away his mug to the side. A tint of worry colored his eyes as his brow knitted together, making Jaune gulp nervously. Did he say something wrong?

"Mr. Arc, are you sure you haven't suffered any damage to your memory? I do recall the doctors speaking of a nasty wound to your temple. Perhaps they overlooked it seeing as it healed into that scar."

"Why do you say that? I'm pretty sure that everything's fine up there." Jaune grazed the bullet scar on his forehead gently. At least he was sure he was fine. There was that incident with Winter when he couldn't even recall the name of his own home town. Or was it a village? Just thinking about it gave him a migraine.

Ozpin looked skeptic. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to lend the Vale City Police Jaune's services. He already felt bad enough for the horrendous condition they had brought him back in. If the boy suffered any sort of memory loss then his mother would kill him when she found out.

"Jaune, you and I have met, long ago as it may have been." Seeing the look of shock on the blonde knight's face only cemented his doubts. The look in his eyes was too sincere. "I believe it was nine years ago when I had gathered a group of veteran huntsman to help in taking back a town under-siege of both Grimm and bandits that I had enlisted the help of your father, Alexander Arc. He and his wife had invited me into their humble home when I had asked for his help and introduced me to their five children at the time. That's when I had met you, huddled behind your mother's leg with a foam sword in your little hands." he chuckled at the memory. To think the little boy too scared to even greet a guest in his home would grow up into such warrior capable of holding his own. It was like stepping into the abrupt future.

"In those young eyes, I saw a reservoir of potential waiting to be tapped. Course in those days you simply wanted to play hero when others your age had already begun training their bodies for combat to enter a combat school. But I had made a promise to your father as well," Ozpin's face grew a bittersweet smile, thinking back to that fateful day long ago.

"That if you were to ever pursue your dream of becoming a warrior, to help you out in anyway I could."

"Really? I could have entered your academy without faking my way in?" Jaune said in disbelief. Why didn't his father tell him that bit of information before he left? It would have really helped him out before he had seen him off on his bullhead to Beacon.

Ozpin shrugged his shoulders with a sideways nod, "I wouldn't put it that way, but I would have allowed you to take the entrance exam as many times as you needed. I would have even found someone suitable to train you to take them. All of which would have been pointless, you've done a fine job as a student and a leader in my school, all without any training like the rest. Seems you're a natural born huntsman after all." he smiled proudly.

That. . .would have all been extremely useful information when he had decided to enter Beacon. Why was this now being explained to him? Jaune wasn't sure what to make of this new information. At least he wasn't in trouble. Still, it didn't change the fact he had cheated his way into Beacon. For all he knew, he had robbed some person of their rightful spot in school, someone who had actually worked hard and studied nights to enter one of the worlds top ranked schools.

It was time he earned his spot here, just like everyone else.

"Still, I cheated my way in. Everyone else worked hard to get where they are while I simply paid someone to forge some documents to let me in. And that doesn't feel right. I want to earn my place here, just like everyone else."

"You wish to earn your place? And how do you suppose you'll do that?" Ozpin asked as he lifted his mug to his lips calmly.

Jaune breathed deeply, his eyes firm as he answered, "I want to take the entrance exam. I want to be officially accepted as a student of Beacon Academy!"

"Oh? And what right do you have to make such a request? Do you truly believe that passing the exam will matter any little at this point?"

"No, but I have to prove to myself that I deserve to be here after so long. I've been through so much in so little time." All in all, if he put together his first semester in Beacon in his first life and his current one, it had been almost half a year since he had entered Beacon. And so much had happened in his life since that fateful day. His aura had been unlocked, he had been made leader of his own team, been trained to fight against Grimm, made friends, died, and soon after be brought to life with abilities that went against the laws of physics and reality. Now he was skilled enough to fight against opponents that would have taken him out in one hit in the past, the boy who had cowered before even a Beowolf was no more. In his place was an honest to god huntsman in training, capable of actually leading a team.

Honestly, he could have continued on with his time in Beacon without bringing up his fake transcripts, but after all the things his friends had said to him about his abilities and skills, he had to agree. With how strong he had become, he had no need to lie. And he was done lying to his friends, if he was going to come clean to the rest of them about his transcripts, then he might as well earn his place alongside of them.

Glynda admired Jaune's courage, she couldn't hide the small smile on her face in face of his bold blue eyes. It truly took courage to admit what he had done. If they wanted to, they could expel him on the spot for lying his way in. And he knew that. Knowing that, he wanted to prove to them that he had what it takes to stay as a student despite his lack of training, which she found hard to believe. Jaune was a strong huntsman in training, he was even capable enough to end Holt Delmo's plans in a one on one fight. That took skill beyond his current school training. Seemed he was a natural, as if he had already done this before.

"Mr. Arc, while we do admire your honesty, I'm sad to say that testing you in the entrance exam would be for naught." Glynda sighed as she readjusted her glasses, "At your level of skill, you would pass without a doubt. It would be more trouble to set it up honestly."

"Right." Jaune winced. He could understand that.

"Unless we make up an exam to test you at your current level." Setting his mug down, Ozpin rested his chin on his crossing fingers, his brown eyes staring deep into Jaune's own blue with interest, "It's true that at your skill level you would pass the entrance exam easily, but if you truly wish to prove your worth here, then I can make an exception. But, it must be on one condition."

Condition? Glynda frowned, already seeing what he was going at, "Headmaster, you don't mean?"

Ozpin nodded sternly. Reaching to the underside of his desk, he rummaged through its contents for a moment before dropping a series of tan folders onto the desk in front of them. Moving through them, he found what he was looking for as he moved one of them up for them to see. The name Jaune Arc could be seen written on its label.

"What you see before you is your falsified transcripts. Anyone with a skeptic eye can see past them as what they truly are. If someone such as General Ironwood had looked them over he would have tossed them away in disgust. Now that you've confessed to your lie, these papers will no longer get you by. Glynda?" he gestured to the blonde haired witch.

Knowing what he was up to, Glynda nodded. From the sleeves of her dress shirt, she slipped out a small red Dust crystal before snapping the energy stone in half. The pieces caught on fire, flaring wildly as she tossed them in the air. She then waved her riding crop at the flames, commanding them to follow her will with her telekinesis and streak after the papers in Ozpin's hands. The transcripts quickly caught on fire, slowly devoured into flames as flickering embers fell harmlessly onto the desk before Jaune's surprised eyes.

"Jaune Arc, as of now, you're on my school grounds by my good will. That will not last long though, that I assure you. If you truly want to become a student, then you will undertake my exam, one created to test your abilities and resolve as a huntsman. Fail, and you will be expelled from my school. So, what will it be? Will you accept?" Ozpin smirked ominously, the still burning embers falling off his hand illuminating his face with the shadows of flames against his glasses.

' _ **The Clockwork Exam.**_

 _ **Headmaster Ozpin has found out your 'secret'! But, by his good grace, he's giving you a chance to prove your worth! A final exam by semester's end, a test of your intelligence, durability, speed, skill, cunning, and combat ability! Pass, and you'll be approved as a legitimate student of Beacon! Fail, and be expelled as a fraud! The choice is yours. Well, not really. It's mandatory.**_

 _ **Reward: Beacon Transcripts. Glynda Goodwitch Friendship. Seal of Approval.**_

 _ **Failure Penalty: Expulsion from Beacon/Vale. Loss of all Beacon Student's Friendships. Unable to participate in Events in Vale or Beacon until the Third Act.**_

 _ **Accept? Yes/No?'**_

The world around Jaune froze still as the new mission lit up his scroll. Reading them over, Jaune grew uneasy at the heavy penalties if he failed his exam. The Game was really laying onto him thick here. No matter, he shook his head as he moved his finger over to accept. Having too much to lose only made it all the more important that he passed. He wasn't running away now.

"I accept your conditions." Jaune grinned in determination, the world released from its stasis as he accepted the mission.

Ozpin smiled, nodding his head as he tossed the burning papers into the trashcan beside his desk. "I'm happy to hear that, Jaune. As of now, you will continue to go about your classes and participate as a student. But by the end of the first semester, you will be undergoing an exam I've created to test you on what you've learned so far. The outcome of which will decided your future here in Beacon Academy."

"You're secret will remain a secret between us, not even the other faculty members will know of your status. Until next month, right before the end of the semester, you will remain a student." Glynda said reassuringly, "I do hope you've completely healed by then. We still have our trip to Forever Fall this Friday."

"Right, I'll be more then fit to pass my exams by then." Jaune said confidently as he got up from his seat. All he needed to do now was wait for his arm to be fixed. Which would take another week. He had a plan though, one that would heal it back to a hundred percent in no time. All he had to do was wait for his trip to Forever Fall.

"For your sake, I hope you do. As I said, you have more wasted potential then I have ever seen. It be a waste to leave it untapped." With the matter out of the way, Ozpin waved Jaune away, "Now, if that is all that you had to meet with me for, why don't you run along? It is getting late, you still have school in the morning to attend. And I have a mountain of paperwork to sign." he grumbled to himself.

Glynda scoffed. Yeah, _he_ had a mountain to sign. They both knew she was the one that was going to be reading them over before he even picked up his pen. If it wasn't for her, she was sure that he would have signed off on some gold platted platypus statue for the lobby.

Jaune nodded his head in thanks as he turned for the door. Bed was calling. Running for the elevator, he waved good-bye to the two teachers before the door shut, dropping him to the lower levels below.

A deep frown appeared on Ozpin's face once again as he shook his head. Seems Jaune wasn't as alright as he had hoped. His memory must have been damaged. He didn't even react at all when he had mentioned his poor father.

"Glynda, do you suppose I can receive a copy of Jaune's hospital papers? I wish to know if he has suffered any damage to his head."

"Of course, headmaster. But, if I may, why? Mr. Arc appears to be well. Is there something wrong?" she asked in worry as she watched the gray haired headmaster leave his chair to stair out the window.

"Jaune may look well, but it seems he has forgotten our meeting long ago. Normally, that wouldn't raise much of an alarm, but it had happened just before a horrible event in his life. I'm sure he would have remembered me considering I had been part of the reason for his father's current condition." Ozpin gazed out onto his school tiredly, his eyes heavy as he was reminded of a mistake he had made long ago.

"I owe his father a great debt. I will not be responsible for ruining his son in any way."

* * *

Out in the night of Beacon, Blake hummed to herself as she made her way back to her dorm after visiting the library. After a good book and some warm milk, she was ready to turn in for the night. Her ribs had finally healed, so she didn't have to worry about any discomfort come morning. Good-bye bandages.

Turning a corner, the cat faunus was taken by surprise as she caught eye of Jaune walking past the courtyard. Looked like he was heading for his dorm room. She was wondering where he had gone, seemed he hadn't gone to the nurse after all.

"Jaune? Wait up!"

Hearing his name called out, Jaune turned to the owner of the voice, surprised to find Blake running up to him. What was she doing out at night? He would have thought she would have headed back for her dorm to relax with her team. Either way, he shrugged as he greeted the stoic bookworm.

"Hey, Blake." he smiled as she stopped by his side, "What are you doing out here this late? Shouldn't you be curled up in your bed with a good book?" he grinned jokingly.

Blake blushed stoically as she walked along with him to the dorms, "I was reading in peace in the library after we had finished lunch. As much as I've come to love my team, they aren't the best of people to read around with the exception of Weiss. Sometimes you just need some space from your own team, you must know how that feels." she quirked her brow, receiving a light groan from the blonde knight.

Boy, did he know the feeling. Nora's shenanigans could be too much to deal with, Pyrrha was overbearing at times, and Ren was simply lazy along with hating him.

"What about you? You left the cafeteria to head for the nurses office, but never came back. It's been hours, don't tell me a simple check up took you that long?"

"Don't be mad, but I didn't really head for the nurses office." Jaune sighed, scratching his head sheepishly as he found Blake's yellow eyes glaring at him, "I guess you could say that I needed some Jaune time. Ever since I came back from the hospital, Pyrrha's been at my side at every opportunity she can find. Not to mention you've been rather close too." he pointed out with skepticism.

It wasn't like Blake to be so close to him. Back in his first life they had barely spoken to another. If it wasn't for their teams hanging out with another constantly, he was pretty sure they would have remained strangers. Couldn't really complain though, he wanted them to be closer, to be real friends. It was just little weird to see this side of the silent ninja like girl.

Blake huffed, looking away from the blonde with a small pout, "I just want to make sure that you're alright. It's my fault you were so beaten, you were practically a mangled corpse. If I had only been stronger, then you wouldn't have had to send me, Velvet, and Cardin away to fight against the leader of the FoF." A sad shine lite up her eyes, recalling the horrid sight of Jaune's bloody, broken body.

It was a miracle to even be walking alongside him like this. How he survived nearly dying twice, she'll never know. Some god up above must have been looking out for him, she couldn't see any other way he could have survived otherwise. Then again, they did say the more stubborn you were, the harder you were to kill.

"Not this again. Blake, none of what happened back there was your fault. I probably would have wound up fighting Holt anyway, it was only a matter of time. Besides, I'm perfectly fine now." he smiled brightly to ease her worries and doubts. Which had little effect as she gave him a flat stare, her eyes hinting towards his broken arm.

"Define fine."

"What? This old thing? I'll be fine in week, don't worry. It's just a little broken bone."

"The doctors said it had been shattered like it had been made of glass. You clearly don't think much of yourself if you blow off having your arm turned into a jigsaw puzzle."

"You worry too much, Blake. You're starting to sound like Pyrrha. Am I going to have to warn Yang that her partner might leave her for me?" Jaune teased with a grin. A smack to his good arm was enough to tell him she wasn't fond of the joke.

"Well, someone has to watch out for you if she's not around." Blake smiled before frowning. She turned her head around, looking for any students still walking about at night. Good, looked like everyone had gone back to their dorms. Now she could asked him something that had been bothering her for some time now.

Taking his arm into her hand, Blake caught him off guard as she pulled him along with her to a more secluded spot. Jaune was confused, but the look he fond in her eyes told him it would be better to follow along. He followed after her, passing the courtyard and back into the school. Eventually he found himself being lead past the dorms up a familiar flight of stairs. The door to the roof of the dorms greeted the two before Blake opened it and lead him to the roof he had once trained with Pyrrha in. Nostalgia hit him as they walked to the edge, staring off to the tower of Beacon academy glowing with its beautiful emerald lights. Man, did this take him back to the old days not so long ago.

With no one in sight, Blake shuffled nervously as she sat on the edge, patting the spot next to her for Jaune to take. He smiled, taking a seat by her as he waited for what she had to say.

Actually, on second thought, he needed to do something real quick.

"Blake, you mind holding that thought for a moment?" Jaune smiled before leaning his head over the ledge. The cat faunus was puzzled, even more so when he cupped his hands towards his mouth and began shouting.

"Hey, Cardin! You mind shutting your window and playing something loud for a bit!?"

"Wait, Cardin's dorm is below us?"

Said huntsman poked his head out of his window, scowling as he found Jaune and Blake above his head.

"The hell are you doing, Jauney-boy? You can't tell me what do! What is this, a booty call?"

"It's called a private conversation! Come on, be a bro!"

"Fuck you! I do what I want! How about you two get a room like a normal couple!?"

"What ever happened to being friends? We just need some privacy, is that too much to ask? And we aren't a couple!"

"Then take your booty call somewhere else! I don't want to hear what you two are doing up there!"

"I do!"

"Shut up, Russel!"

Blake hid her face in mortification as the two continued to loudly argue with another. Should have found a better spot for their conversation.

Having had enough of their argument, Cardin grudgingly nodded his head before slamming his window shut. Whatever, he didn't care what they were up too. As long as he didn't hear any of that crap, they could have the roof. Now to find some loud music to drown anything passing by the windows glass.

Jaune chuckled sheepishly as Blake went back to glaring at him with a blush adorning her face. Probably should have worded all that better.

"Sorry, but I knew that Cardin's dorm was below us. Don't need him blackmailing us or something if he caught word of what you we were talking about." Did not want to go through that again. As much as Cardin had changed recently, Jaune wasn't taking a chance on the guy hearing anything too private. You never know.

Blake nodded. With what she was going to ask him, it was better that no one else heard them. Just wished that Cardin didn't think that they were messing around. Sounded like a scene from one of her books.

"So, what's up? Seems like there's something you want to really ask me." Jaune asked as he settled back down.

"There is." Facing Jaune, Blake swallowed her nervousness as she steeled her features, "Back then, when the leader of the FoF had revealed my faunus heritage, you had already known about me. Not only that, but you also knew about my past connections with the White Fang. What I want to ask is how? How did you know about my past, when I've never met you till I entered Beacon?"

Jaune flinched, cringing as he scratched his neck and went silent. That's right, almost forgot about that slip of the tongue back when Holt had revealed Blake's identity. Well, explaining to her that Ruby had told him her secret during an earlier life before he died to one of the White Fang wouldn't turn out well for him. That would result in a Bad End, making him out as crazy, or even worse, struck down to death by lightning by some unknown being. He was going to have to wing it then.

Great, he had just come clean about one lie, now he was making a new one. Seemed he was just too good in making things up. Once a liar, always a liar.

Face scrunching up grudgingly, Jaune began to make something up on the spot with what he had, "It's. . .complicated, Blake. It all started when I was. . .younger." Which was true, in a sense. He felt years older since he had stepped into this game. The weight on his heart had grown, making him reminisce the simpler times when he was a no talent huntsman learning how to fight with his friends. "When I was more naive. I was just a kid, ten years old, I think? I wanted to become a hero but couldn't. No one would train me because I was a scrawny little kid. And I was willing to do anything for the opportunity to become stronger. That's when I met the person who would train me to become as strong as I am today."

But who was he going to use as that person? He couldn't go with Pyrrha, that would mean he had known her for years when he had just met her in the locker rooms a month ago. Same goes for everyone else, he had just met them too. It had to be someone who would tell him about Blake's identity, someone who knew her and her time in the White Fang.

A smug, cruel smile popped up in Jaune's head followed by a white mask and spiky red hair glowing ominously. Just thinking about him made his knuckles crack in anger. Well, didn't have many choices, he would have to do for now. Plus, he was part of The Game. If it ever came up around him, god forbid, he would have to play along or deal with being struck down. In a way, it was his fault.

"His name was Adam, and he taught me a few things, enough for me to get my bearings in a fight. Have you heard of him?" Jaune asked curiously, watching as Blake's face had frozen still. Looked like it. She did work in the White Fang, and he was leader from what he understood.

Had she heard of him? Adam had been her partner! He had been the one to teach her the way of the sword, to teach her how to fight, the one to show her the world beyond Menagerie and its cruel reality. He had been the sole reason she had left behind her family to join the White Fang branch in Sanus. And he was the reason she had left their organization behind. How was it that Jaune of all people knew about him?

"Yes, I know of him." Blake replied softly as she hugged her knees to her chest. She looked onto the view of Beacon sadly as his face popped up in her head, "He was my mentor long ago, and a personal friend. He taught me almost everything I know, but much of it was wrong. But, if he taught you, why is it he never told me? Not to mention the fact you're human, Adam would never train a human. No offense."

"Well, normally you'd be right. But me and Adam have this. . .connection. It's hard to explain it, but because of it he taught me a few things. He taught me how to use my sword," How to summon it, "about the world," The world they were trapped into, "and it cruelties."

Jaune's face grew older at the memory of that fateful night. The pain, the sorrow, the regret, and all the blood spilled by their blades. He would have died that night, weak and broken, if Adam had chosen to kill him. Instead he left him to wallow in his injuries and despair. In the end, Adam had taught him a few things that day. About how lacking he was, how weak he had been, and monsters that lurked in his new reality.

"In the end, we wound up fighting because of our ideals and what we believed to be right. As you can guess, it didn't end well for me." Jaune gravely chuckled with darkened eyes.

Blake's eyes fell onto his chest, remembering the horrid scar of weathered tissue. Whatever had dealt such a fatal wound had left him to die, to bleed out after tearing through his vitals. Could it be? She was almost too afraid to ask.

In the end, she swallowed back any hesitation, her hands moving across to lay gently onto his chest. Gripping his school blazer she gazed into his eyes with sorrow, "Did. . .was he responsible for your scar?"

Okay, now he was entering some dangerous water here. If he said yes, then he would be placing all the blame onto Adam. Which didn't sound too bad to him, Adam wasn't exactly on his list of favorable people after what he had done. Problem laid in the fact he would be lying. Again. A hollow laugh escaped his lips at the thought before sighing. No matter what, it seemed he couldn't shake the damn habit.

Oh well, throwing Adam to the grinder wasn't so bad. Had to find a way to get back at the bastard one way. What better way then turning his old partner against him more?

"I don't like to talk about it. It's something I don't try to think on anymore." he smiled grimly as he laid his good hand onto Blake's. "Adam had said a few things about his work in the White Fang, even mentioned you a bit. Finding you in Beacon really was a shock. I was sure you'd still be by his side." he said with fake surprise.

Hey, if all this didn't work out, he could probably try out acting. Sadly, he was too good for his own good.

Blake shared his empty laugh, "Same as you, only I realized too late how far gone we had gone. I had abandoned my home to follow him, believing he was right. I was only fooling myself, turning away from the things we were doing in the name of justice. I entered Beacon hoping to change, to make up for the things I've done by becoming a huntress."

"What about your family? If you left home to follow him, have you talked to them since? If I was them, I'd be worried to death over my kid being part of some terrorist organization."

"They don't know about the Fang's recent activities over the years. Back at Menagerie, news travels slow to the mainland. Not to mention its split into branches across the lands, making it hard to pin all the troubles on all the sects. Far as they know, I simply left the organization to become a huntress. And that's how I'd like to keep it." she smiled sadly.

"I can understand that. If my parents knew half the things that went down this month, they'd track me down and drag me home by my ear." Jaune chuckled. "So much has happened in a short amount of time, the semester's only begun. Hopefully we're done with all this excitement for now."

Not likely seeing as they still had to deal with Blake and Weiss's fight which would lead to finding Roman Torchwick working with the White Fang. After that, things would be smooth sailing until the second semester started.

"Well, your secret's safe with me. But you should think about talking to your team about your past. Especially Weiss." he frowned lightly as he turned to look at Blake. "You don't want them to suddenly find out one day and freak out."

"I'll think about it." Blake said with an unsure expression. Her time in the White Fang wasn't a fond memory, just thinking back on it was unpleasant. Telling her team about it was pretty much out of the question right now. Maybe in the future.

Still, it was mind boggling to know that Jaune of all people had learned from Adam. The red haired man despised humans, learning that he taught Jaune a few things was something she could hardly believe. But what reason would Jaune have to lie to her? The scar on his chest was proof enough. Only Adam would be so cruel to leave his opponent to succumb to their wounds.

"Sooo, uh, are you going to move your hand away from my chest yet?"

Blake blushed in embarrassment, forgetting her hands were gripping onto Jaune' s uniform. Well, not gripping, at some point they had abandoned social norm and began gently running across his chest. Had to give it to Yang, Jaune was definitely starting to develop some muscles under that scrawny appearance.

In the blink of an eye, Blake snatched her hand back to her chest. A small shy grin greeted Jaune back as she apologized.

"Sorry, my mind must have been elsewhere." Like how her fingers felt grazing the muscles underneath his blazer. After this was over with, she was going to need another helping of Ninja's of Love to calm her beating heart.

"It's alright. I've had that feeling plenty of times since coming into Beacon." Now that her question was answered, Jaune hopped back onto his feet. Today had been more eventful than he expected, it was time for bed. Another long day awaited him and he was still going to have to prepare for their trip to Forever Fall on Friday. Had a lot more then tree sap gathering to do.

"It's getting late. We should head back to our dorms for the night. Don't want our teams worrying about us anymore then they've had lately."

Finding Jaune's hand reaching out for her to take, Blake grabbed onto it as he helped her up. He was right, it was getting late. Didn't want Ruby questioning her on her whereabouts. Always resulted in Yang getting in on the action and grilling her for details on her nightly 'debauchery'. While Blake wasn't exactly a saint, she wasn't some woman that went out at night to party and sleep with a guy who bought her drinks. Closest thing she had to sex was her books. And her Blake time.

"Right, I don't want to be late for class again. Weiss is very punctual."

Bed was calling, and no one could ignore such a temptation.

Blake did sigh just before they left the rooftop, stopping Jaune as he reached for the door. It was embarrassing, but she owed him more then she could repay him for everything so far.

She hugged him. Took him by complete surprise as she brought her arms around his waist and closed the distance. Her beet red face hid in his chest as the only sound around them was the passing wind.

To say Jaune was surprised was an understatement. Blake was not a social person, she was not a touchy person. For her to hug him was a big deal. This was the most contact he had ever had with the girl since he had met her. He had no idea what to do right now but to hug her back.

"Thanks by the way. For saving me and keeping my identity a secret. You've risked your literal life for me, and I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Jaune smiled, patting her back as he let her have her moment. He didn't need any repayment. Having her there was more then enough.

"Just continue doing what you're doing. Having you here in my arms is more then enough, Blake."

' _ **A Special Moment has been created! Congratulations! You've Unlocked Blake Belladona's Affection!'**_

As quick as the hug came it left. Blake pushed off from the startled blonde knight, her face brighter as her eyes went wide with an unknown emotion he'd never seen in the cat faunus eyes. She looked away before swinging the door wide open.

"Anyways, thanks for everything, see you tomorrow! Bye!"

The door was then slammed in front of his face. From the sounds of it, Blake was in a hurry to head back to her dorm, mumbling loud curses as her feet sprinted down the steps before fading away.

Jaune blinked. Okay, that was weird. Wonder what made her so jumpy?

"Finally! Now I can get some god damn sleep!"

"Dammit, Cardin! What did I say about shutting your window and putting on some music!? That was a private moment!"

"Then don't have a moment on the roof of my dorm! Now, GOOD NIGHT!"

"FINE! GOOD NIGHT! AND DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE!"

"I WON'T!"

The sound of a window slamming was enough to tell Jaune that now was a good time to exit. No reason to stay any longer. But, as always, the buzzing of his scroll stopped him from making another stepped. Might as well see what that was about.

' _ **Congratulations! You've received a Gift from Blake Belladona! To receive your Gift, simply raise your scroll into the air to download its contents!'**_

A gift? But she just left. He shrugged, chalking it up to the games odd mechanics before raising his scroll.

The animation of a crane hand dropping little colorful Dust crystals appeared on his scroll's screen as he downloaded the gift. Once it had finished filling his screen with data, it gave off a little celebratory chime just as a puff of smoke popped out of nowhere in front of his eyes. And from the smoke, a literal treasure chest greeted Jaune.

An honest to god treasure chest, the kind he would find in his adventure games.

"My life's a game, this is normal. What I'm seeing right now is normal. Great." Jaune breathed in a deep breath as he calmed himself down. Wasn't even going to question it anymore. He was just going to tap it open and collect his gift.

Summoning Crocea Mors into his hand, Jaune gave the treasure chest a light tap.

' _ **You've received Raid Bracers!'**_

An orb of dazzling light sprang up from the chest, slamming into Jaune's scroll. With a new item in his inventory, Jaune brought up his gear to look it over.

' _ **Raid Bracers(x1): Special bracers designed for those who fight in the shadows and night. Adds protection and equipped with several wrapped bandages concealing hooks for grappling mid-distances.[Stealth Hooks]**_

 _ **+15Def.'**_

A pair of black ninja braces were displayed on his screen, loosely wrapped by several black bandages. They were fingerless with studded knuckles and a white cross scar on the back of the hand. Looked like he just found a new piece of armor for his huntsman gear.

He was going to need all the advantages he could take right now. If he was going to fight Ren, he needed better gear. Mostly due to the fact Holt had turned his armor and favorite hoodie to rags and scrap.

' _I wonder if Coco's really going to make me new clothes? I could really use an upgrade.'_

* * *

"And that! Is what happens when you mix some Aloe Vera leaves, Elderberry, and Spring water together just right with ground Dust. You get what we in the Field industry call a Parvus Aura Potio." Ms. Antheia said cheerfully as she held up a small flask of blue crystal liquid to her class.

Thursday was here and the school day was almost over with. First Period had gone by smoothly with a pop quiz in Professor Port's class on the anatomy of a Deathstalker. Jaune was happy to say he aced the quiz. At this point he was well aware of a scorpion's weakness seeing as they didn't like him. Still had no idea what it was about him that caught their attention. Second Period in Dust Studies was a little difficult but he managed by without being smacked by Professor Pitho's Dust balls of mystery. Even got a thumbs up from the man for passing his test on the properties of Dust and their uses. Well, just barely. Had to thank Weiss for helping him on his test last minute.

Now all that was left was Field Studies where, after a long hours of studying and avoiding Professor Anthiea's sexy leer, he was learning how to create a potion!

If only Nora would stop shaking the beaker so feverishly. The teacher said to lightly shake the contents, not bounce around like a jackrabbit drunk on energy drinks. Was it suppose to overflow with foggy wisps?

"Or, as you all may call it, a Small Aura Potion! Completely different from the Toxic Vial my sparky little Orange Tulip has created in her hands." Professor Antheia giggled.

The students around Jaune and Nora immediately scouted as far back from the two as possible. Something Jaune envied as he was forced to try and wrestle the deadly item from his teammates vice grip.

"Nora! She said it's toxic! That means we should dispose of it in a proper way!"

"Exactly! Now where can I find some meanies to chuck this at? Oh! Better yet, I still have a score to settle with the cafeteria staff! Ban me for month, will they?!"

Professor Antheia pouted as she watched Jaune wrestle Nora atop their desk. The blonde boy had the girl's hands planted against the desk while Nora had her feet clutching onto his waist. It was pretty erotic in her eyes. How she wished she could be in Nora's place.

Sadly, class was still in progress. Clapping her hands together, Professor Antheia broke up the two's little match, sending a small glare that was capable enough to calm Nora down and hand the vial to Jaune without another word.

' _ **Toxic Vial(x1)!'**_

' _I don't want this! What am I suppose to do with a poisoned potion?'_ Jaune thought in dismay as he sent the deadly concoction into his inventory. Hopefully he didn't mistakenly drink it. Next chance he had he was tossing it somewhere it could do no harm.

With her classes attention falling on her once again, Antheia continued, "Now, as you can all see, my potion is blue. That's because a normal aura potion naturally tastes extremely bitter, like pure alcohol mixed with granite. To counteract the taste, we simply add ground fruit to the mix which dyes its color based on the fruit. I've added blueberries to my own seeing as it's my favorite fruit. Just never mix cranberry, unless you have 'special' problems."

Snatching another flask from Nora's hand, Jaune repeated the process all over again. This time without Nora mixing in the ingredients. And with a light shake of the flask they created their first potion! No wonder they had come out with a poisoned potion, Nora mixed in the wrong herb.

' _ **Small Aura Potion, synthesized!**_ _ **Small Aura Potion Recipe, Discovered!'**_ **+1,000EXP!**

"Well done, darling. I expect no less from a man like yourself."

Jaune jumped back from his seat as he found Professor Antheia's face close to his own. Seriously, how the hell was she able to do that? Was it her semblance or something. Calming down his beating heart, Jaune smiled thankfully at his teacher.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Professor Antheia. I was starting to fall behind in class lately, but you've given me all the help you can to get this far. I can't thank you enough."

"Of course, darling! It would hurt me more if you were to fail at my class. I wouldn't be able to bare it." she moaned, biting her lips as she inched her face closer to Jaune's. Jaune's eye twitched at the action, only growing worse watching her fingers undue the top buttons to her blouse.

At this point, his Intelligence had grown enough to slap him in the face and let him know that his teacher had the hots for him. Was it sad that he kinda wished he was still thick headed? Ignorance was bliss after all. Ignoring such a sexy forbidden temptation like Professor Antheia wasn't doing any good to his status as a man. Hell, he was starting to think that Pyrrha might have a crush on him.

Back in his own class, Ren felt the familiar urge to strangle his leader come over his twitching hand.

"Right. Guess I owe you another one." Jaune gulped as the orange haired woman caressed his face. Clearly she didn't understand personal space.

"Oh?" Antheia tilted her head in confusion, tapping her glossy lips in thought before snapping her fingers in realization, "The Ambrosia I lent you? Don't worry, darling. I'm sure you and I can work something out sometime." she said, licking her lips hungrily.

"Uh, Teach? You know we're still in the middle of class, right?" Yang called out to her teacher, breaking her from her daily flirting with Jaune.

Professor Antheia pouted but relented as she patted Jaune's cheek one last time before going back to her class. He heaved a sigh of relief as Nora snickered.

"Well, class is just about over for the day, sadly." she mumbled the last part to herself as all the clocks on the students desk slowly ticked off to the end of the school day, "For tomorrows lesson, we will be heading out on a little field trip to Forever Fall! There, we will be studying how to gather herbs, how to synthesize items on the field, learn to scout our surroundings for the right ingredients, and to ward away any threats, such as the creatures of Grimm, while gathering. Do remember to take along your combat attire and weapons, Forever Fall is home to some nasty Grimm. Don't want to send a nice bouquet of flowers to your parents if you kick the bucket!"

"She shouldn't be so gleeful about that." Blake deadpanned at the bright expression on the woman's face.

"Of course, this will be a joint field trip with all of my classes. So remember to group up with your team and follow your leader to the bullheads tomorrow and don't forget to pack a lunch!"

With the end of her sentence, the digital bells rang, signaling the end of their school day. Gathering their things, the students got up from their seats and exited the room to spend the rest of the day doing whatever they wanted. Professor Antheia blew a kiss to her darling knight as he followed Nora, Yang, and Blake out, gulping as she undid another button.

' _No! Don't fall for her sexy ways! Just think about Snow Angel, just think about Snow Angel!'_

A sharp smack brought Jaune out of whatever daze the sexy teacher had him in. Blake gave him a pointed glare, huffing as she turned away and continued walking with Yang. She did not look happy.

Nora grinned as she fell alongside him, "Look at you, Jaune-Jaune. Seems I'm the only one safe from your dorkish charm."

"Dorkish charm?" Jaune scoffed amusingly, "I wish I had that kind of charm. I mean, how ironic would it be if I was able to make every girl around me fall for me except the girl I actually want to like me? Even I can't have that kind of bad luck."

"I wouldn't know if that's bad luck." Nora said skeptically. Up ahead of them, she could make out Blake subtly sneaking glances back at her team leader. "Just think about the possibilities! You could have your own harem! Course that would mean that I would probably get sucked into it too. Hmm, don't know how to feel about that." Nora mused, tapping her lip in deep thought as Jaune could only sigh. What an imagination, "I guess that would be alright, as long as you make me queen of your harem! I won't take anything less." she nodded stubbornly.

"Right, sure." Jaune nodded sarcastically, "If I ever have a harem, I'll make you my queen or whatever. Fat chance of that ever happening though."

Nora pumped her fist victoriously, "Sweet!"

A buzz on his scroll turned him away from his odd teammate. Looked like a message from Velvet. Must have just come back from her mission.

' _Hi, Jaune! It's Velvet. We just came back from our mission and Coco wants to see you as soon as possible. I think you'll like what she has for you~! And we can talk about where we should go out tonight! Come by our dorm when you're ready.'_

Right, almost forgot about promising Velvet that they would go out for a bite when she got back. He did owe her. Finding her dorm number in her message, Jaune memorized it before thinking on where to take her. If he was ever going to take a nice, pretty girl out to eat, where would he go?

Better ask Velvet's opinion. Just needed to stop by his dorm and change.

"As my first act as your harem queen, I will demand pancakes every morning after our nightly orgies. Anything less, and you're sleeping outside in the crappy dog house with Ren as I make the heavens rain onto your sorry ass!"

"When did we agree to a dog? And why the hell is Ren there?"

* * *

A stop by his dorm and a change of clothes, and Jaune was soon standing in front of team CFVY's dorm room. It was a struggle, but he was now wearing a blue hoodie over a white shirt, black jeans, and his regular pair of sneakers. Giving a quick knock on the door, Jaune waited for them to open the door.

"Coming!" Cracking the door open a bit, a familiar set of bunny ears peeked out along with Velvet's dark brown eyes, "Jaune! I didn't expect you to come by so quickly. Good thing I've already changed out of my combat gear." she grinned.

The grin was infectious as Jaune couldn't help but grin back. Except something caught his eye as he got a good look at Velvet's face, scrunching his brows at what looked like bandages around her collar. Was she hurt?

"Hey, Velvet. Good to see you. Are you okay?" Jaune asked in concern, stepping past the door to enter her dorm. Inside looked the same as any dorm except the little touches here and there. One bedside was decorated with fashion magazines, expensive looking designer bags, and sewing materials. Across from that bedside, Jaune made out Yatsuhashi reading a comic as he sat back on his bed, decorated with bedside bansai tree, weights, and a medication mat. The large student greeted the blonde knight with a wave and a polite smile, his right arm bandaged along with a few healing bruises on his face.

"It's good to see you again, Jaune. If I had known we had company coming, I would have prepared some tea."

On his own bed, Fox scowled, too occupied with the handheld game in his hands to chit chat with Jaune. Out of all of them, his side of the room was pretty sparse, the only thing worth noting being the shelve of video games by his bedside and punching bag at the end of his bedside. Like his teammates, his body was bandaged, mostly around his arms. The scowl on his face grew deeper as he struggled through his game due to the pain shooting up his sprained fingers.

"What happened to you guys? You look like you were mauled by a bear." Just looking at the bandages stretching from Velvet's collar to her arms was worrying.

Fox scoffed, still refusing to look back at Jaune, "Unlike you, we can handle a simple bear."

"Ignore Fox's snark, his wounds are causing him to act sourly." Yatsuhashi apologized.

Velvet waved away Jaune's concern as she lead him to her side of the room. Her bed was decorated with little plush figures ranging from animals to the wrestling persona's from Nora's RWE, photo's of her time in Beacon, and a shelve of books. He rose a brow finding his Jaune-cena plush sitting on her bedside pillow. _'I still don't understand why I don't get any Lien for this stuff. They're using my image for crying out loud!'_

"It's nothing much to worry about, Jaune! Our mission was just a little more then we could have handled is all." Velvet laughed it off poorly.

"What kind of mission leaves you like this?" If this is what they looked like after their aura's had healed the worst of the damage, he was afraid to ask what they had gone through, "And where's Coco? I thought she'd be here with you guys resting up after finishing your mission." he asked as he looked for any sign of the fashion minded huntress.

"Coco's meeting with the headmaster right now to discuss the details of our extermination mission." Yatsuhashi answered as he set down his comic. He groaned, stretching out his sword arm of its tension and soreness, "It's a common practice for all leaders when they complete a mission under the school. They met up with the teacher that assigned their missions, discuss how the job had gone along, and receive payment upon completion. But with all that had occurred during our mission, I don't believe we will be seeing her for some time." he frowned.

"Extermination mission?" He'd heard about it before. When team RWBY had gone off to Mt. Glenn, they had originally wanted to take it, but were barred due to being first years.

Velvet nodded, "An Extermination mission is where you're sent out to eliminate the threat of Grimm troubling a village or town. Due to the massive number of the monsters, it's a mission type that only those above first year can take. Normally, it's horde of lesser Grimm; like young Beowolves or Ursai, but there are times when a more powerful horde are drawn from a surge of negativity."

"Unfortunately for us, we had to deal with something stronger then a simple horde." Yatsuhashi sighed as he rubbed his aching shoulders, "We had a run in with a Deviant."

"But we can talk about that later!" Velvet butted in before Jaune could ask more. She puffed her cheeks, lightly stomping her feet as she playfully glared with crossed arms, "You, still owe me for worrying me half to death fighting Holt. And I've been starving myself silly in hopes of you paying for my meal. We can talk about my mission once I've seen some food set down in front of my eyes. You haven't forgotten," her cute brown eyes narrowed sharply as her voice grew uncharacteristically cold, "Have you?"

"Course not! I would never forget about our date!" Jaune smiled as he waved his hands in panic. He did wince at the slip of the tongue. Did not mean to make it sound they were going on a date.

Velvet didn't seem to mind though, even beamed at his slip, "Good! Now, just wait out the door for a bit, I still have to change into something nice before we leave. Can't go out in my school wear, can I?"

He shrugged, "Doesn't matter much to me, you look fi-"

"I said, Can't go out in my school wear, can I?" The chilling drop in her voice came back as the whole room's temperature dropped to zero. Even Fox shivered at his teammates icy tone.

Jaune nodded feverishly with a shaken grin, "Yup! I'll just wait outside and shut up!"

As quick as it came, Velvet's cold eyes and tone vanished as she giggled, "Good! Be ready in a bit." she winked before skipping away to get ready.

Yatsuhashi nodded his head in respect, "Be strong, my friend. Just remember, she can smell fear."

"She's going to eat you alive." Fox snickered.

But she looked so cute and docile! Who knew sweet little Velvet could look threatening?

* * *

Sizzling baby back ribs greeted Velvet's hungry eyes on a bed of yellow rice, topped off with three red onions and several chopped carrot slices circling the platter. Her empty stomach approved, growling loudly as she smacked her lips hungrily.

"One order of the Sweet Wilderness, sub carrots instead of fries, ready!" The cherry haired waitress smiled brightly before setting down Jaune's order, "And a Shrimp Alfredo with a side of fries! Hope you folks enjoy, alright?" she grinned before heading off for the counter.

As much as Jaune would have liked to head back to the noodle stand for lunch again, he thought better of it as he searched around for a good spot to eat. Velvet looked like she needed more then noodles to settler her hunger and Pyrrha did say too much ramen would stunt his growth. This was where his Gamer powers came in handy; his HUD's map had helped in locating a nice place to eat and even described what was available to eat. Didn't even need to take out his scroll for it. Finding a small restaurant with some buzz, Jaune lead Velvet in and went on ordering.

He was a bit surprised to see the normally timid girl salivate at the sight of ribs. Had her pegged for a vegetarian or something. They sat in a booth across another surrounded by other guests. Velvet was dressed in a burgundy v-cut shirt, brown vest, black and red checkered skirt, and dark blue leggings with red sneakers. All in all, she looked cute as she wiped her mouth of drool.

Jaune chuckled at the stars in Velvet's eyes, "Don't wait on me, dig in."

Didn't have to tell her twice. Nodding her head in thanks, Velvet dug right in. She moaned as she bit into a rib, tearing its meat right off before spooning several scoops of rice into her greedy mouth feverishly.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there, Velvet. I don't want you to choke on your meal." Jaune warned, earning an embarrassed grin from the mouthful girl, "Don't want Coco hunting me down for killing her friend via stuffing her to death."

Gulping her meal down, Velvet laughed back as she scratched her cheek, "Sorry about that. I haven't had a proper meal since yesterday. We were all being checked on after our fight with the Deviant Grimm and were feed vitamins. I was literally starving to death when we arrived." sipping her cold fountain drink, she sighed in relief.

"There's that word again, Deviant. I never heard of that before." Jaune frowned as he stuck his fork into his cheesy pasta. Professor Port had never talked about a Grimm like that and he could recall General Ironwood mentioning it before.

"Deviants aren't something you'll learn about just yet. I believe I learned about them during my second semester in Port's class." Soaking her carrots in the juice of her ribs, Velvet hummed in delight before continuing, "The creatures of Grimm are known to be mindless, drawn only by negativity. And as the years go on, they develop odd bone like growths to protect them from other wild creatures and threats. But those who have survived fights against huntsman are unlike the run of the mill Grimm, they seem to develop intelligence, picking up on fighting habits and growing stronger from their fights. They are what we call Deviants, Grimm that have the combat abilities of huntsman and huntresses and at times even learn to wield weapons. And they can be a scary bunch to fight." she shivered as she recalled her fight with the one that had attacked Misenwood.

"The original intent of our mission was to fend of the sudden rise of Creepers terrorizing Misenwood, and while it had been exhausting dealing with the large number of them, we were able to wipe them out. But there was a problem, the village had originally sent another team for hire huntsman to deal with the origin of the threat, only for them to never come back. It was on our final day of protecting its walls that we found the source of the negativity marching towards us."

"And it was able to beat you guys up this much?" Jaune said astounded. Team CFVY wasn't to be taken lightly, they had some heavy hitters on their team. He didn't know much about Velvet's weapon or semblance, but her hand to hand alone was just as good as Yang's. "What the hell kind of Grimm was it?"

Velvet stared off into her drink, her thoughts turning back to yesterday and the monstrous beast that had attacked them.

"It's what's known as a Chimera. They come in different breeds; the one we fight was a cross between a Creeper and an Alpha Beowolf. That wasn't the worst part about it though." she laughed weakly as she looked at Jaune mirthfully.

"It could wield an Ax, picked up by one of its prey. And it was made of Fire Dust."

* * *

Flames burned the patches of earth around the large wooden gates of Misenwood. Deep scratches littered the surrounding area, wooden carts of fruit and vegetables were strewn about in heaps of scorched rubble, and the guard posts were blown to smoking timber wood. A guttural growl filled the air, sending chills down Velvet's spine as she feel on one knee. She panted, her throat dry as desert sand as she flinched from the deep cut on her bleeding arm.

Jumping back by her side, the rest of her team struggled to stand their ground before the monster facing them down. Coco spat to the side, tossing her shattered sunglasses away with a glare.

Standing at seven feet, a Grimm Chimera stared them down with glowing red eyes. Its body was that of an Alpha Beowolf, its head replaced by the lizard like maw of a Creep with a sharp horn at its snout. Its muscled forearms were adorned by three slicked spikes, its whipping lizard tail edged like a weathered blade, and its legs were heavily protected by bone plates. It was truly a menacing sight to fight. Made only worse by the double sided heated ax in its clawed fingers.

"Of all things to hit us now, why the hell did it have to be a Deviant Chimera?" Coco groaned as she fixed the ammo belt to her Gatling gun purse. Even she didn't have enough bullets to kill something like that.

The Chimera barked, its bark turning into a hiss midway through before it charged at the four hunters. It dragged along its newfound weapon for a chop at all four. Yatsuhashi quickly stepped in, slamming his large cleaver in front of his team to block the swing. He grunted in pain as the ax slammed into his blade, the very pressure behind the monster's weapon cutting though him by some unseen pressure. Seeing the Grimm focused on his teammate, Fox ran past the beast, cocking his bladed knuckles back before jumping for its exposed back. His white eyes went wide finding his face suddenly gripped by its free hand.

"Let him go!" Velvet shouted, sprinting after her friend suspended in the air by its claws. Her camera box creaked open, printing out a copy of her partners large cleaver as she aimed to slice its arm clean off. The bladed edged tip of its tail said otherwise. It shot at her stomach mid swing, nearly piercing by her aura. But she stayed her ground, gritting her teeth as she delivered a powerful uppercut swing at its arms.

Blood spilled out from the carving slash, but failed to amputate its limb. Turning its head to her, it barked, having had enough of her and the brown skinned huntsman slamming his fist at its arm. It lashed its tail at the faunus bunny, scoring blood as it slashed her across the chest before swinging its arm with Fox at her. Both huntsman were sent flying back to their leader from the lariat, wounded and bleeding. It then reared its ax back, the absence of its weight stumbling Yatsuhashi in surprise before it swung its body around, slamming its tail into his guard. The blow cracked his cleaver and sent him skidding back. The Chimera roared in frustration, the very volume of it distorting the air around it.

Yatsuhashi huffed lightly, sweat running down his forehead as he refused to kneel. After this was over with, he was going to have to stop by the smith to tamper his blade. Hopefully it could last till then.

Roaring again, the Chimera heaved its worn ax high into the air, slamming it down to the earth to fire an arc of lashing flames after the tall swordsman. Grunting, Yatsuhashi retaliated with a blade of pressured air from his blade. The two attacks met, detonating in a plume of clouding flames and smoke. With a swing of its ax, the Chimera did away with the smoke cover of fire as it charged after Yatsuhashi with an open snarl. Bullet fire stopped it in its tracks mid swing, stunning it in place as Coco unleashed bullet hell from her machine gun.

"Velvet! _**Mimic: Double Espresso**_!" she shouted loudly over the gunfire. Velvet nodded firmly, printing out a copy of her leader's weapon out of light. Falling in line beside her, the rabbit faunus copied Coco's stance and fired her own bullets made of Light Dust. Their combined assault was enough to keep the monster from attacking, its body peppered and wracked by the bullets.

"Fox, Yatsuhashi! _**Giant Piercer**_!"

Hearing their leader's command, the two huntsman followed her orders. Yatsuhashi fell back to stand behind the two girls while Fox sprinted back from the three. Applying aura to his feet for a boost, Fox became a blur as he ran straight for his team. Stopping their gunfire, Velvet and Coco stepped aside to avoid Fox as Yatsuhashi lifted his cleaver for a mighty swing. The flat side of his blade met the silent huntsman as he flipped, landing his feet against the flat side. Muscles bulging, Yatsuhashi roared as he swung his blade, firing Fox off like a cannonball.

The Chimera shook its head, growling furiously before turning back to the humans. In the blink of an eye, a blurring streak of dark orange blitzed by it, piercing its side with a gaping hole and lobbing of its right arm wielding ax. Blood spewed from its amputated limb as Fox skidded to a stop behind it. Loading a shell into his elbow bladed gauntlets, he aimed for its back and fired a lightning infused shot.

Lightning sprang around its body, causing it to howl in pain. It was left stun, growling as its body trembled.

Coco sighed in relief, happy for a second to breath. Was starting to run low on ammo, wasn't sure they could keep this up after fighting the horde.

"Alright, let's finish i-"

"COCO!"

The Chimera's angered howl shook the earth, lashing out its tail to smack into Fox. Luckily he was quick enough to blow with his arms, but the loud snap resonating didn't sound right as he was sent sprawling on his back. In a burst of incredible speed, the Chimera blurred in front of the fashion loving huntress, raising its only arm above her. Eying the girl as she prepared to step back, its tail coiled around her waist to keep her still before dropping its raking bony claws against her small body.

Coco's aura waned, breaking under the monstrous claw slash as four deep lacerations were clawed against her front. She gasped in pain, grunting as she fought to stay conscious in the dark creatures hold. Damn, didn't look like she would survive another hit like that.

"READY, MEN!? FIRE!"

Whistling gunfire filled the air just before the Chimera's back was bombarded by mechanical gunfire. It lost its grip on Coco as she fell back, quickly caught by Velvet before jumping back from another hail of gunfire.

Running towards the injured team, an armored villager greeted the hunters along with a few of his brothers armed for a fight, "Thank Oum we're not too late. As much as we trust you hunters, once we got word of a Deviant, we prepared ourselves to help out if need to. Good thing we did, right?" he smiled through his armored helm.

Velvet smiled gratefully towards the man, even more so as few other of his men carried Fox over to them "We really appreciate it."

Another howl escaped the Chimera through the cloud of dust kicked up by the gunfire raining down upon it, clearing it away to snarl madly at its prey. Bullet holes were drilled into its skin and bone platting, spilling its blood onto the ground as it loudly cracked its neck. Even after everything, it was still raring to go with only one arm. It stared them down hungrily, smacking its damaged tail around lazily.

Sucking in the pain, Coco stood back on her own legs despite the villager's protest. She hocked a bloody loogie, cleaning her mouth of the blood running down her lips as she rubbed her aching neck with a tired sigh. Seemed she lost her beret in the fighting. Damn.

"I know where most of my reward money's going to. The things I do keep my wardrobe up to date."

* * *

Jaune's jaw fell in awe as Velvet repeated the story of her mission with him. What the hell kind of monster could withstand that much damage? Here he had thought Grimm simply died to a few hits. What he was hearing was insane.

"How did you guy's kill it?" he breathed incredulously with wide eyes.

"With a whole lot of bullets and effort." Velvet said flatly, sipping the last of her drink. By now, she had cleaned her plate spotless, leaving not even a crumb behind. It was safe to say she was satisfied. "Luckily, we didn't suffer any casualties, which is a rare case when fighting a Deviant. It was actually Yatsuhashi and I that had finished it off with a combined team attack. Chopped its ugly head right off!" she grinned victoriously.

Well, that was quite a story. Jaune slumped back in his seat, feeling exhausted just listening to the tale. He was going to have to make a mental note to never fight one of those things. While he was stronger then before, he was sure he wasn't ready to fight a Grimm that could fight like a huntsman.

"I'm just glad you guys made it back alive. And here you were getting upset with me for nearly dying a few days ago." he playfully glared, earning an embarrassed huffy pout from the brunette rabbit faunus, "You shouldn't even be out right now; you should be resting up. Sounds like your body's a giant aching bruise."

"Don't think that excuses you from your actions. I'm still upset that you had nearly died. Didn't you promise me that we wouldn't see you like that again? I guess I know not to trust you too much on promises." she grumbled as she looked away.

That. . .stung. Jaune winced at the blow. He had been hoping she had let that go, but if Blake hadn't, then Velvet wouldn't be anytime soon. "I deserve that. Guess even when I'm trying to do right, I'm still doing something wrong." he sighed dejectedly.

"No, no, no! Don't listen to silly old me!" Velvet waved her hands in panic, mentally cursing herself out for bringing down the blonde knight. He sagged further in his seat, sipping his grape soda in depression, "I still trust you! I'm just upset at myself for being useless during the whole ordeal! I mean, I'm a second year huntress, I have two years experience fighting Grimm and other hunters, yet I couldn't do more then stall and lead the others away as I left you to all the fighting. I've never felt so useless." she frowned sadly, her bunny ears drooping with her mood.

Jaune shook his head as he straightened himself back up, "Don't beat yourself up. You're a great huntress, I couldn't do halve the things you do. Besides, in the end, we all made it out okay. That's what really matters."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. As long as you're still breathing, I can forgive your recklessness." she smiled as she held her hand to her heart. "Just remember what I told you; don't make a habit of it. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be there to lend you a hand. It's the least I could do for you." she said softly with a light blush.

"Same for you. I may not be much, but if you're ever in need of a knight in shining armor, I'm only a call away!" he grinned.

"I'll keep you up to that." she giggled. Was it weird that heart may have skipped a beat?

"Now, how about desert?"

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Jaune and Velvet arrived back at Beacon. After they had finished their meals, they had spent some time looking around the local shops to pass the time. Even bought some food from the stands for his team. It had been a fun afternoon, almost like he had actually gone off on a date with the bunny faunus. Though he kept that thought to himself, not wanting to spoil their fun.

Arriving at her dorm, Velvet shuffled shyly as they stood outside the door. She couldn't remember the last she had that much fun with someone other then her team. The blush on her face had yet to leave the entire time they had been out. Too bad their time had to come to end. She couldn't help but pout.

"Well, I better head back to my dorm. Got to prepare for our trip to Forever Fall." Jaune said as gave Velvet a quick hug. The girl hugged back, sighing in content in his arms before blinking and shaking her head. What was going on with her? She stepped back, turning away from the blonde as she clasped her hands over her beating chest.

Why was the thought of his lips over her own running in her mind? Ever since that life saving kiss, she couldn't forget the feeling of his soft lips pressing against her own. Despite the blood, she couldn't deny the flutter of her heart.

Dear god, she wasn't crushing on a first year. . .right?

"Right. The doctor did say to take the next few days off while my aura worked on healing my wounds. Guess I should head to bed then." she chuckled awkwardly as she pressed her fingers together.

Nodding in understanding, Jaune was ready to turn back and head to his dorm. He paused, scratching his head as he fought with himself, Ah, what the hell.

"Hey, Velvet." he said, catching her before she opened her dorm. Finding her dark brown eyes back on him and her ears standing at alert, Jaune fought the blush on his face as he continued, "If you ever, you know, want to hang out like that again, don't be afraid to ask. I like hanging out with you, and I'd like for us to do this kind of thing again. We may not be close friends, but I hope to change that! So, I'm free if you ever want to hang out." he grinned widely, his teeth sparkling in her eyes.

Damn his dorky charm! When did her legs become jelly?

Velvet nodded her head feverishly, "Of course! I'll let you know when I got the free time. See ya!" she said rapidly before dashing inside her dorm.

' _ **Velvet's Affection has risen! A new Perk has been Unlocked! Scarlet Drive, Unlocked!'**_

At this point, he wasn't even surprised at the addition of his new perk. Scarlet Drive did sound pretty cool. He was going to have to check it out before heading off on the field trip. With all the abilities, skills, and perks he's unlocked through the past few days, he was going to have to organize them into a solid equip-able set for his fight against Ren.

A buzzing by his scroll broke him out of his thoughts, turning his attention to the new message on his scroll.

' _Hey, Jaune. It's Coco. Met by the fountain by the courtyard when you can. I've got a little gift for you~!'_

Right, almost forgot about that. Well, he still had some time before heading back. He was actually eager to see what she had for him.

* * *

Sitting on the edge of the fountain, Coco greeted Jaune with a wave. By the time he got there, the sun had already set and night had arrived. And just like the rest of her team, Coco's visible skin was wrapped in bandages, she hadn't even changed out of her gear. Seemed she had even lost her favorite pair of sunglasses and baret seeing as he could make out her dark brown eyes. From the looks of it, she was even more wounded then her team, even had her right arm in a cast like him.

"Hey! Twinsies!" she grinned, gesturing to their broken arms. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he chuckled.

"I told Velvet, so I'll tell you; You should be resting back at your dorm. After the story she told me, you of all people should be in bed." he scolded as he met her by the fountain.

Coco shrugged nonchalantly, "I ain't the kind of girl that likes to stay in bed. Not without some motivation." she winked.

Jaune stared flatly at the girl. Dear god, it was like talking to an older, wiser, Yang. What a scary thought.

"Anyways, I simply wanted to give you that little present I promised you. I had just finished sewing the last stitch before the warning bells at the gate had us leaping for action. I hope you like them, I can guarantee you that they'll offer you more protection then your old Pumpkin Pete's hoodie and jeans." she grinned proudly as she handed him a wrapped parcel. It's black wrapping was decorated with her cross hair symbol and a gold bow.

' _ **You've received a Special Gift! Coco's Cross Eye Collection #1(x1CEC Knight's Hoodie, x1CEC Knight's Gloves, x1CEC Knight's Cargo Jeans, x1CEC Knight's Boots, and x1CEC Knight's Ammo Belt)!'**_

With the special gift in hand, Jaune was at loss of words. When he had first been accepted to Beacon, he had literally left with the clothes on his back. The little armor he had bought was the only piece of huntsman wear on him. But with this, he would finally look the part. It almost brought a tear to his eye.

"Coco, I don't. . .I don't know how to repay you." he laughed hoarsely, hating himself as he wound up sniffing back the tears in his eyes. He couldn't wait to put it on tomorrow.

"Don't worry about it. It's the least I could do for saving my girl, Velvet. She's safe and sound because of you. Outfitting you in some sharp combat gear was more of a pleasure then a favor. Don't forget to take a picture of yourself in your new threads when you do, I want a picture of your fine ass in my exclusive gear. I call it, The Cross-Eye Collection, first edition." she said with a look of pride in her eyes, wincing lightly as she got up from her seat.

Gathering the materials for it all had been a pain, but it was all worth it when she had looked upon her latest master piece. There was nothing more satisfying then her fingers working at the needle. Other then killing Grimm that is.

"No, I mean, this is just too much for a guy like me. I just. . .I can't think of anything I could ever do to thank you for this awesome gift. With this, I can actually look the part. And it's all thanks to you." he smiled warmly.

The happy gesture on Jaune's face was so sincere, Coco had to look away, the smallest of red dusting her cheeks.

"Heh, you really are a sweet kid. As much as I hate to say this, the clothes don't make a huntsman or huntress, it's the heart behind the threads that make 'em. And if there's something you got in spades, it's heart, Jaune. Even without my kick ass combat gear, you're still a huntsman." she said softly, patting the blonde's shoulder as she stepped beside him.

"Then I guess I'll be a sharp looking huntsman from here on out!" Jaune said happily as he pumped his fist.

"Bet your ass you'll be!" Coco said with equal energy. A loud growl from her stomach froze her still, causing her to rub her neck in embarrassment as she held her stomach. Right, forgot to grab a bite to eat. Man, was she starving.

Knowing that sound anywhere, Jaune moved his good hand to his back. Good thing he had bought some food before leaving. Nora didn't need four servings, the girl could live with two.

"Here." From his Inventory, Jaune held out a brown paper bag to the confused brunette huntress. The smell of fries immediately hit her senses, only making her stomach growl more.

"Someday, I'll find a way to pay you back in full for your gift. But, for now, how about some burgers and fries to hold you off? I can promise you, they're just as fresh as when they got off the grill. There's even a shake for you."

". . .Is it a Shamrock Shake?"

"It is a Shamrock Shake." Still did not know what the hell Shamrock meant. All he did know was that it was green and had a cool minty taste to it.

Taking the tasty smelling food, Coco couldn't fight the warm smile on her lips. The kid was too kind for his own good. No wonder Velvet had her eye on the guy.

"You know, handing a girl fatty food is not the best way to win her over." She smirked, her eyes shut as Jaune sputtered, "But, for you, I'll make an exception."

Soft lips caressed his cheek, dangerously close to his lips as Coco thanked him in her own special way. He could almost swear he could faintly taste her, the smell of vanilla and coffee hitting him as she pressed her body against him. Her hand fell on his chest, rubbing over the ugly scar.

' _ **A Special Moment has been created! Coco Adel's Affection has been Unlocked!'**_

Coco grinned widely as she left Jaune in a daze. Give him a few years and she wasn't sure she'd be able to help herself from bagging him for herself. _'I always did like blondes.'_

Now that he was alone with himself, Jaune only had one thought in his mind.

"Did she slap my ass?"

"Yup! Man, oh, man, who knew having The Heart of the Gamer would come with such perks! I'm actually a little envious over here."

Goosebumps ran along Jaune's skin as the running fountain water froze completely still. The very world around him had gone still, stuck in a stasis from the Pause brought up by the familiar voice. Turning his head, Jaune found none other then Husk, Merchant and Traveler of The Will. The merchant's brown paper bagged face looked back at him, the smilely face drawn on his face grinning as he sat on the frozen water.

"Husk? What are you doing here?" Jaune scowled, absently moving his only working arm for Crocea Mors.

Husk chuckled at the gesture, "Calm down, Little Player. I ain't here to fight. Trust me," he grinned darkly, the very air pressure around them distorting and threatening to crush Jaune like a fig, "There would be no point in trying."

Releasing the pressure, Jaune was able to breath easy again, "Then why are you here? I'm not going to have to fight some major boss now, am I?" Because he wasn't prepared for that to fall onto him now.

Jumping down to land in front of Jaune, Husk shook his head as he crossed his dirty bandaged arms behind his head, "Nah, I'm just here on The Will's orders. See, its recently found its brain and realized that it had left some things out of your coding. You're at an unfair advantage, which I think is bull considering you're just a greenhorn. So, I'm here to Nerf you a bit. Again."

"Really? But I was just starting to get a handle of my powers." Jaune grumbled. Why couldn't they Nerf Adam? The guy was a monster.

"Too bad. I just do what that thing tells me to do. Now, hold still." Husk said calmly, stretching out his hands in front of Jaune. A mystical like screen of emerald energy stretched from the space of his hands, displaying stats and information only see able to Husk, "This may, or may not, hurt a little."

"Now, let's see; We'll have to add SP to your Skills to keep you from equipping everyone of them, add Level Qualifications to your Abilities like Shatter Armament and Mountain Feller, and only allow you to Discover new Abilities during training. Plus a few other things you'll see-Eh?"

Swiping through the information on Jaune's screen, Husk's drawn face frowned as he got a look at his aura. The hell was that black speck? It looked like it was alive. _'Welp, that doesn't sit well in the old stomach. Better get rid of that little bu-'_

"SON OF A BITCH!"

Snapping his finger back, Husk stared at his smoking finger incredulously.

"You okay, Husk?"

Black smoke wavered from Husk's index finger as he held it close to his chest. He blinked, eying the digit, bewildered at what had just happened.

That. . .hurt?

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." he answered slowly, shaking his head as he turned back to his job. He went silent as he busied himself with applying the finishing touches to the Core of Jaune's Gamer Soul. With the finishing touches in place, Husk swiped the translucent screen away before snapping his fingers.

Red sparks lit up Jaune's body with the snap, shocking his skin as he withheld a shout of pain. He grit his teeth, falling to his knee's as he glared at the other worldly being through the pain.

"What?" Husk chuckled as he shrugged, "I told you it might hurt."

The sparks soon died away, leaving Jaune panting. Last time he had nerfed him, it hadn't hurt at all. Why was this time so different? Groaning, he got back up, keeping his eye on the grinning bag headed man.

"Was that it? Or are you going to pop out of nowhere again and fix me up for your enjoyment?" he hissed, wincing as he felt his head ring.

Husk threw his arms dramatically, "Hey! I know you might think I'm some kind of asshole for watching you guys fight to the death in a never-ending game, but I'm not a sadist. That's Remnant, the woman is the real monster. Believe it or not, I'm actually rooting for ya. It's about time someone with heart tried to beat this game. Makes it all the more entertaining to watch in my opinion."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"So, I've done what I could. I better head on out and return Will its Admin Keys, it would be pretty pissed if I somehow lost them." Husk ignored Jaune's flat glare as he turned away. Moving his hands up, he was ready to leave with a snap of his fingers before Jaune had stopped him.

"Wait! At least answer me one thing before you go. It's the least you could owe me for the pain."

"Owe you? Pfft! That's a new one, I don't owe you a grain of nothing!" Husk bellowed with laughter, hunching over as he smacked his knee. He sighed, snickering as he got a hold of himself. The boy was still glaring at him, refusing to let up as his blue eyes stared him down. What the hell, he grinned. What could it hurt. "Sure, ask your question. Be warned though, if it's something sensitive, I won't answer it."

That was fine with Jaune. He only had one question after everything he had been through so far.

"What's the point of this Game? Why are you constantly tormenting the other Players with endless Resets whether they win or lose?" he asked in frustration, clenching his fists at the thought of Ren. His best friend, his brother in arms; was The Game responsible for his uncaring attitude? Or was he always like that? And Adam, was The Game responsible for the monster he was?

What was the point? What the hell were these beings hoping to accomplish?

Silence met Jaune's question as Husk stared back at him. The crudely drawn smiley face seemed even creepier as it stopped its expressions.

"I guess that's what you're here to find out." Husk finally answered, his face shifting into a face splitting grin. Not waiting to hear what the blonde boy had to say, the merchant snapped his fingers, his body dispersing into dark colored flames as he chuckled ominously.

The sound of running water met Jaune's ears along with the howling wind as the world was freed from its frozen state. The blonde knight could only sigh as he was only with more questions then answers. Should have known he wouldn't get anything out of the bastard. It was like talking to a jester. Flexing his fingers, he wondered what kind of changes the god like being had done to him. Hopefully nothing too sever to alter his fighting abilities. Pulling out his scroll, he cursed at the time.

"Pyrrha's going to talk my ear off. She really doesn't like it when I stay out too long. I swear, it's like we're married or something." he chuckled amusingly at the thought. Wouldn't be that bad, he supposed. Pyrrha was a real beauty and sweetheart.

Time to go home. A big day awaited him tomorrow. He was going to need all the rest he could get if he was going to change Ren's mind.

* * *

 **Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:**

 _ **Scarlet Drive [10SP]: When the Player's Aura has been shattered, a scarlet aura envelops their body, increasing their Evasion by 75% until they've regenerated their aura, allowing them to perform acrobatic feats to avoid attacks. Can only be activated once a battle.**_

* * *

 **And so, the time has come for Jaune and Ren to finally clash their own ideals. The Greenhorned Knight with high hopes of changing their reality, and the Veteran Lazy Ninja exhausted with the endless Resets. Brothers in arms, fighting to make the other accept their ways. Can they come to an agreement? Or will they only further drive the wedge deeper between them?**

 **Let's hope I can finish Chapter 19 by next Saturday. At least I'm already 3,000+ words in. That's a start. While I work on that, I'll try my hands on that Holiday piece that's been bouncing around my old nogging. If I complete it, expect it Christmas day, as my own little present. But only if you're all good little boys and girls, you hear?**

 **And, to make sure none of you are confused on what canon DLC and what's not, I've come up with a solution. DLC marked as Purchased DLC will be considered Canon. If it doesn't have the label, it's not relevant to the plot, it's just for fun. Hope that fixes any confusion you all may have.**

 **Now, I got some time on me before I get back to work. Know any good anime I could watch on CrunchyRoll? I need something to hold me over till next week's RWBY.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	19. With Your Heart in Mind

**Guess who's back? Back again, your boy, NeoShadows!**

 **Damn, should have had this chapter uploaded yesterday as promised. I blame my landlord. They've given us two months to vacate due to the fact we're not allowed to have pets, and they found Bailey. Been busy since yesterday to find a new place. Luckily, we found two places, so that's settled my nerves a bit. Got to hate distractions.**

 **On a brighter note, I've finally gotten a Beta! His name's A Fan1204 and he's got some skills in fixing my mistakes. With our combined effort, my fic should finally be up to standards. We're slowly editing the past chapters and I plan on replacing the old ones once we're done.**

 **Finally, after much waiting, the fight between Jaune and Ren will take place! Boy, was this one a dozy. Just a heads up, I haven't added in the descriptions to Ren's abilities yet. Gotta upload this chapter first and finish up that last one-shot in the making for Arc Works before I get to that.**

 **Hmm? Arc Works, you blink in confusion. Why, that's my newest story! Or, stories. More on that at the end of the chapter.**

 **OH! Before we start, Jaune's new outfit will be described here, but I ain't the best in describing outfits. One of my weaknesses I have to work on. It's based on Fire Emblem Fate's Mercenary Class design, so if you need to, picture him in that gear.**

 **Time for some Reviews!**

 **Aeogorm: Drifters? Hmm, I'll check it out sometime. It's definitely on Crunchroll last I checked. As for the Nerfing, you're not the only one to ask that. Technically, it's not really nerfing. It's balancing Jaune to the same standards as the rest of the Gamers. For some reason, he was missing important bits of his coding. Something that will be explained later on.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Got to love auto-dodge. Don't know who you're talking about, but the black wisp is definitely something ominous to harm an otherworldy being.**

 **GhostHornet: Happy Late Birthday! Glad I could gift you something nice. Overlord? I've heard of it before, I'll check onto my Anime List for future watching. As for Jaune's nerf, it's more like a patch on fixing some data that was left out of him that made him like the other Players. Example, his past ability to equip all his abilities without any cost or limits. I'm also bias on FFXIII despite its bad rep. It was my first, so of course it has a special place in my heart.**

 **Forget4Me: Ah, Weiss and Pyrrha. Don't you worry about them, I have special chapters planned for them. It's all about development, my friend. Can't just have it happen like that. The build up is one of the best parts. And the Nerfs, think of them as a programmer fixing some bugs they overlooked. All Gamers follow specific rules and limits, but it turns out that Jaune had been the odd one out as he was able to do things like equip abilities without any sort of cost or limit. More on that later in the story. As for OC's, I'll be honest, they'll be more in the future. A few major one's and small ones. I was never a fan of them either, but if they're done right they're enjoyable. But they're needed to fill in the story I have in mind. Can't use every available canon character without a good reason. Still, glad you enjoy the story, hope you can stick around. Oh, Erased, man I loved that anime! Gave it a chance a few months ago and I loved it. And I just started watching Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.**

 **Benthino: My boy, you are worthy!**

 **L337 M4n: I have been playing Undertale as of late. Man, it's actually a bit difficult on the Pacifist run. I'll have to check out those FF games at some point. Sadly, I have a mountain of games on my desktop, PS4, and 3DS that I haven't even finished. Just got BlazBlue and am trying to find time to play it.**

 **Pltrgst: At some point I will write about the other Players expertise. Takes some time to touch up their abilities and skills. Husk is the only one capable of freely interacting with the other Players, so he can be a nuisance. The only reason he's been nerfing Jaune is because Jaune is missing important touch ups that balance him out on the same grounds as the others. He had a few bugs he needed fixed.**

 **SonicFanFlame: We must battle once you've reigned as champion! And it's not a regular day if I don't have a boner at some point. Affection is as what you said, a wait and see. It means the potential for strong emotions, basically forming a crush thats strength depends on the type of person. You also don't need Friendship to unlock it. Hell, depending on the person, Affection at its lowest level can still be intense enough for the individual to rope Jaune up and. . .well, I think you get the picture. Fuck, there, I said it! And Jaune's a special case when he was given The Gamer's abilities, things went wrong and they hadn't noticed till later on. Hence the Nerf, or Patch. I don't work for a magazine company. Guess you thought that because of the Sunday piece I was talking about. I was actually talking about a one-shot for fanfiction I had in the making.**

 **Amusebeard: Glad to have you on board. As for the mistakes in my writing, got myself an editor to help me. A Fan 1204 is surely to make it all better. Got to love that bastard.**

 **XenotheWise135: It is about growth. But Jaune's been patched due to some errors and bugs that were overlooked when he was brought in as a Player.**

 **A Fan1204: I can't wait for Season 2! I'm guessing your the Guest with the large comment? The missing memories will definitely be brought up later. And they got some consequences. I would say more, but you're my Beta! You'll come to learn more about this story as we work together. You're going to be seeing a lot more world building in the future.**

 **Alright, time for the show! We got a hell of a chapter for you today.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Man! The holidays have drained my account this year. I'm low. I blame the tempting games on sale. Only one thing to get me up after this. Just keep scrolling down, I got some things to take care of.**_

 _ **. . . . .What the hell are you all still doing here? I'm busy! I-Ignore the incognito window with the search results Noel Vermillion doujin! Private time is Private time, damn it! It's just research, I swear!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 19: With Your Heart in Mind.**

The howls of a beast and bloody screams of its victims filled the air as a little raven haired boy ran for his life. Tears fell from his eyes, the fancy eastern clothes he wore dirtied with drying blood and littered with rips. The boy paid little attention to the quickly disappearing town behind him as he fled the village that was set ablaze, the smoke reaching the heavens and covering it in a thick, black miasma.

 _'Run! Don't stop running, even when you think you're safe! Get as far away from here as possible!'_

Another deafening howl reached his ears, causing him to swallow the sob of grief from slipping past his lips. It hurt, it hurt so bad. Pain stabbed through his heart as he gripped his chest and sniffled.

There was no turning back now. Never again.

As the monster's howls and roars became a distant cry, the boy continued on his path, knocking down a freshly made sign as he ran deeper into the woods.

The sign read 'Oniyuri, 2 Miles away.'

* * *

Mornings in the team JNPR dorm never changed no matter how many times Ren went through a Reset. Every day, he would try desperately to get another hour of sleep, maybe thirty if he was lucky. But no matter how hard he tried to stay asleep, or didn't try, the world refused to leave him be in the form of one Nora Valkyrie. And her morning cannonballs.

"Bombs away!"

"Nora! What did I tell you about waking Ren up like that? Such a ritual can't be healthy for him."

Pushing off his snickering orange haired partner from his stomach, the cocoon of bedsheets groaned as Ren sat up with a grimace, "It's not, but you try telling her that." he grumbled as he rubbed his sore stomach. Thank Oum for aura.

Pyrrha was still not happy, scowling lightly at Nora as she brushed her long locks of red hair. "Well, she has to learn to treat you gently."

Nora pouted, huffing as she crossed her arms, "It's the only way to get him off his lazy butt! Trust me, this has been the only way to wake him, going all the way back to our days as kids. All other attempts to get him up have failed, the only thing he seems to understand is pain. He has only himself to blame." she nodded firmly. It wasn't her fault that it was the only way he could wake up. Plus, it gave her the chance to practice her cannonballs without the need of a pool.

Sadly, his partner had a point. No matter what they tried back then, he would not rise from his sleep. But that was back then, if she tried to shake him awake, there was a chance he would wake. Maybe. Okay, a thirty to a hundred chance he would. But only if he had nine hours under his belt.

"Maybe we should consider other forms of waking him, now that he's part of a team." Pyrrha suggested, still not liking the method they were using. "I'm sure there's a safer alternative we can try. Maybe Jaune might know a way? He seems to get up from bed just fine even when he's up playing his video games." Still wasn't happy he hadn't kicked the ugly habit. She grumbled to herself as she began to fix her hair, biting onto the scrunchi for her ponytail as her hands went to work.

Last night after they had dined on the food Jaune had brought back from his trip to Vale, she had caught her leader up in the middle of the night, fingers tapping away on his scroll. He seemed intent on whatever game he was playing, almost hyper focused on his screen. When she had found him, she had to wrestle his scroll from his hands to get him to sleep. She blushed remembering his hands had slipped in their wrestling and landed on her breast, groping her accidentally by instinct. Wasn't going to be forgetting that anytime soon.

Speaking of their leader, Ren scanned the room for the awkward blond pain in the ass. "Where is he?" he asked as he peeled off his sheets.

"Taking his turn in the shower." Pyrrha pointed back to the shared bathroom where steam could be seen drifting from the bottom of the door. "We've already gone in, all that's left is you. Luckily, it's only 7:40, so you should have enough time to hop in. We have a big day ahead of us after all." she said brightly.

Right, the trip to Forever Fall was today. Ren sighed as he stretched his arms back.

Today was the day he would have to face off against Jaune. His leader wanted nothing more than to drag him into playing The Game, to waste his time fighting against the odds once again. Should have stayed asleep, he didn't feel like fighting the knight. As weak as he could be, his stubbornness was what made him a difficult opponent to put down.

At least Jaune would leave him alone once he beat him. Seeing as it was Forever Fall, all he had to do was drag the blond with him away from the group and teleport themselves to the Arena hidden in the red forest. The only real question in the air now was that kind of challenge the Arena would pit them against.

"He had better not waste all the hot water." he yawned. Otherwise he was killing him now.

The shower water soon shut off before Jaune followed out the bathroom a few minutes later. He sighed in content as he used a mini towel to dry off his damp hair, grinning as he greeted his now fully awake team in his dark blue towel wrapped around his waist.

"Good to see you awake, Ren. You can take your turn now. Don't worry, I made sure to leave you enough hot water." he said as he walked over to his bed where he had set out his school uniform.

Nodding his head, Ren passed by his leader for the shower. A nice hot shower did sound nice first thing in the morning before a day like today.

Pyrrha gulped anxiously at the sight of Jaune in simply his tower, his toned body glistening slightly from the light sheen of water on his body. While she wasn't happy that Yang had been spending a lot of time with her partner, she had to say that the busty blonde brawler was doing an amazing job working him into shape. But the sight of the ugly scar on his chest always made her flinch. And now he had another scar to accompany it in the form of the one on his forehead.

"Jaune, shouldn't you have changed inside the bathroom?" Pyrrha asked, her eye's glued to his wet form. Never before had she been grateful for coed dorms.

"Don't worry, I'm wearing my boxers' underneath." Jaune shrugged as he dropped his towel. The action alone made Pyrrha pinch her nose and cover her eyes. Full of guilt, her green orbs peeked for the object of her interest, groaning when his black boxers greeted her instead.

 _'Boo, I really wanted to see it.'_ she internally cried.

"You may have boxers, but I can still make out your dick~!" Nora sang.

"Nora! Language! . . .And stop staring at my dick!" he shouted femininely, covering his private's with a blush on his face. Nora simply grinned at him, waggling her brows.

Ignoring the bubbly girl's prying eyes, Jaune went ahead and changed into his uniform. Classes were about to start soon, meaning he had History Studies up first, Grimm Studies soon after, and then Field Studies. He had stayed up nearly all night getting his Abilities, Skills, and Perks sorted out into a well-balanced set just for today. No telling what kind of tricks Ren had hidden up his sleeves, so he was going to work with what he knew and what worked out with his current strength.

He sighed as he fixed the tie to his collar. Ever since he had died to the White Fang Lieutenant, his life had become a chore. Couldn't even get his own teammate to work with him without beating him in some fight. Hell, a simple trip out for the latest album of his favorite artist had led into a fight with an organization hell bent on humanizing the Faunus. And The Game had only just begun.

It wasn't going to get any easier from here. He was just going to have to suck it in and do what he always did. Push through and hope not to trip over his own feet.

A knock at their door suddenly drew their attention. Being the closest, Nora swung it open, blinking in confusion as she only found a wrapped set of boxes at the door. Running footsteps could be heard leaving the halls, the owner's not wanting to stick around.

"Who was that?" Jaune frowned as he looked over Nora's shoulder. His nose picked up the whiff of something good, drawing him to what the knocker had left behind.

"I don't know, but I'm about to find out!" Nora grinned excitedly before dashing after the runner. Pink sparks had lit up her body, amplifying the muscles in her legs to quickly catch up to her prey.

Picking the item up, Jaune found the items to be warm. It was wrapped up neatly in a dark purple cloth, almost like some kind of lunchbox.

"Is that a Jubako?" Peeking over Jaune's shoulder, Pyrrha smiled at the familiar set of wrapped stacked boxes. She hadn't seen one outside of Anima since she had left for Beacon.

"What's a Jubako?"

"They're a three-set box lunch that are normally made by the people of Anima with loving care." she said fondly, "I remember my mother would make them for me when I was a little girl before school every day. It's practically an art form, some people make them so elegantly that it's almost a sin to eat them. I wonder what it's doing here?"

Wondering wasn't going to get them anywhere. Careful not to undue the knot, Jaune opened the top case of the first box. A dozen of small handmade rice balls molded into cute little chibi animals were crammed neatly within, made with tiny bits of veggies and meats for their expressions. Just looking at it made his stomach growl.

"Whoever made these has a talent." Jaune said in awe, picking up one of the cute animal rice balls to look over. It was made into the head of a little lion, how adorable. Opening the second box underneath, he found a small steak cut finely into the shape of his shield, Crocea Mors. Mustard was used for its arcs on a bed of fried noodles and mixed fresh veggies alongside fried breaded shrimp. The final box below that one had seasonal fruits cut into floral shapes and heart shaped jello's of multiple flavors.

Just the sight of the tasty art nearly had him dig in right there and now. Jaune fixed the boxes back in place, wrapping them back to its original knot. He still had no idea what it was doing here, so better not to mess with it any further.

A small note poked out of the cloth wrapping. Picking it out, Pyrrha read its writing out loud.

"For my Love, XOXOXO?" she frowned.

Oh, no. Not another woman! Why couldn't they find another oblivious blond to pin after?

"I got an admirer?" Jaune blinked, taken back by the idea. Really?

"I found him!"

"Wait, him?!"

In a gale of whipping wind, Nora skidded to a stop at the door of their dorm. She snickered, fighting horribly to stop herself from laughing out loud at the culprit slumped in her hands. A scowling Helio's Lyre, uniform dirtied from the small fight he had put up by the crazy girl refused to meet eye contact with the two-jaw dropped first years.

Jaune pointed his trembling finger at the scowling redhead, stomach growing weak at the thought of him being his admirer. The guy was an ass! Is this what they called a tsundere?

"This was from you?" he asked, gulping in fear of what Helio would say.

A throbbing vein pulsed on Helio's forehead as he narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Of course not, you idiot!" he spat angrily, his eye twitching at the sickening thought. Even if he was into dudes, which he wasn't, he could do better than some brat! "I was simply delivering the Jubako, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. As if a star like myself would be into you. Just the thought makes me sick." he stuck out his tongue in disgust as his face grew green.

"Then, who made me the packed lunch box?" Jaune asked as Nora let the teen up on his feet.

Dusting off the dirt from his blazer, Helio scoffed, cracking his neck as he looked away, "Can't say. She would kill me if I said a word." he shivered.

"Tell us who done it!" Nora shouted, grabbing a fistful of Helio's uniform as she shook him around like a rag doll. Dazed, the red haired teen was bombarded by slaps until he confessed.

"Fuck! Alright, I'll tell you who sent me! Just get this crazy bitch off me already!"

"Nora, let him go." Jaune groaned, ashamed that his curiosity got the better of him. No one deserved to be man handled by Nora.

Free from the orange haired girl's powerful grip, Helio rubbed his sore red cheeks with a grimace. God, the girl was a monster in human skin. Eyes shifting back and forth for any sign of snooping ears, the rocker grudgingly gave in.

"The one who sent me w-"

"You have failed me."

A cold presence appeared behind Helio's, sending chills down his spine. He whimpered before his amber yellow eyes rolled to the back of his head from a swift chop to his neck. God dammit.

As Helio slumped from a knockout blow, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora were met with the indifferent cold red eyes of his teammate, Tsuki. Like them, she was dressed in her uniform, tailor made for her. . .unique upper body type. She was giving Yang a run for her money in the chest area, that was for sure. They could only stare in silenced shock as they watched the raven-haired girl catch her teammate with one hand by the back of his neck.

"My apologies. I did not mean to inconvenience you." she bowed, her expression as cold as her voice, "I had given him one job. Clearly it was a mistake to trust him with a simple task." her eyes narrowed as said redhead groaned in her hands.

Jaune nodded his head stiffly, too afraid to say anything in face of the terrifying girl.

With her teammate in hand, Tsuki lugged him over her shoulder before her eyes fell on the boxed lunches. He swore he could make out a slight lift in her lips.

"Please, enjoy the food, Love. I want you big and strong for our future child. I will take nothing else." she said sternly before she disappeared in a blink of blood red energy.

Did she just teleport?

"Wait, what was that about a future child?" Pyrrha's eye twitched.

* * *

Days. It had been days since he had run from his home with nothing but the torn clothing on his back. Finding food had been difficult, he had no experience hunting but he had lucked out on stumbling onto a limping deer. It pained him to drive the sharpened stick into the animal, but hunger had won out. It was just as hard making a fire to cook the meat.

The boy's short raven hair, once neatly combed, was now damaged and dirtied. Sticks and dried dirt stuck to his hair. His green dress shirt was close to rages from the treacherous journey, the blood from his wounds dried as they finally healed. He was lucky none of them had been infected.

Weary magenta eyes focused on ahead of his path, not knowing where his feet were taking him. All he knew was that he had to get as far as possible. Where he would wind up, he had no idea, just as long-

As long as what? The raven-haired boy stopped suddenly, his small shoulders sagging as his body was wracked with silent sobs.

What was he supposed to do now? He had nothing left. No parents, no friends, no nothing. So, what was the point in moving his feet forward anymore?

 _'Please, run! No matter what, just keep moving-'_

Sniffing back his tears, the little raven-haired boy rubbed his eyes before continuing on his way. Little hiccups escaped his lips as he narrowed his eyes in a muster of strength.

Forward. Just keep moving forward. Even if it led him nowhere.

* * *

"Fallen. Huntsman and Huntresses, and more times than not, civilians lost to their own negativity amid stressful events and despair, usually brought on by fights with the creatures of Grimm or dark times. Nulled by their warm aura's and fallen to the Void of negativity that attracts the Grimm in massive waves."

History Studies went by fairly well as they simply reviewed some of the week's past lessons. Now, Jaune and his team were left with Grimm Studies, meaning they would have to sit through another long drawn out story from the portly man's past. That's how things normally went. Not that there was anything wrong with his tall tales, if you listened closely to them, you would learn some great new ways to fight the Grimm he had fought and their weak spots. If only Professor Port didn't go so in detail with some of his escapades that left him in the buff.

Today, however, the mustached gentleman hadn't gone off in a tale of his whimsical times as a huntsman. In fact, his face was devoid of humor, his brows knitted together as he stood before his class as a professional, a man who had seen his fair share of horrors and more, who had survived the life of a huntsman and lost his share of comrades. Peter Port, the veteran huntsman, was speaking to his class now and they could notice the change of air around him.

Jaune was taken back at the new side of the older man. He couldn't ever remember seeing the professor this serious, he always seemed jolly and playful. To see him so stern was kinda unsettling.

"In the many years on this planet, we have learned much, and yet, so very little about the Grimm. We know they're drawn to the negativity of humans, to our dirty sins. But in the recent decades, we've learned of a terrifying phenomenon, Falling." Professor Port said sternly, his change in attitude keeping his students' full attention on him. For that, he was glad. What he was talking about was nothing to joke at or sleep on.

"As Hunters, we are expected to give our lives to protect the people, that is an ironclad truth you've all accepted as students of our academy. But, so much pressure and bloodshed can strain one's mentality, slowly breaking it as the battles rage on. We wind up asking ourselves, what's the point in fighting a threat that never wavers? Why die protecting those who don't appreciate our sacrifices? Did my friend die for nothing? These kinds of questions will plague the thoughts of every hunter at least once in their life. We may be capable of fighting the monsters and are protected from their attacks by our aura, but we are not immune to the negativity that draws them in. And when all that negativity bottles up within a person, it eventually devours them whole, dragging them into a state of self-loathing and sorrow that visibly colors one's aura in a miasma of darkness. It is known as Falling."

"Falling?" Weiss frowned, confused at the new term she had never heard of till now, "I'm sorry, but in all my studies, I have never heard of such a condition. Is it a recent theory that's now been cemented?" she asked as the class murmured in agreement.

Professor Port shook his head, "Nay, it has been around for as long as huntsman have walked the earth. Back then, it was considered an old hunter's tale, to warn those to keep their spirits up before battle. But as the years passed, it became a silent taboo between warriors to never utter such talk to the future generation until they come of age. Today, the Headmaster had thought it would be a good time to talk about some of the dangers in the path you now walk. And one of the worst dangers is Falling."

Jaune couldn't help but think this was another one of The Game's designs. He never heard of a condition of deep despair affecting Hunters. Just hearing the new term, Falling, sent shivers running down his back.

Raising her hand, Ruby was curious to find out more of the new subject.

"So, what happens to a person who is Falling? What can we do to break them out of their funk?" she asked with wide silver eyes.

An empty chuckle met her answer.

"When a person is Falling, they become a literal beacon of negativity, powerful enough to draw dozens of Grimm from even miles away. They are lost to their darkest thoughts and emotions, becoming useless in aid. More than likely than not, they go berserk, lashing out at those around them as their aura darkens and alters their attacks. When such a thing happens, it is almost impossible to break them out of such a state."

"So, what do we do to save them?"

Professor Port smiled grimly, "You don't. Children, when such a condition happens, it is usually during times of fighting against hordes of Grimm, the seeming less never-ending fighting sparking such a state. And when a powerful enough beacon of negativity is created, the hordes grow even worse, eventually drawing something far worse than a simple pack of Beowolves."

"Deviants." Jaune mumbled, remembering Velvet's story of her team's fight with the intelligent Grimm.

Port nodded as he picked up on what Jaune had said. He was impressed to find out the boy knew about the Grimm when he had yet to talk about them, "Yes, Deviants, Grimm that have survived countless battles with hunters and learned from their experience. If there's one thing to surely draw out a Deviant, it's a Fallen Hunter. Sadly, when such a thing happens, we as huntsman and huntresses are left with only one option during times of danger." he said in remorse.

Blake immediately picked up on what her teacher was implying, growing somber as her eyes fell, "Death."

"Yes," Port nodded stiffly, sighing as he crossed his arms, "Death. While it is not impossible to break them from such a condition, we must think about the safety of the people we're protecting. The longer the beacon of dark emotions is up, the more riled up the Grimm become, drawing even more of the monsters as the minutes tic on. But by snuffing out the origin of the despair, one can cut off the horde from attacking. The sudden cut off from negativity seems to stun them, stopping their attack long enough to push back the beasts and end their invasion."

"But that's wrong! You're saying to protect ourselves, we have to kill our teammates because we don't have the time to save them? That's not right!" Ruby argued, growing angry at the solution.

"You are right, Ms. Rose, but you must remember; You have a job to do, protect the people at any costs." That was their sworn duty. As dark as it may be, they're expected to follow it without question. "In the field of battle, we do not have the leisure to try and snap our friends from their darkness. Every second their Fallen, they're drawing even more beasts to hunt you down, like dropping blood into a pool of sharks. As cruel and depraving as it may be, killing them is your only option if you wish to survive. And as your teacher, I pray that none of you may ever have to suffer through such a decision." he said gravely.

That still wasn't right! They expected them to kill another person who's suffering from their own despair to save themselves? What kind of solution was that? It made Jaune's blood boil. Seeing the strained look on her partner's face, Pyrrha laid her hand on his own, softly smiling at him as she calmed his thoughts.

Weiss laid her own hand on Ruby's shoulder, easing her down as the young dark redhead bit her lip sadly. Like Jaune, she wasn't happy with what she was hearing. It made her sick to her stomach.

"So, what are we supposed to do to stop ourselves from Falling?" Yang asked, rubbing her little sister's shoulders comfortingly. She refused to believe that they were all doomed to such a fate.

At that, Port smiled, "Simple, dear students! Live your life with no regrets! You're Hunters, sworn to fight creatures of the dark. It does not mean that you must live your life as if you're always on duty. Go out to a party some time, stay home and watch a feel-good movie, invest in a hobby, curl up with a good book, play music, find love, or simply hang out with your friends! It's one of the reasons you're all in teams of four. To build trust and friendship. The most important thing to do in our line of work, is it to stay positive. If you live by that, then I have little fear that any one of you will ever Fall." he said joyfully.

Yang grinned back at his words, "I can get behind that! Always knew that partying was its own form of medicine. Now, I got no reason not to go out and go wild on the town! It's instrumental to my health!"

Weiss held her face in her hands. Dear god, they weren't going to hear the end of this. Now the blonde brawler had an excuse for her behavior. Next thing she knows, Yang was going to be handing them a doctor's note allowing her to act up, or worse, make puns.

"Building bonds is very important, students. It is the bonds that we create, that bind us together against the darkness of our world. I assure you, as long as you have something to fight for and have friends to keep you standing, you will never Fall." he said wistfully, happy to see the looming air of depression hanging over his students vanish. "But! If you are ever in danger of Falling, just think of your strapping Professor, Peter Port! And the many adventures of bravery, chivalry, and heroism I inspire to will your spirits back up! My glistening muscles are sure to make you see the light again! Hoho!"

Collectively, the entire class groaned as they could make out the telltale sign of another story coming on. Falling sounded better then what awaited them.

"Why, I remember the time I had come across a young damsel in distress! I was traveling abroad in Anima one day, when suddenly a Beringel had sped out of nowhere with a gorgeous woman in hand. Naturally, it had frozen in fear at the sight of me, and my impressive frame. With the woman in its deadly hands though, I was left with no other form of fighting in fear of harming her or provoking it. Naturally, I was left with no choice, but to rip my clothing right off! And flex my muscles in various poses to intimidate the beast! Picture it, children! The wondrous yet intimidating sight of my muscles bulging in the sunlight!"

Green tinted Jaune's cheeks as his face fell onto his desk. Dear god, he had just begun the story and he was already naked? He could see it all in his head and it was horrifying.

"Where the beast got the flaming barrels from, I have yet to discover. Let alone how we found ourselves in some construction area when we were in the middle of nowhere before. But my impressive jumping abilities made short work of the beast as I jumped over the barrels that the monstrosity tossed down the ladders."

* * *

Where was he now? The little raven boy had finally found civilization, only to run in fear at the strangers wandering the streets. Not knowing what to do, he had run off to find a spot to hide until he came up with his next move. Unfortunately, he had hidden in an open metal shipping container, locked within minutes later before he was shipped away by Bullhead to another strange land. The trip had taken hours, leaving him to move around the large container and sift through its contents. A large white snowflake emblem stamped every container as he found various Dust elements within and even military grade weaponry. Grabbing what he could, he dashed out of the crate once the Atlesian Knights guarding them opened them up, ignoring whoever tried to stop him.

Still, even with a few small fire arms and close-ranged blades to defend himself with, the little boy had no idea what to do next. He simply wandered into the large grasslands beyond the walls of the city he found himself in. All he knew was that he couldn't stop moving forward. Wherever his feet were taking him, he would know when to stop when he found whatever he was searching for.

Loud gunshots and smoke over the treetops overhead suddenly caught his attention in the corners of the night, alerting him to a familiar danger. He grit his teeth, turning his head for another direction before an ear-piercing cry forced his feet still. Something inside him snapped, causing him to dash forward to the direction of the cry, gripping the two curved military blades in his small hands.

 _'No more! I'm done running away!'_

An odd phenomenon occurred as the little raven ran. His body seemed to. . .glitch for a split second, lining his body with a magenta hue before vanishing from sight.

* * *

Jaune cracked his neck as every first-year class Professor Antheia taught gathered in front of the cheery orange haired woman before the entrance to Forever Fall. Red leaves carpeted the grounds for miles on end, dancing across the gentle breeze as they awaited their teacher's instructions.

"Alright, class! For today's assignment, you will all be setting up your own camps within Forever Fall where you will set up your own base of operations for the remainder of our stay. From there, your team will go out into Forever Fall to gather the listed items that I've handed out before we departed. You are expected to gather everything on the list and defend yourselves and your camp from the creatures of Grimm. I do warn you all though, the Grimm in this area have recently been acting up as of late, so you must all remember to practice caution." she warned, frowning sternly, "Slip up, or goof off on this assignment, and you will die. If any of you do come across an overbearing force though, just message me on your scrolls and I'll do my best to make it to your locations as quick as possible."

"Sounds fun." Pyrrha smiled as she went through the list of items they were expected to find. She always wanted to try out camping. It sounded nice. Except for the threat of Grimm hanging over their backs.

Weiss nodded with a light shrug, "I suppose. Learning how to take care of one's self in the wilderness is an important lesson to learn. As much as I don't care for working in the dirt, a lesson is a lesson, I suppose."

"Ooooh, I heard that the sap collected from the trees in Forever Fall make the best pancake syrup! We should save a few bottles for ourselves, don't you think, Ren?" Nora asked excitedly to her partner.

"Hmm? You say something, Nora?" Ren said absently, his eyes shut calmly while lost in thought.

The short orange haired Valkyrie pouted, nudging Ren's shoulder to catch his attention, "Renny~! Pay attention! You know what happens when you ignore me?" she said with a wide grin of mischief.

Ren shivered as he snapped his eyes open. So much syrup, he could still feel it every now again like some phantom pain.

"If we have a few spare bottles, we'll save some for later. You'll have to get the okay from Jaune though, alright?" he said sternly, getting a happy nod from the bubbly girl.

"You should save one for us! I always wanted to try out some of Ren's treats. Nora's always going on about your cooking." Ruby pouted as her team gathered by team JNPR. What better way to hang out then a gathering mission? From the looks of her team chatting with their sister team, they seemed to agree. Even Blake was getting into it as she talked with Jaune.

"I still think you should have been excused from this mission. Your arm is still recovering and the Grimm won't go easy on you just because you're handicapped." Blake couldn't help but argue as she helped him adjust his bag. From her spot talking to Weiss, Pyrrha resisted the urge to narrow her eyes in jealousy.

This again? Jaune sighed as he moved Blake's worried hands away. The girl was like his mother, "I'm fine, Blake. Besides, I got my team watching out for me. You won't have to worry about me, I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen to me." he said reassuringly.

Blake's flat stare met him back, "Forgive me, but the last time you made a promise like that with me, you wound up with that broken arm."

"What if I pinky promise this time?"

"It still doesn't reassure me."

Had to give it to her, she was right. What he was about to do would probably leave him in a similar state. But this was something he had to do. If he couldn't talk some sense into Ren, then he would simply have to beat it into him.

"Geez, Blake. What's with you lately?" Yang asked, raising a brow of suspicion at her partner's odd behavior as of late. She understood flirty, but this was starting to borderline mothering. "If he says he's alright, I say, why worry about him? It's not like he's actively going to go out of his way to find a fight today with his condition."

Actually, he was.

"As his friend, I'm just worried about him is all." Blake grumbled, turning away with a small blush on her face. Why was that so wrong?

Clapping her hands together, Antheia brought her class's attention back onto her. She was glad to see them excited for their mission. Too bad she wouldn't be able to follow her darling on his mission unless he was in trouble. As much as she would love that, she would rather he and his team didn't run into trouble.

"Okay! Now, let's head off on our way to our destinations! Once we enter, you all have the freedom to go about your mission with your team, or create a bigger team with others! As long as you all complete your missions by sunset, it's fine. So, let's get started, shall we?" she smiled, getting excited nods from her students.

"Guess we should find a nice place to camp then?" Jaune smiled as he and Ruby began to lead their teams in the vast red forest grounds.

(Page Break.)

It wasn't long till both teams found a nice place to settle down and started setting up their camps next to one another. The girls worked on setting up the large forest green tent for themselves, chatting on about something while sneaking glances back at the two boys standing watch.

"Why do I have the feeling they're talking about us?" Jaune asked, subconsciously fixing his hair and checking his breath. He could feel they're eyes judging him, like some piece of meat. Which also meant that Weiss was gazing at him. Hmm, mixed feelings.

Ren sighed, keeping his eyes ahead, "We're the only males on their teams. You should be use to this by now." Oum knew he was.

Jaune shrugged, turning forwards to the forest, his fists clenching and unclenching at the underlining tension between them. Today was the day he proved his strength to Ren, that he had what it takes to survive this game and beat it. Which meant he would have to fight him, right? How else was he supposed to prove it to him?

At least he had everything dealing with his abilities, skills, and perks set up for a hell of a fight. Thank god for all the levels he had gained in everyone's friendships. Now he felt he could stand a chance.

Unseen to Jaune, Ren was busy mentally messing around with his own abilities. If there was one thing he had come to know about his leader, it was not to underestimate him despite his lack of skills. It was an annoying habit to deal with when you were his enemy.

 _'Seems everything's in check. My level isn't as high as I would like it, but I should be fine. If anything goes wrong, I still have my Drives.'_ he mused as he looked over his stats.

 _ **'Lie Ren, Mind of the Gamer. Lvl: 29.**_

 _ **9,200HP/9,200HP. 280MP/280MP.**_

 _ **Strength: 49.**_

 _ **Defense:79.**_

 _ **Speed: 55.**_

 _ **Charisma:18.**_

 _ **Intelligence: 40.**_

 _ **Wisdom: 50.**_

 _ **Dexterity: 44.**_

 _ **Luck: 30.'**_

Not bad for his current level. It would have been better if he had actively gone out to grind and increase his level like the other two Players. It was enough, that he was sure of. For once he would have to put in his all if only to force the idiot to leave him alone like he promised. Well hopefully he would leave him alone, Jaune was a stubborn one that wouldn't let up. But he kept his promises.

In the end, he would have to see how things turned out after their fight. The only thing he was dreading was how awkward everything would be between them after it was all said and done. Oum above, why did the final Player have to be his leader? Every life after this one was going to be a pain.

Mentally moving his Status away, Ren scrolled through his options until his fingers hovered over PVP. It was now or never, he supposed. Better to get it over with then continue dragging things on. He gave a subtle nod to his leader, getting an understanding nod back before turning to the girls.

"Hey, girls! Jaune and I are going to scout the area ahead for Grimm! We'll let you know if we find any gathering spots for the list if we come across any!" he shouted back, catching their attention as Ruby frowned at them with worry.

"You sure? We're almost done with the tents! We're like, eighty percent finished!" she grinned as she patted the girls tent roughly.

Surprisingly, the tent remained fine, earning a relieved sigh from the girls. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the boy's tent. It twitched, collapsing into a heap before bursting into flames. Ruby looked on plainly, nodding as her team panicked and tried putting it out.

"Huh. Guess leaving a combustible Fire Dust crystal inside as a heater wasn't my best idea."

Weiss growled as she used her ice glyphs to freeze the raging fire before grabbing her leader by the shoulders and shaking her, "The hell's wrong with you!? What part of that little brain of yours thought that would be a good idea?!"

"The same one that thought it would be a good idea to do the same with our tent. Only with Ice Dust!" she answered brightly.

"Why!?"

"Because who wants a hot tent?"

Something in Weiss's brain stopped working, her face going blank as their tent suddenly blew up with a cold cloud of frost. Now it resembled an ice sculpted work of art.

Pyrrha nodded her head at Ren, her face sheepish as Yang and Blake fought to hold back the enraged Ice Queen from smacking some sense into the silly grinning redheaded reaper. Nora was busy egging Weiss on, shouting for blood, "I think that's a good idea. Looks like it might take us a while before our base camp is set up to standards. Just be sure to message us if you run into any trouble." she said sternly, getting nods from the two, "I don't want to find you boys in terrible wear because you thought you could take on some Grimm."

"Don't worry, we'll be safe." Ren chuckled before they began making their way further away from the camp site.

Watching them disappear within the red forest trees and foliage, Pyrrha felt some worry.

Something. . .seemed off about the two boys in her team. An odd air between them that felt heavy just by standing near both of them. Was this what Nora had been talking about a few weeks ago?

Unseen by the girls, the moment the two boys stepped away from the camp, their bodies were enveloped by a pillar of white light. Leaving not a trace of them behind.

* * *

Miles away from the students wandering Forever Fall, two pillars of light appeared out of nowhere in a wide clearing. The only thing around other than the red trees and grass being the rocks sitting around as Jaune and Ren stepped out of the lights.

 _ **'Welcome to the Forever Fall Arena! A special ground that allows the Player to fight against strong Grimm or even other Players in matches to test their strength! Unique rewards await the victors, so be sure to beat the crap out of your opponents! Rules pending on Match type.'**_ In between the two Players, a slot machine spinner screen popped out from thin air, displaying several types of matches before spinning, ** _'Player PVP has been selected! A random match type will shortly be chosen for your fighting pleasure! Please, stand by and await your match.'_**

Jaune gazed his sights on their battle ground, watching out for any signs of students wandering close by. He had read up in his Gamer Guide about PVP and even though it had said only the Players could enter the battle grounds, he just wanted to make sure.

"Don't worry, only those who've inherited The Gamer will be able to pass onto these grounds. For them, they won't be able to see anything out of the ordinary. So, keep your eyes on your opponent." Ren said as he flexed his fingers in front of him. Said fingers tightened into a claw like gesture, his magenta eyes glaring darkly at his scowling blond leader as Jaune adjusted his bandaged arm, "What do you hope to do with only one arm anyway? You're at a disadvantage like that. You'd be better off giving up now and leaving me alone. You can play this game without me being dragged back into it again."

"Don't worry about me, I've got a plan." Jaune smirked. Well, at least he thought he had one.

Wind bellowed, passing past the two friends, teammates, brothers, and fellow Players, ruffling their hair as they stood their ground.

Glaring at Jaune, Ren couldn't help but sigh as he dropped his arms. Was Jaune seriously going to go through with this? If it weren't for his Gamer abilities, the guy wouldn't have been able to dress himself. Fighting him one handed, did he really believe he could win? Was that arrogance? Stupidity? Or perhaps something else entirely? In the end, it didn't matter.

Knowing Jaune like he did, the idiot didn't care about any of that. He just wanted to save his friend. He never changed.

"Listen, Jaune. Let me tell you a little secret that I hadn't learned of until my tenth Reset." Ren said, his expression serious as he dropped his stance to talk. Jaune didn't know what to make of it, but he seemed like he actually didn't want to fight anymore, "You don't have to play this game. Our lives may be constantly reset whether we win or lose, but The Game doesn't control our lives. We can ignore all these important Events, ignore the Grimm, ignore whatever force is pulling us to jump into action and live normal lives. You can run away from this all and leave it all behind you for a simple, happy life." he smiled gesturing his hand to the wide world past the trees, his other hand resting on his hip.

"Trust me, it would be better that way. Better for everyone."

"Because of my lack training and experience? You're saying that I would do more harm than good if I continued following the Story? That I should just run away?" Jaune asked with a quirked brow.

Ren nodded stiffly, his eyes flashing towards the cruel future that awaited, "Trust me, your lack of will and strength has put many people in danger. And cost them their lives. You're better off doing them a kindness by leaving this all behind."

Jaune shook his head, baffled, "What are you trying to do, Ren? Why are you suddenly trying to make me quit? After all that I've been through, you think I'm just going to run away?" Fat chance of that happening. Too much had happened for him to just drop everything because of the mistakes his past counterparts had made. Whatever mistakes those had been and awaited, he would be sure to correct them. There was a difference between the NPC Jaune Arc and the Player Jaune Arc. He was well aware of his weakness and now had the strength to overcome it.

"If what you say is true, then why are you still following along with The Story? I thought you were tired of playing along? Why haven't you run away to live a simple life?"

"That's none of your business!"

Ren's roaring shout took Jaune back, the raven's face twisted into a look of deep seated anger. It was the first time he had seen the silent huntsman so furious. What he had said had touched a sensitive nerve, one that was enough to break his demeanor easily.

Taking a deep breath, Ren regained his cool, silently cursing that he had lost it for a split second.

"Forget I said anything." he scoffed, returning to glaring at the blonde as the spinner began slowing down, "I try to help you out, and you just can't get past your own stupid ego. Just because you have more power then you did before, doesn't change anything! You've made the same mistakes before, you'll make them again. Because you're destined to fail."

 _'Do you believe in destiny?'_

From his sleeves, Storm Flower's pistols fell out into his hands, his fingers tightly gripping them as a sad smile from a red headed woman came to mind. He aimed the barrels for Jaune's face, glaring into his soul as the blonde got into a stance.

"You can't fight destiny. You'll fail with or without my help."

"I won't be able to believe that until I've tried. I have these powers for a reason, and I aim to find out why! Whether you like it or not, I'm going to try and beat this stupid game! And I'm going to make you see that it's not too late to try, I can promise you that!" Jaune yelled, thumping his chest with his good fist. He couldn't help but grin as the spinner stopped, the world around them echoing with a celebratory ding to signal the beginning of their long-awaited fight.

 _ **'Battle of Wills has been selected! Rules of the game, Fight until you can't fight no more! Until the end of this match, Players will be revived upon death until the other Player gives up! But be warned, each Death will exhaust the Player physically, draining them of their stamina as well as using Healing items. It's not about how many kills you have under your belt, it's about making the other surrender to your Will! There's no Restrictions, fight however you want to! Now, Get Ready!'**_

"And an Arc never goes back on their promise!"

 _ **'FIGHT!'**_

Ren didn't waste a second as the game bell rang. His body vanished in a hazy after image, dashing after Jaune in a bee line. The fangs of Storm Flower glowed an emerald green, elongating into curved guillotine blades nearly a yard long. Jaune readied himself, hefting his shield up with his only working arm for the incoming attack.

Smirking, Ren faded from Jaune's vision just as he swung his weapons for his shield, " _ **False**_ _ **Sentence**_ _ **.**_ "

Jaune grit his teeth at the trick, spinning his head back as his senses rang wild. From thin air, the pink eyed huntsman phased behind him before delivering a swift swing for the blonde's exposed neck. He was too slow to block, drops of blood flying as the aura coated blades sliced the skin. Jaune stumbled back, dropping his shield as his hand flew to bleeding neck. Aura was the only reason it wasn't gushing as he grimaced and checked his health.

 _ **'Jaune Arc, 3,120HP/5,800HP.'**_

Looked about right. Jaune was fighting in his school uniform, it didn't offer much protection against attacks. His shield was the only thing offering him any defense. That was fine, he grunted as he blocked several pepper shots from Storm Flower with said shield. He would just have to put up with it for the moment.

Dashing in into his guard again, Ren spun on his feet, revolving in place for a bladed spin. Sparks flew in the clash of steel against steel, dwindling Jaune's HP further. Stopping his attack, Ren slipped his weapons back into his sleeve before rearing his left hand back. His fingers clawed, sparking with pink energy, "Aura Shock!" Slamming the deadly sparking palm into the white shield, Ren watched as the energy crawled up his arm, shocking Jaune's body like a bright light.

Smoke wafted from Jaune's body as he held back a shout. Was this the same attack Ren had used when he found out he was a Player and killed him? The sparks were burning his skin, visibly cooking him alive.

Just a little more! He could withstand it!

Kicking his feet up, Ren sent Jaune skidding back as the sparks died. And still, that annoying shield of his was raised up, glaring at him in defiance.

"Why aren't you fighting back? What's the point in this if you won't even raise your sword!?" he shouted in frustration before slamming a dropping power strike heel against the shield. An unseen force cut through the metal surface, delivering a Critical Hit.

The blow clanged against Crocea Mors, ringing the bones of his arm as he felt something snap under the heavy blow. Not again! His left arm slumped, dislocated as it dangled uselessly. His breath grew ragged, the pain clouding his thoughts as he tried dodging the oncoming gunfire. Bullets bypassed his aura, digging into his flesh as he stumbled back in a daze as his school uniform turned red from his wounds soaking through the light fabric.

 _'Just a bit more. You can do this, this ain't the first time you've gotten the shit kicked out of you!'_ Jaune's breath hitched, blood slipping past his lips as he found Ren sprinting with a wicked blade of aura enveloping his knife hand.

 _ **'Jaune Arc, 201HP/5,800HP.'**_

"WHY WON'T YOU PUT UP A FIGHT?!" Ren roared, his face furious as he swung his blade diagonally across his chest. The shell of aura protecting Jaune's body shattered as he felt the blade tear across his body like a hot knife through butter, blurring his vision as more blood flew up in the air. A few drops splashed against Ren's face as he waved his knife hand, calling off the aura as he watched Jaune continue to stumble back. The blond's cry of pain came out as a gurgle as he spat red liquid, falling to his knees with his HP reaching the negative threshold.

Pathetic. All that bravado was all talk. He couldn't even put up a fight for a few minutes. And he thought he could change things like this? Ren shook his head pitifully as he walked over to the deathly wounded knight. It wasn't like he didn't give him the chance to walk away. But no, Jaune had to prove himself the hero.

Loading another fresh cartridge into Storm Flower, Ren raised it to press against the blond's scarred forehead. Jaune gazed at him with hazy eyes, struggling to breath as he panted.

And still, Ren could see the unyielding glint in Jaune's eyes.

"This makes one." Ren said coldly before pulling the trigger.

Jaune smirked with the bang of the gunshot and the sensation of his skull being shattered by the drilling bullet. The metal shrapnel dug into his brain as the shell shot out of the back of his head. The light in his eyes died as he fell forward with a dull thud, his hair matted with blood and bits of his brain and skull.

Just as planned.

Cleaning off the smudges of Jaune's blood from his face, Ren couldn't help but frown at the expression on the blonde face. Why the hell did he look like he won? He was the one who drew first blood and kill. It didn't matter if Jaune would respawn in a second, if he could kill him once, he'd do it again.

At the thought, Ren froze, his body stiffening as a blinding star like cross replaced Jaune's dead body.

Jaune would respawn. At a hundred percent; full health, no status afflictions, and no crippling wounds. The raven-haired Player felt his anger rise, watching as the cross flickered.

That dirty son of a-

" _ **Warp Strike!**_ "

From the respawn sigil, Crocea Mors spun out of the light, intent on striking Ren. He went on the defensive, raising his fangs to block before he was taken by surprise by the body warping just as the simple blade reached him. Two gloved hands gripped the blade before clashing against Ren's Storm Flowers. Jaune grinned, smug as his fully healed arm applied more pressure.

"You want me to fight back? Fine! But don't expect me to go easy on you!" Deflecting the twin fangs down to the side, Jaune slammed his forehead against Ren's, forcing the eastern boy to stumble back as he held his bruised temple.

It was a risky plan, one that relied on the Arena match falling onto a match type that allowed respawning, but it had worked. Jaune knew that the only way he would be able to quickly heal his broken arm was to respawn. Which meant dying, again. And as much as he hated that dreadful feeling of his heart stopping, he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to fight at his best. Flexing the digits of his once broken arm, Jaune felt reassured as all sense of pain and stiffness vanished.

Watching Ren shrug off the blow with a glare, Jaune straightened up as he called on his inventory. His school uniform wasn't the best combat attire, it was time he tried out Coco's gear. The gifted box materialized onto his open palm with a twinkle before he crushed it into a burst of light.

 _ **'Coco's Cross-Eye Gear #1, Equipped! Matching Set Bonus: +200HP and +5AP!'**_

Slamming into his body, the bits of light switched out his uniform with his new combat gear. His blazer was swapped out for a black colored leather hoodie, dark gray combat pants, black combat boots, and leather combat gloves. A belt of silver bullets tied across his chest and his grandfather's symbol was stamped on his back with a cross eye forming from the inner arc. His vest was stitched by four sided diamonds along with an arc like cross on the front of his hoodie's chest.

"Hmph, looks like you've finally gotten rid of that old hoodie of yours. About time, it never offered any protection against the Grimm or my fangs." Ren said with a wince as he looked over Jaune's new combat gear. It definitely looked better than his old poor excuse of gear. Maybe now he would put up more of a fight.

"Well I had a friend gift me this. Now I can finally look the part of a huntsman. And why I won't lose to you here!" Sliding out Crocea Mors blade from its shield, Jaune readied himself, its metal gray blade glinting.

"You think a change in clothing will do you any good? Even with two arms, you won't be able to do more than flail your arms." Ren scoffed before dashing forward. He went in for a falling chop, missing as Jaune stepped to the side and swung for his head. Storm Flower's fang clanged, blocking the blade. He pushed it back, dodging a series of quick slashes from the weathered blade.

A wide swing made the ninja like huntsman skip back before only to hiss as a rip opened on his chest. Blood seeped from the wound. He actually cut him? Jaune couldn't even land a hit before. It had only been a month since their last fight.

" _ **Air Slash!**_ "

Ren sighed, stepping past the air blade. Jaune dashed in with his blade glowing a familiar white as his attack missed. He swung his Power Strike over Ren's head, smashing the earth to bits as Ren dodged and elbowed his chest. Jaune grit his teeth, ignoring the pain as he raised his shield up to block the blitz of fang strikes. Pushing his shield to break the chain of attacks, Jaune fired another Air Slash, hitting Ren in his stumble.

Again, he hit him again? A barrage of air blades flew after Ren, forcing him to run around to avoid another hit. If he was going to go with a projectile offense, then he might as well follow along.

" ** _Lock On!_** " Focusing his cross hair on Jaune, Ren charged his SMG's with cold energy before firing every bullet in his magazines, " _ **Hail Storm!**_ "

Streaking pale blue bullets shot after Jaune, twirling in loops in the air as the blond began evading the cold bullet fire. He panted a bit, struggling as the bullets chased after him relentlessly. That was a cheap trick!

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Throwing his hand up, Jaune erected his dome of magical pixels to defend against the homing ice. Small snow clouded explosions blew up against the reflection glass, clouding his vision.

A distraction, just what Ren needed. Blurring in the cloud of snowfall, Ren spun around, continuously slashing his fangs against the dome in a spin. Cracks chipped at Jaune's Reflect, the defensive spell struggling against the attack. It wasn't meant for more than a few hits. Reflect shattered, leaving Jaune open.

' _Reaction: Impact Palm. Yes/No?_ '

Ren's palm enveloped with green energy as he mentally activated the Reaction. Slamming it into Jaune's chest, a wide shock wave ring resonated as he sent his opponent flying. Jaune was sent into the trees, flying past the trunks and bushes as he tried to steady himself. He dug his sword into the red leaf carpet, ripping a trail of earth as he smacked into a tree. Sighing, he turned back to Ren, finding him zipping after him with green energy stars in between his fingers.

Swiping his hands, Ren fired multiple ninja stars of wind, " _ **Wind Shuriken!**_ " The wind blades spun around the air, digging against Jaune's aura as he failed to move out of the way in time.

Small rips tore the blond knight's new hoodie as he grit his teeth at the new pain, finding the stars pinning him to the bark. Coco wasn't going to be happy if he returned with his new gear in rags. He needed to step up his game. Moving his sword up, Jaune was about to summon Teres Mors, only for Ren to blur up to him, smirking as he withdrew Storm Flower.

"Horizon."

The familiar sniper longsword once belonging to Cross Hare materialized in Ren's hand, blowing steam from its vents. Horizon clicked as it was withdrawn, blurring into a red line as the raven phased by the pinned knight to stand behind him. Red bathed the longsword, annoying Ren as he flicked the long reaching weapon to rid Jaune's blood as the tree groaned. It fell back, leaving Jaune to slump forward from the spraying wound nearly gutting his insides.

"I have to thank Cross for such a deadly long blade. If it weren't for the fact he had to die for me to use it." Ren lamented, sheathing the sniper/longsword hybrid. It had taken him a couple days of training to get use to its weight and firing mechanism, but he was now able to wield it well enough to fight.

Fighting the pain of his stomach nearly cut open by the explosive slash, Jaune pushed himself up on his elbows, face livid as he turned to glare at his teammate, "Y-You killed him!? Why!?"

"What do you mean why? He was an enemy that was threatening not just my life, but Ruby's. Not to mention he was ready to blow us up along with a block of the streets." Ren threw his hands up, shaking his head at his leader's soft heart, "Besides, he's nothing but an NPC, one created by the Remix. His life had very little value for an enemy. He was only worth EXP and a new weapon in the grand scheme of things." he shrugged nonchalantly.

"You would have done the same."

Standing back up, Jaune summoned a Large Aura Potion, downing the grape flavored vial to restore a good amount of his HP. "I would have beaten him till he couldn't stand back up, or knocked him out. Life is precious, you shouldn't-"

"Think little of it." Ren scoffed as he unsheathed Horizon repeatedly with his thumb, "I've heard this same dribble countless times before. This isn't the first time you've tried to stop me from killing another person, your past selves have always talked my ear off about your mother's lessons on the value of life. You have no idea how sick I've gotten of hearing your cliché speeches." Pausing the blade, Ren's eye gained a dangerous glint as Jaune moved his sword up for a stance. His HUD displayed another Reaction Command.

 _ **'Final Draw. Activate, Yes/No?'**_

Readying his sword, Jaune was taken by surprise as he found four option boxes replacing his vision. An X marked the top box and O filled the rest before a small hand began to rapidly scroll down the options as they began to shuffle. What the hell was this?

 _ **'Draw!'**_

Confused, Jaune didn't have much choice but to play along. He mentally stopped the hand, landing it on one of the many O's.

Jaune's vision was suddenly replaced to see Ren standing across from him in a dark plane with a bright light shining onto them in a spotlight. Petals danced in the air as he found himself in a drawing stance against his will as Ren mirrored him. The smug look in the magenta eyed raven's face wasn't a good sign.

 _ **'You Lose!'**_

With insane speed, Ren unsheathed Horizon and blurred past Jaune, standing behind him in a swinging motion. They stood still for a moment before Jaune's body was slashed by a horizontal rose colored blade tearing across his chest. His HP fell into the red as he caught himself from falling forward from the pain and shock. He ground his teeth visibly, holding back the bile and blood from escaping his mouth, his eyes wide in agony as his body trembled.

The hell was that? The attack was instantaneous, there was no way he could have been able to dodge it.

"Save your energy on fighting instead of trying to make me see the value of life. There is no value when the Reset resurrects all who have died with no memory of their tragic death. Death is meaningless. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you can come to terms with our curse." Clicking Horizon back into its sheath, Ren turned back to the heavily bleeding blond. He sighed at the defiant blue eyes glaring at him. "I know it's hard to deal with, especially with your bleeding heart, but this is the life we've found ourselves with. If you want to value something, value the time you can spend with your friends before The Game begins to break us all apart."

Jaune laughed, spitting red onto the ground as he held the gushing wound with a grimace, "Sorry, buddy, but I can't give up when I've only just begun. I know all the constant resets have made you cynical and jaded, made you give up on making an impacting difference on the world. I don't blame you or hate you for it, even when you've already killed me twice. God knows how many people have wished to do what you've done. But that doesn't mean I'll fall into the same despair that's taken you." he grunted before grabbing a potion from his inventory. Good thing he had stocked up while he had been out with Velvet.

The wound on his chest quickly mended, leaving only the tear on his new hoodie. White energy wrapped around Crocea Mors sword, shaping the white into the blood red short blade that was Teres Mors. Its barbed vine shot after Ren, missing as the agile huntsman moved out of its way. Again and again, Jaune whipped the vine, leaving Ren to only dodge as each lashing barb came close to stabbing at him.

Ren ducked under the slashing whip, running under it as Jaune retracted it. Drawing Horizon, he dashed into Jaune's guard, intent on slicing open his guts. Crocea Mors' shield blocked the explosive swing, clanging as the two fought to overpower another.

Jaune grunted, moving his sword hand at Ren's face before shouting, " _ **Firebolt!**_ " Flames erupted from Jaune's sword clenched fist, firing a bolt of fire straight for Ren's face. The move was too close, too fast. Hot flames exploded onto Ren's face, stumbling him back as he felt this skin burning.

" _ **Teres Blade: Uprooting**_ _ **Vignes**_ _ **!**_ " With Ren distracted by the fanning fire, it gave Jaune a chance to try out his new technique. In all of the fights he had gone through with the rose themed weapon, he had been gaining experience and eventually leveled it to its second level, gaining a new ability. Stabbing his short blade into the ground, the whip of thorns tunneled below the ground. And from below Ren's feet, the earth trembled before a single glowing white spine lanced through his body.

It didn't end there. One by one, multiple spines pierced the raven's haired Huntsman's body from below. Ren's eyes were wide from the pain and shock of the ruthless attack by the normally timid knight, gritting his teeth as another spine stabbed him through his chest. Somehow, the attack could pierce him without doing any visible damage, spilling not a drop of his blood. What the hell kind of attack was that?

Seeing the confusion in his teammates eyes, Jaune began to explain as he took the moment to down another small potion, "Uprooting Vignes isn't much of a damaging attack but it gets the job down. Its main purpose is to keep my opponent in place for a big attack. And boy, do I got biggie ready to go!" Jaune said with a fired-up grin. From the inside of his left sleeve, several iron wires flew out before stabbing into Ren's still body. Alcohol wafted from the wires, the smell only causing more confusion as he watched Jaune move his wired hands to his mouth and take a deep breath. His pink eye's widened in alarm as a small flame lit the blond's thumb.

" _ **Dragon's Blaze!**_ " With a deep breath in his chest, Jaune blew a stream of roaring orange-red fire to crawl along his ninja wires. They raced forward, dead set on devouring Ren as he could do nothing but watch in the glow of the flames.

The roaring flames hit their mark, devouring Ren in a shroud of a bellowing blaze comparable to a dragon's fiery breath. He could feel his HP drop as he fought back a shout of pain from the blistering heat. The spines keeping him still withered, burning away from the attack as he struggled to bear with the smoldering blaze.

 _ **'Lie Ren, Mind of the Gamer.**_

 _ **6,286HP/9,200HP'**_

A sense of pride hit Jaune at the damage he had inflicted on his teammate. Last month, he had been lucky to drop his HP by a thousand; he had doubled that. Time to triple it, " _ **Crescent Blade!**_ " with a shout, Jaune fired a crescent slash of light after the burning ninja like Huntsman.

"ENOUGH!" Roaring in anger, Ren swung his hands down, both arms enveloped by emerald colored wind, " _ **GALE FORCE!**_ " A shock wave of whipping wind exploded from Ren's body, lashing out at everything within two yards of space. The flames were blown away along with the white lunar blade, ripped to shreds as he slumped forward, panting as sweat ran down his frustrated face.

How? How was someone who was so under leveled able to actually damage him to this point? He grit his teeth as he straightened back up and reached into his inventory to replenish his health. Seeing that, Jaune dashed forward, intent on stopping him from recovering his HP. Annoying, Ren thought as he raised his free hand up.

" _ **Firebolt!**_ "

 _'What?'_ Jaune thought in shock as he watched a familiar spell fire from Ren's hand. A bolt of streaking fire shot straight for him, forcing him to defend.

" _ **Reflect!**_ "

Bouncing back the spell with his see-through dome of mirrored pixels, Jaune was taken further back as Ren swung his palm up and summoned the same spell.

" _ **Reflect!**_ "

Firebolt's damage was increased with the counter shield, enveloping it in a brighter white light before it crashed against Jaune's dome. The added boost was enough to shatter his Reflect and drill into his chest, detonating in a plume of flames.

Loading more bullets into Horizon, Ren reared it back for an explosive draw slash. He needed to keep hammering him, not letting him have a second to strategize or think.

" _ **Gale speed!**_ "

In a blink of an eye, Jaune blurred in front of the surprised Ren, swinging his glowing white fist for his wide eyes.

" _ **Power Strike!**_ " Jaune drilled his amplified knuckles deep into Ren's face with an audible smack. Ren's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head, the force of the blow ringing his head as he flew back, blood spurting from his broken nose.

Something within the raven Player's head shook loose as he righted himself in the air and skidded to a stop. Breathing heavily, his vision began to blur as he readied himself for the blade charging blond.

Seemed he had forgotten just how strong Jaune could become with enough progress.

* * *

Above the very earth of Remnant, in the heavenly clouds of the blue ocean sky, a massive white airship rode the winds as multiple small explosions lit up its metal body. Smoke lingered from the detonating points, revealing the scorched holes from whatever had created the damage. Smaller airships flew around the armada like ship, firing missiles and bullets onto its frame as they spun around to avoid the gunfire their massive target countered with.

And on the large deck of the ship, two Huntsman could be seen trading lightning fast blows between another, sending sparks flying as they fought. With a thundering echo, the two huntsman locked blades, grinding their blades to overpower another as their clash blew back a rush of air toward another.

On the left of the blade lock stood Lie Ren. A much older version of the raven haired, magenta eyed Huntsman. His traditional clothing had long been left behind, swapped out for a black tailcoat with pink lining over a mesh turtleneck, black pants with metal cuffs, closed metal toed sandals, and worn out bandages covering his fingers to his biceps with strange writing. His long hair had been cut, left short and wavy with the hair over his forehead swept back, the single lock of pink still standing out.

And on the right stood Jaune Arc. As with Ren, the older blond had done away with his old battle gear, replacing it for a more fitting set of clothing. He now sported a white long coat that reached his ankles with blue trimming and metal shoulder pads over a blue turtleneck, white loose fitting pants, silver armored boots that went over his pants sleeves to his kneecaps, and two yellow belts crisscrossing over his waist. He also wore metal vambraces over his arms, designed with several revolving shells of Dust over his wrist. His blond hair had grown to reach his neck, falling over his forehead to his brows.

"I warned you to stop messing with our plans." the deep voice of Jaune growled in annoyance, grinding his sword further against the twin fangs of Storm Flower.

Ren scoffed as he pushed back, "And I told you to leave this all behind you. I gave you my own warning, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer this situation right now. Killing you will tie up the last loose end of my past." he smirked. Having had enough of the blade struggle, Ren kicked the blond in the abdomen, pushing him back with a pained grunt. He then fired several shots at the knight, rolling his eyes as the newly designed shield of Crocea Mors blocked the bullets.

Crocea Mors simple design had changed dramatically over the years. Its' shield had been improved with a special gold metal lining its edge and a familiar crown design at the bottom of its edge. It was the same as every Reset, except for the new addition of a thunderbolt at both sides of the twin arcs. The sword itself is where it had really evolved. Its blade had lost its double edge, left with a single straight edge and what looked like a slim blue revolver at the lower base by its blue hilt. Gold made up its cross guard and a little hammer charm hung from a chain at the end of the hilt.

Jaune flicked the revolver of his blade, stopping as it loaded a fresh Dust shell with a click. Lightning ran along its white blade, becoming a beacon of blue sparks. He stabbed the air, firing a bladed streak of lightning. Ren evaded the deadly azure elemental blade, flinging his twin pistol fangs like shuriken. They spun madly around the air, aiming for the frowning blond. Jaune swung an arc of lightning to meet the green blades, bouncing them back as he charged forward. He swung diagonally at Ren's chest, missing as the raven-haired man skipped back. He then spun around, releasing a sparking shock wave to stun his once teammate. Ren raised his palms up, casting Reflect to guard against the attack. Distracted, the blond missed the spinning fangs above him, falling straight for his head.

Or, so Ren thought. A clang of steel rang out as Jaune simply raised his shield above his head, never taking his cold eyes from the ninja.

Emerald ninja stars appeared in between Ren's fingers as he called on his magic shield before he flung them after Jaune. The stars were nothing as Jaune spun his blade around, blocking the magical wind shuriken like flies. Done blocking the stars, Jaune then stabbed his sword into the metal surface of the ship, sending arcing sparks of lighting to chase after Ren.

Ren wasn't going to stand around to let himself get hit with that. He jumped high above the voltage rush, flipping in the air before bouncing off the very air like a surface. A pink ethereal blade of aura enveloped both his hands, allowing him to slash at the well-dressed white knight. The two traded blows back and forth all while Jaune evaded the laser like beams firing from Storm Flower flying over them by some unseen force.

"Why the hell are you doing this now?! We're finally done preparing for the invading march onto Salem's territory, and you just pop out of nowhere to attack the very vessel that carries the necessary weapons and Dust needed for the assault?! Whose side are you on?!" Jaune roared as he gripped Crocea Mors with both hands. His body trembled as he clicked all the shells of Lightning Dust in his blade into place before stabbing the deck with a barking shout. A pillar of lighting blew out from his body, releasing a ring of high voltage energy that sent Ren's floating pistol fangs back and the ninja jumping back to avoid the deadly attack.

Calling back his weapons, Ren went on to block and counter the flurry of strikes from the long blade of lighting, "I'm on the side that puts an end to this nightmare. Permanently. I have my own plans prepared, and I don't need The United Kingdoms of Remnant to mess up what I've worked so long for! Including you of all people!" Ren barked with eyes wide with anger.

Another thundering clash sent both men skidding back on their feet. They glared at one another, not paying any attention to the state of the ship they were standing on as another explosion rocked its body.

For the moment, Jaune wasn't bothered by the attacks. He had all the personnel evacuated on the emergency ships with whatever they could carry. Weiss was going to be pissed that one of her warships had gone down, but the lives of the ship were more important. And he saved what he could. Wouldn't be the first the Ice Queen chewed him out.

What mattered now, out of all the things going on, was the man who had once been his teammate, his best friend, standing a few feet away from him with the intent of killing him.

That day, when their lives had turned upside down, when they lost Pyrrha to Cinder, and lost their home in the fall of Beacon, Ren had abandoned them. The very next day after the attack, the silent huntsman left them and headed to god knows where, leaving them in the despair of The Fall. As the months passed, and Jaune and Nora had joined Ruby along with Yang on their journey, they met their friend again. But he had changed, attacked them, and warned them to stop their journey if they wanted to live any longer. Since then, Ren had been an off again, on again enemy that got in their way, always threatening to kill them if they didn't listen to him and leave things as they were.

It brought a sad hint to Jaune's eyes, remembering the good times they all had as team JNPR. How things had changed in the past seven years.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Ren. I don't know what plans you have, or what made you leave our team after the fall of Beacon, but I do know that you are not a monster like the ones we've been fighting. Nora misses you." Jaune said solemnly. The look in her beautiful green eyes when her best friend had been marked as a registered criminal high on their capture or kill list always gripped at his heart. The pain, the sadness, the hollowness; it broke his heart.

"She wants you to come back, peacefully. How else are Nora and I getting married without her best man walking her down the aisle?"

The thought of Jaune and Nora of all people engaged to one another always made Ren go wide eyed in disbelief. Guess in his absence, the bubbly orange haired Valkyrie had no one else to turn to but her team leader. And as the two comforted another, a budding affection must have grown until they fell in love. Thinking about the happiness his old partner had found and the family she was probably giddy on making with her future husband, made the corners of Ren's mouth lift.

Which gave him all the more reason to make him want to go through with his plans on reaching The End of The Game. He could feel it, the path he walked was the closest to ending these constant Resets and allowing everyone's lives to continue. This had to be the right End, it just had to!

Ren set his features into a scowl, shaking away the sentiment as he raised his fangs up.

"You and Nora could have lived a peaceful life if you had just listened to me and went on to a normal life. This is bigger than any of you can ever realize. And you'll only get in the way if you all continue to invade the Grimmlands. Consider this your last warning, the final warning before I drop your corpse off to the side of your failing ship. Go home, go back to Nora, and stay the hell away from the Grimmlands!"

Jaune shut his eyes in frustration, clenching his raised fist tightly before sighing in tired defeat. Just like every other time he had tried to bring Ren back, the man always declined for his mysterious plans. But he made a promise to Nora, and even to Pyrrha's grave, to bring back what remained of team JNPR for just one day, their wedding day. And he'd be damned if Ren of all people got in the way of keeping that promise!

The Lightning Dust in Jaune's wrist revolvers spun as he finished loading a fresh set into Crocea Mor's blade before he shot said wrist up to the air. A shell was fired up high into the bellowing sky with a bell twinkling sound, casting dark clouds to envelop the skies as lightning and thunder cackled. Bolts of natural lightning fell onto the deck of the ship, striking everything in sight.

Jaune's eyes were stern, his blue eyes locked on his old friend as his lightning crashed closely around them.

"I'm sorry, Ren, but if you're not going to explain yourself and tell me why you're doing, then I have no choice but to apprehend you for your crimes. Nora will just have to settle with seeing you behind bars, better than the alternative." the blond knight said solemnly as he swung his sword to the left. Attracted by the fine metal, a bolt of lightning slammed into the blade, enveloping it in an aura of sparking blue shaped into a double edged great sword with a cross guard.

"As your leader, and friend, I'm not going to go easy on you from here on out. I think we're done feeling each other up, don't you? Nora will have to forgive me for the wounds I'm about to inflict."

He was going to be sleeping on the couch for the next month for this.

 _ **' WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! Boss incoming! Commander of the UKR, Jaune Arc, The King of Lightning. Get Ready!'**_

A powerful whipping gale surrounded Ren's body as his eyes glowed a deep magenta. He didn't want to fight Jaune like this, he didn't want to kill his best friend. But this game had to end! He was done living this deathless reality! If this was what he had to do, then he had no choice.

 _'Forgive me, Nora. I didn't want it to come to this.'_

The two Huntsman once part of a promising team glared at another, their hands gripping their weapons deathly tight as the dark skies cackled with lightning.

 _ **'FIGHT!'**_

* * *

Sent flying past the tree lines, Ren wound up rolling down the big hill by another power strike to the face. He grimaced as he righted himself up and skid down the leafy hill. Looking past his head, he could make out the train tracks for the train passing by Forever Fall.

" _ **Hedge Fang!**_ "

From the trees, Jaune barreled after Ren in a sword swinging body roll, appearing as if he was a bladed human saw. He spun madly for the raven-haired Huntsman, grinding against the batting green blades as Ren dodged. Again and again, the two bounced back as they fell downward for the tracks in a rain of sparks. Ceasing his attack, Jaune fell to his feet, skidding down along with Ren before throwing his burning palm after Ren, " _ **Firebolt!**_ " Several salvos of blazing bolts fired toward Ren as he began to dodge the magical flames. Chunks of earth and leaves flew in the craters created from the missed shots. Ren returned fire with his pistols, aiming carefully as Jaune raised up his shield.

 _'Just need to land a few more hits!'_ Ren grunted through the sounds of his bullets doing little more than ring as they smacked into Crocea Mors. His Reaction for Shield Breaker would only activate after whatever shield he was hitting had taken a certain number of damage. He grinned as the Reaction suddenly appeared in his HUD.

Dashing forward with incredible speed, Ren's pistol fangs lengthened to cruel blades. Jaune blinked as Ren vanished from sight before a large black-red X appeared over his shield arm. His eyes flew open in agony as the symbol shattered a glass like surface against his shield, dropping his arm to his side uselessly. With the shield out of the way it left Jaune wide open for a swift barrage of aura coated strikes to his body. Each hit dropped his health further as he tried to jump back, only for Ren to grab him by his shirt and pull him in for an elbow strike for his chest.

" _ **Warp Strike!**_ " Huffing from what felt like a bone breaking strike, Jaune tossed up Teres Mors into the air. He warped to the still airborne weapon, gripping it tightly before tucking his body for a spin, " _ **Teres Blade: Coil!**_ " The green vine whipped at Ren's wrist, tightening itself around the skin like a constricting snake, " _ **Hedge Fang!**_ "

Like a yo-yo, the bladed wheel reeled forward along the vine, targeting Ren as Jaune's sword ground against the ninja's waning aura. Caught in the attack, Ren was left with nothing to do but to endure as a gash opened on his chest. " _ **Reflect!**_ "

The magic spell repelled Jaune back, breaking his spin as he fell back to skidding downward. Dammit, he cursed as he watched Teres Mors fade back into Crocea Mors. He was out of MP, the last attack taking the last bit of his magic. He needed to be careful and wait for his MP bar to fill back up.

Coming to a stop below, Jaune went on to evade the bullet fire. His shield arm was still useless, the X stamped on his forearm somehow disabling his ability to block any of his attacks.

 _ **'Reaction: Auto-Potion. Activate?'**_

Ren mentally activated the Reaction as he kept Jaune on his toes, sighing in relief as his body was showered by a sprinkle of lime green energy. When his HP began to dip to 50%, Auto-Potion would automatically use up one of his Potions to heal his wounds without having to manually reach for the item. It's was a useful Reaction when he had his hands busy.

Tired of evading, Jaune charged in a bee-line through the bullets. He swung his blade across Ren's chest, missing as Ren blocked before kicking the eastern styled teen in the chest. The blow stunned Ren, leaving him open as Jaune jumped high in the air above. He spun his body around, lashing a kick for Ren's head that knocked him off his feet and sent him rolling on the ground.

"Did that snap some sense into you, Ren? Or am I just going to have to keep this up?" Jaune said as he leaned on his knees tiredly. Downing another potion, he wiped his mouth of the lifesaving beverage as he watched Ren struggle to rise back up.

The fighting was starting to tire Jaune out. Just before he knocked Ren out of their original battle grounds, the ninja had collapsed several trees around him before casting a fire spell to burn him alive in the wooden prison. He died from that little trap, making it two times that Ren had killed him today. And each death seemed to sap a chunk of his stamina with each revival. It didn't matter if his health would fill back up, if he was too tired to swing his sword it didn't mean a thing.

Pushed up by his arms, Ren turned his glare to Jaune, refusing back down, "Look who's winning. I told you before, I'm done trying to play along like some hero! Even if we beat The Game, it will simply Reset and make us start all over! All the good we did and evil we stopped would have been for nothing, so why bother wasting our time? It's all pointless!" he shouted, standing straight up before flinging his pistols like shurikens. Jaune dodged the shuriken blades, grunting as he found them flying back for him like a locked target. He danced around the targeting spinning blades controlled by Ren's glowing hand.

"Do you think that I've always been this cynical? That I've always been so lazy and unmotivated my entire life? Because I haven't. I was once like you, naive, full of hope, believing that I could save the world from the darkness that you've yet to have even glimpsed! And what do you know? I had managed to beat the Final Boss on my seventh life; I was able to save the world, my friends, from a dark reality, only to be sent back to my Save Point and do it all over again! And again. And again. And Again!"

Dark magenta energy lit up the barrels of Storm Flower before they began to continuously fire a hyper focused beam intent on piercing Jaune.

"It never ends! I've tried everything imaginable to reach the True End with no results. Even the paths where I've turned away from all my friends got me nowhere, making all the sacrifices I've made pointless. Working with the other Players was the same, so what makes you believe that playing along with you will be any different?!"

Jaune moved right to avoid a laser for his chest. He quickly spun back from two aimed at his sides, and ducked low as they flattened in the air and spun, whirling their lasers to cover a wide area to bisect him. Stopping their spin, the two SMG's flew up, striking the ground with their beams before chasing after Jaune, carving the ground in an attempt to slice him in half. His breath grew ragged, flinching deeply as one of the lasers passed by his shoulders.

 _ **'Jaune Arc, 3,240HP/6,000HP.'**_

The sound of a ding made Jaune grin past the pain of the new burn over his scalding skin. With his MP recovered, Jaune cast Reflect to defend against the laser barrage. Safe within his magical defense, Jaune was allowed a moment to breath as Ren's words began to sink in.

How would working with him be any different? If Ren had done everything he could think of to beat The Game and still wound up reset back to his Save Point, how could working with Jaune suddenly fix things? Hell, in the many lives Ren had lived, there were bound to be ones where they were working as one with the rest of their team. Just because Jaune was now a Player didn't mean that they could just find the True End. For him to say that they could suddenly beat The Game when he had yet to live a fraction of what Ren had lived in these many lives sounded arrogant. It was no wonder Ren hated him.

But that didn't mean that Jaune would just stop trying. If there was one thing he had discovered about himself since entering Beacon, it was that he was a decent strategist. He just needed to figure something out to make his friend try again. There had to be some reason Ren still played along despite saying it was all worthless. Why else would he-

The sudden thought snapped Jaune's eyes wide open in realization before his lips fell into a sad smile.

Feeling his MP start to dwindle, Ren called off his attack, drawing Storm Flower back into his hand as Jaune's Reflect faded away. The raven-haired Player knelt for a running start, shooting forward as he equipped Horizon for a drawing slash.

Whatever force had been disabling Jaune's shield vanished, just in time to raise his shield up to block the long reaching blade screeching against the metal of his defense.

"You're right, adding me into the mix probably won't make much of a difference. I can think of several people who would do a much better job at this then me. But I'm willing to try, and that's all that matters!" Jaune shouted, pushing back against the longsword as Ren pushed back, "And I don't believe that you've completely given up! Why else would you still be here?"

"The hell are you talking about? I don't have a choice, The Game will lead us all along onto the story with subtle pushes, activating Events that will force our hand to fall into its game. If I had the choice, I would-"

"Leave everything behind you? But you haven't, you're still here in Beacon with your friends! You say that I can just drop everything and ignore The Game for a simple life, yet you're still fighting as a Huntsman in Vale where all this mess is going to start? If you say that you've given up, then why are still here!?" Jaune asked in a roar.

"I said that it was none of your business!" Ren shouted, moving his blade back before a ramming his elbow into the shield with a boost of Horizon's recoil. The attack broke Jaune's guard, forcing him to trade steel in a flurry of strikes with Ren. He moved back from an upward swing, stepped to the side to avoid a mighty downward swing that unleashed a trail of destruction, and jumped over a sweep meant to chop off his legs.

Seeing another swing meant for his chest, Jaune moved his sword to intercept the swing, "Then how the hell do you expect me to understand you? All I want to do is help, but you keep pushing me away! Why?! Aren't we friends!?" Pushing Horizon back, Jaune stabbed a Power Strike to Ren's chest, sending him skidding back with a shout. Drawing his blade back, Jaune was ready to charge straight in for another stab, only to be stopped by a familiar force.

Activating Final Draw, Ren kept his eyes focused intently on the pointer to fall under the X. This should do enough damage to stun him long enough to deal another fatal blow.

 _ **'You Lose!'**_

"What?!" Ren spat loudly as his pointer failed to land on the target in time. He couldn't block as Jaune continued his dash, phasing through his body to appear behind him in a swinging stance. A large slash appeared on Ren's chest, spilling his blood against the red leaves. He nearly blacked out from the intense attack but forced himself to stay standing as Auto-Potion activated. Wounds healed, Ren turned his furious gaze to the Jaune as he held his mending chest.

Jaune smirked, "It took me a sec to figure it out, but I think I got the hang of your ability. Pyrrha always said I was a quick learner. Seems being The Mind of the Gamer gives you some pretty cool tricks to work with." His eyes softened as he dropped his stance for a moment to try to talk some sense into the glowering Player, "Come on Ren, talk to me. I just want to understand you. I don't want to keep fighting you. I'm not enjoying this, I want us to get along like we did before I was given The Gamer's power. So, help me out here."

For a good minute, Ren stared emotionlessly at his blonde leader. So many conflicting thoughts were going through his head as memories of his past lives replayed. No matter what he said to Jaune or how many times he insulted him and killed him, couldn't deny one simple truth.

Jaune was his best friend. And he would give up his own life to protect him.

* * *

"Get her out of here! I'll stall for as long as I can, just get her somewhere safe!"

Oniyuri, Mistral's Mountain Glenn. An abandoned eastern city halfway through construction that had been attacked by a single Grimm capable of unimaginable destruction. It was here where team RNJR had been attacked by a deadly Faunus that was capable of taking them out like it was a game for him.

Tyrian smiled widely, his yellow eyes amused as his scorpion tail hung by his head, ready to stab at his opponent gleefully. His eyes were set on the man standing in his way and the stern blue eyes unflinchingly staring back at him. The intensity in those eyes made Tyrian giddy.

Behind Jaune was Qrow, the raven-haired teacher with red eyes and a great sword/scythe. And in his cradled arms was a badly beaten Ruby. A large amount of blood ran down her dress by Tyrian's bladed scorpion claw chakrams shredding her body. But the worst of her injuries were more alarming.

Jaune ground his teeth in fury, his body trembling as he could hear Ruby try to suppress her sobs as she held her face. Or more specifically, her left eye.

"As a certain book once said, 'An eye for an eye'." Tyrian bellowed with sick laughter, doubling over as he held his gut. He wiped his eyes of a tear as he regained control, snorting as he licked his claws of the blood of slashing out the annoying silver eye.

The sight made Qrow's blood boil as he held his niece tighter against his chest. Too late, he was fucking too late to come to his niece's rescue. If only he had left earlier, then he would have made it in time to block the psycho's attack. Instead, he had arrived to watch in horror as the bug bastard took out her eye and aimed to immobilize her with his toxic tail.

Reaching for his great sword, Qrow was ready to beat the bastard into a bloody corpse before tearing him limb from limb with his bare hands, until the blond knight threw back his arm to stop him.

"I said get her out of here! She's already lost the vision in her left eye, we don't need her dying of blood loss! You're the only one here who can get her somewhere safe away from Tyrian and the Grimm, so stop wasting your time glaring at him!" Jaune shouted angrily, a vein in his forehead pulsing visibly with his rage.

"You think you can beat him? He was kicking you and your team's ass just a minute ago! What makes you think you can even stall him and keep him away from Ruby?" Qrow hissed as he lifted Ruby in his arms.

"The old crow's right. What makes you think you can entertain me long enough to keep me away from the little bleeding rose?" Tyrian nodded, standing straight as he tapped his cheek playfully.

"Because you find me interesting. And I can take a hell of a beating from even you. Don't you want to see how long I can keep you from chasing after them?" Jaune said as he raised his shield up.

That did sound fun, Tyrian thought as he looked over the blond knight. And he was curious as to why the boy peaked his interest. Oh, how the curiosity was eating away at him. Maybe if he stabbed him a few times and broke a bone or two, he'd bring out what made the blond interesting. Besides, just how long could the boy survive? It made him grin widely at the thought.

Standing by Qrow and Ruby, Ren could only watch in frustration as he worked on curing the purple seeping wound on his right arm. No matter how much he grinded in preparation for the fight against Tyrian, it was never enough to compete with the killer's skill and aggressive attacks. Unfortunately, fighting Tyrian was part of The Story, so he couldn't lead his team away from the deserted town. They could only ever survive as long as possible until Qrow arrived to save the day.

But this time things were different. Qrow wasn't able to make it in time and Ruby suffered for it. A quick scan on her status revealed that her aura was shattered and her eye was beyond saving. One more hit from Tyrian and she wouldn't survive the next hour. He grimaced as he looked to his left, an ugly feeling of guilt passing him through as he saw his partner knocked out beside him.

Nora had taken a critical hit meant for him and had her head smashed cruelly into the ground. Blood flowed from the gash, her green eyes rolled into the back of her head as she lost consciousness. She needed medical attention and she wouldn't be getting it here.

As much as he didn't want to follow through with Jaune's suggestion, Ren couldn't see any other choice. Ruby and Nora needed healing and Tyrian wouldn't give them a chance on patching them up. Not to mention Ren was low on healing items, so he wouldn't be able to put up a fight as he was now. Jaune was their only hope, which meant abandoning him to fight against a well-trained killer with a sick bloodlust.

Picking Nora up in his arms, Ren nodded stiffly towards his leader, "He's right. Ruby and Nora are more important than fighting. If Jaune says he can stall Tyrian, then I believe him." he tried to smile. The chances of Jaune winning were low, incredibly low. While he had made major progress since The Fall, fighting someone on Tyrian's level would spell death.

Qrow wanted to argue against the plan, but the growing dampness created by Ruby's blood gushing eye stopped him. He lost Summer once, there was no fucking way he was losing her daughter too. At the thought, Qrow smiled grimly. They did say that crows brought bad luck.

Reaching into his pocket, Qrow tossed its contents for Jaune to catch. Opening his hand, Jaune was confused to find a silver flask staring back at him.

"You've graduated to a real Huntsman, kid. Consider this a present from one warrior to another. About time you had your first drink." he said with an empty chuckle.

He was leaving the blond kid to die. The only good thing he could do is give him his first drink. And his last.

"I suppose I can play with you for a bit. Make it a challenge to see how long it takes me to inject you with venom and wait for your body to drop. I can always find the little rose again." Tyrian leered, his eyes passing Jaune for the one-eyed Ruby.

"I won't give you that chance. I won't ever let you touch Ruby again!"

"Well," Tyrian winced as he sucked in a breath before grinning madly, "We'll just have to see about that!"

Seeing the Faunus focus on Jaune, Qrow fixed Ruby in his arms before forcing himself to turn away and run. There was a village not on any of the maps that could take them in. They just needed some time to get there without the bastard following them. Ren followed close, leaving Jaune to fend off Tyrian for as long as he could.

Despite the intense pain of losing her eye, Ruby sniffed as she was carried off farther and farther away from Jaune. "Jaune. . .no, please don't. . .leave him. . .please." she cried.

The guilt made Qrow sick to his stomach. He bit back a foul curse as he cradled Ruby's head closer against his chest. Sometimes you needed to sacrifice your knight to protect your queen in chess. Sadly, this was no different.

Ren snarled, ashamed to have to abandon his leader like that. No matter how much he had come to dislike Jaune because of his fate leading Pyrrha to die in every Reset, he couldn't ignore the ugly mass of shame and guilt at leaving him to die.

With his team far from sight and mind, Jaune turned back to the excited scorpion Faunus. He looked down at the silver flask in his hand, noticing that his whole arm was trembling in fear. It was half full of what smelled of strong liquor as he unscrewed the twist top. Jaune shrugged before taking a deep swig of the bitter tasting beverage.

Well, if he was going to die today, he might as well let the liquor do its magic and dull some of the pain. He always wondered what it felt like to be drunk.

The strong grain alcohol burned down his throat, like fire flowing down his stomach. He couldn't even taste it, the strong liquid fire overpowering whatever flavor it had. Jaune coughed into his fist as he wiped the last trickle of the alcohol from his lips and unsheathed his sword to level it on Tyrian's eyes.

"You took something precious from someone I love. And I aim to repay you the favor." Jaune said with cold fury. He swung his sword to the side, the very force of his swing carving a deep scoring gash into the stone tiled ground with a boom.

"With fucking interest!"

Tyrian clapped his hands in glee at the ferocity in the blond boy's voice. How gallant! Like one of those knights in the old story books he once read. The very image made his blood pump as his shoulders slouched into a stance, his deadly barbed tail hanging over his head ready to strike.

"Then let's stop chatting and start slashing!" he cackled loudly before springing off his feet for a claw stab.

Jaune's feet were pushed back by the very force of the strike as he blocked with his shield. It did little to stop Tyrian as he planted his feet on its white surface and clung onto it with a grin. Tyrian's face was giddy with a face splitting grin as he grabbed a handful of Jaune's hair before repeatedly headbutting the blond like a hammer. Blood gushed as his strikes broke the skin of Jaune's forehead, rattling his brain around as he fought to shake the Faunus off his shield.

Eying the white blade coming for his side, Tyrian kicked off the shield to dodge the slash. Falling back on his feet, he dashed back in to swing his chakrams in a flurry of rapid slashes. Each connecting hit, even the ones blocked by Crocea Mors, chipped away at his aura. Jaune moved his head to the side to avoid the jabbing tail thrown into the mix, grunting as the action cost him a chop to the left side of his face. His aura struggled to fight the blade, waning as it cut into his skin. Falling onto his head, Tyrian displayed great acrobatic skill as he rapidly spun on his head to deliver a windmill of spinning kicks to Jaune's head.

Vision blurring, Jaune swung his sword wide to bat away the kicks. He shook his head, flinching as he tried to steady his rolling vision to fix the odd illusion of three Tyrian's rushing back in.

Hidden barrels slid out of Tyrian's claws. Running circles around the dizzy blond, the scorpion Faunus began to pepper Jaune with bullets. Jaune struggled to block the metal shells, grunting in pain as a few dug into his body. Tired of his attack, Tyrian dashed back to meet the glorious white shield in his way. He kicked up his feet, pumping his leg muscles with blue aura for an added boost as he delivered a double kick stomp into the shield. A visible rippling shock wave erupted from the blow, sending Jaune flying back like a rocket and a shout. With a burst of speed, Tyrian intercepted Jaune's flight as he blurred behind him and rammed his elbow deep into his spine. He grinned widely in sick joy at the sound of something snapping as he sent the blond skidding onto the ground.

"My, my, I do say you were right. You, my blue-eyed friend, can take a good beating." Tyrian praised with a chuckle. He leered at Jaune as the boy struggled to get back up on his feet, "A normal person would be dead by now after that, or at least have their aura shattered. But you seem to keep standing back up, sword gripped deathly tight with a glare that would make a lesser Grimm flinch. I must say, you truly are interesting." he said with an amused lift of his lips.

Jaune's breathing was heavy as he struggled to stand straight. Something in his back had broken, the very sensation of the broken bone made it difficult to breath. The deep bleeding cut on his cheek wasn't doing him any favors either, it almost cut right through his cheek bone.

Still, he couldn't give in to his wounds just yet. He needed to buy as much time as possible for the others to get as far away from the abandoned city as they could. Jaune fought the weakness crawling up his arms as his aura could be seen sending off static in its weakened state. It wouldn't be long till his defense left him.

"I thought you said to cut the damn chatter and start slashing? I'm still standing, I'm still fighting! If you keep babbling like a dumb ass, then don't be surprised when I rip out your fucking tongue!" Jaune spat furiously, panting as he fixed his stance.

"Oooooooh! The vulgar tongue on this one!" Tyrian laughed as he posed his tail up, "Fine, I am starting to tire of those glaring eyes of yours. I might as well see just how much of a beating your corpse can take before I send you to your friends in slabs of ripped meat!" he said in glee.

Dashing back in for another stab at his guard, Tyrian began to channel his aura into his blade to finally shred the annoying aura over the blond's soft flesh. Even the boy's shield wouldn't be able to fully block his strike!

" _ **Lock On! Hail Storm!**_ "

In the distance, several spinning blue streaks of freezing ice intercepted the cackling braided Faunus. The cold metal dug into his chest, stunning him still as he found his body suddenly encased in a block of ice.

 _ **'Tyrian, The Mad Instinct of Carnage Lvl 107.**_

 _ **265,666HP/266,666HP.'**_

Falling into Jaune's side in a gust of swirling leaves, Ren could only frown at the amount of damage he had inflicted with one of his best firing techniques. At least he was able to Freeze him for a moment. No telling how long that would last.

"Ren? What are you doing here?" Jaune was stunned to see his teammate come to his rescue. Wasn't he supposed to be with Qrow?

Turning his head to his leader, Ren answered his question as he called on his inventory to heal his HP, "I handed Qrow Nora when we had made a good distance away from Oniyuri. He should be able to carry both of the girls to the next town safely with no problem. I couldn't leave you to die like a hero." he said softly, his eyes somber as he recalled the last person to do such a thing, "Pyrrha wouldn't be happy to see you so soon after she passed on."

The block of ice trapping Tyrian cracked, shaking visibly as the man began to break out of his icy prison. Jaune and Ren fell into their guarding stances, their muscles tensing as the muffled sound of the blood lusting Faunus chuckling escaped the cracks of the ice.

Smiling gratefully for the odd vial that healed his wounds, Jaune threw back the glass vial as he felt his aura begin to regenerate, "So, what do you think our chance of beating this monster is?" he asked as Tyrian's arms broke out.

"Better than us fighting him on our own. All we can do is hope to survive long enough to deliver a powerful enough blow to send him running." Ren answered. He smirked as he mentally shifted his Reactions and Abilities around for the fight, "Remember our fight with the Deathstalker?"

Jaune was confused at the mention of their first fight together as a team till his eyes fell onto the barbed tail breaking out of the ice. He grinned, his mind buzzing with a plan of attack.

Alone, they were strong. But together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

" ** _Bastion Flowe_** ** _r_ _?_** " Jaune suggested as Tyrian finally shattered the ice encasing him with a bellowing laugh.

Ren smiled, his eyes glowing with energy as he loaded his weapons.

"You're the leader. Let's show him how we deal with scorpions."

Tyrian licked his lips as he brushed off the dust of ice on his shoulder, his eyes locking onto the pink eyed huntsman staring him down, "Another friend? My, how exciting! They do say, the more, the merrier!" he cackled madly before dashing forward.

Jaune and Ren turned their eyes to another, silently passing along a message as they nodded firmly and dashed forward to meet the crazed lunatic.

The chances of them fending him off and making Tyrian retreat were slim. But as long as they worked together, Ren knew that they had a chance.

All they had to do was place their trust in another. And fight as one.

* * *

The memory of their fight with Tyrian was an old one, one that should have been long forgotten with how many resets it's been since he recalled it. But it was one that Ren had treasured in his darkest of times. Of the bond he couldn't sever no matter how many times he dropped his leader's mangled body to the floor.

A rising flow of pink aura began to flow from Ren's stiff body. He visibly ground his teeth as he lifted his aura veiled hand in front of him. A boxed message hovered before his hand, pulsating with energy.

 _ **'Hyper Drive. Activate; Yes/No?'**_

All this talking and memories dug up was making Ren lose his cool. Frustration and anger seeped into his being as he slammed his hand over the unseen menu box. He was ending this. The sooner he broke Jaune's will, the sooner he would leave him alone!

"I'm done talking. This is where you lose!" Ren shouted as the flowing energy swallowed him in a pillar of pink aura. His ponytail came undone, allowing his long raven hair to flow wildly before dying into a neon pink color. A glowing slit appeared on his forehead, splitting wide open to reveal a burning magenta eye flowing with flames. His own eyes burned with energy lingering from his sight as strange green markings trailed over his skin. Storm Flower vanished from his fingers as he fell to the ground in a beast like crouch, leaving him with nothing but his clawed fingers as his body unleashed a shock wave that crushed the ground under him into a pressurized crater.

" _ **Godspeed; Open, Gate of Hyper Velocity: Hyper Drive!**_ "

A buffeting wind blew back against Jaune as he shielded his face. The hell was Hyper Drive?

A sonic boom rung in Jaune's ears, turning his squinting eyes past the blowing wind to find Ren's burning eyes close to his face in a snarl. Too fast, Ren was too fast to block as the pink flaming Player dug his fist deep into his gut. The punch was so fast, a sonic ring had been created from the velocity.

The blow sent Jaune flying back, grunting as he checked his HP to see how much damage he had been done. 50HP? That. . .wasn't right. Jaune couldn't think much on the damage output as Ren blurred behind him and snapped his feet in a high kick aimed for the back of his head. Again and again, Ren bounced Jaune around the train track yard in a barrage of kicks and punches. Kicking the blond knight high up in the air with an upward kick, Ren flew after him with a trail of energy behind him as his fingers were enveloped in a dragon's claw of aura.

" _ **Velocity Heaven: Dragon's Drill!**_ " Stopping above Jaune's airborne form, Ren clapped his clawed hands together before flipping over to aim for the knight's chest. His long haired wrapped around his body as he began to madly spin, his body transformed into a drill of violent pink energy rushing through Jaune's body. Jaune openly gasped in pain as Ren's body pierced his chest in a thin beam of neon light, causing him to spit out blood.

 _ **'Critical Hit!'**_

Crashing onto the ground, Ren materialized from the beam of light into a crouch. His body flared in a burst of neon flames before spear rushing into the descending blond Player. A series of blinking light beams crossed over Jaune's body as Ren vanished in a sonic boom. Multiple lacerations opened along Jaune's skin, spilling his blood out in the air before Ren reappeared above him again.

" _ **Velocity Heaven: Dragon's Drill!**_ "

Once again, Ren pierced Jaune in a drill rush of light with his claws. The speed of the attack was too much. Jaune crashed onto the ground with a booming thud, the two openly bleeding holes in his chest causing him to lose his breath as he choked on his own blood.

 _ **'Jaune Arc.**_

 _ **-5,100HP/6,000HP.'**_

What the hell just happened? Jaune tried to keep the bile of stomach acid and blood from escaping his mouth but failed as he threw up the burning red liquid onto his ragged leather hoodie. His aura had been shattered with the first drill strike via critical hit and the second one had dealt a fatal wound. Was his lung pierced? The fact that he couldn't breathe properly and the feeling of his lungs drowning said yes, they were pierced.

Calling on his inventory to try restoring his HP, Jaune was ready to bring the large potion to his bloody lips before a lashing foot shattered the vial to shards. Ren stared down at him, his burning eyes glaring into his own as he raised his foot above Jaune's grimacing blood stained face.

Crunch!

A gush of blood exploded as Ren caved in Jaune's face with a devastating curb stomp. Red pooled around his feet, sizzling against his burning aura flowing from his body. His face remained set in a cool glare as the cold body underneath his foot vanished in wisps of pixel light.

Three. That made it three dead blonds. And more to come.

An odd ache stabbed at Ren's head, causing a twitch to develop in his eye. From the overflowing energy around his body a black wisp began to form at the center of his chest. It went unnoticed as he turned his eyes to the resurrection sigil dropping Jaune back onto the battle grounds.

"I really hate the feeling of dying repeatedly!" Jaune hunched over in exasperation, sweating as he felt another chunk of his stamina leave his body. It was getting harder to keep a good grip on his sword! Straightening his back, Jaune raised his shield up just in time to block a claw thrust for his chest. He frowned in worry staring into Ren's glowering pink eyes. "You alright, Ren? You seem a lot more hostile than normal. And that's saying something." he grunted with a chuckle.

"Shut. . .up." Ren struggled to speak, flinching as the stabbing pain in his head grew worse. It felt like someone was taking a jack hammer to his skull. Shaking away the ache, Ren snarled as he pulled back his clawed hands. With blistering speed, he began to ram his clawed hands repeatedly into Crocea Mors shield with gunfire gusto.

 _'I'm not getting anywhere just defending. I need to up my attack strategy.'_ Good thing it seemed that Ren's physical attack had dropped. His special attacks were devastating, but it looked like his teammate had exchanged his attack power for insane speed. Thankfully casting all those spells had filled up his Soul Link meter.

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Bouncing the strikes back, Jaune clasped both his hands over the hilt of his sword as he began to activate his trump card. Bluish light erupted in a circle carving the ground around him as he began to chant the activation oath from his bond with Velvet.

" _ **By the Light born by our Bond, I call upon the sword shining the proof of our Link, shedding away the darkness clasping our Souls; Unlimited Light Works!**_ "

From the pillar of light peaking through the sky overhead, Jaune blew away the cladding light with a swing of his light born Crocea Mors as he stepped out in his ULW gear. A blurring claw flew for his face, only to be stopped by the light shield. Four small derringer guns made of light suddenly floated behind Jaune with four barrels stacked by two as he threw his free hand at the speed demon Ren had become, " _ **Lumen Revolver!**_ " The light guns began to revolve in a circle behind Jaune before firing a Gatling of gunfire. Ren dodged with a sonic boom, continuing his evasion as Jaune turned his guns after him. Each blast tore a chunk from the ground with each missed shot.

Dodging another four-point blast, Ren vanished from sight, appearing overhead of the light clad Player. He dove after him, intent on slamming his clawed fists into his opponent. ULW granted Jaune a boost in speed and light feet, so Jaune was able to jump back from the dive as Ren created a rippling pink shock wave with his missed hit. The raven-haired Huntsman continued to repeat the tactic, forcing Jaune to continue jumping back to avoid the diving claws and shock waves.

Timing Ren's dives just right, Jaune created a copy of Cardin's mace and slammed it towards Ren's head as he smashed the ground. Course that meant he had to endure the shock wave, losing about a hundred in HP, " _ **Power Strike!**_ " Ren shouted as his face was bashed by the magical weapon. His eyes went wide as the Dust crystal twinkled, detonating in a plume of brilliant light. _**'Critical Hit!'**_

A large chunk of Ren's HP dropped as he was sent rolling on the ground. Huh, Jaune thought as he dispersed Beaufort to scan Ren's HP. From the single blow alone it looked like Ren was vulnerable to magic based attacks in this form of his. That gave him the advantage. The blow even stunned him as Ren struggled to get back up. Now or never, time to hammer him with everything he's got!

" _ **Lumen Fall!**_ " Summoning light copies of Myrtenaster to float above Ren's stunned form, Jaune dropped his hand, gesturing for the thin rapiers to crash down. The blades stabbed deep into Ren's body, smacking him back down as they pinned him to the ground. Jaune paused his hand for moment at the pained expression on Ren's face, but shook it away as he reached into his inventory. Professor Pitho's lessons had taught him a few new things about Dust and it was time he put those lessons to use. A Lightning Dust crystal fell into his hand that he quickly began pumping full of his light affinity aura. _'Let's see if this works.'_

Charged full of aura, Jaune tossed the sparking crystal up above Ren's head just as he broke free from his rapiers. It was too little too late though as a bluish cloud formed over him, sparking wildly before raining down several thunder bolts that were far too fast to avoid. Ren's body lit up like a Christmas decoration; the intense scorching lightning cooking him alive made the teen scream loudly.

Snap. The pain in Ren's head came to an end as his mind grew blank like a white canvas. The lightning stopped, leaving him slouching as his body wafted with smoke and sparked.

Jaune cursed at the damage he had done. Damn, did he go too far? Even if Ren had done worse to him, it didn't mean it gave him an excuse to do the same. Dear god, he could actually smell the ranking odor of his friend's burnt skin. Ready to move over to check on him, Jaune was stopped by the blaring siren going off on his HUD.

 _ **' WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! SYSTEM ERROR! SYSTEM ERROR! PLAYER 2'S DATA HAS BEEN CORRUPTED! SUGGESTING CALL TO END PVP!'**_

Black miasma erupted from Ren's chest, replacing his neon energy with darkness. His eyes grew red as the whites of his eyes blackened and red veins popped around the corners of his forehead. A deep guttural scream bellowed from his being, shaking the very earth around them and cracking the ground.

"Ren! What's going on?!" Jaune shouted over the bellowing scream. It was so loud that his ears were beginning to ring. Port's lesson popped up in his head, causing the blond to look on in horror.

Was he. . .Falling?

 _ **'THIS IS NOT A DRILL! END PVP OR FACE DATA CORRUPTION NOW! RUN!'**_

"You. . .You were always the center of attention."

"What?" Jaune said in surprise as the screaming abruptly stopped. Even with the bellowing ending, whatever dark energy possessing Ren still shook the earth in tremors as he nearly tripped before the powerful shakes. Ren was still slouching, his ruby eyes glaring hatefully with such intensity it made Jaune step back.

"Even when I was cursed with The Gamer's powers. . .I was still nothing more than a side note compared to. . .you. No matter what I did. . . you always out shined me." Bloody tears rolled down Ren's paling face as his face scrunched up in deep seated despair. Horizon suddenly fell into his hands out of nowhere, painted black as the night sky with a red outlining. Falling into a drawing stance, Ren charged forward with a gut-wrenching cry.

" _ **Reflect!**_ " The larger form of Reflect's dome stopped the explosive recoil swing, rejecting Ren back on skidding feet. That did little to pause his attack as he kept charging back to wildly swing his longsword against the rejecting pixels.

"You. . .were always the hero. The one everyone turned to for hope. Even in the lives that you turned your back on us, everyone still reached out to you and... tried to save you." Heaving Horizon overhead, Ren dug in his feet as he slammed it against the magical shield. Energy sparks flew back against him as he fought to break the glass. His blood teared eyes glared deep into Jaune's soul as the blond grimaced over the almost overbearing force hitting against Reflect. "Every life you. . .were chosen as. . .the leader of team JNPR. No matter how strong and skilled I had become upon entering Beacon. . .Ozpin always chose you. And Pyrrha. . ." The tears flowed even more, creating a river of blood falling down his chin as Ren grimaced in anguish, "She. . .would fall in love with you every time! Everyone would! It didn't matter how strong or skilled I would become, I would never compare to you!"

An old memory resurfaced. One of Ren standing with a bent red rose in his hand as he watched Pyrrha finally confess her feelings to a blushing Jaune on the night of the dance. The rose lit up in flames, his face shadowed as he threw the burning flower to the side.

Reflect shattered into shards as Horizon broke through. It continued its path, scoring a deep slash against Jaune's chest. Jaune's hand flew to his bleeding wound, flinching before he grunted from creating a shield to hover in front of him to block a wide swing. Ignoring the deep slash, Jaune forged two straight blades of light into his hands and began to trade swings with Ren's longsword.

"Ren, what are you going on about?! What's happening to you? Please, tell me what's wrong!" Jaune cried out in the flurry of steel strikes clanging in the air.

"You're what's wrong! If you never existed, then I wouldn't have to suffer through the same grief over and over again! My life would be so much easier if you would just crawl up and die! I can't stand the overbearing light you give off!"

Raising Horizon overhead again, a dark mass of vile energy encased the long blade and formed a towering blade of cruel teeth. The very design was curved and its teeth gave off the image of a twisted grinning face with a beady ball of light. Ren screamed in rage as he slammed down the massive blade of darkness, the attack shadowing over Jaune as the blond looked on in stunned silence.

"JUST FUCKING DIE AND LET ME LIVE IN PEACE!"

Jaune ground his teeth as his light feet dashed out of the way. But the swing was surprisingly fast. Jaune's eyes flew open, his breathing hitching as the deadly towering blade fell to his side, lobbing off his left arm. An earthquake like tremble shook the earth as Ren's attack unleashed a massive ripple of dark energy that towered everything in sight in its path of destruction. Jaune's face was twisted in agony, his brow scrunching up as he swallowed back a sob. With trembling hands, he gripped the ripped shoulder of gushing red liquid as he stood beside the massive energy sword.

Pain. So much pain. The feeling of his arm being ripped apart was intense, but it was nothing compared to the agony Ren was displaying. Struggling to continue standing without his sword in hand, Jaune began to trudge his feet towards his anguished friend.

Ren snarled madly, his skin tone now a pale white that would put the very moon to shame, "What do you think you're doing? GET AWAY FROM ME, DAMN IT!" he roared. Black shuriken blades appeared in his hands before he threw them after the blond. Jaune didn't seem to care, taking the hits as the flying bladed stars smacked against his dwindling aura. One of them broke through, stabbing itself in his forehead. It made Jaune stumble and rear his head back. But still, he pushed on with a pained smile despite the energy star's point stabbing into his skull.

They always said he was an idiot. Jaune chuckled hoarsely as another salvo of dark stars dug into his skin. All this time, he had been asking Ren why he wouldn't help him in beating The Game. Never taking his feelings into consideration. He thought it was just a simple matter of trying again. But no, Jaune shook his head regretfully as felt a black focused beam pierce his lungs. A twisted version of Storm Flower floated beside both sides of Ren, firing rapid hyper beams at him.

Ren was broken. All the constant resets had broken his resolve. His friend had experienced heartbreak and loss too many times in what he guessed were hundreds of years gathered together with all his lives. If anything, Ren was an old man torn apart and beaten by the cruel world forcing him to play hero or villain. And it had drained him of everything, leaving behind a husk that wished nothing more than to be left alone.

Yet despite all the torment and agony, Ren still enrolled into Beacon alongside Nora. No matter how many times the green waistcoat huntsman may have abandoned them and even killed some of them in hopes of ending his curse, he would always go back to Beacon to become a member of team JNPR. There was a reason he always came back and Jaune was determined to find out what it was.

" _ **Storm Blades!**_ " Commanding his fanged pistols in mad spin, Ren fired them to tear apart the bloody blond coming ever closer. Jaune's aura had been shattered, leaving little resistance as the green disks sawed right through him, tearing off a chunk of flesh from his shoulder and waist. Anger and disbelief ran though his body as he watched Jaune ignore his fatal wounds and continue walking over.

"Get away!" Ren cried, his bloody tears ceasing as he drew Horizon for a stabbing strike. Jaune smiled weakly at the stance, not deterred in the slightest as he came within stabbing reach.

He wasn't surprised in the slightest as the longsword ran through his chest, puncturing some random organ. No, he simply shook his head with a laugh as he took Ren by utter shock by pulling the dark flowing Player in a one-armed hug.

"I'm sorry."

Ren's breathing stopped. His eyes trembled as his friend's blood began to drench his waistcoat and trickle below their feet. What. . .did he just say?

Tears rolled down Jaune's cheeks as he hugged his best friend tighter, "I'm sorry for ignoring your pain. I've only been thinking about myself and never thought about all the suffering you've had to endure. God only knows how old you really are. And here I suddenly come, attaining the same curse you've been suffering through by yourself. I guess I was really insulting you by believing I could come into this world of yours and fix everything. I really am pathetic." he said with eyes filled with sorrow.

". . .Get away from me."

"But I know we can still find some way to win. And I'll do whatever it takes to save you from your despair!"

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME!" Ren shouted, fighting against the surprisingly strong hold on him. He slumped into the embrace, losing his will as the darkness grew thicker. He felt cold. Hollow. Like he was fading away from existence. The thought brought a smile to his face.

If. . .if Ren could just fade away to nothing, then all this pain would finally leave him. He would finally be free.

Jaune smiled brightly, his face heavily bruised with tints of green, purple, and blue along with the slick red paint of his own blood staining his face. Through the fog of darkness devouring them both and even paling his own skin the same tint as Ren, he held on to his dear friend.

"I promise, I'll save you no matter what."

Even if he too faded away to nothing in the process.

". . . . . You. . . .really are something else, Little Player."

Silence fell upon the world, ceasing the earthquake shocks as the darkness erupting out of Ren froze still. Pain vanished, his wounds stopped bleeding, and Jaune's heart began to steadily beat again. Even his breathing had returned to normal despite the punctured lung. A familiar presence fell behind him, turning his eyes to find Husk's brown paper bagged face greeting him.

"Husk? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked in confusion.

The otherworldly being didn't answer. Too focused on what he was witnessing in front of his very eyes.

Corruption. Even with their status as Player's, those who've inherited The Gamer were still vulnerable to their own negativity. They would Fall, just like any other human. And when that happened, their Data would become corrupted by The God of Darkness and lost forever. Many other hosts had lost their souls to data corruption, never allowing them to be capable of housing the power of The Gamer ever again. That was why only powerful souls were suited for the godlike ability. It was a miracle that Will, Remnant, and Husk had been able to even find three souls to last for so long and not have their Data corrupted.

Will must have known that Lie Ren's Data was beginning to become corrupted. With that in mind, the ball of flaming wisps must have had hurriedly found a new host to help ease the corruption in the form of a friend. Which backfired horribly; Will had never been one to understand how Oum's creations worked. The negativity bubbling within Ren's soul grew to a boiling point threatening to break his soul. And now his soul was corrupted, just about ready to lose its ability to ever house The Gamer. Even worse, it was beginning to infect their newest addition like a virus.

So, why was it that the blond Player was still fighting to save his friend who was already lost? Jaune would only lose himself in the trouble. What kind of masochist could put up with all that pain?

Jaune Arc. What an interesting soul.

Husk sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. Couldn't deny the sheer determination in the kids resolve. Only idiots were too stupid to give up.

It made Husk grin widely as he walked to stand next to the still impaled Player.

About time someone stupid played hero.

"You know, it's probably too late to do anything for him. Ren's Data is about 99.9% corrupted. Once it reaches a hundred, his soul will be incapable of housing The Gamer's gift. The Mind will die. And in a way, your friend will be free of his curse. So, don't you think it's better that you leave him to Fall into his own despair?" Husk asked as he gestured to the frozen fountain of darkness that was Ren.

Husk had a point. Wasn't that what Ren wanted? To be free of his curse? Jaune looked back into the bleeding red eyes replacing Ren's magenta pink orbs, the expression of anguish, sorrow, loathing, and pain cementing his decision as he nodded firmly.

"If Ren truly wanted for his soul to die, then he wouldn't have held on for this long. Something's still pushing him to move forward. He still has hope inside there. And I am going to dig it out!" Jaune said with determined shout.

The conviction made Husk's own decision all the firmer. He shrugged as he reached his dried blood stained bandaged hands into his pocket. It was against the rules, but he was sure even Will would forgive him if it meant keeping its game going.

"Guess there's nothing I can do to stop you, is there?" Husk chuckled as he pulled his hand out. Several digital coded circles enveloped his arm in jumbled mess. Spinning the data around in complicated revolutions, the godly merchant nodded as he found what he was looking for. An odd toothed digital key blinked into his hand. Just what he needed.

"Good thing I forgot to give Will its Admin Keys back. If you're so determined to save your friend from losing his memories and wisdom to the darkness, then I would be a complete jackass if I didn't help you out. Still don't understand what makes you believe you can though. He's one percent away from losing it all."

"A chance is still a chance." Jaune said firmly as he watched Husk point the golden key at Ren's chest. A hologram like lock manifested by a swarm of numbers popped open at the key's presence, blinking rapidly before the sound of a lock snapping open could be heard, "Even if it's just 1%, it's more than enough to try and save my friend. I owe him that much for all the pain I've caused him." he said softly.

"Hmm. I guess this is what you humans call 'Hope'. What a weird emotion." Husk said with a tired sigh. Waving his hand around, the key vanished in a burst of pixels. "I've unlocked Lie Ren's Core, the plane within his soul that houses The Gamer's Mind. All the data he's accumulated over the countless years is stored within along with whatever negativity is corrupting his soul. My job here is done, it's up to you to find the source and eliminate it in whatever way you can. All Players are gifted with special traits that grant certain bonuses, it just turns out that having The Heart of The Gamer allows you the special ability to cure others of Falling. I will warn you of this however," he said with a voice of seriousness, "If you die within his Core, you will cease to exist. Not even all three of us godly beings can restore your soul once its lost within a Core that's been corrupted. For all our endless powers, we are incapable of interfering with a soul besides gifting it with a Gamer's trait. So, try not to die in there."

Bright light flowed gently from Jaune's body as he nodded, "I'm done dying here. It's about time I've started pulling my own weight. Whatever it takes, I promise to save Ren. He's my only male best friend! Without him, all the girls would out number me and do god only knows what to me." Jaune laughed as he felt his body transform into light. Slowly, his body began to flow in lingering wisps into Ren's unlocked Core, transferring him within his soul, "I'll find the hope he's been hiding and smack it across his face! About time he got off his lazy ass and began putting his all into this life. Otherwise I'll be forced to figure out a way to drag Nora and the rest of the team with me in there."

The last of Jaune's body began to enter Ren's soul, leaving only his brightly grinning face behind before joining the rest of his body.

"An Arc never goes back on their word. And I plan on keeping my promise!"

Watching the last of Jaune enter the frozen raven haired Player, Husk couldn't help but continue to watch on as he crossed his arms. The kid was in the one place that none of them could ever reach physically or spiritually. Oum had made it one of many unbreakable rules that they could never interfere with their souls in such a way. Leaving the humans true will to follow their own destinies. All except a select few that were permanently locked with certain destinies.

"Let's see just how strong your own will is, kid." Husk smirked as he sat down to wait and see the results.

A bigger battle was about to take place. A clash of hope and despair.

Wonder which one was stronger?

* * *

 **One final push! Despair has set in, but it's not too late to bring out the hope buried deep within! People, we are about to go Diving! Quick! Someone play Simple and Clean, we need atmosphere!**

 **As for the lack of DLC today, I'll try to set something up for next week to please ya's. In the meantime, if you're in need of some extra reading, I would suggest my other story published last week. Arc Works, a series of one-shots for future stories in the making. I already have two one-shots already published and one final one that I hope to release tomorrow. If you're a fan of smut, I would wait until tomorrow. The next one is a filthy one. Got some advice from SpookyNooodle on how to write the scenes, so hopefully it'll be up to par with his.**

 **I'll be honest, I'm going to be busy looking for a new place to live for the next month. My writing will suffer, but I will try to write what I can. Hopefully I can finish Chapter 20 next Saturday.**

 **Now, for bed. Been skipping out on sleep lately.**

 **Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	20. The Strength to Act

**. . . .Holy fuck! What the hell did I do?!**

 **NeoShadows here with a new chapter for all ya's. And what a chapter it is.**

 **34K+. Fuck's sake, how the hell did that happen!? I'll be honest here, part of the reason this chapter took so long to write is because I had been writing two Monday's ago when I hit 5K and decided to take a break to watch some new anime. I found one called Log Horizon and sadly went on a week long binge of the show along with Shokugeki no Soma. I cut myself off during the second season of Log Horizon and at the fith episode of Shokugeki no Soma to get my shit together and write. In one week, I busted out more than 25K+ of words and didn't even notice till I finished. My Beta A Fan1204 must have been strangling my imaginary throat when I sent it to him on Saturday night.**

 **For those who would feel overwhelmed by the massive chapter, I apologize. I should have split it. But I thought 'what the hell?' and left it as is. A gift for all you patient readers. And you better appreciate it, damn it! I think I may get carpel tunnel.**

 **House hunting is going so-so. We're packing up but we're still waiting to see if we get accepted. I pray to god we do. Got the money for it all, but we got to have good credit. Have no idea how that's going, I just submit the application and deliver the damn money. I think I may be in danger of gray hair at his point.**

 **Review Time!**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Yeah, funny thing! . . .I've never actually seen anything to the Fate universe. And I've been using Unlimited Blade Works in light form. I bring shame to my anime body pillow of Weiss. Don't judge me, damn it!**

 **EmberFlame03: . . .What kind of cookies we talking 'bout?**

 **Najdrox: How did we never see the connections? The mustache, I've seen it before!**

 **Flametusk: I. Fucking loved XIII's OST. The ending one always made me shed manly tears! I'm only on Chapter 6 of XV, writing takes up a lot of my time. Bet your ass I'm going to play the shit out of it during my break.**

 **Adragonoid75: Don't worry, we haven't seen the last of little old sunshine. I got plans for her. You'll see her again. Glad you love her. Never knew my OC would gather so much love. Makes me happy.**

 **The NakedFlame: . . . . . . .Okay. I think. [Whispers] Ditto.**

 **True Discord: It's reviews like yours that keep going. I absolutely love them. I'm very happy that you've come to enjoy the story so far. And that you've come to love Ren's character. Tell you the truth, adding him in was one of the last minute decisions that popped into my brain while brainstorming. That's how Mulitplayer was born. If you loved the last chapter, then you're going to fawn over this one like a schoolgirl. Keep reading, my friend.**

 **Benthino: Dramatic? Boy, you ain't see nothing yet! This one's going to pull at your heartstrings and make you cry. Prepare yourself, son!**

 **Amusebeard: You know, I thought the exact same thing during the crossroad scene. Great minds think alike, I guess.**

 **Wait, does that mean I have a great mind? Sweet.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: You and me have a love-hate relationship, I swear. I love your omakes written in the reviews, but I hate it when they're cut off just as I'm getting into it. I want to read your crack fics, damn it! I'm always eagerly waiting to see what you come up with next, it's maddening. Also, I've been there. When I turned 21 last year my friends took me out drinking and bowling till I was stumbling home with a stupid grin on my face. Damn Nico, that girl kept shoving shots in my mouth. Good luck on your end, mi amigo. Got my own shit to deal with too. As long as we have out incongnito windows and alone time, we'll pull through. And tequila, never fucking forget your fight juice. It's practically medicine to us now.**

 **L337 m4n: Undertale has been a great inspiration with my works. Never would have thought such a cute looking game could be so deep and make me weep. I've heard of Familiar of Zero, but never watched it or read it. One of those things on my Anime List to check out when I have the time. But how knows? There have been many The Gamer Titles other then the four you know of. Lost to The God of Darkness maybe? Only time will tell.**

 **TazalTerminals: My Fairy Tail stories are on a hiatus, you could say. I don't know when I'll get back to them, and if I do, much of them will have to go under heavy rewrites now that I've grown as a writer. I'll have to see.**

 **SonicFanFlames: Glad you're a fellow champion! Sucks that you didn't get Fire Emblem, I got both Awakening and Fates and love the hell out of them. Kukui kicked my ass, but I made it though with only my Magnezone left to take out his Braviary. My Friend Code's 5386-8246-5452, Edgar. If I'm around online, shout out a battle. I'll whoop your ass, son. Wait till you see this chapter, this one's going to blow your mind.**

 **Zachary2: You actually looked it up? Hah! The things I discover when I find a new anime or game on my list. Guilty pleasures. And Pyrrha's destiny is set in stone. The only question is; Can Jaune break the stone and alter her fate?**

 **Jalfaro16025: Aw, thanks. Glad you love the story. Never would have thought it would garner such affection. Wait till you read this chapter. Glad to have you on board.**

 **Time for the long awaited ending to Jaune and Ren's conflict! I suggest opening up some action songs and emotional music for this one. I suggest Die, Lusus Naturae, Wings, Cold(Battle Arrangement by Jeremiah George), Divide, and I'm the One.**

 **Clear your schedules, people. We're diving into a big one!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go back to touching up my culinary arts skills. Shokugeki no Soma has inspired me to work my hardest! Such techniques and new ideas!**_

 _ **I won't stop until I've created a dish that makes woman orgasm! And strip them of their clothing!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 20: The Strength to Act.**

Ruby couldn't help but sigh as she carefully picked another red berry from a hanging stem reaching down one of the many trees around them.

It had been a good hour since Jaune and Ren had left to patrol the area and they hadn't returned. Pyrrha said not to worry, their team was used to the two of them disappearing to do god knows what. The red head believed it was so that they could have some guy time to themselves. Nora said it was so that the two could express their forbidden love for each other in the safety of the grand red woods. Ruby wanted to believe the former, her cheeks growing red at the erotic scene.

But the gnawing ball of worry in the pit of her stomach was saying otherwise. Even team RWBY could feel the underlining tension between the two Huntsmen. It was as if they were tensing up for a fight against another. Sometimes Ruby wondered if they were simply acting nice to one another for show. She could still remember when Jaune had talked to her about how he and Ren were struggling to get along.

With how long they had been gone, she was worried that they might have finally snapped and went at each other's throats. It made her wish there was something she could do to help them. Jaune helped her out by simply talking to her about her problems with Weiss. Maybe all he needed was someone to talk to too?

"Hey Rubes, how's the berry picking going?"

"Just about done!" Ruby shouted back to her big sister as she finished dropping the last of one of the materials on their list in her gathering sack.

Since Jaune and Ren were taking so long, the two teams decided to get a head start on scavenging the materials on their lists. Who knows? Maybe the two of them were doing the same? Hopefully.

Pounding the spike head into the lower base of the tree, Weiss smiled proudly as she firmly fixed it in place and watched a steady drip of red sap fall into her clear bottle.

"Despite all the grime and stickiness, I'm actually enjoying this little camp out. Father would have never allowed me to perform such activities." she said brightly as she awaited her bottle to fill up.

"Aww, our little heiress is getting down and dirty. I'm sure Jaune would be kicking himself at the missed opportunity of seeing his Snow Angel with sticky liquid on her pretty face." Yang teased as she wiggled her brows.

Weiss growled as her face grew a hot blush, "Shut up, you bimbo! Why must you paint out such a vulgar image?" Especially with the blond idiot.

"I only speak the truth! Show me the law that says that's wrong!"

"She's not wrong." Nora furiously nodded as she juggled an empty bottle on her nose. Her tongue stuck out as she focused on keeping it balanced before throwing up another one on top, "Our fearless leader is practically head over heels for you. Kinda. Lately I think his eyes have been drawing towards other girls. He's been hanging out with Velvet, they even went out yesterday."

"Really?" Weiss quirked a brow in disbelief. Jaune Arc went out on a date? Her elegant brows knitted together as she subtly bit the inside of her cheek. What was that odd feeling in her chest? Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

Butting into the conversation, Pyrrha waved her hands around with a tight smile, "Jaune was simply paying Velvet back for worrying her so much! It wasn't like it was a date or anything." she said nervously. She refused to believe that her lovable blond had gone out with another woman that wasn't her! It just wasn't fair!

"Jaune came back smelling of woman's perfume, a stuffed belly, and a bright smile. Pretty sure he went on a date." Nora said slowly with a flat look on her face, "What does it matter? Jaune's a healthy teenager who simply wants to spread his seed onto the lovely lady masses like every other guy! Except Ren, he's too lazy for romance, sadly." she pouted as she thought back to her partner. Nora had tried seducing him before, but the human sloth would simply quirk his brow and ignore her advances. Spoil sport, she'd rope him into her bed one day! Hell, she might as well try going for her whole team while she was at it. Maybe Ren was into orgies?

"So, he was on a date?" Ruby couldn't help but ask. She was curious, the thought of her best guy friend going out on a date peaked her interest.

"What does it matter?" Weiss said in a huff as she snatched the gathering bag from Ruby's hands. She checked off the item on their list, keeping her icy blue eyes on the paper as her friends turned to her, "Jaune's romantic life is of no interest. The idiot can date whatever floozies he wants for all I care."

"Did she just call Velvet a floozy?" Ruby whispered to Yang.

"Yup! The feminine mind says some rather insulting things when it's jealous."

"I. Am not jealous. I just don't understand why Jaune is always trying to ask me out when he has plenty of other easy prospects." She should have known that the blond knight with the kind smile was a player.

"Weiss, I think you might be acting jelly right now. If that's the case, I think we need some Peanut Jaunner to fix this."

"That's the worst pun you've made today." Weiss answered back with a deadpan expression. It didn't even sound clever.

Yang shrugged as she capped another bottle courtesy of Blake's handiwork, "Give me a minute and I'll be sure to come up with something better. The fact remains, our little princess is a little jealous that our dork knight has options. It's her own fault, she keeps turning him down when all he wants is a chance. Never know what you got until you lose it, I guess." the busty blonde jabbed as she twirled her silky hair around her finger, "Jaune must be realizing that there's plenty of fine fish in the sea. Who knows? He just might ask me out one of these days."

And unlike her teammate, Yang wasn't afraid to give Jaune a chance. If you ignored his poor pickup lines and low self-esteem, the guy wasn't too bad. He looked a lot better than some of the guys on campus and he was pretty fun to hang out with. All those sparring sessions this last month had made Yang see why Pyrrha was infatuated with him. For a dense guy with a hero complex, Jaune was actually a catch.

If he ever asked her out, she was sure to throw him a bone and see how it would go from there.

Weiss rolled her arms as Yang grinned smugly, "Please, as if he would waste his time with a brawler with terrible tastes in jokes. It's obvious he's into woman of a certain class." she said with a satisfied smile. She would give Jaune one thing, he had good taste in woman.

Yang nodded her head, making Weiss's smirk only grow further, "True, guess he's into woman with flat chests. And I ain't exactly chopping fruit on my babies like a certain washboard here."

"You bitch!"

Fire and Ice butted heads, growling at one another as the four girls scooted back from the ensuing fight. Except Nora, the girl was cheering for blood.

Blake paid her teammates no mind as she finished up on the last bottle of sap. Kneeling at the base of the tree, she carefully began to twist the pike out as she tried to ignore their squabbling.

As if Jaune would go for either of them. He may have been pinning after Weiss at the moment, but sooner or later he would realize how much of a pain she could be with her high-class mannerisms. And Yang was too much to handle with her partying nature and bad puns. Blake loved her partner, but it was hard to live with the purple eyed brawler. One can only take so much of the two in one day. The cat eared huntress nodded surely with her thoughts, firm in her beliefs.

After getting to know Jaune these past few weeks, she had come to realize that he wasn't as bad as the humans she once hated. He was kind, strong willed, had a heart of gold, and apparently liked cats. A guy like him wouldn't fall in love with her friends. Not when he had Blake.

The treacherous loose thought caused Blake to shake her head in annoyance. Where did that come from? She blushed as the image of two nights ago when he took her in his strong arms popped in her head. Ever since that night, she found that her heart sped up a bit when he looked at her. It was starting to frustrate her how Jaune was easily able to break her cool. Even worse, he was beginning to invade her dreams and her smutty novels.

"Ooooh~? What's got you blushing, Blakey?"

Blake froze as she heard the voice of the hammer user of team JNRP. Turning her head slowly to see the knowing grin courtesy of Nora staring at her as she knelt beside her. Of all the people to catch her fantasizing, why her?

Gathering her own team's items, Pyrrha was doing her best to not get involved with their childish arguing. So what if her leader who she was crushing on went out with a girl or two? At the end of the day, Jaune would always come back to their dorm, to her, waiting for him with a loving smile patiently to soothe his troubles. The perfect example for a future wife if any. While they weren't always around one another, she still had him all to herself for the next four years. Plenty of time to worm her way into his heart.

Strategy, it was all about strategy.

"I don't get it." Ruby scratched her head as she watched the odd scene, "Are you all saying you guys like like Jaune?" Is that what was going on?

Stopping her arguing with Weiss, Yang tapped her lips in thought at the question, "Eh, it's more of a pride thing over Ice Queen. Jaune's cute, but I'm still not sure if he's boyfriend material just yet. More of a casual fuck really." she said casually with a waving hand.

"He's an adequate friend at the moment." Weiss answered, scrunching up her nose at Yang's rebuttal as she flipped back her ponytail, "I wouldn't say he's a bad choice compared to the many suitors I've dealt with, in fact he's leagues above them. But I'm still not certain that he's what I'm looking for. Not to mention his lack of self-esteem and poor manners isn't attractive in the slightest."

"Why am I getting dragged into this?" Blake grumbled as she found Nora poking her shoulders repeatedly, the girl's eyebrows wiggling at her with a wide grin. She sighed, giving in as she decided to give her own two cents, "I'm not interested in dating, but if I had to pick a boyfriend, I would pick someone like Jaune." she looked away, crossing her arms as she tried to keep her face cool, "Someone with a lot of heart who fights for what he believes in. Not to mention his dense attitude can be pretty cute."

Snickering as she got the raven-haired ninja girl to confess, Nora stood back up as she spoke cheerfully, "I wouldn't mind having Jaune as a boyfriend. He's already one of my best friends. Only on the condition that he understands that I will only marry him along with Ren. We're a packaged deal!"

 _'Okay, at least I know that I don't have too much to worry about right now.'_ Pyrrha sighed in relief as she held her chest. Her green eyes did lean towards Blake and her red dusted cheeks, _'My thoughts on Blake are confirmed though. She's the only one I have to watch out for. Her, and Velvet.'_ It looked like she had two women to watch out for. No, wait it was three. She almost forgot about Tsuki and her boxed lunches. The busty ebony haired huntress had literally come out of nowhere.

That was alright. They didn't call her the goddess of victory for nothing.

"And we don't have to guess if Pyrrha likes her partner." Yang said dully, getting nods from the rest of the girls as they watched the tournament champion go off in a blush daydream. No question about that at all. Yang directed her attention back onto her little sister, quirking her lips teasingly as she asked her question, "What about you, Rubes? You're awfully buddy-buddy with your fellow team leader since day one. Don't tell me you don't think about him like that after all the time you two talk to another."

Ruby tilted her head cutely, blinking owlishly as she answered, "Not really? Jaune's my best friend, excluding Weiss, so I haven't really thought about him in that kind of light." she shrugged. What did they expect out of her? Just because she was only fifteen that she would be fawning over her male best friend like that? As if anyone could fall in love that quickly. Except Pyrrha, and maybe Professor Antheia, but they were weird, "I mean, if I had to fall in love with a guy, then I guess that guy would have to be Jaune. We share a lot of things in common and have the same dream in mind. If we ever wind up single when we're older and in search of a family, I really wouldn't mind marrying him either. I'm sure we'd make the cutest kids to boot!" she smiled innocently.

The girls stared at Ruby in disbelief. How could she say all that with a straight face? Well, not so much a straight face, more like childlike and innocent. They shouldn't really count on a serious answer from a girl only fifteen years old.

Mentally, Pyrrha chalked down Ruby on her list of rivals for Jaune's heart.

"Eh, if anything, Jaune will fall under a harem plan." Nora nodded firmly, "A guy like that wouldn't like so many woman fighting over him, leaving said woman to suck up their pride and share him. Or settle things with a Death Battle. Personally, I vote the latter!"

"Either way, I would like to steer the conversation away from the blond buffoon onto something more important." Weiss interjected. She didn't like the odd look in Nora's eyes, so the sooner they talked about something else, the better. "The Vytal Festival is drawing ever closer, which means representatives of the major kingdoms will soon be arriving. And I believe it would be an excellent idea to greet the students participating in the tournament as representatives of Beacon Academy."

"You want to spy on them, don't you?" Ruby said bluntly.

Weiss huffed as she turned away from the judging eyes upon her. She wasn't going to dignify that with an answer.

Dropping back to sit against one of the red leaved trees with an eased sigh, Yang began to speak, "I did hear some buzz about the tournament while in Vale. Apparently, they're even planning some festivities tomorrow before it all goes down. Sounds like fun from what I heard."

"Really? Then why don't we go check it out tomorrow?" Ruby suggested, "It's Saturday, so it shouldn't be problem with the teachers. And after the last two weeks we had, it would do us all some good to relax and enjoy a day out." she smiled.

Pyrrha tapped her lips in thought. It sounded alright to her. God knew a nice day out with the team was long overdue. Especially after the events of the FoF. Talking Jaune into it shouldn't be too difficult.

"I suppose Jaune would agree as well. I can always guilt trip him on the off chance he doesn't want to." Pyrrha agreed.

With that in mind, Ruby was ready to throw her hands up in a cheer.

Until the very world tremored. A powerful earthly shock rattled the ground touching their feet, nearly toppling them back as they tried to steady their balance. Confusion and panic ran among them before they witnessed an odd scene. Above the tree lines a black tearing rush of vile energy tore through more than a mile-long radius, dividing Forever Fall in its path of destruction. An anguished cry bellowed in the wind as a massive whipping gale rushed by them at the point of origin of it all.

Blake clapped her hands over her aching ears as the very sound pierced her eardrums, "What is that?!" she shouted over the gale.

"I don't know! Some kind of an earthquake?" Weiss shouted back.

Warning sirens erupted from each girl's scroll. Which meant only one thing. A huntsman or huntress nearby was in trouble and needed help. Struggling past the tremors and whipping wind, the six huntresses readied their weapons as they sprinted off in search of the multiple SOS signals.

"What about Jaune and Ren?" Pyrrha said in worry. Nora shook her head back, all playfulness gone as she answered back.

"They'll be fine! Jaune's more than strong enough to handle some Grimm, and with Ren by his side, I'm sure there's nothing here that can get in their way!" she grinned confidently.

Ruby nodded back, turning her head for the tree line ahead, "She's right. Right now, we should focus on helping those who need help. Weiss!" she called to her partner as said snow themed girl turned to her with question, "Message Professor Antheia on the situation. We have to make sure her scroll got the SoS."

"Right!"

Brushing past a thick cover of red bushes, the six huntresses came to a stop in a wide clearing devastated by the rush of vile energy. Several Beacon students laid around the clearing, their clothing ripped and damaged. From the looks of it, the hunters were the closest to the towering energy blasting past them and were hit by the aftershock. With their auras falling into the red, their scrolls had immediately sent out a beacon signal for help.

Growls and faint howls suddenly filled the air, putting the girls on alert as a black miasma wafted around the ground from the tree lines around them. Red beady lights peeked out from the tree's.

Grimm, and plenty of them.

Loading a fresh set of ammo into Crescent Rose, Ruby nodded in signal to the rest of her friends to prepare for a fight. They could worry about Ren and Jaune later. Now it was time to fight.

* * *

Darkness filled the endless void Jaune fell through. His eyes remained shut as he continued to fall with no sign of stopping in his descent. It was almost as if he was sinking deeper into an ocean of darkness with no sense of time or space.

 _ **'. . . .Ha. . .hahaha. . .Hahahahaha. . .HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH!'**_

An odd pulse signaled off from Jaune's body as his chest grew scolding hot. His scar burned brightly, dimming in color until an odd black wisp burst from his chest. Free from its prison, the black wisp began to dance around the falling blond below it. It spun in joy, flaring with a dark energy as it flew in front of Jaune's face.

 _ **'There's more than one way to get back what's mine. Just you wait, you fake. I'll be back for my fate eventually. And that's a promise!'**_

Moving away from Jaune, the wisp began to spin around madly before shooting for the surface of whatever plane it found itself in. It was done doing nothing.

It wanted its freedom. One way, or another.

* * *

In the frozen outside world, Husk sat by on crossed legs as he waited for the end result of the fight within the still Lie Ren. In his wait, he lazily spun the coded key circles of the Admin's Key around his arm, fixing whatever little burps had randomly popped up in the Code of the World.

"Damn Wisp, making me do all the grunt work. Just because I can freely interact with The World doesn't mean he just dump all this glitch work on me while I'm fixing the Players." Husk grumbled, absently mending a piece of code dealing with physics. He didn't want anyone in the world to walk through a door. . .again. "Why can't he have Remnant take care of this crap? She's more responsible than me! . . .Kinda. Chick's a sadist really. I can kinda see why he wouldn't hand the keys over to fix a few things." Knowing the god like woman, she would use the keys to create even more monstrous beasts for the NPCs to battle with. She always loved that kind of thing.

As 'gods' of Remnant, it was their duty to regularly do some patch work on the coding of the world the Players resided in. Every once in a while, the coding would randomly glitch, messing up the mechanics of the natural order of things and make things even crazier. If one of them didn't regularly maintain the data every few hours, then things would go out of whack. Like the time Remnant had to suffer through some flying spaghetti monster terrorizing the planet as their one true god. Husk shivered with horror every time he recalled the monstrosity. Who the hell would worship something stupid like that?

Once he had quickly dropped by Will to let it know about the current situation and received his scolding, the damn bastard had left him its Admin Key to work over some patches as another form of punishment. Work like that was always boring to Husk. He wasn't into coding like The Will, he was a god of item design, weapon design, and abilities! In the end, Husk sighed like a child listening to its parents scolding and went back to the real world to work and wait for the results of the fight below.

Scratching his bagged head, Husk spun another few rings of code around as he slouched further. What he wouldn't do for something more fun to do. Maybe he could open his own Admin Key and start working on some legendary weapons? Surely Will wouldn't get prissy if he worked on his own things for a bit instead of the bastard's coding?

With that in mind, Husk was ready to pocket the Will's Admin Key to do his own thing before an odd pressure began to bear down on his body. He grit his teeth in surprise, watching as a rippled of energy blew out of Ren to smack him in the chest. An odd distorted laughter rang out from the raven-haired boy, not belonging to him as a red-black beacon of light blew up from his body.

Huh. That didn't look good. Not one bit.

A high pitch whine stung Husk's ear as a ball of flaming darkness shot out from Ren's body. The sight of it put him on alert as he stood back up with tense muscles as he watched it dance around the air in celebration.

"FInaLLy! I'M fReE!"

"Jaune?" Husk's drawn face blinked in confusion. Was that his voice? No, he shook his head as his eye's narrowed. It was a little deeper, with a hint of an attitude to it and arrogance.

The black wisp spun around to face the odd man with a paper bagged face and dirty merchant's robes. Two red flames grew on its balled form, appearing as eyes as it grew a flame mouth to give a twisted grin at the god.

"HolD ON a momEnT! I JUSt neeD to FIX my Voice REAl qUIcK!" It cackled before seeming to cough. It smiled as it cleared out whatever was messing with its speech before speaking again, "Hello, God of Worldly Possessions! It's nice to meet you after only gazing at you from that hell hole of existence. I've been dying to meet one of the jack asses who robbed me of my life without so much as a second thought!" it grinned toothily with narrowed eyes.

"I'm simply a designer! I ain't got nothing to do with whatever the hell happened to you. . .Jaune? You are Jaune, right?" Husk asked with a tilt of his head.

The wisp seemed to shrug, never losing it wide grin, "I seem to have the memories of this world's Jaune within in me. So, what the fuck do you think? Because I know for a fact that the one in possession of my body isn't the real me!" it roared with hatred in its voice.

Husk clapped his hands together in sudden realization as he nodded his head, "Oh! I'm guessing you're the bug I found in Jaune's Core yesterday? You're a tricky little bugger, yes you are!" he cooed as if he was speaking to a puppy, only infuriating the ball of darkness even more. He shrugged as he pocketed his hands in his pants, "I'd been hoping to fix you, but for some weird ass reason, you were able to reject even my attempts while I was in possession of Will's Admin Key. A bug like yourself is not something we like to leave alone. So, how about you just play nice, and fade away to nothing." Husk said in a stern tone of voice.

The dark wisp bellowed with laughter. "AS IF! I'M FINALLY FREE OF MY DAMN PRISON! IT'S TIME I GET MY BODY BACK!" it howled before vanishing from sight in an after image.

Husk cursed, spinning his head around for the dark presence before gasping in pain. He blinked, narrowing his eyes as he found his chest pierced by a dark glob of energy. The glob twitched, twisting around to drill through his body before exiting out his back. Sneaky little bug!

Flying around the godly being, the dark wisp laughed in victory as it held a mass of codded ringed data in its possession. The sight of it made Husk stop dead in his tracks.

"The Will's Admin Key!?"

The dark wisp nodded, grinning widely as it began to twist the data around, "I wonder, if a god can create a body from nothing?" it mused deviously.

Silver straight swords slid out from within Husk's sleeves, falling into his hands as he readied himself to stop the bug. A strong force unfortunately stayed his hand as he cursed, fighting to break the strong force.

"What's wrong? Can't a god fight within the World Pause? And here I thought you guys were all powerful."

Husk grinned as he shook his head with a laugh, "That's where you're wrong. I've simply got to equip my own Admin Key to fix the little problem." From thin air, ringed data encircled Husk's arm, spinning madly until coming to a stop. Whatever had been keeping him from raising his blades to fight vanished as his grin nearly split his bagged face. He then vanished in a split second, leaving no trace that he had ever been there. The dark wisp blinked, moving its body around for any sign of the godly man.

"Don't blink. _**Spatial Rend**_ _ **!**_ "

From nothing, Husk simply appeared behind the dark wisp, his twin blades raised high above his head with twisting black-purple energy cladding the swords. With nothing to defend itself with, the dark wisp raised the mass of data it had stolen in front of it.

A paper-thin line appeared in the air Husk slashed down his blades, passing by the wisp as nothing appeared to happen. No damage, no destruction, nothing.

"Wait for it, here comes the best part." Husk chuckled as he fell on his feet.

The wisp blinked, not understanding what the bagged man was speaking of. Until it felt it. The paper-thin line began to warp, devouring the fragments of space and time in a black void. It was as if the slash had erased whatever it attacked to nothing.

But still, the wisp remained. Puzzling Husk at the sight of the bug still existing in the space he had destroyed to nonexistence. His drawn eyes fell to the Admin Key it its possession. Well, that explained it.

"Cool, seems this key can do more than create. I was really worried there for a second. Almost thought I would be reduced to nothing!" the wisp grinned before humming in interest as it stopped spinning the key's data around, "Oh? What's this? P. S. Vault? From the looks of it, all the Souls of every Player ever granted The Gamer are in here, including my own? And it's still active, just my luck." it hissed angrily before a tendril of its vile flames reached into the data, "I don't care. I want my body back, I WANT MY LIFE BACK!"

"Don't think so." Husk said with barely constrained boredom as he raised the point of one of his silver swords up. Data like bits of energy began to gather in an orb hovering around the point, "Will will be beyond pissed that I was forced to obliterate his key, but it can always make another one like that. But you? You're going back to whatever nothingness you were born from. We can't have anything interfering with our game. So, be gone."

"Nothingness?" the wisp began to chuckle before laughing hysterically as its darkness grew bigger, "I wasn't born from nothing! I have memories, thoughts, feelings, hope and dreams! And you bastards took it all away from me without so much as a second thought! And I plan to take it all back."

" _ **Ratio De Neant! (Voi**_ _ **d Ratios)**_!" Gathering enough energy, Husk reared his sword back before stabbing it forward. A rushing stream of emerald numerical symbols fired from the orb, disintegrating everything it its path to nothing as it headed for the dark wisp. It grinned openly, the sound of a twinkling ting echoing from the data mass just as it was crashed into by the stream of data.

"Hah~. Too late."

Striking its target, the crashing data of numbers and symbols spiraled around it, twisting it like a constricting snake. The data continued to twist, releasing audible crunches and snapping as its form began to stretch high into the heavens and above to space unknown to man. And with one final snap, the twisting data had squeezed its target and itself to nothing, vanishing with a vacuum like boom. The very space it had occupied was devoid of matter, time, or concept, leaving a gaping void of darkness in its wake.

Husk sighed grudgingly as it slumped, flicking his swords back into the depths of his long coat as he reached into his many pockets. Damn little bug, it just had to make him rip a hole into the reality of the game. Will was going to be pissed. Finding what he was looking for, the merchant god pulled out a quarter sized cube of glowing blue data in between his fingers. He rolled it around his palm, nodding in satisfaction before chucking it into the space of nothing.

As if nothing had ever happened, the space that had been destroyed by Husk's attack had mended itself together, leaving nothing out of place. Turning back to the slash of nothing from earlier, he repeated the same action, putting everything back together again.

"At least we won't have to worry about that little bug anymore. I shudder to think of what would have happened if it gained its original body back. I blame Will for just dropping the Soul of Jaune into the current one after he died. Something like that has never happened before, there were bound to be problems from the start. Don't need a walking paradox around here, let alone a Fifth Player. That just won't do."

Bright light shone from Husk's Admin Key, making his groan loudly as he heard a pinging sound in his ears. Great, just what he needed. A call from Will.

Pressing two of his fingers against his temple, Husk prepared himself for a scolding of several lifetimes as he turned back to Ren's frozen body.

Unaware of the small ball of light appearing out of thin air behind him before blinking out of sight.

* * *

Still falling into the ocean void, Jaune's eyes began to scrunch up, slowly blinking as his blue eyes stared into the darkness. Confusion filled his mind. Where was he? Why was he here? And why was he falling?

 _'JUST FUCKING DIE AND LET ME LIVE IN PEACE!'_

 _'Ren?'_ Memories flooded back into his head, the past events reminding Jaune of what he was doing. Right, he almost forgot. He was diving into his best friends Core to fix whatever was corrupting Ren's Soul to stop him from falling and losing his ability to possess the Mind of The Gamer. That just begged the question of how he was going to be doing that when he was sinking into some dark void with no end in sight.

A thin beam of light seemed to answer his question from the depths of the void. Jaune frowned in confusion as he followed the beam, grimacing as it grew wider and filled the darkness with a blinding light. As he continued to gently fall, Jaune suddenly found his feet touching a glass like surface, his very step dimming the light to reveal him standing at a grassy crossroads. They sky above him was dark, gray clouds hung above his head looking as if it was ready to pour. He flinched slightly as he rubbed his eyes. Where was he now? Sighing, he turned his eyes around him, finding an ever-expanding gloom forest grove behind him.

"Is this what a Core looks like? I thought it would look a lot fancier and data like than this." Jaune said as he turned back to the crossroads in front of him. Three separate paths stood before him along with a worn old oak sign post of where each path lead. "Memoir of Despair, Memoir of Regret, Memoir of Heartbreak? What does that mean? Argh, I can't make heads or tails of this place." Jaune scowled.

Was he supposed to choose one of these paths to progress? Which one was the right one? Was there a right one? All of this was confusing. Where was a help guide when you need one?

"Welcome to The Core of The Mind!"

Jaune spun his head around in alarm as he heard a loud cheery voice greet him. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, trying to find the voice's owner only to find nothing. Where did that come from? A buzzing from his scroll caught his attention, turning his sights on his scroll. From its trembling body, a blue lucent wisp of flames flew out of the screen. The flaming wisp seemed to grin at him, popping out a darker set of blue pupils made of flames to stare at him.

"Hello, Heart! My, you really have become stronger in just a short amount of time! Uwah, it fills my flaming being with pride to see you so powerful." it chuckled.

"Who. . .are you?" Jaune asked, furrowing his brows at the strange wisp. Something about it was nagging at him. Like he knew what it was. Why did it seem familiar?

The blue wisp grinned cheekily, "You know me, Heart! After all, I've been helping you, directing you, guiding you, and supporting you since you first awoke in The Emerald Forest! Come on, even that poor excuse of a Husk has said my name to you."

 **Thump!**

Jaune's body trembled with numerous emotions as he stared at the wisp with shaking eyes. His heart beat rose, increasing with rhythm as he felt his fists tighten to the point blood dripped through his fingers. His voice grew deep with anger and rage, seeming to only make the wisp's grin grow wider.

"The Will." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. One proven true as Will bobbed up and down in a nod.

"I am The Director of Oum's Creations, The Lingering Force that Commands the World, and The One Who Writes His Script; I am The Lingering Wisp of Oum, The Will of All." it said elegantly.

If Will's grin could grow any further, it would have to grow bigger as it found the old gray blade of Crocea Mors cutting it down. It chuckled as its body was continuously slashed by several swings of the raging sword, harmlessly phasing its body.

"You really are something else. I always wondered how you would react if you were to become a Player. I'm so happy you had given me the chance to house your Soul with The Gamer. Otherwise this playthrough would have been the same as the others, minus The Remix." it shrugged, not caring as a Power Strike slashed at it diagonally.

Jaune huffed as he stopped swinging his sword, glaring angrily at the nonchalant god like being. It was the reason for all the messes in this world! The one who brought so much despair to Ren, to the other Players, and ruined their hope.

"Wait." Jaune paused, staring at the Will in question as he thought back to what it said, "What did you say? I gave you the chance to house The Gamer in my soul? You're saying it's my fault that I'm stuck as a Player in your game?" he frowned as he sheathed Crocea Mors in its sheath.

"Why of course! It's not as if I just chose players at random. I mean, I was pretty lucky to have you chosen seeing as you could ease Mind's Falling status; too bad that back fired though. But yes, because of your actions in your past life, you gave me the opening to drop you into our game! Ain't that awesome?"

"Define awesome." Jaune growled, feeling the urge to draw his blade again, "Ever since I've awoken to this strange new reality, things have been warped. I've died five times in less than a month, had my arms broken and lobbed off, cut apart, run through, and nearly burned alive in such a short time. My best friend turns out to be a cynical slacker who could care less about those around him and I've had to stop a crazy organization hell bent on cutting off the ears of Faunus to make them look human. All because of you."

"Hey, I just give out Wills with certain goals and dreams in mind, what NPC's do with them is none of my business. Though I got to say, Holt Delmo's Will was fun to construct. Who knew it would fall into such a tragic back story." it chuckled. "But enough about me, let's talk about you! Seems you've found yourself in quite a pickle here, Heart. Diving into Mind's Corrupted Core without so much as a thought to your own safety? That's pretty reckless. Mind's a single digit away from losing his memories and abilities to the God of Darkness, making him incapable of housing The Gamer ever again like so many others. And even worse, you're stuck inside here! If you die here, even I won't be able to bring you back as a simple NPC. Your Data will be erased from existence, never to be recovered. Did you think about that?" it asked with a pensive stare.

"You're worried about me?" Jaune said with a scoff as he crossed his arms over his chest. He glared at the burning blue wisp, "You seemed just fine watching me killed off earlier. What's changed?"

"Well, I could revive you every time for one. You're basically immortal. But if you die within the Core, your data will flow within the doomed stream of energy to oblivion. I may be a god, but I ain't a perfect god. You were born by Oum's design, not mine. So, it would be impossible for even Husk, Remnant, and I to recreate you from nothing. The result would simply be a lousy copy, a palette swap with a different name if even done correctly without any mistakes. It would be better if you just let Mind go back into being an NPC, it's what he wants anyways. Better than losing two Players."

"I can't do that. Not when he's in so much pain." Jaune shook his head with firm resolve, "From what I've come to understand in such a short amount of time, Falling occurs when someone's negativity becomes too much for them to handle and taints their souls. They give up. They stop trying to fight and change things." he said sadly, looking down as he recalled how Ren always acted. Lazy, uncaring, just following along with the others with no real input. Just living along mindlessly, not giving a damn about what would fall onto the world or others.

Ren gave up. At least that's what he said.

"If that's true, then with all your unlimited wisdom tell me; why did it take Ren this long to Fall after he had already given up?"

Will's expression became confused, blinking as it stared into those stern blue eyes glaring back at him, "Well, Mind's status as a Player has helped to slow down the erosion of his soul. You being introduced simply put him over the edge he was already teetering on. It's as simple as that."

It wasn't. Jaune knew that for a fact. And the answer laid in Ren's despaired eyes as he fell, "That's not it. I've asked him once before why he hadn't simply stopped playing along with your games and live a normal life. But he never answered me and grew furious. That tells me that he still has a reason, one that he doesn't want others to know about for some stupid reason." Jaune chuckled with a grin. He turned back to the crossroads, staring ahead to the unknown roads where he would find his answer, "I aim to find that reason and destroy whatever is corrupting his core. And nothing that lies in wait will stop me from saving my friend. Not even you." he said with a sideways glare.

"Who says I aim to stop you?" Will laughed, appearing in front of Jaune's face in a blink of an eye, "I only wish to see what you can do. Losing any of you Players would devastate me! I'd lose my entertainment." it smiled brightly. Jaune felt his brow twitch at the happy god's expression, "The Core of each Player is unique in design. We Programmers have no control of the landscape, not even Remnant, and land development and enemy design are what she specializes in. Who knows what you'll find here. That's why I've come along to help you as a guide of sorts! I may not be able to manipulate things as I normally would, but I know more than enough to help you fix Mind's Core. So, what do you say? Think you can put away your anger and rage to let me help you along your way?"

Help him? The damn thing was the reason why he was in this situation to begin with. Just from meeting it, he couldn't find much reason to trust it. But it had a point. Whatever awaited him within Ren's Core, his soul, would also be capable of corrupting him. Jaune could lose more than his life. He would lose his very existence if he died here. If he wanted to save Ren's soul, then he would just have to set aside his anger and accept whatever help he could get.

For now, trusting Will to guide him through Ren's Core was the only option he had. Whether he liked it or not this was his best chance at saving his best friend.

With a grudging sigh, Jaune nodded his head in acceptance. The Will bobbed up and down in joy.

"Fine. If you help me, I'll listen to what you have to say. The sooner we finish this up, the sooner you'll leave me alone." he said scathingly.

Will pouted, "Yeesh, what happened to that dorky personality of yours? I liked you better when you were a clueless idiot. Anyway, before we go along our merry way, how about you fix up your abilities? Inside the Core, the data corruption has spawned Grimm and Bugs. You'll need to prepare yourself for a hell of a fight as we move on."

Jaune nodded his head as he pulled out his scroll. It was a good idea. What he had equipped was better suited for fighting Ren, not Grimm. A change in tactics would make things go smoother.

 **Status:**

 **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. Lvl: 17.**

 **6,000HP/6,000HP.**

 **125MP/125MP.**

 **AP:40/SP:30.**

 **EXP: 674,210.**

 **EXP to Next Level: 173,090/174,000.**

 **Equipment: x1CEC Knight's Hoodie, x1CEC Knight's Gloves, x1CEC Knight's Cargo Jeans, x1CEC Knight's Boots, and x1CEC Knight's Ammo Belt.**

 **Strength: 33**

 **Defense: 39**

 **Speed: 29**

 **Charisma: 23**

 **Intelligence: 30**

 **Wisdom: 21**

 **Dexterity: 19**

 **Luck:28**

 **Equipped Abilities: Power Strike(2AP) Crescent Blade(5AP), Teres Mors(5AP), Hedge Fang(4AP), Warp Strike(7AP), Dragon's Blaze(15AP), Hunter's Axe(2AP), Air Slash(4AP).**

 **Equipped Skills: Scarlet Drive[10SP] and Angel's Radiance[12SP].**

 **Equipped Perks: Iron Roses, Fairies Grace, Knight of Victory.**

 **Spells: Reflect, Ember, Firebolt.**

 **Affinities: Fire. Lightning.**

If he was going to be fighting Grimm, then it would be better if he got rid of Dragon's Blaze and switched it out with Hyper Blade to hit more enemies. Leaving him with 10AP to equip another few abilities. Needing more wide ranged attacks, Jaune equipped Can't See Me and Lightning Strike while also swapping Knight of Victory with Valkyrie's Blessing. Too bad he could only equip three Perks. What else did he need to change? He mulled over his options as he scrolled down his items.

Will looked over Jaune's shoulder in curiosity, watching the blond boy think out his powers carefully.

"It seems that you're starting to finally get the hang of this, Heart. Must be easier to move about your Status and powers after the last patch Husk gave out."

Jaune snorted, glancing back at the blue ball of fire, "You mean the Nerf?"

It shook his head with a frown and a grumble, "Patch. Husk was simply messing around with you when he said it was all a Nerf. Though, I guess it could be thought as much. We were simply fixing some errors that I had missed when I brought you into this world. Didn't you notice that your Menu screen looks different?"

At that, Jaune frowned in confusion before moving back to his menu.

 **Status**

 **Bonds.**

 **Equipment.**

 **Abilities/Skills.**

 **Inventory.**

 **Download.**

 **PVP.**

 **Perks.**

When did all this happen? Jaune stared at the newly modified menu screen, wondering how he could have missed such a change. It definitely had changed. Event Finder was gone and Abilities, Skills, and Slots had been changed to Abilities/Skills. Same with Items and Special Gifts, renamed Inventory. His Status was even an option unlike the past method he had used. This was what they meant by fixing him?

"What else did you guys do?" Jaune asked he began checking each option for changes.

"I simply rearranged a few things, such as your inventory, to a more organized form. All Players had a different layout, but yours was a little disorganized and lacking. Now it's more specialized! I also fixed a missing piece to your Status, Talents! Now you'll be able to grow your Talents in Dance, Gardening, Cooking, and Synthesize with actual results! Ain't that neat?"

It did sound good to see his progress in his talents. But why was he missing something that sounded so important in the first place? Why was he missing anything at all to begin with? Ren never said anything about having to go through anything like this. That meant that Jaune was the only one.

"Why?" Jaune asked, completely puzzled at it all, "Why was I missing so much to begin with? In real life, when a game is missing so many important features, it should be considered unfit to go out to the public."

Will nodded with a nasty grin, "Correct, but I, like some many real head honcho's pushing their product forward, was really eager to see the results and sent the product out without any real testing. Hence the patches, or nerfs as you've been calling them. But be happy to know that you will no longer be needing anymore patches!" it said brightly, dancing around Jaune's head as its body phased by his swatting hands, "The. . .bug we found messing with your Core has been dealt with. Now you should be on the same footing as the other three!"

Same footing? Jaune held himself back from laughing as he finished up working around his Skills. They had centuries of experience on him. He was basically stumbling to follow them in their sports cars. There wasn't much equal footing there.

It was a little worrying to hear something about a bug messing with his body. It must have been the reason why he had been hearing that strange voice that sounded like him. Knowing that it was gone was actually relieving. It almost felt like a weight had been lifted from his soul.

"Alright, looks like I'm set." Jaune said as he turned back to the crossroads. It was time to stop wasting time and fix this mess. Ren was waiting.

"Sweet! I've been waiting to see how you deal with the corruption running wild here. It's going to be awesome." Will breathed with glee. Its body was trembling with excitement!

Annoyance seeped into Jaune's being as he tried ignoring the god. Seriously, this was the supposed strongest of the godly trio? The one Husk followed? Compared to him, The Will was a child who wanted nothing more than to see some blood fly.

Gaining control over itself, Will's flamed body morphed into a hand before raising a single finger up in a gesture of attention, "Now, you stand before three paths leading into the remainder of Mind's corrupted data. Safe to say from their names that these aren't the most pleasant of memories to recall. Each one holds a reason for Mind's corruption, mistakes he wishes he could take back. But despite the resets, he cannot forget the mistakes he's made no matter how hard he tries. Now it's up to you to repair the memories before they are forever lost."

"Repair his worst memories? Wouldn't it be better to repair the ones that don't make him fall?" Jaune asked with a frown. It didn't make sense to fix the bad memories.

"Negatory! Like I said, these are the last of his remaining memories. Not to say that the rest are gone forever. I can work my magic on restoring them back to their place, but I won't be able to do that until his corruption has been fixed. You could say that these memories represent a grudge, one that even at deaths doors won't fade away." it said as it changed into a rainy cloud of flames.

Jaune smiled sadly. He already had a good guess as to who that grudge was aimed at. Stretching his arms around, he moved forward to the left path. It didn't look like there was much of an order to this, so he was just going with whatever path.

Memoir of Regret. Walking along the beaten dirt path of fallen torn leaves, Jaune prepared himself for whatever awaited him. An odd ripple of air passed by him before his vision went dark. His body vanished into nothing with a twinkle, leaving Will behind as it watched on.

Will stared blankly. Its mouth twitched, trembling before a face splitting grin of white pearly teeth broke out. It vanished to follow the Player, roaring with laughter.

It was time for the show to start!

* * *

 **Memoir of Regret.**

"We're not going to find anything! We just have to press on!"

Silence fell on the dreary crossroad path. The members of team RNJR stared at Ren's stiff form in surprise, not believing to have ever heard the normally stoic Huntsman speak so loudly. It was completely out of the norm. Nora felt her heart pang. She was the only one to notice the slight tremble in his voice and his shaking shoulders.

Kuroyuri. A village destroyed by a Grimm attack and a place of tortured memories. Bringing back nothing but despair. To go back there would only bring more bad than good.

Jaune frowned. That wasn't like Ren. He would always follow along with his plans, no matter what. For him to raise his voice and ignore the only path that would help Qrow out in time was worrying.

"Ren, why are you acting li-"

"We can split up." Nora butt in firmly. She moved her hand to rest on Ren's shoulder, easing his mind as she continued to steer them away from taking the whole team through Kuroyuri.

 _'Why? Why can't I move past this?'_ Ren gripped his fists tightly as Jaune and Nora began to argue over splitting the team apart.

Every life was the same. No matter how many times he would dull his emotions, Kuroyuri would always break his demeanor like it was nothing. What laid ahead always tore him apart. The memories, the fear, the anger, the grief, and horror. So many painful memories. It was a wound that would always bleed, never healing. And it would always cost him the lives of two of his most treasured friends half the time. A fifty-fifty death rate. A flip of the coin. The only chance was to save them or kill them.

A Grimm unlike any other awaited them. Death incarnate.

 _'I really am pathetic.'_ A hollow chuckle escaped his lips, unnoticed as Jaune and Nora began shouting at another while Ruby could only watch on, unsure of what to do as she bit her lip. _'I'm letting Nora argue in my place and fight with Jaune over such a simple decision. The chances of Qrow surviving the trip to Mistral are nonexistent, he would die halfway there even with Ruby's super speed. He's got a stronger chance finding some medicine. . .or help at Kuroyuri.'_ the shouting had grown in volume. Nora and Jaune were at the others' throats, their faces red with anger and looking as if they were ready to reach for their weapons.

Haggard, sick coughing broke them out of their fighting and brought them back to what really mattered. Red began to bleed and mix with the sickly purple puss leaking out of Qrow's wound, his face twisted in horrible pain. Jaune and Nora looked away in shame, sad to have nearly traded blows. The sight broke Ren's heart. He'd never seen them so angry with one another in all his lives. All because of him and his stupid wounds.

With a look of grudging acceptance, Jaune nodded, "Just. . .take care of each other."

Nora smiled back, turning her sights to Ren, "We always have." she said softly.

She was right. No matter what happened in their lives, Nora would always look out for him even when he turned his back on them.

Why did that make Ren feel even more disgusted with himself?

A warm body hugged Ren, snapping him out of his thoughts. Jaune embraced his brother tightly, wishing him good luck and to watch out for Nora.

He didn't deserve Jaune's kindness. He didn't deserve any of their kindness. Patting his back firmly, Jaune moved back to hug Nora, apologizing for nearly harming her in his fit of anger.

Another smaller body embraced him, surprising Ren as he found Ruby's smaller frame against him. That was. . .new. In the past, she would simply nod her head shyly or wave her friend good bye. He blinked as he found her silver eyes looking at him brightly despite the gloomy mood falling over them.

"Be careful, Ren. Promise to make it back to us safe, okay?" she smiled with shut eyes and a soft smile.

Ren hugged her back, smiling forcefully as he ruffled the younger girl's hair.

 _'Last time, you were the one to die. And it was my fault. I don't deserve this. You don't deserve this.'_

Ren grit his teeth, a slim shameful tear slipping past his eye to splash on top of Ruby's dark red locks.

Done with their good-bye's, the two separate teams of two turned away and made for their paths. Nora and Ren broke off in a sprint, running as fast as they could to reach Mistral for help. How fast they made it to the city didn't matter, Ren knew for a fact they only had a coin's flip of making it back no matter how hard they tried to reach them in time. Qrow's semblance never really helped their chances either.

The only question was who would die this time. Jaune, Ruby, Qrow? Or all of them.

As the hunters disappeared for their chosen paths, the world around them began to waver, the setting glitching wildly before everything froze still. Large masses of the world began to splinter apart, their earthly bodies flying up to float above the stream of numbers below as small islands were created. The landscape twisted, forming lands of streaming rivers flowing into the data ocean and age old village buildings and towns.

The crossroads had formed a small island for itself that floated in the middle of all the other islands. And that was where Jaune found himself as a twinkling ball of light fell in front of the sign post, materializing his body onto the deformed world. It took him a moment to shake away the daze he found himself in as he cracked his neck.

"Alright, where the hell am I now? Today's just full of questions." Jaune sighed as he gazed at his new surroundings. His face grew disgruntled at the sight of all the small islands ranging from a simple mile to the size of a village, "This doesn't bode well."

"This is Memoir of Regret! A memory of regret that won't leave Mind's Core." Blinking to float next to Jaune's head, Will greeted Jaune, "Sup? As you can see, this whole place is twisted and jumbled. The Corruption has messed with the memory, breaking it apart as it falls to the ocean of data. If you don't fix what's corrupting Mind's memory, it will be lost forever along with the rest." it explained.

"And where am I going to find whatever is corrupting Ren's core?" Jaune asked, a bit annoyed with how the wisp was addressing the Players by their titles.

No sooner did he ask, three pulsing red dots appeared on his HUD displaying the main islands and their landscape.

"I've marked down the locations of whatever is causing the problem in the memory. Just be careful, Grimm and bugs are sure to appear to stop you. Though," it paused as it looked around the world, "Problem is how you're going to reach the islands from here. You would need a grappling hook or something to reach the locations."

"No problem!" Jaune grinned as he quickly went into his inventory. From thin air, the fingerless bandaged ninja braces were equipped to his arms. Raid Bracers, Blake's special gift. Time to try them out. Turning his head up, Jaune honed his eyes on the floating chunks of stone and earth that could be found just about everywhere. With a mental command, he shot his arm up, firing the concealed hooked bandages to catch onto the earth. He gave them a good tug, slinging himself high up like a bungie to land onto the makeshift platform. He pumped his fist in victory as he called back the bandages.

Will followed after him, giving him a thumbs up with his flames, "Nice. But that won't be enough to steady yourself around here. You're going to need a good balance." it mused before snapping its fingers. A bright light shined from the bottom of Jaune's shoes. Moving his feet up, Jaune found two purple circles on the sole of his shoe, radiating an odd energy. "I've just given you some gravity magic infused to your shoes. Now you'll be able to run along even the sides of the islands with no problem!"

Jaune nodded his head in thanks. Time to stop dawdling and get to work. Firing his grappling hooks for a cluster of earth in the air, Jaune swung along and repeated the process for his destination. The wind whipped against his face with every swing, hitting him with the buffet.

Dark purple clouds began to pop up around the sky as he swung along. From within, bird cries filled the air before the sight of dog sized Nevermore's flew out from the darkness. Jaune grit his teeth, not stopping his swings even as he found a few of their quills fired after him. Gaining some momentum, he swung around the levitating earth chunk his hooks sunk into to soar above it. The quills missed, but the move left him in the dark ravens' sights. They flew straight for him, spreading their wings wide as their feathers shined, hardening to a blade's durability.

Retracting his bandages back to his wrist, Jaune spun around the air to dodge the wing strikes from the black birds. Grabbing the handle of Crocea Mors, he began to swing his blade around to deflect the sharp wings. A Nevermore cawed loudly before dive bombing after Jaune. It swung its wing for his chest, only to be blocked by the old worn blade. Aiming his wrist at another makeshift platform, Jaune pulled himself up, missing two Nevermores flying past his previous spot to cut him in half. "Damn it, I don't have much experience in fighting in the air. I'm a ground fighter." Jaune cursed as he moved his shield in front of himself to block a gunfire of feathers. Loud clangs smacked into him, slowly chipping away at his HP. At least with his upped defense he didn't have to worry too much about raising his guard for long. Reaching the hooked patch of floating earth, Jaune swung up to land on the small platform. He only had a two-yard span around him as he found five of the Nevermores shooting up to circle him.

Jaune was a sitting duck right now. But he couldn't fight them while swinging along. Better to fight them when his feet were touching the ground, " ** _Air Slash!_** " Rearing his sword back, Jaune swung it after another dive bombing avian. The air blade tore right through the Grimm, dispersing its fading corpse to lingering darkness. Two more Nevermores flew up above the blond knight before peppering him with quills. "Reflect!" Casting his magical dome, Jaune bounced the sharp tipped feathers back to their owners. The quills dug into the dark ravens, dropping their HP close to nothing.

 _ **Nevermore.**_

 _ **200HP/1,000HP**_

Shaking off their pain, the two Nevermores joined the two remaining of their kind to circle the blond. Jaune tsked as his HUD displayed Reflect cooling off. He wouldn't be able to block the incoming spread of projectiles with only his shield. He was going to have to improvise. With a shrill cry, the Nevermores spread their feathers and madly fired at the caged knight. Seeing the attacks coming, Jaune began to swing his sword around, blocking whatever quills that flew close. He batted away the attacks in several spins and swipes, raising his shield to cover any that got by as he ran around to avoid the ones he couldn't deflect. A few of the quills were able to slip past his guard, chipping away at his health as he did his best to hold off long enough for Reflect to cool off.

Hearing the ding signaling the go ahead, Jaune didn't waste another second as he cast his spell, " ** _Reflect!_** "

The already damaged Nevermores didn't survive the reflected quills, fading to streams of smoking black. The surviving ravens were momentarily stunned as they were hit, leaving them open for two Air Slashes destroying them.

Glad to be done with the small distraction, Jaune continued his way for the first marker on his map. Swinging along the cluster of earth and stone, he finally made it to his destination. A large island greeted him as he landed onto its grounds. It was a large chunk of forested land, its dead trees twisted and slumped forward with dark patches of rotting grass everywhere. Stepping forward through the trees he was soon greeted with more spawning clouds, putting him on edge as he gripped his hilt. From the darkness, four dark silhouettes greeted Jaune. They weren't Grimm. Their bodies were humanoid, twisting around until they settled on a familiar face.

"Ren?" Jaune said, baffled as he found dark copies of his friend staring back at him. Their bodies were darkened, pitch black except for his normally magenta eyes. Haunting red eyes gazed back at him emotionlessly as they raised their copies of Storm Flower for battle.

 _ **Lie Shade.**_

 _ **2,000HP/2,000HP**_

A scan of the new enemies revealed their health and name. These must have been the bugs Will had been talking about. Their bodies were constantly twitching and flowing with ribbons of vile black energy.

The Lie Shades were more than eager to begin fighting. Honing their sights on the blond knight, they each charged forward to slash at him with blades of dark energy. Jaune raised his shield blocking four fangs falling on him, pushed them back and swung his sword around to deflect the other two Shades aiming for his back. The four dark copies narrowed their eyes before circling Jaune and stopping to stand at his north, south, west, and east. They cracked open their deformed mouths, breathing a dark miasma as they showed the ability to speak.

"Die."

"Leave me the hell alone."

"Go back to playing a dork and leave me in peace."

"It's your fault. Her death is all your fault."

Jaune sighed. What else was new? Though that last line made him frown in confusion. What was he talking about? Shaking the thought away for the moment, he turned back to the charging Shades, readying his own attack to counter with.

" _ **Lighting Strike!**_ " From the dark heaven above, a single bolt of lightning struck the raised pommel of Crocea Mors. Wild sparks of yellow lighting ran over the old blade before Jaune stabbed it into the ground just as the Shades reached to tear him apart with their fangs. An explosive shockwave of lightning engulfed Jaune, shocking the Shades and stunning them still. Paralyzed, Jaune grinned as he moved his blade back for another wide range attack. Even a 10% chance was nothing to doubt. " _ **Round Table!**_ " Spiraling blades of energy whipped at the paralyzed foes, repeatedly slashing their bodies until they faded away to nothing.

All that training and fighting was really paying off. Sheathing his sword, Jaune went back to running after his real target hidden in the forest grove. Lesser Grimm began to pop out of the woodwork, but he made quick work of them as he continued on his way.

It wasn't long until he found what he was looking. In a large open clear space a giant mass of putrid purple energy floated in the middle, releasing red sparks around its sphere form.

 _ **Grimm Origin.**_

 _ **4,000HP/4,000HP**_

"It looks like I have to destroy this thing." Jaune said as he readied his blade. The mass of corruption pulsed, releasing a ripple of darkness that began to create a pack of five Beowolves and four Lie Shades to guard its being. He couldn't help but release a sigh as he looked at the nonstop gauntlet of enemies awaiting him.

Howling in sync, the Beowolves charged forward with wide open mouths drooling for blood, followed closely behind by the Shades. " _ **Hyper Blade!**_ " Disappearing in an after image, Jaune rushed after the enemies in a raid of swift swings and stabs. His body moved along with the flow of his attacks, dodging the deadly claws and dark fangs as he lobbed off the Grimms' limbs and sent them flying in the air. A Shade slid into his attacks, spinning around like a top with his blades. Jaune stood his ground as Hyper Blade ended, stopping the saw of blades dead in their tracks as sparks flew from their grinding blades. With an exerted grunt, he pushed back the deadly top and struck it back with a Power Strike stab. The blow sent the shade reeling as two of its brothers dashed in to swing for his neck. Crocea Mors shield blocked them and pushed them back before Jaune followed with a Crescent Blade to their chests. Critical hits reduced them back to where they came, their clouds of darkness blew away as a Beowolf ran through to jump high in the air above Jaune. It opened its maw wide, its tongue flying by it as it dive bombed for the blond as its three brothers ran for Jaune with their claws ready to tear him apart.

Jaune smirked, sending Crocea Mors back into his inventory before moving his closed fist to his face, " _ **Can't See Me!**_ "

White fire shrouded Jaune's fist as he waved it in front of his face with flair. Somehow the Grimm were momentarily distracted by the showmanship, leaving them open for a sweep kick that tripped them over. The Beowolf still diving for the knight was confused as it watched the boy vanish in thin air. It turned its gaze up and tilted its head as it found Jaune above it with a burning knuckle. Jaune grinned deviously at the monster before roaring as he smashed his knuckles into the beast's masked face, shattering upon contact. With all his strength, he slammed the Grimm's body down to the ground, releasing a whipping ring of white flames to smack into the dazed Beowolves. Their dark hides were lit with luminous flames, burning them to cinders. The Beowolf dug into the ground by Jaune's fist followed along, turning to charred smoke.

"Alright, who else want's some!?" Jaune panted with a shout. His eyes fell on the remainder of the enemies; two Shades and two Beowolves. Hearing his challenge, the Grimm Origin pulsed like a heartbeat and released a ripple of darkness. Jaune groaned, watching as more Grimm and Shades were created from the mass of corruption.

The blob was capable of creating enemies to defend itself with, but it didn't look like it was much for fighting itself. If Jaune was going to beat it, he was better off focusing his attention on it instead of whatever monsters it created. With a new plan on action in his head, he activated Gale Speed to rush for the Grimm Origin, cutting down whatever enemy got in his way. Appearing in front of it in a whipping rush of wind, Jaune began to hack away at its HP with wild swings and stabs.

 _ **Grim Origin.**_

 _ **2,180HP/4,000HP**_

 _'Just a bit more!'_ Jaune thought, taking a moment to spin around and cast Reflect to defend against the dog pile of enemies jumping to rip him apart. All he needed was a few more hits and the damn thing would be done for. He grunted as he realized Reflect wasn't going to hold up much longer.

" _ **Hedge Fang!**_ " The shattering sound of his defensive dome came just in time as Jaune rolled up and spun his body around to saw his sword continuously into the mass of darkness. Its HP dropped with no resistance. It wasn't long until its body was ripped in half from the disk of metal as Jaune sawed through it. Forcing his spin to hold, he turned his attention to the group of enemies turning their eyes to him. The loss of their creator left them stunned in place, making them easy pickings. In his spin, he began to ram into the Grimm and Shades, tearing through them easily.

Only a single Shade remained once Jaune's ability ended. He skidded to a stop in front of it as it slumped forward with no will of its own to fight.

It turned its head up to meet Jaune's blue eyes with its red hazy gaze, "Failure. Nothing but a waste of space." it rasped.

The cold steel of Crocea Mors silenced its lips as its blade lobbed its head off with a swing followed by a Crescent Blade.

"You know, you can be quite the talker when your drowning in darkness." Jaune said bitterly. The Lie Shades were a bunch of chatter boxes. It made him feel less guilty about killing them if it meant shutting them up.

With the imminent threats gone, The Will's burning body shot up from Jaune's scroll with a cheer.

"That's one down! Man, you really didn't hold back, even against those corrupted copies of Mind. Did it feel good to vent your frustrations on those bugs?"

"Of course not. It only makes me want to stop this mess all the quicker." Jaune said stiffly as he turned away for the next target. A chime from the Grimm Origin's previous spot caught his attention, turning him around to find a glimmer of bubbled light left behind its destruction. Did it drop something? Weird, even though Jaune's life was a game now, enemies didn't drop loot when he killed them, only EXP. Ren had once said it was due to the fact that only one of the Players had the ability to gain items and Lien from their defeated foes. Lucky bastard.

"What is that?"

Will's body shaped into a question mark as it followed along with Jaune to the glimmer bubble, "Don't know. As I said, I have no control in a Players Core other than resetting it. I have no say in whatever things drop around here. Maybe it's from the Mind?"

Jaune smiled sadly at the thought, "Ren, huh?" Was he reaching out to him even when he was frozen by the corruption? Taking a chance, Jaune reached for the bubble of light. It shrunk in size, fitting nicely into his hand before sinking into his palm.

 _ **'Luminous Howl, Discovered! By raising the Player's weapon high into the air with a shout, they are able to stun a group of enemies in place with a bright ray of light before their weapon is enveloped in light to extend their reach and attack in one wide spread swing. Only usable with a bladed weapon. AP: 10. MP Cost: 15MP.'**_

Will whistled as he used his abilities as Game Master to read Jaune's new ability, "Cool. That should help in dealing with large groups of enemies. It doesn't even need an Affinity to use like most powerful elemental attacks."

The god was right, if Jaune was going to be facing more of those balls of darkness spawning enemies then Luminous Howl would save him from some tight spots. With that in mind, he swapped out a Hunter's Axe for more space to equip the new ability. Done with that, Jaune went back on his way for the next tracker on his HUD.

The Grimm and Shades on the island had died with the Grimm Origin's death, leaving him no trouble as he reached the edge of the floating mass of earth. Eying a cluster close to the edge, Jaune latched onto it with his hooks and swung on his way.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this." he smiled, flipping in the air as he aimed for a boulder overhead. From the pulsing dot on his map, the next Grimm Origin was high in the sky. What a weird place to settle. Following along by Jaune's side, The Will decided to chime in.

"Course you are. As a Player, your body is able to grow in skill and adaptability easily. What would take others years to master will only take you a week with enough training. Something as simple as swinging around like a monkey should be a breeze after only a few minutes of playing around with the skill."

"Seems like cheating though, doesn't it?" Jaune frowned.

Will gave the knight a flat stare, "You're not the sharpest tool in the game box, are you Heart?" it shook its head in disbelief, "The Gamer allows a normal being to attain the power of gods. They're limitless in a sense. To say it seems like cheating is an understatement. And insulting. You should really thank me for giving you the potential to become as strong as a god!"

"I'll thank you alright. Here." Jaune said dully as he took the moment in his swinging to raise his middle digit to greet the ball of azure, "That's how we say thank you where I come from."

". . .. Now that's just plain rude."

Jaune scoffed as he ignored the godly being. It wanted to talk about rude? What a joke.

Gripping his bandages tightly, Jaune pulled himself up with the bungie like force. Flying high in the clouds he found the source of corruption floating in the air and surrounded by a group of torn earth and even broken bits of unfinished village homes. A pulse of vile red energy was released from it as it seemed to sense his presence. Back to work, Jaune thought as he landed on a platform.

He waited for the clouds of darkness to spawn a wave of enemies to fight. But none came. Jaune frowned in worry, watching as the Grimm Origin continued to pulse and release ripples of energy. Something was up. And he could feel it in his gut.

Red energy began to coat the debris and platforms, surprising Jaune as the one he stood on began to tremble. With one more pulse, the earth bits and debris were pulled forward to the ball of darkness, ripping the ground out from under Jaune's feet. He cursed and looked out for something to grapple onto that wasn't under the Grimm Origin's magnetic pull. Luckily, he found a piece of dirt road unaffected and fired his bandages to dig into the bottom of the earth. Flipping over, Jaune stood on the bottom of the floating ground with the help of the gravity magic on his shoes. From there he watched as the Grim Origin gathered the debris to form an outer layer of earth armor to protect itself from harm. Odd red seals etched onto the sides of its sides, taking Jaune by shock as it created two lanky clawed hands to burst out its body. A single glowing red eye stuck out from the front of the heavenly body, releasing a miasma of darkness.

 _ **Grimm Origin EX.**_

 _ **5,500HP/5,500HP**_

"What. The. Hell." Jaune hissed as he watched the thing reach out its arm to grab a handful of debris. Was he seeing things? Wasn't the last one motionless?

Will snickered, "Yeah, about that. The Grimm Origins are all connected as one being. Kill one and the others retain their memories and adapt. This one seems to have learned to defend itself with a suit of armor and hands. Ain't that cool?"

Locking onto its target, the Grimm Origin flung its debris with a mighty throw at the blond knight. Jaune quickly aimed his wrists to another platform below. Hearing the hooks dig into the stone ground, Jaune pulled himself down. The rocks and broken bits of homes missed as he flipped onto his feet with his blade drawn.

"No. It isn't cool. At all." Jaune growled, growing even more frustrated as he was forced to dodge the next volley. His previous spot was shattered as he began to swing around to avoid the Grimm Origin shooting him down. In his grappling swing dodges, Jaune began to fire several blades from his sword via Air Slash back at the enemy. It did little to defend itself as his attacks blew up against its makeshift armor, _'Only a 100 damage? That's not going to cut it. The damn thing wasn't giving me much of a choice but to try and hit it head on.'_ Crocea Mors wasn't going to do enough damage by itself though. It came equipped with +5 Attack. He was going to need a stronger weapon. At the thought a somber realization hit him.

Along with a large boulder smacking him out of his next swing.

Grunting from the jarring blow, Jaune thought back to one of his rewards for Holt's death. _'I don't have much choice, I suppose. I don't want to use it, but if I'm going to beat this thing quickly then I'm going to have to suck it up and make good use of it. I need power. And it's got plenty of that!'_

Twisting around the air as he fell, the blond knight lashed his hooks for ground. Crocea Mors vanished into thin air, leaving him weaponless as another large boulder flew straight for him. He sighed. Now or never.

"Anubis."

From the Grimm Origin's sight, a thin red line appeared to cut right through the boulder it had thrown. Its projectile split cleanly apart. Passing by the two cleaved pieces, Jaune swung after it with a new weapon in his hands.

Anubis, a pure black cleaver with a straight edge and slanted tip. It was two inches shorter than Jaune's whole body. An orange-red hue ran along its edge along with two slanted gaps it its blade. Its handle was cord wrapped with an elastic rope tied to its hilt. And to finish it off an emblem of a cackling jackal was tied to the rope. It was one of the rewards Jaune had earned when he had killed Holt almost a week ago. And it was for that reason he didn't want to use it. It felt wrong to even have it in his inventory, a constant reminder of the sin he had committed.

But now wasn't the time to be wallowing over a mistake. Anubis had +20 Attack and Fire damage. The only downside to it was that it was a Great Sword. It was incredibly hard to handle with his current strength. Swinging it was slow but when it connected it dealt some heavy damage.

Two more boulders flew after Jaune as he came closer to reaching the Grimm Origin. With a mighty heave of his new heavy blade, he cut the projectiles apart with the right timing. Sending the great sword back into his inventory for a moment, Jaune swung both his arms apart and shot his hooks to latch onto the platforms on his sides. He then twisted the bandages around his wrists and gave them a strong tug to pull him forward. Momentum and the bandages elasticity shot him like a bullet straight for the Grimm Origin too fast for it to defend itself in time. Anubis fell back into his hands as he threw his arms up high before dropping it down for a heavy slash at its heavenly body. The single slash alone dealt a thousand damage and left behind a scorching line scarring its body. The Grim Origin swatted Jaune away, pulsing angrily before forming a fist with its free hand. Jaune grit his teeth as he moved the flat of his great sword in front of himself to block the blow. A strong force blew through his body, ringing the inside of his body with a tremor powerful enough to make him spit blood as he was sent flying into a close island. His body crashed into the side of the earth with a thundering boom, creating a crater as he slumped against the crushed ground.

"T-That. . .really hurt." Jaune coughed. A look at his HP revealed almost two thousand gone from a single punch. It was stronger than it looked. And he blocked it. A Large Aura Potion ought to take care of that though. Downing the grape flavored recovery drink, Jaune cleaned off the blood from his lips and turned his eyes back to the Grimm Origin. It was done floating motionlessly. It flew after him, destroying whatever got in its way as it reared its right fist back. Like hell he was taking another hit like that again! Pulling himself out, Jaune steadied his feet on the side of the island and ran up to the surface. Just in time to avoid being smashed by the Grimm Origin's fist drilling into the crater he had occupied. The entire island he stood on trembled, breaking apart as Jaune began to lose his footing. No point sticking around a doomed land.

Another swing of his bracers and he was off in time to miss the heavenly body flying up to grab him with its red clawed hands. It spun around, intent on crushing it in its grip. Jaune wanted none of that as he slashed at its reaching fingers, cutting them right off and leaving behind burning stumps. The wound didn't stop it though as it shot its other hand to grab him. Flipping over the deadly dark hand, Jaune spun his body around for momentum. Gathering enough, he swung his cleaver down at its retreating wrist, chopping its hand off cleanly. The Grimm Origin squealed in pain and thrashed around madly.

"Don't worry, it's all over now!" Jaune shouted as he shot his hooks to dig into its armored body. He smirked before spinning his body around like a saw blade and pulling himself forward, " _ **Hedge Fang!**_ "

Grinding heated steel steadily shaved the Grimm Origin's health as it could do nothing but endure the attack with no arms. Its single eye trembled as it felt its armor broken through. Nothing could be done. Its armor of rubble shattered, dropping off in burning bits as its black purple body throbbed in the open exposed air. Jaune grinned. One blow should do it.

" _ **Power Strike!**_ "

In a single powerful downward chop, the Grimm Origin was split in half. Smoke bellowed from its halves before turning to ash in the wind.

Sweat ran down Jaune's face as he fell back to a platform below. No enemy meant a moment of peace. Time for a small moment to gather his thoughts and regain his breath. Anubis slipped back into his inventory as he called back Crocea Mors in its sheath to his belt. As strong as it was it wasn't ideal in a normal fight. Not until his strength reached a good level.

"Sorry bud, but you ain't going to get much time for a breather." Will weakly chuckled, breaking Jaune out of his thoughts as he panted on his knees. He quirked a brow in question, wondering what he was talking about. The last target on his map began to rapidly blink, moving fast across the map towards his destination.

Right. The Grimm Origin's evolved with every death. Wasn't that a neat little trick?

With a groan and a crack of his back, Jaune turned his eyes to the direction the odd ball of darkness was flying for. Ribbons of purple and red trailed after it as it came soaring from the horizon of the twisted world. A single beady red eye honed its sights on him as its spherical form began to morph. It transformed into a large version of Storm Flower made of darkness before gathering rubble to harden its black blade for durability. Two lanky monstrous arms broke out from its side as the gun barrel housed its menacing eye.

 _ **Grimm Origin EX: Model SF.**_

 _ **6,7000HP/6,7000HP**_

"What does EX even mean?" Jaune asked in frustration.

Will raised a single finger up from its hand form, "It means 'Free from; Without' for starters. Also, Extra and Extreme. Or it could just be there to make it sound awesome!" And it does.

The Grimm Origin cracked its knuckles, remembering its last two deaths at the hands of the blond knight. If it could feel emotions, then it couldn't wait to crush the boy into a pulp.

The Will quickly vanished back into Jaune's scroll. Time for another fight. Releasing a ripple from its gun body, the Grimm Origin attracted all the matter around it to circle its form. Dark wisps shrouded its projectiles, crushing them into bullet shells and loading them into its magazines. Its barrel lite brightly as it cocked itself.

Firing its bullet, a jumbled mass of rubble streaked after Jaune. It was far too big to simply dodge out of the way. He raised his shield and held his ground as the mass clanged against his defense. He grit his teeth feeling his arm snap. His feet were skidding back as he tried to hold his ground. The Grimm Origin cocked itself again, humming in delight before firing another mass to collide with its previous shot. The combined force broke Jaune's guard as the rubble balls exploded to pelt him with shrapnel. He was blown back with bits of wood and rocks digging into his body like actual bullets. Several of the shrapnel cut into Jaune's face, leaving behind streaks of red trailing down his face as he reached for a potion. The Grimm Origin wasn't having any of that though as it shot a volley of rubble bullets to stop him.

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Jaune shouted loudly, bouncing the attacks back to drill the Grimm Origin. He gasped as he downed his potion hurriedly while the rubble balls blew up in the dark beings barreled face. _'I'm running low on potions here. Fighting Ren beforehand really drained me of my healing items, I'm lucky to have six left.'_ he thought as he began to run from the next volley with a Gale Speed in effect.

If he had known he was going into a gauntlet, Jaune would have stopped Husk to stock up.

Gale Speed soon faded, leaving Jaune to guard against another giant rubble ball. It blew up in a burst of shrapnel that cut his vest and skin even with his aura still up. Another one fired after him as he gasped for breath, " _ **Power Strike!**_ " Equipping Anubis and swapping Crocea Mors out, Jaune swung his great sword cleaver downward just as the rubble mass got within range. It flew past him in two halves as he called back Crocea Mors and shot his hooks for a platform above. Now in the air, Jaune found it easier to dodge the shots fired as he utilized his hooks to swing around the many floating platforms.

Multiple Air Slashes hit the Grimm Origin, chipping off its health as it tried to lock onto the aerial blond. It had enough. Calling off its gunfire, it began to spin its body around, turning into a spinning shuriken disk. It spun after Jaune, slicing everything that got in its way in its mad pursuit. Knowing no other way to escape an attack like that, Jaune thought fast and decided to fight back, " _ **Hedge Fang!**_ "

Anubis fell into his hand for the added oomph he needed as he spun around to meet the blurring dark disk the Grimm Origin had become. Sparks flew as the two fought to overpower the other, pushing the other back slowly with no real progress. The two wound up breaking apart from another, flying back to regain their control. The Grimm Origin grew dizzy as its body swayed, its single red eye spinning around in a daze.

A chance was chance. Firing his hooks for a cluster of earth above the dark being, Jaune pulled himself upward before dropping down for its gun like body. He moved Anubis stabbing downward, adding Power Strike for more damage as he plunged it into its body. A loud boom echoed as he stabbed his blade further in, burning it as smoke bellowed. Shaking off its dizziness, the Grimm Origin snapped its hand to grab Jaune. It gripped him tightly, causing him to shout in pain as he heard his bones strain with a crack. It flung him back to the island he had been standing at, nearly shattering the whole floating mass as it splintered.

 _ **Jaune Arc.**_

 _ **1,759HP/6,000HP**_

Laying back in another crater, Jaune coughed up blood as his aura began to spark visibly. It wouldn't be long until it faded away and left him to die. Struggling back up, he frowned with a grimace as the dark version of Storm Flower fired another bullet of rubble mass at him.

"Activate Skill. . . _ **Angel's Radiance!**_ "

Cold wind bellowed from Jaune's body, enveloping him in a visible chilling aura of white snow with the manual activation of Weiss's skill. Feeling his HP recover faster, Jaune was able to gather enough strength to lift his heavy cleaver and slice the rubble in half. He sighed in relief as he felt his wounds mend along with the soothing chill tickling his skin. As if he didn't have enough reasons to love his Snow Angel.

Seeing the blond recover, the Grimm Origin sunk its arms back into its body and glided like a speeding jet after its target. Jaune groaned before turning away to out run the large fang beginning to split the edge of the island. Its blade tore the island apart in its chase, kicking up dirt and even water as it tore through a streaming river falling to the ocean of data below. In Jaune's running he quickly spun around and sent a chilling Crescent Blade to slash at the fanged gun's barreled eye. Ice encased the Grimm Origin's sight, stopping it as its arms grew out to scratch at the glistening frozen liquid. Jaune skidded to a stop as a thought hit him. He grinned.

" _ **Teres Mors!**_ " Crocea Mors was swapped in only to be replaced by the short blood red blade of the thorn themed weapon. Another great thing about the short weapon was that it came with a boost to his Speed and granted a bonus to status effects. He should really look over his weapons more after this was all said and done. " _ **Hyper Blade!**_ " Body trembling with energy, Jaune began to blitz the blind possessed weapon of his best friend with fevered wild strikes. Each hit created a growing seed of ice around its body as he appeared like a blur of cold steel and yellow. Struggling to resist the cold chill, the Grimm Origin raised its left arm up to slam it down like a hammer to squash the knight.

Ending his speed blitz, Jaune fell back on a skid and noticed the shadow overhead. The attached vine on his blade lashed out to wrap around the wrist of its dark hand. And with a mighty pull, Jaune slammed it down before stabbing his blade into the ground.

" _ **Teres Blade: Uprooting Vignes!**_ "

Multiple glowing bright vines broke through the ground around the arm of the Grimm Origin, knotting its appendage still. It didn't care, it raised its right arm up to finish the job. At that Jaune couldn't help but smirk nastily as a cold stone fell into his hand from thin air.

"I'm taking a page out from Yang here, so forgive me. But I think you should chill out!" he shouted before aiming the Ice Dust crystal at the falling fist. Upon being fed aura, the magical stone fired a blast of cold energy to devour the dark being's arm. A cold frost froze it still, pausing its descent. It cracked, shattering to pieces a second later.

The budding ice Jaune had created with his swings began to crawl over the Grimm Origin's body to freeze it still. The ice covering its eye broke apart. It found the blond knight in front of its barrel, glaring at it as he waved his sword around to return it to its normal form.

It hummed as it loaded another round to finish the boy off. Jaune grinned in response as he raised Crocea Mors up high in the air.

" _ **Luminous Howl!**_ "

Flashing bright rays blinded the Grimm Origin's sight, strong enough to pause its gunfire as it became dazed. It was blind to the white light crawling over Crocea Mors blade, lengthening it into a two-yard blade. Jaune gave it no time to recover. He swung his blade across its body diagonally, slashing a bright line as the blade cut through even the ice with a loud swoosh.

The Grimm Origin's single eye blinked, growing dim as its body cracked. Like its arm, it shattered to pieces, releasing a stream of darkness along with the glimmering dust of ice falling around Jaune.

Jaune fell to his knees with a tired sigh. The cold aura around his body slowly faded away but not before completely healing the damage on his body. That was the last of them in this area. His HUD map wasn't displaying anymore markers, so he was in the clear.

"Thank god. When I agreed to stopping Ren's corruption, I didn't think I would have to go through a fucking gauntlet!" Jaune said tiredly. And this was only one out of three. Great.

Popping out Jaune's scroll, Will was bemused at the state of the boy, "What did you think? That it was going to be a walk in the park? Corruption is a serious deal here. Normally a person who's fallen under Falling as you people call it is incapable of being saved at this point. Being The Heart is the only reason you're able to even step in here. Be grateful for that."

Jaune waved the azure ball's words away as he stood back up with a groan, "If I don't get a thank you out of this, then I'm sicing Nora on his lazy ass." Moving his head around, he was taken back as the dark sky began to brighten. Even bits of the floating earth began to move around to fix everything into its proper place.

"Was I able to stop the corruption here in time?"

Will nodded as the world began to repair itself slowly, "Uh-huh. From my readings, Mind's corruption has dropped from 99.9% to 77.8%. Got to fix the rest before he's out of the red zone."

Smiling happily, Jaune stretched his arms back as he watched the sun rise back up in the sky.

Ren was still in danger. But at least Jaune had done some good. It wouldn't be long until Ren was back to normal. Well, as normal as Ren could be.

"Then let's stop wasting time and head back. I got two more Memoirs to repair." he commanded, getting a thumbs up. Both their bodies began to fade away, leaving no trace of their presence as the world was restored.

Time in the memory caught up with itself. No damage could be seen as the world continued.

To Nora, it felt like an hour had passed her by as she and Ren continued their way to Mistral. Worry ate at her conscience as she recalled her fight with Jaune. She hated herself for shouting with such anger in her voice at her cherished leader. He was only looking out for them. Nothing would hurt him more if he lost the last two letters of JNPR because he couldn't save them. Just like Pyrrha.

She turned her eyes to Ren, wanting to ask him if she should have calmed down when talking to Jaune. But she stopped herself as a stray tear flew past her, twinkling in the air as Ren's shoulders trembled. Her green eyes softened.

As emotionless as her partner tried to act, he could never hide his true feelings from her.

Laying her hand on his shoulder, Nora stopped him to face her. Faint tear marks ran down his face, the sight only making her sadder.

"What is it, Nora?" Ren said with a stoic expression, inwardly cursing himself. Nothing could be hidden from her surprisingly sharp eyes.

Nora only smiled at him, "It's going to be alright. I'm sure Jaune and Ruby will find some medicine to patch Qrow up enough to wait for our return. They're strong, and together they should be able to handle just about anything." she reassured him.

Lies. All lies. No matter what she said, Ren knew for a fact that things wouldn't be fine. It hardly ever came out fine. His magenta eyes grew somber as he carefully moved Nora's hand off.

"You don't know that. No one does." Only he did.

Instead of growing upset with what Ren had said, Nora grinned brightly as she held his hand close to her chest. Silly Ren. As smart as he was, he could still be as thick headed as Jaune. They were more alike than they thought.

"That's why we pray! When we're unsure of things and can't do anything about it, we pray. And hope that the small 1% we've added to chances will make a difference. You got to stop using that head of yours and have some faith. That's what I do and look at me!" she laughed, the sound causing Ren to lift his lips up slightly, "I can continue moving knowing that my prayers are at least being heard."

At that, Ren scoffed. The only one hearing her prayers were a bunch of cruel gods watching them for amusement. They could care less for what she asked.

"Being heard by who?"

"By you."

Ren's heart stopped at her words. A surge of warmth spread through his body as Nora's kind, soft eyes looked back at him.

No matter what, she would always look up to him. And he would listen.

Something came over Ren as he grit his teeth. The chances were slim, they always were. But that was only because he was leaving them as that. It was time he threw his prayer in and added a chance. One that he had control over. Old wound be damned.

With renewed resolve, Ren turned his back on the path to Mistral. After several lives stuck in this game, he finally came to a decision. He was done letting the past control him any longer. It was time to move forward.

"Nora, we're heading back for Kuroyuri."

The orange haired Valkyrie jumped in joy. Now that was the Ren she loved. Now she could finally apologize to Jaune for their spat.

"Don't have to tell me twice! Let's go meet up with the rest of team JNRR!"

Ren couldn't help but laugh as they ran back to their friends. To their team.

"JNRR still isn't a color."

 **Memoir of Resolve**

* * *

Returning to the crossroads that housed the paths to the Memoirs, Jaune felt his stamina recover in an instant. He stretched his arm up with a grin, glad to have his energy back.

"This place must work like Husk's Moment of Respite. It's almost like I was never hurt at all." he grinned. Turning his eyes to the sign post, he was surprised to see that the memoir he had just visited had changed, "Memoir of Resolve? I thought it was regret?" he said as he scratched his head.

Appearing next to Jaune, The Will began to explain, "I told you, the memory was corrupt. These three here are basically quarters, two sides of the same coin. They have their good and bad. Most of the time. The one you just fixed revealed the good of the memory, helping to stave off the corruption and bugs. It's why it had a new name to it."

"Resolve, huh?" The name gave Jaune hope. He fixed Ren's resolve. Maybe now he would start trying again. Though Jaune was getting ahead of himself. There were still two more memories left to fix.

His eyes fell on the Memoir of Heartbreak. It made Jaune curious as he headed for it. Ren had his heart broken? Ever since he learned the truth he never would have thought that Ren was capable of falling in love, it seemed like too much work and energy for the guy. It couldn't have been Nora, she loved the guy too much to break his heart. Which meant he had his eyes on someone else.

Jaune shrugged as he dove right into the Memoir. Well he wasn't going to get an answer. All he could do is fix the memory and shine the light on the good of it. If there was any. Hopefully Ren wasn't shot down like he had been by Weiss.

Will sighed as it watched Jaune leave. Idiot.

"He's so thick headed it's not even funny." it said broadly. It blinked in realization, grinning brightly as it laughed and followed along.

"Who am I kidding? It's fucking hilarious!"

* * *

 **Memoir of Hearbreak**

Music filled the air, dance lights spun around the room and the sound of people laughing and enjoying their time with one another could be heard throughout the night. It was a joyous time. Time to relax and enjoy a night out with friends, teammates, and love interests instead of the regular lessons on hunting and fighting Grimm. Something that was long overdue for some students after the events of the last few months.

Beacon's Annual Dance.

An Event that brought joy to many. All except for one raven haired Player.

Up in the balcony of the dance hall, Ren stood in the shadows of the door, completely hidden from sight as he watched Pyrrha confess her feelings to Jaune who listened intently with a slacked jaw. The damn idiot was honest to god surprised. Jaune couldn't believe what he was hearing as the bright embarrassed blush on his partner's cheeks helped in cementing her words.

Pyrrha Niko's, the so-called Goddess of Victory, four-time Mistral tournament champion, and all around bad ass, was in love with him of all people? Something in his brain broke as he tried to comprehend it all. Because this was crazy!

For Ren, it was scene he had seen all too much. He clenched his fists in frustration and self-loathing as he slid back on the wall of the door leading to the balcony. He sighed, hanging his head. The simple red rose in his right hand was trickling with blood falling to make a small puddle near his feet.

 _'So, this is another world where Pyrrha actually worked up the courage to confess her feelings to Jaune. Just like my luck.'_ Ren chuckled weakly. Of all the resets, why did she have to make her feelings clear now? It was always so random; Pyrrha would sometimes confess before The Fall or just before her death at the hands of Cinder atop the CCT Tower to Beacon. But this one time, this one world, for a just one lifetime, Ren had hoped he could gather his own courage and confess his own feelings.

He loved Pyrrha. In all the resets and worlds he had passed, he somehow found himself slowly falling for the red-haired champion with a heart of gold. How did it all start? When the hell did she worm her way into his heart? He didn't even notice it until the twentieth reset. The budding warmth she created when she smiled at him. Her breath taking emerald eyes that spoke more honestly than her lips could. And the aura of warmth she exuded by just standing near her.

Pyrrha Niko's had stolen his heart. Of all people, he had to fall in love with, Ren just had to fall in love with the girl doomed to die as Beacon fell apart around them. An inescapable fate. In every world he was reset to, Ren could simply fall in love with any of the girls around him. Most of the time he would create a relationship with his best friend Nora and things would be well. But with all their memories erased with every win or lose at The End, he had decided it was pointless to make a relationship with others when it would all be for nothing. But Pyrrha was different. She was one the person who in every reset would remain the same. A constant that made all these fights worthwhile. Like coming home after a long day of work to a loving wife smiling at you as if you were the world to them.

"Since the day I met you, I just knew that you were the one. I... I love you!"

Ren ground his teeth at the sound of Pyrrha's declaration of her heart. Despite it he couldn't muster up the energy to be bitter. She was only speaking the truth. How could he hate her for that?

Jaune was speechless. This was a shocker no one saw coming. If he was smarter he would have noticed the entire Beacon body smack their heads in frustration. Pyrrha loved him? He gulped nervously as he processed the news. His best friend was waiting to hear his response, looking to the side of the balcony to the night sky filled with bright stars illuminating the world.

She loved him. So, why did the thought make him sad? Jaune looked down in shame, steeling his thoughts as he tried to break the news to her.

"Pyrrha. . .I don't know what to say. I mean, it's not every day that a beautiful celebrity just confesses to you on such a night. You're smart, kind, supporting, you've been helping an idiot like me stand on my own feet and fight like a real huntsman; you've been nothing but my closest friend since I got her-"

"But?" Pyrrha tried to hide the trembling in her voice as she could already tell where this was going. Her heart clenched tightly as she met Jaune's somber blue eyes.

"But I'd be lying to you and myself if I said I loved you back." Jaune answered back sadly.

Pyrrha shut her eyes in hopes to hide the tears. She knew it. No matter what she said, he wouldn't love her back. Jaune saw her too much as a sister and best friend to have emotions for her like she did. It was her own fault for not making her feelings clearer in the beginning. If she had only been more honest, then maybe. . .

No, she shook her head as she put on a smile. She wouldn't make this any worse. She should have bottled up her emotions in the first place. Already she could see the regret in Jaune's blue eyes. Of all things, she didn't want him to regret his honesty. She didn't need that.

"Oh? Well, I guess there's no helping that." she sniffed as she did her best to act cheerful. It hurt, her heart felt like it had been stabbed right through, "If you don't feel the same, then there's no helping that. We must act on what we feel." As if she was one to talk.

Jaune frowned in worry. Pyrrha's shoulders were trembling, "Pyrrha. . .I'm sorry-"

"No!" she shouted, her green eyes staring back at him with tears gathered in her sight, "You shouldn't apologize for how you truly feel. Look, I-I think I should go back to our dorms for a bit. I... need some time for myself." her voice quivered as she turned her back to Jaune.

Ren felt his anger spike as Pyrrha ran past him. The twinkle of tears trailing behind her being the last straw.

Jaune moved his hand towards Pyrrha's retreating back, sighing as he moved his hand back and leaned back against the railing of the balcony. What a night this was turning out to be.

"You're a damn idiot."

Surprise lit up Jaune's face as he suddenly found Ren stepping out of the shadows of the entryway. Had he been listening to them the whole time?

"Ren? What are you doing here?" he asked as Ren stepped up to him with a shadowed expression. The raven-haired Huntsman's teeth grit visibly as he stopped in front of Jaune. His pink eyes glared back at him with emotion unlike what he knew from the lazy man.

"You really are a damn idiot, you know that? Passing up on someone who sees you as the world like it was nothing. HOW STUPID CAN YOU REALLY BE?!" Ren roared angrily as he threw a fist for Jaune's face. Jaune quickly caught the blow, flinching as he felt his arm crack from the pressure behind the punch.

"Calm down, Ren! It's not like I wanted this to happen! Hurting her feelings is the last thing I want, especially after everything she's done for me." Jaune grunted as he wrestled with his friend. Pushing him back, Jaune winced as he rubbed his wrists. Ren was a lot stronger than he made himself out to be. "What did you want me to do? Lie to her about how I really feel? That's worse than saying nothing at all! How was I suppose to know that she would fall in love with me?" he asked as Ren shook his head in disbelief.

"Have you not seen the look in her eyes when you walk in the room? The way she smiles when you talk to her? Or how her whole being just brightens up when you walk beside her!? How blind can you be to not notice how she felt about you!?" It was the same with every world! The damn idiot would be blind to her feelings and wouldn't realize it until she either gathered the courage to speak on them or went off to die.

Jaune went silent as he looked away. He really was blind, wasn't he? To miss out on the obvious signs. Here he thought she just liked to spend time with him because he was her partner. The idea of Pyrrha of all people loving him was an impossible dream he never thought of.

"I... messed up. I know that. I hurt Pyrrha horribly. But," Jaune said softly as he looked back at his teammate. His eyes were somber, but firm as he spoke from his heart, "I can't apologize for telling the truth. I love Pyrrha, just not in the way she had hoped for. Not when I-"

"Already love Weiss?" Ren cut him with a scornful laugh, "Or is it Blake? Ruby? Yang? Velvet? Coco? Some random girl you've only just met? Who's captured your stupid heart this time?!"

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense!" Jaune shouted back, feelings his own anger rise, "What are you even doing here? Don't tell me you love her?"

Ren held back his tongue as he grew silent. His silence was all the answer Jaune needed.

"You do love her, don't you?" It wasn't a question. The way Ren looked like he was struck made it obvious. Jaune was just getting hit left and right with surprises tonight. What, was Nora going to jump out of nowhere and propose to all three of them next? "Why the hell are you pissed at me? If you feel that way about her, then you should be saying it to her! At least she had the courage to speak about how she feels and not hide in the shadows!"

"Shut up!" Ren shouted, glaring hatefully at the annoying blond haired knight. As if he could ever say anything. No matter what he tried, Pyrrha would always love Jaune. She was programmed that way, hard wired to her core to see him with such adoration. All because of her destiny.

Hate. It was all Ren could feel. His body was trembling as he raised up his fist for another swing.

"At least I can see her! What excuse do you have as her partner?! You're not even worthy of being her friend, you lousy excuse for a Huntsman!"

Anger spread into Jaune as he snarled and raised his fist.

That was the thing about anger. It reacted like a disease, spreading to everyone until all they felt was blistering hatred. It didn't matter what kind of bonds the other shared, influenced by the ugly emotion makes even the closest of friends despise one another.

The world paused just as the two friends swung at one another. Unlike the earlier memory, it remained unchanged save for all the people vanishing into thin air. It was the sight of the familiar balcony on a starry night that greeted Jaune as he fell into the world.

Jaune spun his head around to look at his surroundings. This must be where Ren experienced a heartbreaking memory. It made him wonder what it could have been? Poor guy must had been stood up right here. Jaune knew that feeling all too well.

"You really are an idiot. The hell was Oum thinking when he created you?" The Will sighed as it jumped out of his scroll. It looked at him with a hopeless expression as Jaune glared at him, "Maybe attaining the gift of The Gamer will do you some good. A rise in Intelligence is long overdue after so many worlds of running around with a lead head."

"I'm just going to ignore you if you don't have anything helpful to say." Jaune said, turning his eyes to his map for this memory's source of corruption.

Was it him, or was there a weird tension in the air? For some reason, it pulled at his heart string. How odd.

"Hmm?" Jaune blinked as found only one pulsing red dot target on his HUD. There was only one this time. Unlike the others though it was twice the size. He shrugged his shoulders, paying it no mind as he walked out of the balcony to the dance floor where it resided. At least there was only one to worry about.

Stepping onto the dance hall, Jaune found the source of the corruption in the middle of the dance floor. A Grimm Origin, bigger than the last three he had defeated. Sensing the new presence step closer to it, the Grimm Origin throbbed, causing the colorful dance lights above to point at them. An eerie pulsing ring blew out from its body, shattering the disco ball attached to the ceiling. The broken reflective shards fell onto its body, layering its outside like a mirror the reflected the lights around them in rays. A single red eye popped out and stared him down as it twirled around in a little dance.

 **Grim Origin EX.**

 **4,500HP/4,500HP**

Jaune went on guard as Crocea Mors shield rose up for any incoming attacks, "This one doesn't look like it wants to take any chances. Better make this quick!" he grinned as he prepared to charge in.

An invisible force suddenly barred down onto Jaune before he could take another step, increasing the gravity to hold him still. It was like he was being held back. He grit his teeth as even twitching his finger became impossible. Was this the Grimm Origin's doing?

The Will hummed as it watched on. Flying around Jaune and the Grimm Origin, it came to a realization as it snapped its fingers, "Oh! I thought this looked familiar! It's just like Soul's annoying Quirk. You won't be able to finish this fight like that sadly. Good for me though! I want to see a show."

"What are you talking about?" Jaune grunted as he continued to try moving his body. Nothing was working though. No matter how much he forced his muscles to budge, he couldn't move an inch. He panted as he gave up, glad to at least be able to slump his shoulders.

"Well, you're stuck in what we like to call a Turn Based Battle! Think back to those old-school RPG's you use to play. Every action, such as Attacking, Defending, Healing, and Supporting comes at a limit. Hold on a sec." it said as it flew in front of Jaune's face. Two white gloved hands materialized from thin air to float besides it like actually hands as it began to make odd gestures with them. Done with what it was doing, Will snapped both his fingers to apply its changes.

Jaune's HUD suddenly changed into a new display. His portrait was now painted on a black bar with a large zero beside. His name was even written in fancy cursive script. Not only that but the Grimm Origin gained its own portrait instead of an HP bar above its head, designed just like Jaune's with a large zero by its name.

"There we go. For this memory only, you'll be able to see things in a turn based setting and only be able to fight as such. Sucks, but them the rules the Grimm Origin has created. Not only that, but," it winced, chuckling as it flew back to stay by Jaune side, "It's also created certain actions in order to execute any type of move to fit with the setting of this place. How good are you at dancing?"

A slow twitch developed in Jaune's eyes. God damn it. Well, it was never a better day to have been raised in a house of seven sisters.

Music began to play as Jaune mentally called on his battle actions like he would in his games. Good thing he had some experience in this. And they said games would never apply to the real world. A list of his abilities, skills, and even soul links were displayed in the air for him to scroll through, each with their own costs to activate by MP. And certain conditions. His portrait was below the Grimm Origin's, meaning he was up first.

 _ **'Power Strike[10MP]. Dance Move: Dazzle!'**_

"Dazzle?" Jaune asked, stumped as he read over the requirements of his most basic ability. What did that mean?

"Dazzle, Astonish, Rave, Captivate, and Burn! In order to use your moves, you have to show off your own moves with some flair!" Will explained gleefully, spinning around in a little dance, "Take Power Strike. To attack with it, you must perform a dance move that dazzles the crowd. The more effective the dance, the more damage it does along with its effects, you can even land a critical easily!"

"Crowd?" Jaune gaped, just as several dozen dark silhouettes appeared around them in a ring. What kind of bullshit was this? The faceless people were actually cheering them on like an actual crowd with pumping fists.

Will nodded, "Yup! The large number by your portrait also indicates your Crowd Level. The more the crowd loves you, the more actions you can perform in a single turn. So, show them the best of your moves! Oh, and the stronger abilities might also cost you some Crowd Levels, so be sure to save them up! Your level drops when you mess up an action or use them up to perform more actions. Now enough talking, let's dance battle!"

Jaune bit back a foul word. Hate, so much hate. A fight was a fight though. Time to make his sisters proud.

With a sigh, Jaune selected Power Strike up first. Might as well test the waters. The second he chose his action, six arrow pads appeared below his feet on each sense of direction. The twitch on his brow grew. DDR? Seriously? This was Ren's Core alright. Sucking in his frustrations, Jaune decided to just go along with the flow. The upbeat music playing was actually infectious. His oldest sister who specialized in dancing did always say that when you were stumped in how to move to just let the music lead you on.

Nodding his head along with the beat, Jaune went along as he moved his front forward. He tapped his feet, spinning in place with a little flaring gesture of his hands. He pointed his finger at the Grimm Origin with a grin, moving his head back with a challenging expression as he unsheathed Crocea Mors.

'The Crowd's feeling it! Crowd Level up by 1!'

The powerful force holding Jaune back was lifted. The crowd clapped their hands as Jaune dashed off the spot to swing his glowing white blade at the Grimm Origin. He cut into it with a sideways slash, dropping its health by 700HP. He grinned as it spun around frantically with a flinching eye. He jumped back, scowling as he felt the force comeback. Guess that meant it was the Grimm Origin's turn.

The Grimm Origin bobbed up and down, swaying side to side before spinning around in a colorful blur as the lights reflected off its mirror armor. The crowd cheered loudly, throwing confetti into the air in acceptance of the dance move. Freed from the pressure, it released a ring of vile energy to summon two Beowolves and a single Lie Shade to defend it. The turn order shuffled with the newest additions.

 **Jaune Arc→Beowolf1→Beowolf2→Lie Shade→Grimm Origin**

Backup dancers? It almost made Jaune laugh out loud if it wasn't for the fact he had more enemies to deal with. Up next, he moved back to repeat with Power Strike. Selecting it, he performed the same dance move to the watching crowd. The crowd booed, throwing their drinks at him to phase by him as he stood confused. That worked last time, why didn't it work this time?

 _ **'The Crowd was not impressed. Crowd Level decreased by 2.'**_

"Aw, come on!" Jaune groaned as he watched his CL drop into the negative. Which meant he would lose a turn from his guess. The battle turn shuffled again, moving his next turn to the very bottom after the enemies moved twice. Repeating a dance move must not be a crowd appeaser.

Beowolf1 moved next. It shuffled its feet back, bobbing its head up and down furiously with its claws up in devil horns as its tongue lulled. With the crowd's approval, it snarled and lunged forward with a wide-open maw of sharp teeth. Jaune grit his teeth as his body moved to dodge on instinct. It was useless as the Beowolf rammed into his body like an anvil and bit down ruthlessly on his shoulder blade. Blood flew up as it dug its fanged teeth deeper. With its move done with, it jumped back to its spot as it let its brother move next. Beowolf2 threw its claws in the air, waving them around before slamming them down to the ground repeatedly while shaking its head wildly. Its red eyes glowed deeply with the roar of the crowd. It vanished in a blur, appearing dropping down above from Jaune with glowing white claws. It slammed them downward, raking its claws against Jaune's body enough to draw a splatter of blood. The Lie Shade was next. It flicked its hair back, moving its right hand to rest on its hip before strutting forward while moving its left hand to partially cover its face. The Shade spun on his foot before dropping to its head to spin around.

"Failure. You're a sad excuse for a Huntsman." it said as it laid on its side propped up by its arm in a pose. Jaune swore to god that it even gave off a twinkle it its red eyes like some magnificent danger.

"I'd feel more insulted if you didn't say that while looking ridiculous." Jaune said through clenched teeth as his eye twitched madly. As if he had a right to say that right now! The Lie Shade dashed forward, skidding on its feet while spinning around with its blades extended. Jaune was assaulted by a top spin of slashes, chipping away at his health.

Grimm Origin danced next. It bounced all around with the beat, spinning in place before popping out an arm to give a thumbs up. The crowd clapped lightly, more than enough for it to attack. Summoning its second arm, it cracked its knuckles before unleashing a barrage of pummeling punches to drill Jaune with. Jaune gasped hoarsely as his HP took a big hit from the attack, leaving him to fall to his knees in agony and spit out wad of blood.

 _ **Jaune Arc.**_

 _ **3,350HP/6,000HP**_

That was nearly half his health! With Jaune's CL still in the negative, he was left to suffer through with his wounds as the enemies moved again. He grit his teeth as his body could only stand against the next wave of attacks, dropping his health closer to the red. He messed up with his second turn and now he was paying the price.

 _'Think, how would Melodie go about this in a dance?'_ Jaune thought back to his oldest sister as the Grimm Origin rained another barrage of fists into him. He nearly threw up as its large fist nearly punctured through his gut as he dry heaved.

A well-endowed pink haired woman in a spaghetti dress grinned back at him in his mind. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and had the silkiest hair he had ever seen done up in a bun and ponytail. Her bright blue eyes winked at him as she waved her finger at him and ruffled his hair.

 _'Don't think about it! Let the music tell you what to do. Like water, flow along with the melody. Dancing is not about thinking about what to do, it's about having fun and listening to how your body feels!'_ her airy voice laughed.

Jaune's turn finally came back to him. He cleaned off the blood drying on his chin as he fought to stand still. His HP was in the red. He needed time to recover.

 _'I feel like I need to defend. Let's see how I can do it.'_ He scrolled down to his Spells and selected Reflect.

 _ **'Reflect[10MP]. Dance Move: Astonish.'**_

The music's beat flowed back into Jaune as he took a breath. Just remember Melodie's words and it would come to him. His feet danced along as he moved his arms in a flair. Crocea Mors shield opened and bashed forward three times. He drew it into a sheath and spun it in the air and opened it back up with a fierce glare. The crowd was drawn back for a moment before roaring with applause.

 _ **'The Crowd Loves ya! Crowd Level increased by 2!'**_

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Back into the flow, Jaune cast his mirror dome to defend himself for the next few turns. The Beowolves moved next, dancing in heavy rock steps to attack. Reflect bounced back their attacks, damaging them in the process as they lost half their health.

The Shade dropped danced with an alluring flair, running forward to fall to his knees in a skid. It pulled its shirt open to show off its chest to the crowd as it taunted Jaune, "Give up. You'll fail as you always do."

Jaune growled as he noticed its eyes sparkle, "God damn it, shut up! This is not threatening at all!" he yelled in annoyance.

It didn't pay him any attention. Instead it ran forward with cruel teeth shaping the fangs of its version of Storm Flower. It slashed at his dome twice, carving an X on the dome as it jumped back. Reflect began to wane as the Grimm Origin danced next. It rolled back and forth on the dance floor, spinning in circles before clapping its hands together merrily. The lights up above fell directly onto it, sending rays of rainbows to strike everything in sight including its allies. Jaune was safe as his defensive spell bounced its attack back to pierce it.

It was Jaune's turn again. Seeing that he had 2 CL's on him, he pulled up his inventory to down a Large Aura Potion to mend his wounds with a dance. He shook his hips with his steps, raising hearts to the female silhouettes in the crowd as he winked and combed his hair back to Allure them. _**'The Crowd is feeling hot! Crowd Level up by 2!'**_ With his CL now on 3, Jaune scrolled through his abilities until he fell on Luminous Howl. Along with its MP cost, it also used up 3CL to activate along with a Burn Dance Move. Activating it, he shook his head dismissively at the enemies with a snarky smirk. He clapped his hands together, spinning in place as he danced and swiped his hands at them with a burning energy. " _ **Luminous Howl!**_ " he shouted along with the crowd's applause. A blinding white light seared all their eye sights, stunning them from acting out as Jaune's blade grew longer with light. He then swept his sword to tear through his enemies, killing off the Beowolves and the Lie Shade. The Grimm Origin was cut deeply, shattering its mirror coat as it was left in a daze.

Jaune grinned in victory as the turn order skipped the Grimm Origin. It was left wide open.

" _ **Crescent Blade!**_ " Finishing up with another dance move to wow the audience, Jaune fired a slashing crescent blade to cut the Grimm Origin in half. Its eye blinked before its body turned to ash in the wind.

"Victory!" Will cheered, dancing around as Jaune sighed in relief as his body was freed from the corruption's control, "That wasn't so hard, was it? I thought it would have taken you longer to finish that up. Your dance skills really paid off."

"I thank my eldest sister for this win. She always loved teaching me how to dance along with her. Never would have thought it would help me in a fight." Jaune smiled. He would have died if he hadn't listened to her advice. That was touch and go for a second.

The crowd faded away to nothing, leaving Jaune to stand by himself in the empty dance room. He couldn't help but reminisce to his last life and the dance he had shared with his team. Good times. He couldn't wait to do it again sometime.

"That was the only one, right?"

Will nodded, "Pretty much. With the corruption here done for, Mind's at 67.0%. He's getting closer to being freed from corruption with every win. We only got one more Memoir to go, so let's get going!"

"Right." Jaune agreed as he took one last look at the dance floor. For some reason, he found his eyes trailing back for the balcony he had landed on. He frowned as his body began to transfer itself back to the main way to the Core.

Why did it feel bittersweet?

Free of corruption, the memory was able to move on. Leaving Jaune and Ren back to swinging their raging fists at one another.

"Jeez, you two can be such idiots."

Water balloons smacked into both Huntsman's faces before they could connect their punches, drenching them in water and stopping them in surprise.

What just happened?

Turning their eyes to the person who stopped them, they were taken even further by surprise as they found a smirking Yang Xiao Long bouncing another water balloon in her hand. Of all people to come break them up, she was the last person Ren would have thought of.

"Yang? What are you doing here?" Jaune couldn't help but ask as the flirty blonde walked up to them. She crossed her arms with a quirked brow as if she was asking if he was joking.

"As the party planner, it's my duty to make sure everyone is having a good time. So, imagine my surprise when I bump into a crying Pyrrha. I got her to explain the situation to me and even managed to get her to stick around. And what do I find here? A couple of dumb boys fighting about a woman." she shook her head with a sigh. Yang raised her fist up and then proceeded to hammer it into their thick skulls.

"OW! WHY?!"

"WHAT DID I DO?!"

"You're both acting stupid is what." Yang huffed as she turned away from Jaune and Ren rubbing their aching heads. "One of you is a blind dork who hasn't noticed the beautiful girl right in front of him wanting his attention."

Ren smirked as Jaune flinched and looked down in shame. He was glad to know he wasn't the only one who thought the same.

"And the other is a lazy ninja who's too scared to make his feelings known to the girl he loves."

Jaune snickered as Ren sighed and slouched in despair. He wasn't the only idiot out here tonight.

"I swear, I don't even know how Pyrrha and Nora can deal with you two. There's a girl crying back there, and all you two can do is fight with one another when you can be making her smile again. Talk about knuckleheads."

The thought of Pyrrha crying made Jaune and Ren flinch back as if they were struck. In their fighting, they had forgotten about her. Her tear stained face appeared in their heads, creating a sickness in their stomachs.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head in shame as Ren crossed his arms with a sigh. They turned to each other and came to a silent agreement. No words needed to be said to one another. All the anger that had filled their systems drained away. What mattered now was the red headed girl with a broken heart.

"We. . .we messed up, Yang." Said Jaune, his voice filled with guilt as Ren nodded along with equal guilt, "Though it's mostly my fault for rejecting her. Maybe I shouldn't hav-"

Yang cut him off with a scowl, "Don't. Lying that you liked her back like that would have made things worse. What's done is done, you can't lie about how you truly feel. Pretty sure that cluelessness is part of what made her fall for you." she smirked as Jaune hung his head at the jab, "Honestly? All three of you are at fault. You, for not noticing your partner going head over heels for you. Ren, for getting pissed off about you rejecting her because you didn't love her back and not having the guts to make his feelings known to her. And Pyrrha, for springing all this on you when she knew that Jaune had no clue to her feelings and that he had his eyes on someone else." Talk about drama. Yang felt like she was in some soap opera that Summer would always watch when she was alive.

"So, what should we do?" Ren asked in frustration. In all the lives he had gone through, he never had to deal with a messy situation like this. It had felt so long since he felt like a teenager again. He almost forgot about all the drama that came along with it.

"It's a party." Yang shrugged nonchalantly as if it was as simple as that, "Go back down there and dance with her. Make her forget about her broken heart for tonight. Trust me, having two fine ass pretty boys dance with her like a princess for a few hours ought to make her smile again."

"You really think that will work?" Jaune said skeptically. He was pretty sure his face was the last thing Pyrrha wanted to see.

"Wouldn't hurt to try. Plus, Nora will be your back up. Can't stay upset too long with that girl around." Yang grinned before waving her hand dismissively, "For tonight, focus on making her feel special. Tomorrow's a whole 'nother battle for you numbskulls to figure out. Things aren't going to be the same after tonight, I'll tell you that." she said somberly with a weak smile. The truth was the truth. A woman's first heartbreak took a while to heal and even then, it left a scar. But Pyrrha was a strong woman, Yang was sure that she could move on with time and friends by her side, "But you can't fight with each other like this. It'll only make things worse. You're both men, right? Then start acting like it!"

The strict shout made the two Huntsmen straighten up and nod firmly. It was time to stop acting like boys and act like men! With that in mind, they both headed for the dance floor with determination coursing in their veins.

Ren blinked as Jaune was pulled back just before they could step out. Turning his back, he found Yang holding Jaune back by the shoulder to speak with him privately. The blond knight smiled weakly as Yang nodded in understanding as she held his hand in her own softly. The look in her soft lavender eyes said it all.

 _'Typical. No wonder he turned Pyrrha down this time. It makes me wonder how I missed Yang and Jaune making a connection. Then again, I couldn't care less.'_ Ren thought as he waited for them to finish up.

When Ren thought about it, he couldn't hate Jaune for going with his heart. It was just that seeing Pyrrha so hurt had made him lose his cool. And it wasn't like Jaune did it on purpose. He was just born with a very thick skull.

So, what excuse did Ren have? The fear of being turned down was one thing that had never dulled. It made him chuckle when he thought about it.

It was one of the last emotions he still had. It wasn't just Pyrrha that was capable of bringing it out of him, it was all his friends.

Maybe. . .maybe that was why he always came back to this?

Stepping back beside Ren, Jaune broke him out of his thoughts with an apology, "Sorry about that. I just had to take care of something real quick." he said with a grimace as he rubbed his arm. Yang must have punched him when Ren was off in his own thoughts. Served him right.

Ren smiled. He couldn't stay mad at Jaune for long. The guy could get under his skin, but he was still his best friend.

"It's fine. We should get going now that we're ready. There's a very special girl waiting to be swept off her feet tonight."

Jaune couldn't agree more as he patted Ren's shoulder.

"Right. Though maybe you should have the first dance?" Jaune grinned, earning a blush out of Ren as he looked away, "You got to start somewhere, why not now?"

As the two walked down to greet the confused green eyes of said Spartan themed girl, Ren felt that tonight wasn't going to be so bad. Even if he knew what awaited them.

At least this would be a memory he wouldn't forget. As bittersweet as it was.

 **Memoir of** **Contentment**

* * *

"One more to go."

Back at the crossroads of Ren's Core, Jaune was taking a moment to go through his inventory to see how many health items he had left on him. He frowned lightly as he found only 3 Large Aura Potions, 2 Small Aura Potions, and 2 Small Mana Drinks. Hopefully it could last him for the last Memoir. Thank god his HP and MP filled back up in an instant here.

"Ready to wrap things up?" Will asked as it moved to float in front of the final road path. Jaune nodded firmly as he pocketed his scroll.

"The last Grimm Origin that's spreading the corruption lays beyond there. Bet your non-existent ass that I'm ready to finish this!" Jaune said loudly with vigor.

Not waiting for a reply, Jaune ran for the last Memoir. Diving straight in to fix the last of the darkness lurking in Ren's core.

* * *

 **Memoir of Despair**

Fires. Fires everywhere. The sound of Grimm roaring, howling, cawing, and screeching for blood filled the very air along with the sounds of battle. The sky of Beacon was a scene of nightmares. The Atlesian military ships were going down in smoke and aerial Grimm ruled the skies. Below the streets of Vale and Beacon was the same as the monsters attacked everything in sight. Even worse, the Atlesian Knights followed them in example as they mowed civilians and hunters down with gunfire.

Hell on Remnant. That what was running through the peoples' minds as they ran for safety while the hunters from all four kingdoms attending the Vytal Tournament fought to protect them. It was a scene all too familiar to Ren as he cut down another Ursa Major with Storm Flower in his mad sprint for the Beacon CCT Tower. From the top of the communications tower he could see the flash of fires raging, breaking apart the windows from Ozpin's office as a fight raged on within. Several Atlesian Knights spotted him as he moved faster to the tower. They raised their guns and aimed as their red glare visors locked onto his form.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!"

Haze. The Atlesian Knight's saw a haze as the raven-haired teen vanished. Multiple pink lines phased all around their bodies like flickering lights before they fell apart in sliced heaps of metal. Ren didn't spare them a glance as he continued to run for the CCT tower, his eyes wide in anger and alarm as a large torrent of flames broke out the tower's left side.

No. It wasn't too late! Not this time, damn it! There was no way in hell he was letting her die again!

The entrance to the CCT came in sight. Seeing it, Ren was ready to barge past the door for the elevators until a dark shadow fell over him. He snarled as a shaking boom hit the ground. Turning around, he found the form of an Atlesian Mech standing behind him. It was unlike its brothers, upgraded with a slicker design and equipped with amped up weaponry. Its red lenses glinted as it morphed its hand into a Gatling barrel.

Ren felt his shoulder's tremble, shaking his entire body as his grip on Storm Flower tightened.

"Nothing. . . is getting in my way anymore." His face was shadowed as he spoke deathly low. Storm Flower dropped into his inventory as a large executioner blade was equipped into his right hand. He blurred from sight, appearing above the machine just as it fired at his previous spot. With a roaring shout, he dropped his blade deep into its body, cleaving it half. Kicking its remains away, he ran back to enter the tower and stopped at the wrecked, sparking elevator shaft leading up.

No, not even this was going to stop him. Ren ran into the elevator, only to be bounced back by an invisible force. He snarled, refusing to let up. Hands sparking with energy, Ren dug his fingers to try and part the coded wall created by The Game. Numbers could be seen as he grunted from the exertion creating sparks to fly around. Blood wet his fingers, dripping down as his sleeves were torn to rags from the sparks damaging him. The wall of code bounced his fingers back, having had enough of his resistance.

Hissing in pain with an angered grimace, Ren began pounding the wall created by The Game with every attack in his arsenal. But nothing was working. Every attack only damaged his body and dropped his health. Without any MP left, he resorted to smashing his own cut up and bloody fists to break through.

"Please." Ren sobbed as his strength began to leave him. All day, he had been fighting to protect her, to stave her off this damned path to her own grave. He was spent and was left with nothing. Tears splashed against the broken floor as his forehead fell on the wall of numbers. His body slumped against it, weakly banging his ruined fists with what was left of his strength.

Not again.

"NOT AGAIN!" Ren roared, sobbing as the fighting above continued to rage on. The foundation of the tower shook, breaking pieces off to collapse around him as he cried out, "PLEASE, DON'T LET HER DIE AGAIN! I CAN'T TAKE THIS TORTURE ANYMORE!"

Every single reset! Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again! Why?! Why of all people was she fated to die? Why?

Why couldn't he ever save her?

". . . . .Ren?"

From thin air, Jaune warped into the memoir to stand behind the crying raven haired Player in disbelief. The tower shook again, dropping a large section of the ceiling to shatter around them as Jaune looked sadly at his best friend beating his broken hands into an invisible wall.

What was he seeing? What kind of memory was this? From behind Jaune, he could make out the sounds of fighting all over Beacon. It was like they were engulfed in a war. The very air felt tense and overbearing. A loud terrifying screech pierced his ears like a knife. The very volume of it broke parts of the tower apart.

Wincing as the ringing in his ears died away, Jaune walked over to Ren to lay his hand on his shoulder in concern. Ren's body felt cold to the touch.

"... You're always too late."

Jaune flinched back. Ren could hear him? Was that normal? No, Jaune shook his head with a frown as he stepped back. From what he had gathered from the last two Memoirs, the very memory he dived into froze until he fixed it of its corruption. This could only mean one thing.

Dark wisps of vile energy rose from Ren's body as he stood back up. His magenta eyes glanced back at him, dying blood red as red veins sprouted around the sides of his face. His very skin grew pale white like the shattered moon above their heads.

"It doesn't matter how fast you run, you'll always fail. It doesn't matter how many people you save, you'll always fail to save the three people you care about most." Ren said hatefully, his eyes staring past Jaune as if he wasn't even there.

"There you go again. Talking nonsense! What are you trying to say?" Jaune shook his head as he tried to comprehend what Ren was saying. His Shades were the same. Saying these taunting words that stabbed at his heart. But half of them didn't make any sense. Were they things to come?

Ren didn't say another word. Instead he stood by as he let the dark energy rise above him. It swirled around him in a mass, forming a blob of darkness with a single glaring red eye.

 _ **' WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! BOSS, INCOMING! Grimm Origin EX: Model Lie Ren, The Eternal Despaired! GET READY!'**_

 _ **Grim Origin EX: Model LR.**_

 _ **17,000HP/17,000HP**_

Will whistled as it read the boss staring down Jaune from the safety of his scroll, "Yikes, that's a lot of health. Looks like the final Grimm Origin's upgraded itself to boss status. It's not even going to play around, it's heading straight for a fight!"

Jaune didn't say anything back, choosing to move into his fighting stance. He still had no idea what was going on with this memory's Ren, but it was only a copy. If defeating it meant freeing his friend from his own darkness, then he had no other choice. This was the last hurdle. And he wouldn't fail him now with how far he had come.

"Don't worry, Ren. I promised I'd save you, and I aim to keep my word!" Jaune smirked as he leveled his sword for Ren's face.

"Nothing will ever change. Just go back to sleep. Only dreams will bring you peace." The Grimm Origin floating over Ren seemed to giggle demonically, forming angry red veins on its body as a face splitting sharp toothed grin appeared to mock him.

 **'FIGHT!'**

A bright glare lit up the Grimm Origin's eye before firing a concentrated beam of red energy. Jaune immediately began to dodge the laser as he found the boss repeatedly fire at him with gusto. Broken floor tiles flew up in the air with every missed shot. Timing it's laser fire just right, Jaune bounced it back with a Reflect spell, causing it to flinch in pain. With it dazed Jaune rushed to swing his sword over its body.

Ren was having none of that though as he jumped in to intercept Jaune with a kick to his stomach. Sending him flying back with a shout, the corrupted Huntsman then locked his sights onto him before unloading a rain of frozen homing bullets. Jaune quickly regained his balance as his feet touched the ground to skid back. He cursed as he found the chilling metal barrage coming closer. Reflect was still cooling down. With nothing else to evade the homing attack, Jaune raised his shield up. Hail Storm hit its mark, blowing up in small cold explosions all around his body. Ice crawled up his shield arm, sticking his fingers together and preventing him from shutting it back.

Body shivering from the cold, Jaune quickly jumped back just as Ren ran in to slam his aura coated palm into his frozen arm. A dark shadow fell over him as he began to dodge the swift swings of Ren's fangs, alerting him to the real threat. The Grimm Origin grinned wickedly as it formed an arm to swing its hammer fist down. On instinct Jaune raised his shield up to block the blow. The ice shattered to pieces but doubled the damage. Pain lanced through his arm as he grimaced. Ren took the opportunity to slash at him with Storm Flower, slashing a large X over his chest. The corrupted Player then dealt an uppercut with his foot under Jaune's chin. The Grimm Origin pulled back its arms, its knuckles coated with a bone platting before it punched Jaune back into the floor. The impact created a crater as the blond knight struggled to rise back up. A rain of knuckles pummeled him to keep him from getting back up. His body was thrashed around as he was dug deeper into the foundation with every punch.

" _ **REFLECT!**_ " Shouting through the pain, Jaune bounced the fists back. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up to swing his sword against Ren's fanged blades. The two broke into a barrage of strikes, clanging steel in a shower of sparks. " _ **Hedge Fang!**_ " Breaking into a sword spin, Jaune broke Ren's attack and slammed into him. Dealing a decent amount of damage, Jaune canceled his attack before firing the bandages of his braces to dig their hooks into Ren's shoulders. He pulled him forward and drilled his fist into his face. The Grimm Origin dived down as Ren fell back to slam its fists into him.

Crocea Mors blade sunk into its knuckles to stop it. Jaune twisted the sword, laying his free hand on the blade as an idea struck him, " _ **Firebolt!**_ "

Flames spewed out from the stab wound, unloading a torrent of magic fire into the dark arm. Its arm bulged comically before popping in an explosion that tore it off. It squealed in agony.

 _ **Grim Origin EX: Model LR.**_

 _ **12,003HP/17,000HP**_

"I'm not done yet! _**Ember!**_ " Blasting it back with a lashing fireball, Jaune followed it up with a Crescent Blade to chop off its second arm. Little flickering flames covered its body, leaving it no other choice but to float away for safety.

Jaune reached into his inventory to heal his wounds. Even though he was fighting two opponents that shared the same health it wasn't too hard. The Grimm Origin had some high health and Ren had high speed. Other than that, he was keeping up.

Senses blaring, Jaune spun around to block a diving scissor kick from Ren. He was done recovering and on the attack again. The raven-haired Huntsman jumped back then spun around to slash like a windmill top diagonally. Getting nowhere, Ren equipped Horizon for greater speed. He disappeared in a blur, confusing Jaune. A single gash opened along the side of his waist, spilling his blood onto the floor from an explosive slash running by him. Again, and again, Ren dashed past him by with a drawing slash amplified by its sniper fire. Jaune could do nothing as the attacks kept him in place. Every slash slicing his skin open was driving him crazy. He needed to stop it!

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Casting the mirror dome, Jaune was able to pause the next drawing slash. Sparks flew as Ren tried to shatter the defensive spell. He pulled it back swiftly to its sheath, loading a burning shell into its chamber before easing into a stance. His sword arm blurred, leaving him standing in gesture of already swinging his long sword. The mirror dome suddenly creaked as paper thin orange line cut through it. Jaune looked at Reflect in confusion before he found himself spitting out blood as his spell shattered and left him with a gruesome open gash along his stomach. Ren nearly gutted him.

From above him, the Grimm Origin returned to glare down at him. It fired a laser to pierce through the top of his shoulder. Thankfully his aura was still up to a decent amount, so it was nothing more than a bullet like wound burned into his body. It didn't mean it didn't hurt though.

" _ **Luminous Howl!**_ " With a shout, Jaune stunned the two charging bosses with a flash of luminous white. He reared back his long light blade, gripping it tightly before sweeping through them with a wide swing.

 _ **Grim Origin EX: Model LR.**_

 _ **10,003HP/17,000HP**_

The boss was around half its health now. Good, all the fighting was really starting to wear Jaune down at this point. He hissed as he gingerly held his stomach. He could feel the flaps of his skin drawn and the blood flowing steadily from the shredded muscles and fat. If it wasn't for his body now designed after a video game character, he was sure he would have passed out sooner. Bringing up his inventory quickly, Jaune selected a Large Aura Potion and a small Mana Drink for synthesis.

 _ **'Ether Synthesized!'**_ **+500EXP.**

With a pop, Jaune uncorked the fancy glass bottle of deep blue liquid to gulp it down greedily. The ugly bloody gash mended soon after along with the rest of his wounds. Though even with the wound mended, he could still feel the phantom sensation of his stomach nearly being sliced open. Turning his attention back to the bosses, Jaune was taken back at the ominous sight.

Dark wisps pulsed from the Grimm Origin and Ren's bodies. The dark mass of darkness floated over the raven-haired Huntsman, shutting its eyes before descending and engulfing the Player in a cocoon. Green and black flames erupted from the union that created a bellowing storm to smack into Jaune. The very force was pushing him back, taking him off his feet and sending him flying out of the inside of the CCT and rolling onto the grounds of the courtyard. Getting back up on his feet, Jaune was ready to charge back in. He stopped though, his eyes going wide in horror at the destruction all around him.

"This is Beacon? What happened to the school?!" he yelled, spinning his head around to see the ruined school facilities and crashing bullheads frozen in mid-air. Flames burned the ground, rubble fell over the school grounds, broken shambles of Atlesian Knights and what looked like mechs littered the place. A war zone. Carnage everywhere in sight, he could see dried blood splattered on the tiled grounds. It was nightmare.

Was. . .this the horror that Ren was always alluding to? Jaune turned his eyes upwards to the very top of the tower where Headmaster Ozpin's office was settled in. It was torn apart from within, tossing burning wreckage that had been frozen in the paused memory from a fight. Jaune flinched suddenly as he held his chest tightly.

Why did looking at it make his heart ache?

"Ren. Is this what you've had to put up with every time?" Jaune said sadly. A nightmare that refused to die with every reset. "Something horrible must be taking place here. And you think it's your fault. It's tearing you apart inside."

From the torn apart entrance way Jaune was sent flying through, green-black miasma erupted. The wave of darkness rushed past everything in sight as he braced himself against its foul presence. A set of glowing pink eyes peeked out from the wave, slowly moving out from the CCT tower with its neon green claws as long as a family couch gripping the entrance for support. Green lines appeared around the body of the slouched beast in intricate patterns as it stood 25 feet in stature. With squinting eyes, Jaune stared back at the new enemy through the buffet of crashing darkness, catching its attention as it leaned its head down to stare into his blue orbs.

"You can't fight destiny. You'll only further destroy yourself trying. You're no different than the child who ran away to leave his father to die. You couldn't even save your mother. You can't save Pyrrha." it said emotionlessly, further confusing Jaune. None of what it was saying made sense! It didn't even sound like he was talking to him anymore! It almost sounded as if-

The dark beast roared, the very volume blowing the darkness it created away to reveal its form. It was a large sloth like monster with lanky arms and legs that stood on all fours with menacing pink glowing eyes. Its black fur was tinted with a sickly green that matched the lines running around its body, its claws, and the spike like club of a slithering tail. Its face had a green bone mask plating and two magenta tipped bangs on the side of its face.

 _ **Grimm Lie.**_

 _ **20,000HP/20,000HP**_

"Huh. I guess this is what you could call the second stage of a boss fight." Will chirped from Jaune's scroll as the new boss opened its maw to reveal the white razor sharp teeth openly grinning at him.

Jaune's face twisted somberly as he could feel the negative emotions the thing was releasing. So much sorrow, so much hate. And none of it was directed at Jaune.

He gulped, gripping the handle of his sword tightly to the point he could hear the sound of his leather gloves gave off from the action.

"You're in pain. And I never truly noticed just how much you were suffering by yourself. I really am a miserable excuse of a friend." Jaune smiled sadly at the Grim Lie bearing down at him. It tweaked its head to the side, its eyes narrowing as it raised one of its long lanky arms in the air, "Don't you think, Ren?"

The Grim Lie roared in response, dropping its raking claws down for its target. Jaune jumped back from the green claws, watching as they crushed the ground apart in a shower of rubble. It slowly moved to stand on its hind legs with a haunting lazy grin splitting its face. It raised a single claw in the air, flicking it over Jaune. A rush of cherry blossom petals flew up from Jaune's feet, swirling around him in a pillar tornado that kept him still.

" _ **S... Storm Sakura**_." It said slowly. From the storm of pink, the petals began to pelt Jaune like gunfire. The leaves were bladed, cutting into him as he tried to endure the attack. Feeling one of the petals run across his cheek and draw blood, Jaune countered the storm with a round spin that lashed a bladed ring to blow back the attack. He grit his teeth, raising his shield to block a clawed jab. He mustered his strength to push it back, sidestepping the second jab and fired an air blade to cut into the Grim Lie's masked face. It didn't mind. It spun around, whipping its club tail to bash into Jaune. He shouted as his shield barely made it in time to protect him as he was sent skidding back on his feet.

" _ **Teres Mors!**_ " Calling onto the rose themed weapon, Jaune used the added speed to dodge the next storm of petals rising from under his feet. Pillar after pillar of cherry blossoms followed him as the Grim Lie stood by casting its attacks with a lazy grin. Seeing it raise its clawed hand up for a falling strike, Jaune whipped the vine of his short blade to coil around its wrist. He pulled himself after the appendage, missing the storm of petals under his feet as he spun around to swing his blade. He cut into its paw, flipping over it and pulling himself back to stab his blood red blade into the back of its paw. It leaned its head to the blond knight standing on its paw, speaking dully in almost a slur.

"You'll fail. Again. And Again. And again. And again. And agai-"

"SHUT UP!" Jaune roared angrily as he pulled his sword out ruthlessly. He jumped over its free paw swiping after him and coiled his vine around its neck. Another pull and he pulled himself forward to stab Teres Mors into its forehead. Time to improvise, " _ **Teres Blade: Uproot!**_ " A single lance like tendril pierced out the back of its head in a splatter of blood that painted Jaune's face in red splotches. It still didn't flinch, not caring for the deadly attack as it titled its head with its emotionless eyes peering deep into his soul.

"And again. And again. And again." it droned on as it raised both of its arms up for an attack. It snapped its claws, calling on a twisting rush of petals to lift around Jaune to cut him apart.

Jaune fought against the many small cuts stinging his body. He moved his free hand to grip along in a two-handed grip as he tried focusing his mind for a spell, " _ **F-Firebolt!**_ "

The sensation of deadly fire bolting through its head earned Jaune a shriek of pain. Flames sprouted out the back of its head as it tried to shake Jaune off. Feeling his blade begin to slip, Jaune pushed his feet off its face to land back on the ground. He lifted his open palm for the Grim Lie, taking the chance to fire a salvo of flaming bolts in its distressed state. Explosions blew up on its body, engulfing it in smoke as he drained his MP. The bar to his MP turned red, slowly filling back up as Teres Mors reverted to Crocea Mors.

Howling, the Grim Lie swung its glowing paws to fire curling claws of energy in the air. With his health low, Jaune decided to dodge the tearing blades instead of using his shield to buff the damage. Falling onto all fours it displayed incredible speed as it ran after Jaune. It opened its jaw, ready to bite down onto him. Jaune ducked under the snapping teeth. Sliding under it he slashed at the underbelly before blocking the tail snaking under to bash him. It leered its head after him, moaning as the bristles of its green tinged fur stood up. Needles shot at the blond's running form from its hair. Running past the green hair senbons, Jaune equipped Anubis to counter the boss's slow but heavy swing. Back and forth they bounced each other's swings back, blowing up the air with clangs of burning steel.

"Nothing will ever change. You'll always be the same fearful little boy crying to himself. Just...sleep." it drawled, slashing both of its paws to blast a sickly green X against Jaune's weathered blade.

Jaune grunted under the attack as he felt the force blast past him and shatter the pavement, "You've done enough sleeping. It's time for you to wake up!" Jaune roared, breaking through the cross slash before swiping his blade. The cutting metal caused the Grimm to retreat its arms and go back to casting Sakura Storm all over the place to trap him. Avoiding the spells along with a few green claw blades, Jaune prepared himself to end the fight once and for all. With a ding, his MP was fully restored. All he needed to do was fire one more Firebolt. The gauge for ULW was almost full. Only a little more.

" ** _Firebolt!_** " Slamming it back with another sparking bolt of flames, Jaune grinned as his body gave off a light flare of magic. Chanting the oath equipped him into his Unlimited Light Works clothing and changed his weapons into light models. The Grim Lie screeched, falling back on all fours to charge in a blur. The added effects of Jaune's change allowed him to easily jump over it and fire a bombardment of light knives like machine gun fire at its back. It howled, lashing its tail to strike him down. Jaune dodged the attack in the air, summoning a copy of Anubis to lob off the club tip.

It growled, shaking its head as it stood back up to raise its arms high in the air. Five swirling tornadoes of cherry blossoms came to life around them. The Grimm then began to command them to shred the knight to pieces, gesturing its claws to follow him. Jaune was sweating as his light feet helped to avoid the cutting leaves. As great as ULW was it didn't last long. He needed to make this count while he could.

 _ **Grimm Lie.**_

 _ **12,073HP/20,000HP**_

" _ **Luminous Howl!**_ " Raising his light sword in the air, Jaune was able to stop the spell as the Grimm was blinded. With a diagonal slash at its chest, he dropped its health further before chaining another attack, " _ **Lumen Flare!**_ " A blast of bright fire stumbled it back, flames burning its fur and dropping its health. It growled, ready to charge in with a sweeping arm swing only to be shot at by bullets from revolving small handed guns. Enough was enough. It crossed its arms, firing a large X to barrel after the illuminating knight.

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Struggling against the bladed sigil, Jaune won the struggle and sent the attack slamming back into the massive sloth Grimm with an added oomph.

"S-Stop fighting. Everything will be. . .sent back to the. . .beginning. Why fight?" It said through the parting smoke created by its own attack. Its arms blurred, jabbing its claws into the large bubble of magic pixels.

"Because you want to fight!" Jaune shouted over the sounds of his defense cracking, "I get it now! All this time you've been saying you hate me, but it's more than that! You hate yourself! All those words you've been saying, you've been saying them to yourself. You're trying to make yourself give up and save what is left of your emotions!"

One last jab shattered Jaune's spell, leaving him wide open as the claws stabbed into his chest, narrowly missing some of his major organs. His eyes trembled as he coughed up red onto the neon green claws twisting further in his body. It leaned its ruined mask closely to Jaune's face for a lazy grin.

"But you'll fail. Again. And again. And again. An-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Jaune spat in frustration and blistering fury. His hands dug into its claws, keeping it still as he summoned a curtain of rapiers above its body, "Stop trying to convince yourself that you'll keep failing! What's the point of being able to walk if you can't walk forward!?"

 _'. . .F-Forward?'_ it paused as its body was pelted by the thin magical blades. A great sword followed after the rain, inflicting a critical hit as it found itself pinned down. Weakly raising its claws, it summoned its petals to shred the knight's body.

Holding back a scream from the countless small cuts opening along his skin, Jaune glared back into the pink pools staring into his own, "I know you're tired. Of all people, you deserve some much-needed rest. You've suffered through these countless cycles by yourself with no one to turn to. But that's not true!" he shouted, flinching as a petal nearly took out his eye. He shook his head, raising his bloody hand to touch the green Grimm mask of his friend taken over by his own despair, "You'll always have us! We're your friends and whenever you're feeling hopeless you just have to turn to us! Because I know for a fucking fact, that no matter the world we find ourselves in, we all will be your friends! Or have you forgotten about that!?"

"The reason you keep playing along with this game isn't because you're being forced into it! IT'S BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR FRIENDS IN EVERY WORLD!"

 _'M-My. . .Friends?'_

 **Drip.**

A twinkling tear fell from the Grimm's eyes. It growled, roaring with such intensity that it created a crater under them and hit Jaune like an invisible wall. Still, he endured. The petals died away allowing Jaune to move freely and jump back to dislodge the claws.

One last attack. That's all he had left in his ULW form. He needed a big one to deal a fatal blow to the boss, to free Ren of this poisonous negativity. Just one attack to finish it all!

Jumping out of the scroll, Will hummed at the scene it was watching.

"Hmm, too emotional for me. Was never much into this kind of thing. Fights are much more my thing. But," it grinned as it turned to face the heavily wounded blond breathing heavily, "I got work to do in the real world. So, I'll throw you a little bone for entertaining me this long."

Jaune scowled with one eye shut, "What are you talking about now?"

"I'll give you a little nudge to end this. Just say the word, and I'll boost your strength to a level you've never felt before!"

Jaune thought about it. It would all be over with. But it wouldn't be him who saved Ren. It would be one of the so-called Administrators and their powers.

"No, I can do this myself! You can take your free win and go fuck yourself with it. I'm done playing your sick games just to amuse you. We aren't toys for you to mess with for your own fucked up amusement! Ren's my best friend. I will save him with my own power! I don't need any of you to save those I care about!" Jaune said firmly as he forced his feet to walk over to the Grimm beast. The Grim Lie swatted its arms to smack him away, only for Jaune to create Anubis out of light to bat the claws away. It snapped its jaw at him but found the large cleaver like great sword slamming down on its head. Anubis then stabbed through the top of its maw, pinning it down as it struggled to free itself of the many light weapons keeping it still.

" _ **FIREBOLT!**_ " Digging his weapon deeper into its as it tried clawing at him, Jaune unleashed his fire magic to run through its body. Again, and again, he fired off the destructive spell, rattling its body and depleting its health. Each chant of the spell lit his face in the glow of the bluish flames, slightly burning his own face as he held on despite the bleeding whole in his chest. He didn't have some ultimate move to end a fight, but he could still spam the hell out of his attacks. And Unlimited Light Works was just the form for spamming his spells with no real cost!

With one final explosive chant filling the boss's body with scalding flames, Jaune leaned against his magical weapon tiredly. The power of Velvet's bond faded, leaving him back in his new combat attire as his light copy weapons vanished. Without the swords, the flames within the Grim Lie gushed out with no restraint. Shrouded in bluish white flames, it stood up in agony and glared furiously at the exhausted Huntsman.

"I have to fight and finish this myself! Sometimes the worst action you can take, is no action at all!"

 _'Take action, son.'_

The Grimm Lie howled into the night sky in an anguished cry, summoning one last storm of razor thin petals to stop the knight shouting as he ran forward with Crocea Mors equipped. Its metal blade began to shine like a beacon as he gathered all his strength for one final blow.

"You'll. . .fail-"

"YET I'LL KEEP TRYING!" Jaune barked loudly as he stabbed his sword deep into its chest. Hilt deep in its fur, a ripple of sparking brilliance broke through its back. A weak guttural croak escaped its maw as it began to slowly turn to black ash flowing into nothing.

Falling forward, Jaune jumped back as it fell to the ground with a boom. The corruption spreading through its body vanished, leaving the body of Lie Ren sprawled in the crater of his defeat. His body was free of the negativity.

 _ **'Congratulations! Grimm Lie, defeated! +100,000EXP! A new Ability has been unlocked! Parting Blow, Unlocked! A Bonus has been unlocked! +10 Skill Points!'**_

Walking over to the knocked-out body of his friend, Jaune gingerly patted his back with a somber smile.

"That should do it, right? That was the last of his negativity. He should be free now."

The Will wasn't so sure, "Eh, no. Says that he's down to 43.7%. Something is still corrupting him, refusing to let him go. We need to go to the origin of it all to fix it. Luckily, whatever it is doesn't seem to be capable of fighting."

Jaune groaned as he fixed his back. No need to waste another potion. The rest stop would heal his wounds in no time. Taking one last look at Ren, he was happy to at least break him out of the ugly self-loathing form he had become. Maybe now he could continue with the memory and find the light.

"He won't."

"What?" Jaune asked with a frown as Will somehow knew what he was thinking.

"This particular memory ends here. Ren passed out just as the final battle ended and Beacon was swallowed in a silver light. Sometimes memories don't have a positive note to them. They're just another scar on the psyche."

"So, that's it? What is this memory about anyway? What's going on here?"

"Can't say~! That would be spoiling the fun. You'll just have to ask your friend, and that's if he's willing to answer. Now, let's wrap this mess up!" it clapped its hands before Jaune could protest.

Warping them back to the resting spot, the two left the memory of Ren outside Beacon tower. With the frozen form of a massive dragon like Grimm at the top of the ruined CCT, the Grimm ran away for safety. Allowing the military and hunters to search the grounds for survivors.

It was the sight of his beaten and dirtied body Jaune and Nora had found their friend in.

Walking back to the air ships parked out to carry them back to safety, Jaune groaned lightly from the weight of Ren on his back. Nora was too wounded to be doing any lifting so that left him with the responsibility of carefully taking him back. She settled for walking beside him, holding Ren's arm close to her chest with a depressed air around her.

"Cheer up, Nora. At least we found him before any of the Grimm or White Fang stumbled onto him." Jaune said in hopes of lifting her spirit. She nodded, lifting her lips weakly as her head fell to rest beside the knight's shoulder.

"But we still haven't found Pyrrha yet. I don't even know why Ren had run off in the first place. It was like he had become possessed by a demon. Everything's falling apart." she sniffed.

Jaune tried to smile, bringing the orange haired Valkyrie closer in a one-armed hug, "It'll be alright. Ren can explain himself when he wakes up. And we'll find Pyrrha. I know she and I have a lot to talk about after she sent me off in the rocket launcher. She's invincible! I know she'll be alright, she's probably waiting for us to come back." A tear ran down his face for some unknown reason as he grinned widely. His heart ached, almost as if someone had shot an arrow through it.

"We're team JNPR! And we always stick together. Even when we're apart. Now, let's hurry back. I think I heard them say they found Ruby and Weiss. If anyone knows where Pyrrha is, it's them."

 ** _Memoir of Repeat_**

* * *

Back at the cross roads one final time, Jaune stood by waiting for The Will to open the last Memoir. All three had been cleared, but there was one last hurdle to deal with. With a shimmering flash, the sign post transformed along with the three roads. Now a single road was left with sign post of its destination.

"Kuroyuri?" Jaune said slowly to pronounce the odd word. It didn't sound like a memoir.

"The final road. What lies beyond is a mystery to me." The Will groaned. It never liked mysteries.

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to stop this corruption and end this." Jaune said with resolve as his body was healed. No time to waste. He began walking along the dirt road, frowning slightly as his body had yet to transport him to the memory. Instead he was greeted with the sight of a beautiful eastern village. Passing by the entrance gate, he was in awe at the decorative markets and lotus flowers floating in the streams below the bridges.

"This place is gorgeous!"

"Oh, well I'm glad you think so."

Jumping back on instinct while drawing his sword, Jaune found a beautiful brown haired woman giggling at him. She wore a dress that reminded him of Ren's waistcoat and had lovely magenta eyes. Everything about her said caring and loving.

Embarrassed that he would draw his weapon to a woman, Jaune drew it back as he scratched his neck with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that. I thought you were a Grimm."

"Don't worry, there are no Grimm in here. Lee would have stuck them down before they could set foot here." she said with a warm laugh.

Lee? He had never heard of someone like that. "Who are you anyways? I thought this was a memory corrupted by negativity." It didn't seem that way. The whole world felt at peace.

The woman tapped her lips in thought, "I suppose you could call me a guide of sorts for now. Something to help keep Lie's Soul going after all the despair he's gone through." she said sadly. She walked closer to Jaune, taking him in a strong embrace as he blinked in confusion. Well, that was random.

"Thank you, for always being there for Little Lie. I know he can be hard to deal with, but he's not a bad boy. He's the sweetest flower to have ever graced our lives." she sniffed as Jaune could feel his shoulders begin to dampen.

Jaune didn't have a clue to what was going on. But if there was one thing he knew, it was to always hug back a crying woman. Bringing his arms around her, he laid his head against her shoulders as he patted her quivering back.

"Ren's my best friend. As if I would ever turn my back to him. He may be lazy, thick headed, addicted to seaweed drinks, and emotionless half the time, but he's still my friend. And as his leader, it's my job to smack some sense into him every now and then!" Jaune grinned, happy to feel the woman chuckle in his chest. "He's tired, dead tired. But I know he still has hope, a reason to keep moving forward. If he has that, I know he'll keep trying to beat this game."

The woman in his arms smiled, rubbing her face of her tears as she beamed at the blond boy.

Her little Lie was in safe hands. Her little lotus had friends like this boy by his side for eternity. Something that would ease whatever darkness in his heart. The only good thing about his curse was seeing them all over again. Moving back from the hug, she giggled noticing bits of dried blood and dirt over his face. She brought her sleeve up, spitting on the cloth like material before rubbing the filth off Jaune's face.

"H-Hey! That's not necessary!"

The brown-haired woman couldn't help but giggle at the knight's blushing face. "There, you look much more handsome now! I could just eat you up." she grinned playfully as she laid her gentle hand on his chest.

Jaune gulped at the attention before suddenly yelping in fear as an arrow grazed his cheek. The woman pouted, turning back to a bell tower to shout.

"Lee! Don't be jealous! This is Lie's best friend. Don't make me come up there!"

From the top of the tower, a shadow shivered before jumping off and heading for another spot to guard. Jaune could have sworn he saw an older and wiser looking version of Ren sprinting off the rooftops. Just who were these people.

Done with cleaning the blond up, the woman shut her eyes with a peaceful expression on her face. It was time, she supposed. This couldn't last forever. It was time to move forward.

"If you make your way forward, you'll come across a bridge. There you'll find a garden of lotus flowers floating in a stream along with a sole lonesome one in the bunch. You'll find your answer there." she said gently, pointing her finger behind Jaune to follow. He turned his head, finding a clear path leading to a nice looking red bridge.

Turning back to the woman to thank her, he was sad to find her missing. He couldn't place his finger on it, but she had this air about her that put him at ease. Almost as if he was talking with his own mother.

The sight of the many-colored lotus flowers was a sight for sore eyes after all the nightmarish monsters he had been fighting. Coming closer to the edge of the stream, he suddenly found a small raven haired boy with his long hair clipped back sitting at the edge, dangling his feet in the water. From the looks of it he wore waistcoat very like Ren's.

Jaune was hit with realization, his lips lifting brightly as he took a seat next to the little boy.

The presence of the new stranger startled the boy, causing him to turn his tear-filled eyes at the blond Huntsman by his side. He sniffed, curious at the man smiling at him.

"Hey there. What's your name?"

"...Lie, Lie Ren." Ren said shyly as he kicked his bare feet in the water.

"Ren, huh? Sounds like a great name. What you doing here all by yourself little Ren?" Jaune asked, the question making the small version of his friend to look down somberly.

"I just wanted to see the water flowers." Ren mumbled. "I had a bad dream. My home was burning and I was running for safety. I had nowhere to go for so long. Then I found a town just like mine under attack. Only to be brought back to the day of my home's destruction."

An odd voice had spoken to him when he had mustered his courage to run into the town. It told Ren it could give him power, power to save others and stop the Grimm. All the little raven haired boy had to do was save one person. Time had been rewound so that he could save the orange haired street orphan cowering from the Grimm. He had given up his soul to save her.

Little Ren clutched his head with a pained expression as he tried to stop himself from crying. The moment he had saved the girl these odd numbers and pieces of information filled his vision. And then the visions filled his head. Of monsters, demons, people dying because of his mistakes, and the endless loop of despair that followed with these new powers. Then he woke up standing by the bridge he always visited to stare at the lotus flowers. Over and over again.

"I... I don't know what's real anymore! It's like I'm stuck in some never-ending nightmare that won't let me wake up! I miss my mom, I miss my dad, and I miss Pyrrha!" he cried, gritting his teeth as his small body was wracked with sorrow, "I don't even know who Pyrrha is, but I miss her! And I keep hearing this voice in my head, my voice, telling me that even though I can save billions, I can never save the three people that matter most to me!"

So, that was it. Jaune understood his despair a little better now. What was the point in trying if Ren could never save the people he loved most? He frowned though as he caught Pyrrha's name mentioned. Did that mean she was going to die? The very idea sounded impossible. Questions could wait until later however. Right now, what mattered was cheering up the little boy.

"I'm tired! I just want to sleep in peace! I don't want to walk forward anymore if there's no point!"

Warmth spread onto Ren's shoulder as he looked up at the blond man looking at him sympathetically with a hand resting on his shoulder blade.

"It's alright. It's okay to cry. It sounds like you had a terrifying nightmare. But that shouldn't stop you from going forward. Doing nothing won't get you anywhere, you must try. And if you fail, keep trying. Because you must have a reason to move one foot forward." Jaune said firmly, ruffling the dark hair of little Ren with a grin.

Ren had a reason. His friends. The departed memories of his family. Those alone were the driving force that had pushed him this far. Somehow, he had forgotten that. But it was an impulse that kept him on the path to Beacon to reunite with all the people he fought for. One he no longer questioned or recognized, chalking it up as a lazy route that didn't require much effort.

Maybe it was impossible to find the True End to this game they were locked in. But if they stopped trying, what was the point in all this? There had to be a way. And Jaune wouldn't stop until they found it. Beating The Game on his first life sounded ridiculous now that Jaune thought about it. An impossible task that spat on the other Player's efforts thus far. It didn't matter how long it would take him, centuries or an eternity, Jaune would find The End that freed them all from this curse.

Ren stared at the blond-haired man in slight awe. It was like looking at a knight from his mother's story books. Something inside him snapped, the dam of wetness behind his eyes breaking as his tears spilled out. He grabbed Jaune's arm tightly as he sobbed into them, tired of fighting all the sorrow he had held back for so long.

Jaune didn't mind. He patted the little boy's head gently as he let him release all the emotions he had fought to keep inside.

"Your mom and dad are proud of you. I know that for sure. Even if you were to give up, they would still love you for fighting on this long. You aren't alone. You have friends waiting for you when you wake up. They're loud, energetic, quiet, polite, high strung, hot headed, proud, strong willed, funny, and all around fun to be with. And they're more than willing to wait as long as it takes for you to see them again. I think that should be a good enough reason to keep going. Don't you?"

Ren sniffed, nodding as he let go. He rubbed his eyes free of his tears as he smiled brightly.

"Are. . .are you my friend too?" he asked shyly. The innocent gleam in his eyes made Jaune want to hug the little guy. It was hard to imagine that Ren was once this pure.

The blond knight grinned widely with a thumbs up, "You betcha! Consider me one of your best friends! Only second to Nora, that girl has the number one spot locked down like a bear and the last jar of honey in the forest."

Ren laughed, his mood lifted as he stood back up. Unaware of the ball of blue flames appearing over his head with flexing white gloved hands. Alarm spread into Jaune as Will grinned darkly, its eyes glowing a deadly red.

But before Jaune could make a move, an elegant green arrow cut through the air and carried it away. A blur flew by the two, following its target.

Will grunted as it found itself pinned against the village gate, "What gives?! Who dares to interfere with my will!" it growled. An intimidating shadow fell over it, the attacker drawing another arrow to stop it.

The man had dark raven hair with gray streaks, a finely cut beard and wore a waistcoat like trench coat. His light-yellow eyes glared at the almighty being, daring it to make another move.

"Your will has no power here. Your presence is no longer needed within my son's Core. Leave, Wisp of a Dead God."

The Will sneered at the dead memory, "You're just some security program designed after Mind's father to watch over the Core. And you failed. My Will will be carried out! And some phantom will not stop me from my work." it hissed.

"My son's friend will be the one to reset his Core. Not. You." the man said sternly, notching his arrow for the flaming being's body, "I may be a memory, but I still have my duty. As long as my son has the strength to act, my memory will remain."

"Oh, you stupid pile of one's and zer-!"

"Vanish." Firing the arrow, the raven-haired man dispersed the god into lingering embers. The wisps flew up into the air, banished from the Core.

The man smirked, turning his head back to where Ren and Jaune remained. His eyes softened before sprinting off to continue his duty.

Jaune blinked at the odd event, but shrugged it off. At least he was free of the Will. No need to question how. Ren tugged at his sleeves, bringing his attention to his gentle smile.

"Thank you, Jaune. I think I might be able to wake up now."

"No, problem Re-Wait. . .how do you know my name?" Jaune asked with suspicion as the raven-haired boy leaned his head back with crossed arms and a grin.

"I remembered. You're my best friend, the dork knight!" he chuckled. Jaune slumped at the title with a sigh. Of all things, Ren had to remember that?

"Then I guess you're no longer in danger of Falling, are you?"

"No, not anymore. Look!" Ren gestured to his arms. Darkness began to flow out in a stream, lifting to return to nothing. "My Core has been almost restored. Now all that's left is to restore all the lost memories. Which poses a problem." he grimaced.

Jaune nodded, "It doesn't feel like Will is in here anymore. As much as I disliked it, it's the only one with the power to fix you. I don't know how we're going to do that without him." he said as he went in thought. There had to be something.

Ren looked uncomfortable as he knew of a way. It wasn't pretty.

"You can fix everything. But I don't think you'll like it."

"It can't be that bad." Jaune shrugged as he knelt down to eye level with the boy, "Whatever it takes, I'll save you. I made a promise after all. No turning back on my word." he grinned.

With a sigh, Ren decided to let him know.

"Fine. But I warned you. Just to let you know, I won't remember any of this. The Ren you're talking to is nothing but a construct of meshed thoughts and experiences. The real me will be released from his negativity, but after that? Who knows?" Ren shrugged as he crossed his arms, "I can't say I'll be all buddy-buddy with you once this is all over with. But the feelings will be there, so that should help."

"Good, I'm tired of you killing me. I'm tired of dying in general." Jaune said in relief. He just wanted to get the lesson in Forever Fall over with and go home to sleep like Ren. And food. He almost forgot about Tsuki's boxed lunch of delicious goodies. "So, what do I have to do?"

Ren moved closer to Jaune, whispering what he needed to do to restore his core back to normal.

What he said caused Jaune's heart to stop.

* * *

In the real world, Husk was busying listening to a ranting Will over telepathy about programs and disrespectful Players when the body of Jaune digitized outside. Of course, he cut the ball of flames off to see what happened next.

Jaune stood stiffly, his sword arm trembling as he grit his teeth. Without turning back, he spoke to Husk sternly.

"Husk, call off the pause. Go back to where you came from and leave us alone. I need to be free from the rules for this."

As much as the godly merchant wanted to protest and watch, he nodded his head in respect. Husk liked the little Player. He brought something to the game that was surely missed.

"Got it. I know when I'm not needed." he chuckled as his body began to disperse in dark flames, "Good luck, Jaune. I'll be rooting for ya."

Life was breathed back into their world as the pause was lifted. The darkness engulfing Ren disappeared as if it was never there. Jaune winced as his wounds flared up, still retaining all the damage he had suffered before diving into Ren's Core. Well, almost all of them. His lobbed off arm had been returned and Horizon's sleek blade was no longer running him through. That must have been work of Husk. He had to remember to thank him sometime.

But even with Ren no longer Falling, he was still frozen still. His eyes were dead, the light gone from them as he didn't move an itch. The only evidence that he was alive was the rise of his chest. He was breathing.

For now.

No words needed to be said. Steeling his resolve, Jaune raised his blade. He would save Ren, no matter what. Even if it meant painting his hands red.

The sound of clothing tearing and blood gushing out of the gray old blade stabbing through Ren's heart haunted Jaune as he dug his blade deeper. The life liquid splashed against his face, shadowed as a lone tear ran down in guilt. The warmth in his friend's body began to fade, turning ice cold once again. The beating rhythm of Ren's heart was erratic, going off beat before slowing down.

And so, Lie Ren died.

* * *

 **Damn. This chapter was a hell of a monster to write. Can't believe I've written so much in a single week. I could barely scratch up 10K when I wrote for Fairy Tail, it would take me a month at best. I've really improved since then.**

 **Darkness has been stripped of The Mind. Light now flows through like a stream to caress the despaired lotus. But red now taints the pink petals of the now wilted water flower by a weathered blade. Rebirth. Will Ren now be able to walk forward again? Only time will tell.**

 **An exam lays in wait for the blond knight. Time to prove his strength to not only the world, but to himself. What awaits him? And in the dead of Vale's night, a playful criminal with a free soul roams with no strings tying him down. The OG, The Original Gamer. What does this Player see in his own carefree gaze? A world of endless rebirth and curse, or his own personal playground to play with his hearts content? Memories are a tricky thing. How can you know they're truly yours?**

 **Don't cross the line, or else you're going to have a bad time.**

 **Alright, we're now at 20 chapters. We're left with 4-5 left before my break, that I can assure you. And we're almost to 600 Reviews! I can only hope we reach 1,000 soon. This would be my first story with that many reviews. Hell, we're close to 1,000 Followers! So, keep them coming! We're so close to making this one of the highest reviewed Gamer fics in the Jaune sect. Who knows? We just might get a TvTropes page one day. Let's make it happen folks!**

 **Got to thank my beta for getting this chapter so touched up. He even fixed up a few things to make sound better. Great guy. Now, I'm working on Chapter 21 which will be a Free Event. What does that mean? Time to build Friendships and Bonds! What kind of whacky events will find? Maybe a familiar face or two?**

 **Welp, I got to get back to work. Hope you all enjoyed the massive chapter. I really got to watch out with how many words I churn out.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	21. Try Again

**Hmm, maybe my beta Fan1204 is right? The Great NeoShadows may need to check into rehab due to the length of chapters I've been uploading. Eh, great way to meet some hot crazy chicks. Rawr~!**

 **Alright, another Saturday, another chapter. It's been hard finding some time to write lately with how things are going in my life. Nothing bad, but moving is busy work. After a lot of talking and signing applications, the family's finally moving! Just finished signing the lease and dropping off the first deposit, so its official. Man, do I feel light and relaxed! The whole deal has been stressful as hell, feels good to be free of one weight. Thought now I'm just as busy fixing the apartment up and packing our things along with moving our light and cable providers to the new place, so expect my uploading schedule to remain unstable until we've finally unpacked the last box into our new home.**

 **I'm also happy to note that we're at 1,000 Followers! And we're aiming closer to the same number with Favorites. It won't be long till we're at a thousand reviews. We'll probably reach 800 by the end of the volume if we're lucky. So keep those reviews coming!**

 **Now let's get some Reviews out of the way.**

 **Axel 4-1: Naw, Ren's good. They were still locked into PVP, so he'll revive.**

 **GhostHornet: You got some weird ideas on ya. Though I do like Twenty One Pilots too. The Dance Battle was a random idea that just popped out of nowhere due to time restraints, but it was definitely one of my favorite battles.**

 **Remzal Von Enili: . . .Who says Weiss isn't already looking at me like that?**

 **ChronoTimeGuard: Again, the chapter was literally at 5K before I went back to finishing it up in six days time. Take as much time as you need. And yes, Episode 10 really was a god send as I was finishing the chapter up that morning.**

 **Digital Emperor001: Glad you liked the chapter. The DLC's will return, I have 2 more planned before the end of the chapter. Though the last one won't be an extra, it will be its own separate chapter of its own.**

 **The Khahit Ra'Kool: Sheogorath? Don't think I've ever heard of that before. Sounds intresting, I'll look it up.**

 **Zachary2: It truly was an intense chapter, left me exhausted. I wish I could find me a Weiss body pillow, don't think that exists. . .in these states. And Log Horizon was great, better than I had guessed. Not too action packed but the world building is amazing along with its characters. It's also funny to see the main protagonist stuck in a love triangle with a college girl with the body of a loli and a middle schoolgirl.**

 **HowToRedux: I think that's a first. I think I just made up a new pairing. I only need to figure out a name for it now.**

 **DragonSoul28: That's alright if you don't like the Ren/Pyrrha moments. Nothing is set in stone, we're only on the first Volume. Who knows what's in store for the future. . .Oh, wait. I do.**

 **AmuseBeard: Yeah, I was lucky for that episode coming out as I was finishing up the last of the chapter. Boy, did it help wrap things up. And you should know that I am much more then a simple writer! Even when you think you understand what I'm doing, I'll just suck you in the gut the next chapter with a twist.**

 **DoubleDam: That's what I was going for. I can't wait to play Neir when it comes out.**

 **SwordMagic51: Kingdom Hearts really helped me in designing how the Dive would work. For your question, the Reset point for all Players is fixed, it doesn't matter if their aura's are unlocked. It's a special moment that will be explained for all Players later.**

 **L337 M4n: Who knows what the Will was planning, something wrong and mischievous. Oh, The True End is something beyond your comprehension. The real Final Boss is. . .surprising to say the least. But that's way way ahead of ourselves.**

 **Benthino: I'm being sponsored by a weapons manufacturer? Cool. I think you'll like this chapter.**

 **Hirshja: Yeah, the chapter size came out of nowhere. I didn't even know how long it was until I finished. Sorry about that. Blame these fingers.**

 **Unchanined: Seeing as this is a Game, it was bound to be full of battles. Nothing is that simple. I based it all on what it would be like if it was actually a video game, which is why it was such a big chapter. Sorry that it dragged for you. This is also an Adventure fic along with being Action, there are going to be more battles to come down the road.**

 **DarkLegendarySoldier: Who knows if The Game is being rigged? We'll just have to see in the future. The Three 'God's' and The Game are separate entities. That will be explained later on.**

 **TheLoserWhoDoes: Don't worry, you'll get your DLC. It's still being produced, bud. We'll have one ready for you on the next chapter. You'll get your money's worth, my beloved Season Pass holder!**

 **And to those who didn't like the massive chapter size, again, sorry. Especially seeing as this one is 30K+. This time there was no need to cut it in half like the last chapter. I hope you still like it.**

 **Now, let's get to reading!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. It's time for this old dog to pack his things and move on to charm a new neighborhood. Where all the white woman at!? And Asians, I don't discriminate.**_

 _ **. . .Somehow I feel I'm going to be really acquanted with the police there. Good thing I'm familiar with there procedure by now.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Try Again.**

"You're going to have to kill me."

"I'm sorry. What?"

Little Ren chuckled at the gob smacked expression on Jaune's face as he stared at the ninja boy with a hanging jaw. He had warned him that he wouldn't like it.

Within the Core of Ren's soul, the Eastern boy was finally free of the corruption created from his negativity that was swallowing him whole. His soul was at ease in a sense. No longer would he be in danger of losing his ability to house The Gamer. Now he could continue with his life. Maybe even give this game another chance. If only his real body and mind came to that agreement though. After all that he had been through, there was certainly a hope that the Ren in the real world will come to his senses.

But first, he needed his memories restored. All of Ren's data had been eaten up by the darkness within. It wasn't gone forever. A simple reset of sorts and he would be able to return everything back together. And to do that there was only one simple thing they needed to do seeing as The Will was forbidden from working its will in his core.

All they needed to do was kill him in his corrupted state.

"Again, really sorry, but what did you just say? I could have sworn you asked me to kill you." Jaune laughed weakly, getting a flat look from the raven-haired boy in return.

"It's exactly what I said. Look, my core was infected by my darkness, corrupting me to Fall. If I died while in this state, my data would be impossible to recreate as I once were because The God of Darkness would take me to his domain. I would be reduced to an NPC incapable of ever housing The Gamer again. Now that I'm free of the corruption, my death would reset everything and return me to normal." Ren explained, not helping in the slightest as Jaune grimaced. Ren sighed at his friend's good nature. He had to learn that sometimes death was the only answer. He might as well teach him a lesson while he was at it. "I know you don't like the idea of killing another human being. Your refusal to do so is admiral if not naive. But not every fight will be solved by knocking your opponent out. Trust me, you've had your hand forced to spill blood before for the greater good. And in doing so, you saved more people than I could count."

The reminder that Jaune had been forced to kill made him flinch back as a dirty blond haired man with brown eyes grinned at him mockingly in his head. Holt's death was still fresh on his mind. It had been almost a week since then. Regret filled his being at the thought.

"Is it so wrong to not want to kill? I've already done it once despite what my other selves have to say. And once is more than enough." Jaune replied with a somber expression. At night, he was still haunted by the corpse of Holt egging him on to dig his blade deeper into his mangled body. Jaune's body trembled, still hearing the man's words float around his mind.

"Well it's the only way to save me. Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to go through a decision like this again in the future." Ren said softly, "It's not wrong to preserve life. But you need to learn to not only Save, but to End lives. This is a lesson you must learn before it's too late. Trust me, you weren't the only one who had to learn this lesson the hard way."

In Ren's many lives, he had come to learn that such ways would either get himself killed, or many others. It was on his fifth life that he had committed the sin to protect Nora from some bandits when they were still homeless, roaming the wilds to survive. He could still recall the feeling of the dead pile of cold flesh leaning against his horrified body.

"This is the only other way. I shudder to think what The Will was going to do to 'fix' me. He's incapable of messing with my core, but this was the one moment where the iron clad law meant nothing in order to repair the damage. I know it's difficult, but please."

Ren's pleading eyes gazed back at him, asking him to do him this one favor.

"You have to put an end to me."

Jaune found it hard to breath as he looked into those magenta eyes. This was the only way, the only way to save his best friend. To return their lives to some small form of normality. His hands were shaking at the revelation.

He had no choice. He had to kill him.

With a look of defeat, Jaune nodded begrudgingly. All of this was exhausting him. He didn't want to kill his best friend, but he had no other choice. If it meant saving Ren from himself, then he would have to spill his blood.

"Fine. I'll. . .I'll kill you." Jaune sighed solemnly.

Ren smiled brightly, "Don't worry, Jaune. I'll be resurrected anyways, so there's no need to worry. It's just one death. I won't hold anything against you for it." he said honestly. "Call it payback for how many times I've killed you."

 _'It may be one death for you, but it's just another nightmare for me.'_ Just because it was the only way, it didn't mean Jaune was fine with it.

Taking in the serene air of the world within Ren's Core one last time, Jaune decided now was as good as any to leave. It was better to get it over with than stall. He closed his eyes, already feeling his body begin to waver and turn to light.

"I guess I'll see you back in the real world?" Jaune tried to smile as he patted his smaller friend's head as bits of light streamed off his body.

Ren nodded, his face calm and collected once again, "Don't worry, I'll be back good as new. It will take me a bit for my mind to process all the changes you've created in my core though. I can't say that I won't resume attacking you either. What happens next is beyond me." he shrugged.

Right, Jaune almost forgot what the whole point of their fight was about. It was about proving to Ren that he had the strength to fight in this game they were trapped in. If Jaune won, then Ren would follow him and try to beat the game with him. If he lost, then the knight was to leave him alone for the rest of their cursed eternity. They still had a fight to finish now that he thought about it.

"Let's hope I can prove to you that I have the strength to survive this game." Jaune sighed tiredly before giving little Ren one more smile, "Though I think I'm more than fine if you decide not to play along. I can wait as long as it takes until you muster up the strength to try again. It's all up to you. So, I'll be waiting, Ren."

With a flash, Jaune's body dispersed into tiny balls of light, floating to the heavens to return him back to his world. Ren watched with a small smirk. Two warm presences fell beside him as he closed his eyes in peace.

"You have good friends, Little Lie."

Yeah, he did. He almost forgot about that. It hard to believe he could. Such a simple fact should have been engraved in his memory.

"So, do you still have the strength to act once more?"

Looking up to the skies of his home village one last time, Ren nodded his head before turning away from the bridge of water flowers and walking forward. A brown-haired woman with magenta eyes and a raven-haired man with light yellow eyes followed behind him, their hands pushing him along in support.

"I've always had. I've simply forgotten."

* * *

 **Forever Fall.**

Gushing red liquid splashed against Jaune's trembling form as his shaking arms held Crocea Mors in place. Its gray blade sunk through Ren's chest, exiting out his back as his blood continued to gush out of the stab wound. He could feel his body locking up, growing colder as his heartbeat began to grow silent. Magenta eyes stared back at his tear filled azure orbs, frozen still with no emotion as Ren's body lost its warmth.

Ren's HP was draining, sinking like a rock in an ocean until it reached the negative threshold. With one final struggling beat of his heart and a twist of his blade, Ren died.

 **+4,500EXP!**

Don't cry. Jaune sucked in the pain and despair as Ren's corpse slid along his sword and smacked into him. He was done shedding tears. This was what needed to be done. This was completely different than when he had killed Holt. But still, the warm blood on his face was chilling as the seconds ticked by. Jaune had killed his best friend. And that would be a memory that would never leave him.

Even as he watched Ren's corpse turn into data pixels to resurrect him, the guilt within wouldn't follow along. He could thank god for the fact they were still locked in PVP. It was the only reason Jaune hadn't broken down. Now all he had to do was wait for the flickering cross appearing in front of him to drop Ren back in to the game.

Exhaustion and pain rammed at Jaune's body, enough to make him flinch as he struggled to stand on his two feet. Even if his wounds were healed from within the Core, he was still suffering from the ones he had been dealt before diving in. Not to mention he could feel his energy drained from both fronts of battles. Another fight was out of the question. It would be like slugging a training dummy around at this point. He didn't have the energy to continue any longer.

From inside the resurrection sigil, Lie Ren took his first step onto the world with a blank expression on his face. His pink eyes were unfocused and struggled to regain their sight. Sudden pain pierced his temples, causing him to grimace. He rubbed his head as if he had just woken up from a very long sleep, his blurry vision clearing up to a confusing sight. Jaune Arc, the dork knight, the fake huntsmen, the so-called ladies' man and all around dense idiot, stood before him in a horribly wounded state. His clothing had been torn into, visible gashes and cuts littered over him, his face was bruised in ugly shades of green and blue, and he looked dead on his feet. Blood stained his face, drying as if he had just finished with a murder.

The memories of his current life began to come back to him. Ren remembered it all. His countless lives, the despair, finding his friend cursed along with him and killing him on the spot, and everything from there to now. As it all came back to the silent raven, an odd emotion struck him.

Guilt. Regret. Things that he had forgotten many lives ago. Despite all the hatred he harbored for Jaune, he couldn't believe that he had done such despicable things to the one who thought of him as a brother. A strong surge of exhaustion hit him, draining him of his own energy. It felt like he had just gotten off an emotional roller coaster after an entire day of riding on one. Ren sighed as his shoulders slouched, his tense muscles easing as he felt the cool breeze of Forever Fall kissing his skin.

"How you feeling?" Jaune asked after giving Ren a minute to collect his thoughts.

Ren frowned gently as he flexed his fingers, "I feel. . .lighter. As if some massive weight has been lifted from my back. I can't recall the last time I've felt so. . .rested? Is that the right word?" he asked himself. It was hard to describe it. Almost as if some horrible sickness had been purged from his body. Looking back at Jaune, Ren felt some strange form of deja vu hit him, "What did you do to me? Last thing I remember I was lobbing off your arm and stabbing you through the chest with Horizon before blacking out." Everything after that was a blank.

Jaune weakly lifted his lips, happy to see all the hostility gone from Ren, "You were Falling. You were a single .1% from losing yourself to your negativity and becoming an NPC again. It turns out one of the perks of being The Heart is being able to cross into others' Cores to free them from their negativity. And you had a lot." he chuckled with as he scratched his neck. He could still feel the Grimm Lie's long claws stabbing him through. Today had just been full of his body being trashed and stabbed, "I dove in and cleansed the sources of corruption poisoning your system. Had to fight some nasty bosses too. By the way, DDR? Really?"

The shamed stare Jaune was giving Ren made him look away in embarrassment. He had no idea why, but he knew he should feel ashamed of his love of dancing games.

"And that's it? All you had to do was destroy the sources of corruption to save me?" It sounded a lot easier than he thought. Falling was a very serious condition. All it took was few bosses to cure it?

At that, Jaune decided to lie about the last bit inside Ren's core. No need to make him recall all that had happened. It would only embarrass him. Better off saving it for another time when he wanted to humiliate him.

"Pretty much. But your core didn't make it any easier. I'm lucky to have survived through that gauntlet."

Hearing what Jaune had done to for him, even after all the crap he had put him through, Ren felt the guilt grow stronger. He almost forgot about how it felt to be. . .human. To feel emotions again instead of bottling them all up. It made him wish to feel nothing again if only to stave off the annoying sense of guilt.

"Why? Things would have been much easier if you had just left me to Fall. You would have had no one to get in your way or bring you down. After all the things I've done to you, why would you risk your life for my sake?" Ren asked, not understanding the blond's sense of logic.

Jaune looked back at Ren with a flat expression, not believing what he was hearing. And they called him dense? Pot was best friends with kettle.

"What have I been spouting nonstop this whole time? Do I really have to repeat it now?" Jaune chuckled, shaking his head with an amused glint in his eyes, "We're friends, best friends. You're as close to a brother I'll ever get in any world. I would risk my entire existence on a slim percentage of saving your ungrateful lazy ass." Jaune grinned, his body swaying a bit as he blinked several times from an odd weakness in his legs. The world spiraled around him as he lost the feeling in his legs and began to fall forward.

"Because that's what friends do."

Ready to hit the unforgiving ground of red leaves, Jaune was instead met with Ren's back, the silent Player appearing to catch him in his fall. Ren grunted from the weight he now carried on his back as he fixed the dead tired blond for better leverage. His own exhaustion was catching up to him. Whatever Jaune had did to his core had drained him as well. Carrying Jaune alone was difficult as he was now.

"Don't get the wrong idea. Whatever you did to me has my thoughts messed up, so I don't know what to think anymore." Ren said tiredly before opening his menu and scrolling past the options. PVP met his eyes. His finger hesitantly hovered over a particular option.

 _ **End PVP.**_

 **[WARNING! Ending PVP while a Match has yet to finish will result in loss of Prizes and EXP! Why not one more Kill? To decide it all! You know you wanna~!]**

Ren couldn't have smashed his finger into the icon any faster if he could. If there was one thing he despised more than anything in his existence as a Player, it was The Will. And he was done listening to the manipulative little wisp of flames several lifetimes ago. The invisible coded walls cutting them off from the real world shattered to pieces, ending their death match in an instant.

"But killing you repeatedly will get me nowhere. It never did." Ren said with a solemn frown as he began to make his way out of the red forest land. From the looks of his map, they weren't too deep in Forever Fall. It wouldn't take them long to reach the others from here. "I'm tired, tired of all this conflict between us. I just want it all to end and go back to my usual lazy routine."

Going silent, Jaune didn't know what to say next as the raven-haired Player gave him a piggyback ride back to their team. Just moments ago, Ren had been more than happy to kill him over and over again. It was a little odd for his friend to be acting as he was now.

"What about our fight? I still haven't shown you my strength." Jaune slurred, fighting the exhaustion luring him to sleep. He frowned, feeling his wounds continue to bleed, albeit slowly. His aura should have been mending them. What was going on?

At that Ren chuckled, "Still, you wish to prove yourself? You never change." It looked like Jaune still wanted to show him that he had what it took to survive in this twisted new reality. And to drag him back into it. That was the entire point of this fight. To prove to Ren that he could trust Jaune to follow him along his playthrough and beat this cursed reality.

 _'Take action, son.'_

The words of a past long forgotten whispered into his conscience, reminding Ren of his first playthrough. His Reset point would always drop him back into the moment he had saved Nora from the Grimm, so he had almost forgotten the words of his father. The words that had once kept him moving forward, always forward. All this time he had been ignoring those wise words. Instead choosing to give up and let the cards fall as they were fated to.

Sometimes the worst action one could take was no action at all. His mind may have been older than the kingdoms of Remnant, but it seemed that Ren was still just a child.

Growling reached their ears, turning their attention to the open forest clearing up ahead. Stepping past the trees, several Beowolves greeted the two Players as black smoke drifted off their bodies. It was confusing to see them so soon when they had just ended their PVP. Something wet soaked into the back of Ren's waistcoat. He grit his teeth as he turned his crosshair to Jaune as he continued to struggle to remain awake.

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**_

 _ **772HP/6,000HP[ Curse]**_

 _ **0MP/120MP**_

A status condition? Ren cursed their luck as he summoned his own status. _'Of all the times to be Cursed.'_ he fumed inwardly. He couldn't exactly fight with Jaune on his back.

When fighting some of the deadlier Grimm capable of more than just biting and scratching their prey, they had to watch out for a status condition they could inflict with some of their attacks. Curse, a status that prevented regeneration, healing, and attracted Grimm like honey to bees. And while they hadn't been fighting any Grimm, Falling inflicted the same condition.

Dark puff clouds appeared around Jaune and Ren, summoning more Grimm ranging from Beowolves, Ursa, and even mini Deathstalkers to cage them in the middle of the clearing. A cluster of red eyes leered at them, ready to sink their teeth into their tender flesh in a frenzy of claws.

Ren knew that as they were, they would fall to the Grimm. The two were in the same boat. Tired and wounded. Just like a normal NPC. He chuckled at the thought as he lowered Jaune to sit on the ground behind him. Storm Flower fell into his trembling hands, clenched tightly as he turned his eyes to the sea of dark monsters popping up for a meal.

Take action, huh? Well he didn't want to disappoint his parents anymore than he already had.

"Stay back, I'll handle the Grimm." Ren spoke firmly to Jaune. The blond knight stared back at him surprised, only to find his friend's dirtied back. "Once I've made an opening, run as fast as your feet can take you and signal our team our location. I should be able to hold up long enough till help arrives." he smirked as he loaded a fresh cartridge into his pistols.

Jaune shook his head with a tired laugh. As if he was doing something like that. He didn't save his lazy ass just so he could throw it away like that. With a grunt, he stood back on his two feet even as his knees buckle. Crocea Mors slid out of its home to stare back at the Grimm. Back to back, he grinned.

"I ain't leaving you to die, I won't be responsible for that again. I don't even think I have much energy to move my feet off this spot. All I can do is stand and fight. So, it looks like I'm staying by your side."

Ren scoffed as the dark mob edged closer, "Idiot. You'll only get yourself killed."

"Like you're one to talk."

The Grimm grew tired of the two humans banter. With a chorused roar, the Grimm jumped in to tear the Players apart. And nothing would get in their way.

"My, my, my, how do you get yourself into these predicaments, darling?"

From the ground underneath the Grimm, the bed of red leaves came to life. Picked up by an unknown force, the leaves spiraled around the huntsman to shroud them from the beasts. Like a shredder, the leaves began to shred the Grimm that touched the spiral tornado of red, stopping the lesser monsters from attacking. The larger of them were wary but charged in to try their claws against the defensive shroud.

A large Ursa Major roared as it tossed any of the lesser Grimm in its path away as it charged to swipe at the two Huntsman. It raised its claws up, fighting against the shredding leaves slowly cutting its tough hide apart.

"Don't. Touch. Him."

Snaking around the Ursa Major's neck, a wooden like rope yanked it back just as it dropped its claws. A hard-knuckled fist rammed into its chest plate as it was pulled after the attacker, blowing a clean gaping whole right through it. The attacker's hand flew for the dark bear's neck. And with a gurgling cry escaping its maw, it had its neck snapped with a loud crack. Professor Antheia smiled brightly as she dropped the evaporating bear to the ground without a care, her always shut eyes falling back to the option of her affections. Her eyes snapped open, blinking as she found another student standing back to back with him.

"Mr. Lie? What are you doing out here all alone with my dear? Don't tell you two have been up to some forbidden fruit?" the orange haired professor pouted as she called back her whip. It stiffened, hardening into an oak staff with a sharp cane like hook. She snapped her fingers, calling off the spiral of red to free her students as she walked over the mangled corpses of the Grimm.

"Why does everyone keep thinking that?" Jaune groaned. Every time the two of them went off to talk about matters of The Game or went out to grab some things for the team, the girls always thought they were doing unmentionable things. It made his face green.

"Professor Antheia? What are you doing out here?" Ren asked, taking a small moment to smack the back of Jaune's head. The more they talked about the disgusting matter, the worse it became.

Antheia pursed her lips, tapping her cheek as she absent-mindlessly whipped her staff around her wildly, slashing apart the Grimm that dared to jump at her. "There seems to be a powerful ripple of negativity attracting a large number of Grimm in Forever Fall. Several students have already been taken back to Beacon to attend to their wounds while others are helping in making sure the rest are safe. Of course, I couldn't stand by as my precious flowers were being trampled on, so I've been searching for any missing buds. And when I found out my darling was nowhere to be found, I just had to go searching for him!" she whined like a child, bisecting an Ursa with just one swing with little effort. Two Beowolves snarled madly at the orange haired woman, dashing after her with their claws ready to plunge into her meaty body. Antheia didn't mind them, not even sparing them a passing glance as she swung her staff in a wide diagonal arc to separate their upper chests from their waist.

She gasped loudly at the terrible condition she found her students in as she stood in front of them. Ren was dirty and scuffed up so he was more than fine other than the lack of energy. But her sweet darling sunflower Jaune was the one she was more focused on. It looked like he had been mauled by some wild beast! His handsome, innocent, boy pretty face was filthy with dried blood and dirt caking his kissable face. Multiple open wounds littered his body, he was bruised worse than a banana, and even the sleeve to his coat was ripped off like he had lost an arm.

"MY SWEET DARLING!" Professor Antheia wailed as she snatched the sweating blond knight in her arms. "What did they do to you?! Who did this to you?!" she cried, cracking Jaune's back with her smothering embrace.

Now Ren was sweating. Even as the plant loving professor was crying over the state of her favorite boy toy, she was still capable of producing a terrifying aura. One that shouted a war cry of pain and suffering to the poor soul responsible for the horrendous crime to her. . .lover. Case in point, Ren.

Never had Ren been happy to see Grimm attacking them in his life. They made the perfect scapegoats.

"We were actually attacked by the Grimm while scouting the area. I did my best to protect him when he suffered a strong blow, but alas, I too was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the beasts." Ren said in his best impression of an honest man. He even gave the teacher a shameful sigh while looking away.

And it was more than enough for her to believe the lie.

". . .Am I the only one who noticed everything going silent?" Jaune mumbled as he felt Professor Antheia stiffen.

Indeed, even the Grimm grew mute as they felt a horrifying presence stand before them. Only the wind dared to make a sound.

Sighing grudgingly, Professor Antheia reluctantly released Jaune from her loving embrace. She moved her hand to his dirty scratched cheek, caressing it with such affection Jaune felt his entire face heat up as he gulped nervously. Her giggle sounded so light and warm before she surprised him with a light kiss to his scarred temple.

"My silent Lotus flower, will you and my darling please close your eyes and cover your ears for a moment? This will only just take a bit, I promise!" she said warmly. She turned back to the large mob of Grimm hesitantly gazing back at them. A sense of thrill hit her core as she extended her staff for wider reach.

The Huntsman looked at each other in confusion but decided to listen. Better to listen to what she said. It was probably for a good reason.

In the split second that Jaune and Ren closed their eyes and covered their ears, the warm smile on Ivy's face withered away to reveal a grim lift of her lips as her green eyes leered at her prey. She licked her lips, her staff's cane straightening before two budding petals grew out its side. The red petals came to life, growing rapidly to form the pseudo blades of a double sided ax that she lifted skillfully to rest on her shoulders.

Shadows gathered underneath her eyes as she spoke, her voice losing its warmth as it grew husky, "Filthy weeds, I'm going to enjoy mincing you shit stains for touching my beloved sunflower. Nadar Faerg's been dying to soak in some blood." she said with a dark wide grin on her face before vanishing from sight in a hazy blur.

If Grimm could shiver they would. Instead they could only vainly fight off the mad laughing Huntress tearing them apart in droves. There was a reason why she asked her students to close their eyes and ears. No one needed to see the carnage of blood and limbs showering the clearing.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy Airship Docks.**

Pyrrha was worried. Really worried. She was sure she was on the verge of a panic attack right now.

The little field trip to Forever Fall was unfortunately cut short only an hour and a half since they touched ground. From what the teachers were saying a large ripple of negativity had summoned the Grimm from the forests in large packs in search of prey. Many were saying it had to do with the tearing blade of darkness that had cut through the red forest land. Because of the ridiculous surge of Grimm now roaming the forest, all students were to evacuate for the Bullheads awaiting them to return home. And all students seemed to be a counted for. All except Jaune and Ren.

Waiting along the deck of the airship docks, Pyrrha paced back and forth as she bit her thumb in ever growing worry. None of her messages were getting to either one of them. If only they had searched for them first instead of helping the other students, then maybe they would be here and out of harm's way.

No, she sighed as she stopped pacing, feeling shame in the horrid thought. It wasn't right to think of such things. They did the right thing in saving their fellow classmates from the Grimm. She just wished there had been a way to do both.

"About time she stopped walking back and forth." Yang whispered over to her partner as they watched the Spartan themed girl fret, "I was pretty sure she was digging a hole through the floor. You can even see the skid marks smoking."

"She has every right to worry. Jaune's fighting with only one arm and there were more Grimm than even we could handle. At least we know that Ren's beside him to make sure he's fine." Blake said, trying to quell her own worry over the knight.

Nora wasn't as worried as the others. She patiently waited for her partner and leader to come back while dipping her fingers in a spare jar of sap she had brought with her to snack on, "Don't worry, Ren is stronger than he looks. He's just really lazy most of the time. I've once seen him take down an Alpha Beowolf with his barehands when we were younger because it woke him up from his beauty sleep. If anyone's got Jaune's back, its him." she mumbled brightly, stuffing her whole sap coated fist in her mouth.

Weiss leaned back in disgust at the sight, "Nora, use a spoon! It's not attractive to stuff you whole hand in your mouth like that! Where are your manners?"

"In the woods where I buried them long ago. And I'll have you know that men find it arousing to see a woman fit their whole fist in their mouth!"

"Uncivilized men, maybe."

"And your dad."

"WHAT?!"

Ruby winced as one of Weiss' flailing arms smacked her face, the little reaper doing her best to hold back her partner from assaulting the grinning Nora. The white-haired heiress could not take a joke.

"The point is that we shouldn't worry about those two. They're Huntsman, not little kids." Yang butt in, trying to calm down the situation as she laid her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. She smiled gently at the redhead, easing her worries, "Jaune and Ren will be fine. Professor Antheia even promised to bring them back! Well, she promised to bring back Jaune and even then, the matter of his virginity is a different matter altogether. She had sultry glint in her eyes. . .I think. The woman hardly opens her eyes."

That did little to ease Pyrrha's worries. If anything, she now felt some annoyance towards her Field Studies teacher. Now she was worrying over her leader's innocence.

"I mean look at Ruby." Yang gestured over to her little sister. Said girl was the least worried among them as she struggled to keep her partner from drawing her rapier as Nora began wiggling her chest at the heiress tauntingly, "She believes in her fellow team leader, even if he's crippled. Least you can do is have more faith than her as his partner. Don't you think?"

Yang was right. Smiling back in appreciation, Pyrrha calmed her nerves as she stared up at the sky for her friends' return. Ren was with him, she couldn't forget that. Together they should be able to come back home alright.

Above the girls, a solitary bullhead came into view, gliding along the wind before easing down onto the docks. The side door for dropping off hunters for their missions slid open, easing the two teams' thoughts as the sight of Jaune and Ren came into view. Pyrrha did growl in jealously seeing their teacher hugging her partner closely to her chest as she patted his head like a pet.

"REN!"

Ren flinched, sweating nervously as an orange torpedo launched for him. He gasped loudly from the tackling hug from Nora nearly knocking him off his feet. The girl had no restraint. He did smile though as he found her grinning up at him giddily.

"Good to see you too, Nora. But I wasn't gone for too long." he chuckled lightly, ruffling his partner's hair affectionately. She pouted, removing her arms from his waist before poking at his dirty nose.

"You two were gone for nearly two hours! What the hell were you two up to? You weren't sneaking some hanky panky in the bushes without inviting me, were you?" she glared as she crossed her chest.

Jaune grumbled under his breath, his face going green as he slumped in Professor Antheia's arms, "What does a guy have to do to prove his sexuality? I know I got some feminine looks and I don't look half bad in a dress, but come on!"

"You could always do me." Antheia purred in his ears, rubbing her cheek affectionately to his own, "Right here, right now."

Jaune stared flatly at the very arousing woman whose hand wandered dangerously close to his pants zipper, ". . .You never did answer me. Did you. Do things. To me. When I was knocked out?" he asked with a twitch his eyes, recalling his first RWE match against Nora.

"All we did was cuddle! Swearsies." she answered with a quivering lip. The very thought that her beloved believed that she would do such a thing as take advantage of him like that hurt her deeply. Jaune felt some guilt at that.

"Oh? Well, I guess that isn't so bad." Compared to what he had thought originally, it was fine. At least that was one question about his virginity solved. Lost Fairy Tales was a different subject entirely.

"I mean, some clothes may have been thrown to the side, and I may have gotten a little handsy and given you a kiss or two, but all was fine! I've yet to truly sink my teeth into you."

Nope! He was molested. She took advantage of him while he was sleeping! There was a word for that. But he currently had no idea what that was at the moment. Whatever guilt he felt was beaten to a corpse as the orange haired fox eyed woman pressed herself closer to her beloved.

Someone save him. Dear god he wasn't going to last much longer. It was stiffening!

Luckily Pyrrha had enough of watching her crush being cuddled so intimately by an older woman, let alone her teacher. Jumping onto the ship, she gave Antheia a strained smile, holding herself back from simply ripping Jaune out of her arms. The only one doing any of the hugging with her leader was her, damn it!

"Thank you very much, Professor. But I'll be taking care of our leader now." she all but demanded, rising a grumbling pout from the woman.

Professor Antheia sighed in defeat, handing her lovable knight to his partner. She had much to do anyway. With the spike in Grimm and the number of students wounded during the trip, she had to head on over to Headmaster Ozpin's office to debrief on the situation. They also needed to send over a few teams to take care of said rise in Grimm. Forever Fall was more than just a training ground, it also had a ship docking bay and even a few camps stationed around the edges of the place.

But before she headed off to take care of her teacher duties, Antheia reached into her one of her pockets to toss several small vials three inches tall to Pyrrha.

"Seeing as I must leave my darling with you and Ren as well, I want you to give them each one of those potions. They're called Purity and alleviate any harmful effects from the Grimm." she explained as Pyrrha looked them over. The small vials were crystal clear, containing a water like substance with a light emerald hue and a holy cross like crystal cork. "You've yet to learn this, but some Grimm are known to inflict harmful effects with their attacks that can go as far as shutting off a person's aura. Both Mr. Lie and my darling are suffering from said effects and need to be treated with this medicine in order for their auras to completely heal their injuries. I've already treated the more worrying of their wounds, so they should be fine with some bed rest and a nice meal."

Antheia smiled warmly at Pyrrha, patting her shoulder as Nora tossed an indignant Jaune and Ren over her shoulders before jumping off the ship to head towards team RWBY.

"Please, take care of those two. I don't know what they had just gone through, but it seems whatever tension between them has disappeared. I trust you can watch out for them, boys can be quite stubborn and bullheaded sometimes."

"You noticed?" Pyrrha asked in slight shock. She thought she was the only one other than Nora who had noticed the heavy air between Jaune and Ren. Antheia nodded her, her eyes gazing back to the two as team RWBY crowded around them with questions and accusations.

"I'm your teacher, of course I noticed! I am your teacher, it's my job to watch out for my precious flowers. But this was a problem that the two of them had to settle themselves. As Hunters, this kind of thing will naturally happen in your line of work. It's better to learn how to deal with such problems early on before it's too late." Antheia had seen it before, the underlining tension that had broken several teams apart. All because they couldn't learn to talk to one another and work out their problems. She was truly happy to see that Jaune and Ren had been able to settle whatever their problems were and cooperate. They had learned an important lesson that would save them in the future. "Ms. Nikos, you're a very promising Huntress and your skills are leagues above most of my first years, maybe even second years. But you mustn't be afraid to speak up when you see a problem despite what I've just said either. You're their teammate and friend, if they ever have this kind of problem between them you shouldn't fear pointing it out. They need a strong woman to help them out. And while Ms. Valkyrie is strong too, she can be a bit childish and... wild sometimes."

Pyrrha turned her eyes to said girl, threatening to break the boys backs with a joint hug as their faces turned blue. Couldn't argue there. Other than Ren, Pyrrha was the sanest one in their team.

Nodding her head firmly, Pyrrha pocketed the vials as she thanked the plant loving professor.

"I'll be sure to watch over them closely. It seems I have work on more than just my fighting skills." she smiled before jumping off the ship to head back to her team.

Professor Antheia looked onto the two teams gently. They were good kids with a lot of potential. She was glad to have taken Ozpin's offer to teach here. It wasn't often that she had come across such promising buds. All they needed was a little nurturing and sunlight, and they would blossom into colorful flowers that even the darkness couldn't defile. Especially her lovable blond knight. It looked like he had a special gift to draw in others from all walks of life.

What a truly perfect candidate.

Freeing her teammates from her monstrous hug, Nora was ready to start teasing them about their disappearance again, only to blink. She blinked again, three more times, rubbed her eyes and pinched her arms with yelp. She gawked at Jaune, pointing her finger at his right arm free of its cast.

"What did you do to your arm? I thought it was broken?" she asked, poking said finger at the scarred skin of his arm.

Jaune flinched, inwardly cursing at himself for not thinking of an excuse for his now functioning arm. Right, they would have noticed that. How could he forget? He had enough sense to switch out of his new combat attire, but not come up with an excuse? He wracked his brain around for a logical answer and soon found even Ruby joining in to poke at his arm curiously.

"I thought it would take another week for you to be able to move your arm again?" Weiss said in suspicion, leaning over to inspect his arm. Other than the scarring from the surgery and whatever force had shattered the bones in said appendage, it seemed to be back to tip top shape. How odd.

Watching the girls question Jaune's healed arm, Ren sighed as he knew he had no other choice but to step in. They couldn't really tell them that the knight had let himself die to resurrect and heal his arm.

"That's actually the real reason why we were gone for so long. I was busy healing Jaune's arm with a family secret technique." Ren explained, catching all their attention, even Pyrrha's as she walked in to their conversation. She finally caught notice of Jaune's healed arm and was curious as to how the magenta eyed pseudo ninja had fixed him, "It's a sacred art that takes a long time and perfect concentration to perform. Not to mention it drains a large chunk of my own aura as well as the one I'm healing too. I was finished fixing him up when we were attacked by a large mob of Grimm. We were lucky to have had Professor Antheia find us in time. We were down to the last of our strength." he chuckled in embarrassment.

Nora seemed to have perked up in realization at the mention of his so called secret technique, "Oh! I know the one you're talking about! Is it the fancy pulse of green aura you used last time to fix my broken leg when we were attacked by that Boarbatusk years ago?"

Ren nodded, glad to have Nora to cement the lie. She wasn't wrong. He actually had an Ability that could mend a broken appendage. It was called Miracle Pulse and it cost him half his HP to fix a broken bone of either himself or an ally.

"I didn't want to use it before because I thought it would be better for him to heal his arm naturally. But seeing as we were on a mission and that he begged me to help him out, I decided to use the technique."

"It was just a bad stroke of luck that we were attacked by the Grimm." Jaune sighed, playing along with Ren's lie. "We're alright now other than some scratches here and there. Our aura should be able to fix the rest."

Hearing the mention of their aura, Pyrrha quickly brought out the vials Professor Antheia had given her before handing one to each of them, "That reminds me, the professor wanted me to make sure you two took this. This potion should heal your afflictions and allow your auras to work their magic." she said as they inspected their medicine.

 _ **'Purity(x1): A medicinal potion created with the purest of water and curative herbs. Heals all Status conditions. Bitter taste.'**_

Shrugging their shoulders in sync, Jaune and Ren popped off the fancy corks and gulped down the medicine. The bitter taste made them cringe in disgust as it worked its magic. Their Cursed status was lifted and their aura immediately began to seal their wounds.

"I think I need something to wash out the taste." Jaune blanched, sticking out his tongue to show his distaste, "Not to mention all this has left me hungry. Were you guys able to grab our stuff at camp before you all left?" he couldn't help but ask. Tsuki's boxed lunches were among the things back at camp and he was hoping to dig into it. His stomach was growling for something to eat.

Pyrrha nodded her head, giggling as she heard his stomach speak up for an answer, "Luckily, yes, we were able to gather our things after receiving orders to head back to Beacon. Everything can be found back at our dorms. Which I suggest we head for now. You two," she gestured to the dirty Huntsman who pointed at themselves with quirked brows, "Need showers. We've all had a long day today, so we should head back to unwind and rest. Our class has been suspended and the Headmaster has ordered all the students who participated in the field trip to enjoy the day after being checked up."

Ruby couldn't have agreed more. Now that she knew Jaune was safe and sound along with Ren, they could all go back to their dorms. A hot plate of cookies and cold milk sounded pretty good right about now.

"Right! Teams RWBY and JNPR are all accounted for now! So, let's head for the showers people!" The red hooded reaper grinned cheerfully as she began to lead her team back to the dorms.

Nora liked the sound of that. Grabbing onto the hands of her team, she began to follow after their sister team as she dragged her teammates along.

"You heard her! Shower time! It's time for some good old fashioned skinship! Let's find us a big old bath tub and dive in!"

Their indignant shouts went on deaf ears as they struggled. Nothing on Remnant was capable of stopping Nora from getting what she wanted. If she wanted a team bath, then by god she was stripping them naked and shoving them into the bubbly baths.

* * *

 **JNPR Dorm.**

With a relieved sigh of satisfaction and a pat to his stuffed stomach, Jaune laid back on his bed in a fresh set of blue pajamas. It was a hard-won fight, but they had wrestled Nora out of dragging them all into a shared bath. Literally, she had already gotten them down to their underwear before the three of them pinned her down. Team RWBY had heard the commotion and decided to lend hand, taking the hyperactive ginger girl along with them to the showers with Pyrrha in tow. After that was taken care of and they went on to clean themselves up in peace. Jaune was the first one to return to their dorm.

Tsuki's lunch had immediately called out to him from atop of his bed. Pyrrha must have left it there for when he came back. Finding some utensils inside he had dug right in, savoring the taste of the rice balls first. It wasn't long until he was done stuffing his face and laying back on his bed.

Today had been a hell of a day. Three, three times he had died by Ren's hands. Each death had drained him of his stamina and diving into his Core didn't help with the gauntlet of enemies and bosses lying in wait. Now that it was all over with, Jaune was just about ready to turn in early for the day and forget about all his troubles.

But before he could shut his eyes and let sleep take over, the sound of the door cracking open reminded him of one last piece of business. And it looked like Ren had the same idea as the world was frozen still with the door shutting behind him. The Third Player crossed his arms, resting his back against the door in his sleepwear made up of a simple green pajama shirt and cotton pajama pants.

"I'm guessing you've been waiting to know about our fight?" Ren went straight for the point, looking back at Jaune as he sat up on his bed. He was done with all the drama, it was better to get this over with after he had finally gotten his thoughts together.

"We didn't exactly get to finish it. I promised to stop bothering you about helping me beat the game if you won and you promised to try again if I won. Now I don't know where to go from here." Jaune said with a tired sigh. After everything he had just gone through in Ren's core, he didn't know if he even had the right to ask Ren to join him. The guy deserved his peace. Jaune had no right to disturb him.

Ren scrunched his face in inner conflict. Old habits die hard as he held back his tongue from saying the same spiel of being done with these games. Something had changed since he had been saved from Falling and being corrupted by The God of Darkness. The memories he had thought were buried by despair that reminded him of why he had once tried to make a difference had been shook lose. And the wise words of his father were stuck in his head.

Nothing would change, they never did. So, what was the point in taking action? Doing nothing though was practically spitting on his father's memory. Ren brought nothing but shame on the Lie name by standing by and leaving things as they were. Time and time again he had given up, accepting the cruel fate and frankly he was tired of it. Tired of doing nothing, of complaining, of watching by, and saying nothing. It was almost as if a fire had been lit in his soul again.

At this point, Ren had two options in front of him. Either continue living by some scripted path and let the cards fall as they did, or try once more to find the True End hidden by the game. To others the answer may have been simple. But none of them had ever gone through literally hundreds of lives repeating the same old same old with no results.

"I don't know either. Usually I would say something snarky and ignore you. Now though?" Ren stared up at the ceiling, pondering his answer in deep thought, "I'm at loss of what to do."

Jaune was in the same boat as he scratched his head awkwardly. He had already said enough to his younger version back in the core. What else could he say that hasn't been said? In the end, he could only say what was in his heart.

"You've been through an endless nightmare since entering this game, suffering torture that no human should endure. Asking you to continue trying wouldn't be right. But I know you still want to." Jaune said firmly, recalling the glimpses of hope he had found in Ren's memories, "You've kept going this long to see your friends. The least you could to do is try saving them from whatever threats are waiting for them. Only with one difference this time." he smirked.

Ren raised his brow at the confidence in Jaune's eyes, "Really? And what difference would that be?"

"You'll have me working alongside you to make a difference. You're not as alone as you once were. It's about time an idiot like myself tried their hands at this. Don't you think?"

For a good minute, Ren didn't say a word as he shut his eyes. His lips quivered, lifting slowly before he erupted in a fit of laughter. He nearly doubled over as he held his sides.

That was Jaune's answer? That simply having an idiot like himself try would change things? What a joke! As if it was that easy.

But there was some hope in what Jaune said. In only a month he had changed Cardin's fate from a simple bully to a Huntsman wanting to change for the better and even caused Blake to open up a little. That was on Jaune's first playthrough without any knowledge of what impact he would have on their lives. It was the little things the knight had changed that spoke out the most.

Maybe. . .maybe he could try again?

Pushing himself off the door, Ren walked over to Jaune with his mind finally made up. He opened his eyes, resolved as he spoke sternly.

"Don't kid yourself. You're lucky to have made it this far on luck and persistence. This game has only just begun, you won't be lucky next time." he smirked smugly, his words causing Jaune to hang his head. The smirk on his face soon evolved into a smile as he held out his fist to his fellow Player, shocking Jaune with the action as he looked up at him with confusion, "Which is why I don't really have a choice but to help you along the way. I said it before, I don't want to go through the drama of your death again, too depressing for my liking. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and try once again. Sleeping all day sounds nice, but it's about time I got up and did something with my life."

Jaune face broke out in a hopeful grin as he registered Ren's words, "You mean you're going to try again?"

"It's time I took action. So, you better prove to me that you can make a difference." he said softly.

Nothing would have stopped Jaune from bumping his fist against Ren's any faster.

 _ **'Monty's Missing Page, Page #9, Unlocked!'**_

* * *

 **Streets of Vale.**

Saturday morning greeted the streets of Vale with brilliant rays of sunlight to illuminate the peoples' day and bring in the festivities of the day. From the simple shops selling discounted goods to a few stands opened around just about every corner with their own wares and food for sale, Vale was celebrating the new day after the week of terror from the Friends of Faunus with a little festival to calm down the masses. A day where human and Faunus could simply enjoy some fun and forget about their differences. It also allowed Vale to prepare for the bigger festivities that were to come with the people of all four kingdoms arriving in a few weeks' time to participate in the Vytal Tournament. Yes, there were a lot reasons to go out and wander the streets with friends and special someone's today.

In sync, both Jaune and Ren's brows twitched as they were dragged by the arms by a very hyper Nora through the streets of the city, their sights only seeing the annoying notifications on their HUD.

 _ **'Equality Event, begun! The damage of the FoF still lingers in the air, so the council of Vale have decided to hold a small fair of equality for all to enjoy! Games, rides, discount food, and a gaggle of beautiful woman! For today only, all quests have been suspended if any are in effect along with fighting. And anyone in their Beacon Uniform will receive a 10% discount on the grounds. Simply enjoy some time of peace! . . .Because it won't last forever.'**_

 _'What an asshole.'_ Jaune and Ren thought collectively, sighing as Nora tugged on their arms harder for them to stop fighting her pull. From what Jaune had recently learned after talking with Ren for a bit about the game, it was Will who created these messages that they received in their scrolls. But while he did make the notifications up, the azure wisp had no control on the Events that they participated in. That was something even the three supposed gods couldn't manipulate.

Teams RWBY and JNPR had decided to go out for the day together after the girls of the teams had talked about it while Jaune and Ren had been busying fighting. It didn't really take much to convince the two to come along, using some guilt tripping on Jaune's part. All Nora had to do was beg her partner to join them, using her big green eyes to stare him down. It also helped that she had been caressing Magnhild in her arms in a not so subtle threat of sorts. Besides, they had shrugged, agreeing with the idea. Going out together with friends didn't sound so bad.

"Don't tell me you two are still tired from the other day?" Pyrrha giggled lightly as she walked beside Nora to the fair. Dozens of folks walked about the streets, enjoying the warm feeling of tranquility in the air after the night of fires a week ago, laughing and grinning with one another despite what they looked like. The sight of it all made her close her eyes in peace, glad to have everything back to normal.

Gently prying Nora's hand from his sleeve, Jaune shook his head as he let his eyes wander around the streets, "Kinda am, really. She woke all of us up at six in the morning to head out. And while my aura has healed all my wounds, I'm still a little sore." He swore he could still feel the Grimm Lie's deadly claws stabbing through his chest and the phantom pain of his having his arm chopped off by Ren's towering blade of darkness. Nora could have been more gentle.

"That's because I knew that the place would eventually be packed! The early bird gets the sausage link is what I always say!" Nora chided her leader with a shaking finger.

"Since when have you ever said that?"

"More times than you could ever realize." Ren groaned, snatching his own hand back as they walked alongside another. Team RWBY was waiting for them at the town square, having beat them early to prepare for their plans for the day. One of Ruby's Best Day's Ever. Ren could already see the small girl proudly displaying the binder filled with ideas and the Schnee emblem stamped on the back along with Weiss's name scratched out with red marker.

Other than the usual cannonball wake up, Ren was actually glad to have a simple event. Anything noncombat related was always a godsend before things went crazy. And if he remembered right, there was one more Story Event to participate in before the First Act came to a close. It was a small one but it played a major role in the development of Blake's character. The real trouble came in the memory of a certain cigar smoking bowler hat wearing ginger that always involved himself in the Event.

Eh, Ren could leave this one up to Jaune. The knight was more involved with Blake than he was. Plus, he would have one of his questions regarding the final Player answered.

It wasn't long until their team met up with RWBY waiting for them at the square. Ruby grinned brightly at the sight of them, hugging the binder closer to her chest before running toward them excitedly as her team followed.

"About time you guys got here! I've been going crazy with what we should do first on our Best Day Ever!"

"This isn't going to be like the last one, is it?" Weiss groaned, already mentally thinking of the closest supply store nearby. She wasn't getting her binder back anytime soon. Nor would she want it now that it was dirty with crumbs, strawberry jam, milk stains, and crayon doodles.

"Well we can't all get up so early in the morning, you know?" Jaune said as he ruffled Ruby's hair, "How did you even get Yang up this early? Compared to Ren, she's the second hardest to wake up from what I've been hearing across the door." To make his point he gestured over to the half-awake zombie that was Yang standing up. Her eyes were lidded, hardly paying attention to anything going on as a string of drool hung from her mouth.

Weiss snapped her fingers in Yang's face with a wrinkle of disgust, "Wake up already! It's been an hour since we got you out and you're still falling asleep? I swear, I'm this close to pouring a gallon of coffee down your gullet."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually." Jaune said with a yawn. He was better off than Yang, but a nice piping hot mug of coffee sounded like a good way to start the day, "I know of a good place nearby that serves good coffee at a decent price along with music. I've been meaning to stop by anyways to download a new album for my scroll. Been a while since I was there." he smiled in memory.

That was where he had met Ann a month ago. And where he had participated in his first Event. How things had changed since then.

"But I wanted us all to go check out the small rides they have in the streets!" Ruby grumbled, shoving her 'borrowed' binder in Jaune's face, "Besides, I don't like coffee unless it's mostly milk and they add whip cream and sprinkles on top. That and they've banned me from drinking the dark stuff."

Something about turning into a tamer Nora. And any type of Nora was impossible to handle.

"How about we just split up for a bit?" Blake suggested, pushing Yang's head from leaning on her shoulder with her finger, "I have my own things to take care of as well now that we have some free time in Vale. We can always meet up later and enjoy the street fair, we have all day."

Split up? Already? Ruby pouted at the idea. What was the point in stealing Weiss's binder to plan a perfect day if they were all just going to go their separate ways?

"Actually, I have to stock up on Dust and ammo while we're here too." Ren said in agreement. Yesterday's fight with Jaune had drained him on ammo and now that he was back in the game he could start working on his Dust techniques.

Nora wasn't so thrilled with the idea from her partner as she joined Ruby in her pouting.

"But I want to see what kind of treats they got selling on the streets!" Nora whined.

"Then how about sticking with Ruby for a bit until I've finished my business? Once I'm done, I'll come find you and we'll go around doing whatever you want." Ren suggested with a shrug. It would give him some time to himself for once.

The two hyperactive girls blinked together, slowly turning to another before their faces broke out in wide grins. A shiver ran down their spines. Add one Ruby and one Nora together and all hell was sure to break loose. It didn't help that the streets were full of sugary treats.

"I think I'll stay with Ruby and Nora for a bit." Pyrrha mumbled to Jaune as they watched the two girls huddle together and open the binder to plan their chaos, "Someone responsible has to watch over them."

That was awfully nice of her, "Thanks Pyrrha. Hey, you and I can go out to the arcade later. I did promise you to show how to play some games." he smiled.

To Pyrrha, it looked as if the sun was beaming down onto her. She had to hold back from nodding her head vigorously.

So, she smiled politely with a simple nod, "Sounds lovely."

"Great! We'll all just meet up later then. We got the whole day off, so let's make it count!" Jaune grinned before grabbing onto Yang's shoulder and leading her off to the coffee shop. He knew just the coffee to get her day started.

As the others waved and went on their separate ways, Jaune was taken by surprise as a certain white haired heiress followed in step. Weiss quirked her brow at him, wondering what he was staring at.

"What? You two aren't the only ones in need of a warm drink." she huffed before giving Jaune a light glare, "And don't think of this as some kind of date either. We're just two friends dragging their other friend for a cup of coffee. Nothing more, nothing less."

It was times like this that Jaune cursed the world for resetting Weiss' memories. They had been getting along so well in the last world. God's sake, she kissed him! Sure, it was because he was dying, but it still counted. Still, at least he would be spending some time with Weiss. Nodding his head simply, he pulled out his scroll to take a moment to look over the Friendships of his friends. Specifically, Weiss. A chibi Weiss greeted him from his screen, elegant as ever as she walked beside him with a pleasant smile alongside a zombie like chibi Yang.

'Weiss Schnee. Friendship: Lvl 5. Affection: Locked. Status: Content, drowsy. Available Perks: 1. Soul Link: Locked.'

Out of the six girls of the two teams, his Friendship with Weiss was the lowest. It would have been even lower if the hospital event hadn't given an EXP boost in Friendship. All the other girls were just a few more points from reaching level seven in their Friendship levels but Weiss wasn't even at 25% in her current one. She was the hardest to talk to when he thought about it. That hadn't changed one bit even with his experience from his past life to help. Most likely due to the fact he couldn't talk much about the more sensitive things he had learned about her.

 _'At least she's content. That's a small start.'_ he smiled, taking a peek at her peaceful expression as she walked beside him. Hell, she was closer to him now then she had been during his first month in Beacon before he died. She even talked with him and helped him out in Dust Studies when he was having trouble. A major leap in comparison to his last life. _'Maybe we could actually talk for once. I don't think we've ever had a real conversation with each another. That might have been due to me always trying to ask her out. I should have really cut back on that.'_ he winced, remembering his constant pickup lines. Dad said girls liked confidence, just not fake confidence apparently.

The Vibe Cafe soon came into sight. Passing by its door courtesy of a smiling employee holding the door for them. Weiss scanned for any open seats nearby. To her displeasure the morning crowd was packed with all available spots taken. The street fair was really drawing in a lot people it seemed.

"I'm going to wait for a booth to open up." Weiss said to Jaune as she reached for her wallet. Taking out a black laminated card that seemed to twinkle in the light, she gestured for the line of guests as she handed it to him, "You can go order out things. I've never really been here before, but seeing as it serves coffee you can get me a Caramel Twist Latte. And find something strong for Yang to wake her up, it's unsettling to see her like this." her face scrunched up as said blonde's head lulled on her shoulder, dripping drool onto her blazer. She couldn't tell if it was intentional or not, "You can also grab yourself whatever you want while you're at it. Consider it a gift for not getting on my nerves these last few days." Weiss said with a smug smile on her face.

Taking the card in hand, Jaune shrugged his shoulders at the gesture before turning towards the line. It was going to be a bit of a wait, he might as well check out the new changes to his game menu.

Talents. Along with his stats, a new page to his status had been born from his nerf or as they liked to call it, patch. Having seven sisters with many different talents to them had helped immensely in filling his Talents page up. Culinary, Sewing, Dancing, Sketching, Gardening; they were only some of the Talents he had gained on him before entering Beacon. Since then he had gained Sword Play, Dust Handling, Survivalist, and Lore. Each one had an EXP bar below them that displayed how far until he reached a new level. It was pretty neat to see. But compared to what he had learned in Beacon recently, his skills not involving combat were at higher levels. Hell, his Dancing Talent was ten levels above Sword Play. _'At least it saved me during that fight with the Grimm Origin. I still can't believe I was trapped in a dance battle of all things.'_ That was a crazy fight he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"I can help the next guest, please!"

Snapping his head up from his scroll's screen, Jaune turned to the open space in front of him and the patiently awaiting cashier. How long had he spaced out? Smiling in apology, Jaune walked ahead to order their things.

"Good morning! I'll have a large Caramel Twist Latte, a large Dark Roast coffee, a large Atlas Vanilla coffee, and," Jaune hummed to himself as he looked over the display case of treats behind the counter, "Three blueberry muffins. Oh, and Jeffrey Will's newest album, Just Live."

"Alright then, that's. . .37.75L, please!"

Ready to hand over the fancy looking card to the cashier, Jaune frowned lightly before thinking against it. Instead he handed over the amount from his own pocket. It wasn't much compared to all the Lien he had been awarded after the last Event. Everyday items were no longer so expensive compared to the items invoked by The Game. Abilities and Potions were expensive.

Thanking the worker for his change and receiving the number for his order, Jaune went to see if Weiss had found a booth for them. He breathed a sigh of relief catching the heiress vigorously wiping down a table with the mini towel and sanitizer spray snatched from a nervous worker. Yang was already sitting down, or in her case, dropping her head onto the now clean surface. Was she dead?

Weiss rolled her eyes watching Jaune hesitantly poke the blonde brawler's planted head, "She's still breathing, sadly. Trust me, even after her coffee it will take her a few minutes for her muscle headed brain to boot back up to what she calls normal." handing the cleaning items back to the patron, Weiss edged her teammate further into the booth while gesturing for Jaune to sit across. "For now, just enjoy the peace of the moment. I know you must feel the same way seeing as your own team can be a handful."

The mention of his team actually made Jaune lean back with a sigh.

"You could say that. Pyrrha and Ren are no problem. It's Nora alone that's starting to make me grow gray hairs. You know she wants me to dress up in my Jaune-Cena persona next week?" Jaune chuckled as he recalled an earlier conversation with the hammer girl, "Says she wants to hold an event called Queen of the Castle. I'm worried that Ozpin will give her the okay on it. Last I heard, the school made about 20,449 Lien on the first night of the RWE before the council of Vale had it under investigation."

That was hardly surprising. Weiss nearly reached across the table to slap Jaune across the face at the memory of the little event. To think he could ever pull off such a dirty, perverted, underhanded maneuver, even if it was against Yang of all people. The moment she had been forced to step in the ring to face the knight Weiss immediately knocked him out with a simple smack to the face. Focusing her aura had helped to take him down as well. After the live streaming show had ended, the council of Vale along with several others had ruthlessly pulled the plug on the show, ending it in its early prime. Sadly, she had heard rumors of the council mulling over lifting the ban. Knowing the kind of people who ran such things, they probably wanted a share of the action that was grossed.

It was times like this that Weiss regretted ever signing that contract. She didn't even know it was a legal one. How in god's name did Nora do that? Goes to show you can't judge a hyperactive book by its cover.

"I can only pray that Ms. Goodwitch talks the Headmaster out of it. That wrestling getup Nora had Coco design does not leave much for the imagination." she grimaced, recalling how breezy it felt in those tight skimpy clothing.

 _'So much skin.'_ Weiss' pearly, white, creamy thighs came to mind in Jaune's head. It was the last thing he had seen before everything went dark.

Shaking away the thoughts before the white-haired heiress could notice, Jaune suddenly remembered the card she had handed him.

Weiss raised one of her fine brows up as Jaune returned her credit card. Right, she almost forgot about it.

"How much was it anyways?" she asked curiously as she pocketed it back to its home.

"Don't worry about it. It was 37.75 Lien and I used my own money."

Surprise painted itself onto Weiss's face as Jaune waved it away, "Why didn't you use my card? I have more than enough to pay for it all without you spending your own money. It wouldn't even scratch the balance of what I have." she said with a look of disbelief.

Jaune shrugged his shoulders, easing into his seat, "My dad always said to pay for the girls' drinks. And because I didn't want you to spend your money on me. I would feel bad, like I'm taking advantage of you."

Weiss didn't know what to say to that. He seemed to have finally come to understand the importance of her name. So, she would have thought that Jaune would jump at the chance to have her pay for his things, even if it was simply a cup of coffee and music.

 _'Even stunned, she has a cute face.'_ Jaune couldn't help but admire Weiss as she tried to comprehend what he had done. Gazing at her smooth face and blue diamond eyes, he found his eyes quickly falling on the one imperfection on her face. The scarred slash down her right eye stared back at him, peaking his curiosity. He always wondered how she had gotten such a thing.

"Order 87? Here you go!" Snapping out of her thoughts, Weiss smiled gratefully to the worker handing them their things. Turning back to Jaune, she was taken back as she found him staring intently at her face. A lit dust of pink colored her cheeks.

"W-What are you looking at?" she asked, cursing herself for stuttering.

"Hmm?" Jaune blinked before waving his hands around in apology and an embarrassed grin, "Sorry, Weiss! I was just wondering something."

"Something that had you glued to my face?" she said flatly, taking a moment to grab the dark coffee meant for Yang before prying the blonde's mouth open and pouring it straight down her throat. Yang didn't seem to mind, the scalding caffeinated drink not even making her flinch as her head slammed back down with a thud.

"I guess I was curious about your scar is all." Jaune said honestly, making Weiss flinch back at the mention of it. Again, he apologized, feeling like he just touched a sensitive subject, "Not that there's anything wrong with it! Even with that scar, you still look like a beautiful snow angel! I'm just surprised someone as perfect as you would ever get hurt like that." he frowned in thought.

Perfect? Her? Weiss almost laughed at the comment. Despite being the next in line to take over one of Remnant's wealthiest companies, she was far from perfect. At least not yet.

"There you go again with that Snow Angel nickname. I swear, I could pester you for an eternity to knock it off and you wouldn't listen." she sighed in defeat before looking away with a far-off gaze. A colossal suit of knight's armor came to mind, its heavy great sword lashing out at her with killer intent.

Jaune was. . .her friend. As hard as that was to believe, the blond buffoon was nice to be around when he wasn't trying out his pickup lines on her. And he proved to be a capable Huntsmen despite his scrawny appearance. Stirring her coffee straw around the topped whipped cream of her drink, she made up her mind.

"Before I left Atlas, my father wanted to test my capabilities to see if I had what it took to be a Huntress. He was strongly against the idea, wanting me to stay at home and focus my studies on the business instead, but I wanted to do more with my talent. So, for my test of strength, he had me test out an experimental project from his DTD wing." she said softly, taking a sip from her drink.

"Experimental project? DTD?"

"DTD stand for Department of Technology and Dust. Along with mining and selling Dust to the countries, my father also works alongside the top scientist of Atlas and its military in certain. . .projects. One of them being an AI armor Mech that he had me fight." she explained, lying about the possessed armor. Experimenting with the Grimm was an illegal practice, going back to Merlot's Law. No need to let him know about that ugly bit. "To make a long story short, I was wounded in the fight from a miscalculated dodge. My aura had been shattered and by the time it had recovered the damage had been done. Leaving me this little 'beauty' scar that you see now." she said with a small huff. The ugly scar was a constant reminder of an annoying mistake that would never leave her.

"It's not that bad. I actually think it brings out your eyes." Jaune smiled, "It makes those blue oceans pop."

"You just can't help yourself with those pickup lines, can you?" Weiss mumbled as she looked away. It was like he was hard wired to hit on her constantly. Still, it was nice to hear from a mouth not interested in her family's riches. Speaking of scars.

"What about you? I've told you about my scar, it's only fair you do the same."

"But I've already told you about it." he gestured to the faded bullet wound on his temple, "I was lucky to escape the attack at the very last second. Otherwise I would have a gaping hole in my head."

"That and you'd be dead." And that wasn't even what she was talking about. No, as defying as that scar was, she was referring to the real scar. Weiss rolled her eyes, "I'm talking about the other wound that should have killed you. You know? The one that literally almost cut you in half diagonally?"

"Oh. . .that."

Jaune was now stuck in a pickle. Blake was the only one who knew of the fake story he had created. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to let others know about. And it wasn't even a complete story to begin with, just something he had come up with on the spot. Just talking about it reminded him of that fateful day.

A sad reminiscent smile grew on Jaune's face as Weiss questioning gaze was overlapped by the memory of her dirty, bloody, pale face crying out his name in vain. It wrung his heart.

Weiss had lived her life with the memory of his sacrifice once. God only knew how jarring that had made her life before the reset. He had just been another problem for her even in death.

Seeing the odd expression on Jaune's face, Weiss thought it would be better to leave the matter alone. Whatever had happened to him must have been traumatizing. There were times he would grip his chest in pain during classes. It looked like the wound wasn't completely healed. It was a miracle he was even alive. And as cold as she acted, she wasn't cruel.

"If it's a sensitive subject, you don't have to talk about it. I understand if it can be painful to speak about it." Weiss reassured him, waving her hand off lightly to the matter. She would be lying if she didn't say she wasn't curious though. Jaune was a goof, a dork, a romantic, but an all-around nice guy. To know that he had gone through an event that nearly killed him gruesomely and was still able to smile without a care was baffling. Things like that left scars, emotional ones.

Jaune shook his head with a small chuckle, "It's alright. It's only fair that I tell you about it seeing as you told me about yours. And I can't exactly say no to you." he smiled before frowning in thought. Looked like he was going to have to go off the top of his head again.

"When I was younger, I had a mentor who taught me how to fight when no else would. My parents never wanted me to become a Hunter, they said it was too dangerous even though my dad was one. So, I had found someone to teach me how to fight, someone who didn't see me as weak or scrawny." he said with a fake fond smile. Truthfully, the very thought of Adam made his blood boil but he needed to fake the act to make it believable. "But my mentor wasn't the kindest guy out there. But he was doing his best to lead the world into peace, to make the world see the wrong they've been ignoring in whatever way possible. Even if it meant using violence. Despite that, I followed him, not caring what it took to grow stronger. It didn't matter to me that he was leading a group that was being labeled as violent extremists."

Weiss felt her blood run cold. He couldn't mean the White Fang, right?

A bitter expression stared back at Weiss, confirming her thoughts as Jaune nodded, "My mentor was leading the White Fang outside of Menagerie. I truly thought they were only trying to bring about the equality that they said they were fighting for. It wouldn't make any sense for a human hating group to train a human, right?" He let out a humorless laugh, mocking his own foolishness more than anything else. "So, I trained with him and just ignored the smears thrown at the White Fang. Then one day I saw with my own eyes what they were doing. It made me sick to see what his so called 'peace' entailed. I couldn't be a part of that and I confronted Adam. He was my mentor, I genuinely believed he would listen to me. Instead he lashed out at me for betraying him. He cut me down and left me to die in a pool of my own blood. I shouldn't even be alive." His voice came out cracked towards the end, his mind racing with images of the White Fang Lieutenant cutting up his torso. His body shivered as the scar flared up painfully in the first time in quite a while. He quickly gripped his chest with his hand, trying to desperately suppress the pain that the memory brought up.

An air of silence fell between the two. For Weiss, it was hard to comprehend what she had just learned. Of all the people she knew, she would have never thought that Jaune would have any sort of connection to the White Fang. It was so surreal. Her eyes softened though as they ghosted over to his chest. Another person hurt by the White Fang, just like her family.

"But that was a long time ago." Jaune smiled weakly as if he had said nothing wrong. Taking a bit out of one of the blueberry muffins on the table, he shrugged his shoulders lightly in hopes to drop the matter, "Yeah...it happened and it sucks but I didn't really have any choice but to move forward. It's all that I really had left. So I learned to live with it."

"But you were betrayed by someone who taught you how to fight! How can you be okay with that!?" Weiss almost shouted in disbelief. How could anyone be okay with that? To have someone cut them down when they had been teaching them and helping them, it didn't make sense? Jaune couldn't be that stu-

"Who say's I'm okay with that?" A cold tone entered Jaune's voice as he broke Weiss off from her thoughts. She was taken back by the sudden shift. Even his eyes had darkened.

"One day, I'll make him pay for what he did, for everything that he's done. I'll make him regret leaving me to die like some worm."

As if he was okay with how Adam did things. Killing whoever got in his way simply because they would respawn in the next reset. He didn't see them as people, just numbers with no value. It pissed Jaune off. Thinking about what the bull Faunus could be doing now only made his anger grow, knowing that whatever it is was, it was wrong.

Once he had grown strong enough, there was no question about finding Adam before he could do anymore damage. The guy would come back to life, so killing him wouldn't be a big deal. Right?

"Jaune!"

"Eh?" Jaune shut his eyes tightly, blinking as he was abruptly snapped out of his dark thoughts. What was thinking? Didn't Will say that whatever bug was messing with his thoughts was gone? The voice was gone though. Did that mean. . .those thoughts were really his own?

Whatever had come over Jaune didn't sit well with Weiss. Such a dark look didn't fit with his personality. It was her own fault for asking him to tell her about his scar. Like opening a can of rotting worms.

The muffin in his hand had crumbled into a mess around the table from his death grip. His hand was trembling, twitching from whatever memory she had dug up. Moving her own hand over his shaking one, she wrapped her fingers around his own to try and calm him down. It seemed to work as he visibly relaxed.

"Yeesh, Vomit Boy. What crawled up your ass?"

Together, Jaune and Weiss spun their heads to the muffled voice of Yang. She stared back at them with a quirked brow as she busied herself eating one of the muffins, taking a large bite before speaking again.

"You know, just because someone's half-conscious doesn't mean they're also deaf. Gotta say though, I never took you as the vengeful type, Jaune. Spins my whole world upside down." she mumbled through a mouthful of blueberry goodness.

"It's not like that." Jaune said with a regretful grimace. He dropped the ball for a moment there, "I just don't want anyone else to suffer through with what I suffered. No one else deserves that kind of pain."

"That's fine and all, but you shouldn't let it cloud your judgment. I'm pretty sure our Snow Angel over here won't fall for a guy who's gloom and vengeful." Yang smirked even as Weiss smacked her shoulder.

Huffing, Weiss turned her eyes back to Jaune's, flicking her eyes away from him for a moment before speaking, "You're. . .not the only who's been hurt by the White Fang. As a Schnee, my family is always being targeted by those low life degenerates because of the mistakes of my ancestry. So, I know where you're coming from all too well. But I don't let that get in the way of my life. I hate the White Fang, but I won't let them turn me into something I'm not." she said firmly.

Jaune looked down in shame, his eyes sticking to the delicate yet firm pale hand over his own. When did he develop a hatred for the White Fang? Why hadn't he ever noticed it until now? Thinking back on it, it had all begun during the original Breach and he had died to the White Fang Lieutenant's chainsaw. Only growing more once he discovered the third Player in this twisted game was the one leading the misguided Faunus. A seed of hatred had been planted, growing steadily without his notice. It seemed even a goof like himself could hold dark emotions.

There was no denying that he could honestly say he hated Adam and the White Fang. All his problems had stemmed from the terrorist organization planning worldwide genocide. Gritting his teeth, Jaune found his own hand gripping back Weiss hand as he took a deep breath.

But he'd be damned if he allowed the hatred turn him into another Adam.

"Thanks for the little talk. I'm sorry you had to see that ugly side of me." Jaune said with a weak grin, "Sometimes I forget about that part of me. I'm just happy that I have you all to snap me out of it."

"Don't mention it, Vomit Boy! I can't lose one of my greatest sources of entertainment because of some fucked up past. Though it's alright to be angry occasionally, we're not all perfect. Hell, the dark glint in your eyes kinda revved my engines." Yang purred, leaning over the table counter to grin openly at the blushing blond, "If you get my drift?"

Weiss glared at the flirting buxom boxer, her eye twitching as she noticed Yang wiggle her chest, "I don't completely agree with Yang, but she is right. We're not all perfect. But if you ever start to feel like you need someone to talk to about these kind of things, know that I'm here for you." she smiled gently, giving his hand a comforting squeeze, "We may not have started off on the best of terms, but I've come to know you rather well since then. You may be an idiot, a dork, a shameless flirt, dimwitted, goofball,"

"Is she. . .complimenting me?" Jaune with a painful grimace. Because it sounded more like insults. Yeah, those were definitely insults. Yang just shrugged her shoulders, shaking her hand in a so-so gesture.

"But you're also kind, thoughtful, brave, intelligent in your own right, and chivalrous." Weiss finished off softly, fighting off the very light dust of pink on her cheeks.

"You're my friend. And I would hate to lose what makes you, You."

 _ **'Weiss Schnee's Friendship has risen! A new Ability has been unlocked! Frigus Mors, Unlocked! A Special Gift has been rewarded! Download Gift at a later point.'**_

The coffee paled in comparison to the warmth of Weiss words spreading throughout his being. Funny, she had only ever been this kind when he had died. It made him wonder if he had lived that day, that maybe she would have begun to see him differently.

Yang whistled at the scene she was witnessing. Aww, how adorable. She always knew that it was simply a matter of time before Jaune was able to melt that cold demeanor of Weiss.

"So, how does Jaune's hand feel, Weiss? You've been holding onto it for a quite a while now. Do you like how big and firm it feels in your hand?" Yang grinned widely with a leering stare.

Weiss froze, forgetting about her hand in Jaune's own before blushing a bright red in embarrassment. She quickly snatched it back with a cough. Jaune grumbled to himself at the lack of contact. There went the moment.

"Thanks, Yang. No really, thank you." Jaune said sarcastically.

"It's what I do." Yang shrugged as she laid back, taking a sip of Weiss's latte, "I see a moment, I ruin it. Nothing brings me any greater joy." she sighed contently.

 _'I... I held his hand? Why would I do that?'_ Weiss was bewildered as she looked at her hand strangely. Weird part was. . .some part of her soul was overjoyed with the simple little gesture. Her own heart was beating like crazy. She suddenly blinked as the slimmest of tears slid down her cheek, thankfully going unnoticed by her friends.

What was that about?

Whatever it was didn't matter right now. No need to be emotional for reasons she didn't understand. With a huff, Weiss snatched back her coffee from Yang.

"I think we've had enough drama for today. It's only morning and I've yet to fully wake up. No wonder I've been acting so strange."

"Yeah, guess it's too early for all that." Jaune chuckled before downing the last of his steaming vanilla bean drink. With a sigh of content, he rose from his seat and cracked his back, "I think I'll be heading on now. The coffee's already working its magic and my body is trembling with energy to burn off. The longer I sit, the closer I run to having a heart attack."

"Meh, that's fine with me. I wanna hang around a bit and see what else they got to eat. This little muffin isn't enough for this lady." Yang smiled, waving him off as she found a small menu on the table.

Weiss nodded, flicking through her scroll, "I'm actually going to order myself another latte seeing as Yang finished half of my own. We'll see you in a bit once we all meet up with Ruby and the rest. Hopefully Pyrrha's been able to handle those two sugar junkies." she said with a slight shiver down her spine. Nora and Ruby together in the streets selling various sugary treats was a terrifying thought.

Jaune shared the thought as he felt a shiver run down his own spine. Note to self: save Pyrrha when he had the chance. Turning his back on the girls he began to make his way out of the nice little cafe. But he paused, mulling something over before turning his head back to Weiss. He smiled fondly at the white-haired heiress, the memory of the last time he had seen her in his past life overlapping her own again for the barest of seconds.

No matter what it took, he wouldn't leave Weiss with such a face again. Never again.

Yang watched Jaune leave with a fond expression, having caught his stare. She wasn't sure she had ever met such a guy before. Someone who could connect so easily with others. She didn't want to admit it, but she was oddly glad to have met him that day on the ship even if he had thrown up on her shoes.

 _ **'A Special Gift has been rewarded from Yang Xiao Long! Don't forget to Download it!**_

* * *

Walking the streets casually, Jaune decided to stop around a small park to download the gifts he had been rewarded. He stood still, raising his scroll up in the air and waited for the contents to finish loading.

 **Ding!**

The world froze as two decorated chests appeared in front of him, allowing him the freedom to open them with a tap of his sword. The separate orbs of light that sprang up slammed into his scroll with a chime.

 _ **'You've received Glazial Band! You've received Long Nu Earring!'**_

 _ **'Glazial Band [Accessory]. A silver white band crafted from the coolest of metals and designed with icy patterns. Grants a 10% bonus to Defense and Negates Freeze. Chill to the touch.**_

 _ **Long Nu Earring [Accessory] A golden yellow earring designed after a serpent dragon in an S design. Grants +5AP and a 10% bonus to Attack. Its ruby eyes are fierce with rage.'**_

Done receiving his Special Gifts, the world went back to its original flow. The items he was looking over were useful. He made a mental note to equip them later as he switched the game menu to its original form.

"Hey, it's Jaune!"

Hearing a familiar voice call out his name, Jaune spun his head around the park and quickly found Russel grinning at him as he ran up to him followed by his team. Jaune waved at the all boy team as they fell in front of him.

"Hey, guys! I'm guessing you're all taking the chance to enjoy the fair too?" he asked as they nodded their heads.

"We would have been out earlier, but someone had to waste a near half hour staring at himself in the bathroom mirror." Cardin glared at said time waster as Sky winked at the reflection of his pocket mirror.

"Well Ren and I were dragged out by the girls. Literally, when you have teammate like Nora sharing a room with you, you'll wake up to being dragged out the halls in your PJ's while wrapped up in your blanket. It's even worse when she strips you down."

"I don't see how being stripped by a hot, albeit insane girl is a bad thing." Russel said dryly with a small glare of jealousy, "Seriously, you have to be the luckiest guy in Beacon for always being surrounded by hot and pretty chicks every morning. I would kill you right here and now if it meant switching places with you." he whined, his finger clawing in the air for Jaune's neck.

Luckiest guy in Beacon? Jaune scoffed as he met Russel with a deadpan, "You say that, but all that glitters is not gold. If you lived one day in my life, you would understand."

"I can see that." Cardin nodded. As much as the idea of always being surrounded by woman sounded great, he was a firm believer in not every idea was perfect. And the idea of woman always standing around him, judging him, messing with him, or worse, flirting with him in a joking manner was scary. Too much of a good thing was bad for you after all.

"Imagine the horror of all the girls falling for you? And their all Huntresses. It would be a blood bath with you caught in the middle of the carnage."

Dove shivered at the image, "I... can see that. One woman would be just fine with me."

"At least you two understand. Though I doubt that any of them would ever fall for me." Jaune almost laughed at the thought. Before feeling his body freeze up as he remembered that he was a Player with the ability to make almost any woman fall in love with him with enough progress. The realization made his body go still like a stone statue.

"I think he just realized his position." Dove whispered to Cardin as Russel began to poke the still blond knight with a stick he found lying around. Russel whacked Jaune's head seeing as he wasn't getting anything out of his friend.

"I still think he's lucky."

Cardin chuckled to himself at the sight. Poor bastard, doomed to some crazy love. . . what would you call it? Love trapezoid, octagon? They were going to need to make up new expression for Jaune's situation.

"Come on, the idiot's obviously in need of some guy time. Let's take him along to the Grifball game in the park. About time he got away from those girls." Grabbing onto the status that was Jaune, Cardin began to drag him back to the park where a moderate sized crowd could be seen gathered around an odd game.

As the boys left for the game, Sky was left alone as he kissed his reflection. He stopped suddenly, confused as he found himself alone.

"Where did everyone go? Did I miss something?"

* * *

"The hell did I just watch?" Jaune asked in disbelief as the five of them walked away from the oddest game he had ever seen.

Dove laughed at the expression on Jaune's face, careful not to choke on the hotdog he was eating.

"That's what I said the first time I watched a game on ScrollTube! It's the craziest game to have ever been invented by Hunters meant only for Hunters. It's been gaining a lot of popularity these days, even going as far as professional teams being planned for next year. I think Headmaster Ozpin is also thinking about starting a team in Beacon along with the other academies." Dove couldn't help but grin in excitement. If the rumors were true, then he was going to make sure he was one of the first to sign up for try outs.

Jaune felt a vein in his face pulse at the mention of the game possibly being brought to Beacon. Was he the only sane one here?

"The game involves two teams trying to plant a ball that's basically a bomb in the others side with gravity hammers. Why does the guy carrying the ball even turn orange?" Jaune asked with wide eyes, still finding it hard to believe such a game existed.

"I don't know? I think I may have heard that original creator of the game hated orange. That and a person named Grif."

That didn't answer any of Jaune's questions. It only raised more in its stead. What sane person played such a crazy game? No wonder only people who've unlocked their auras could play. A normal person would die! Hell, it didn't matter if the guy carrying the ball was hit or made the goal, they would explode!

"You're over thinking it. Besides, the damage dealt is lowered and no one's died from the game so far." Cardin assured Jaune, tossing some popcorn into his mouth as they walked around the streets. He did frown though as he scratched his head, "I mean, ten people have been in small comas in the last ten years since it was started, and several others have received medical attention for third degree burns, broken bones, and a few cases of concussions, but that's no different than any other sport in Remnant."

"How you can say that with a straight face, I'll never know."

"I am frowning, you know? What are you, a pansy?"

"No, but I also like not being blown up. I'm not a masochist."

Cardin scoffed, thinking back to the several times Jaune had been smacked around in Combat Class and outside of school, "You could have fooled me."

Jaune was ready to say something clever back, but wound up sighing in defeat. He had nothing to say to that given his situation. With his rise in Intelligence, he now understood that he had the potential to make girls fall in love with him. Which explained Professor Antheia's and Tsuki's behaviors. But he also understood that their Affections varied on the type of person they were. Affection could simply mean a strong emotion of friendship, like Pyrrha and Blake. Because there was no way they could even have a grain of romantic interest in him. Right?

He was seriously going to need to think over his relationship with the girls around him.

"Cheer up! Life's too short to be worrying about love and dying by explosions!" Russel laughed as he slung his arm over Jaune's shoulder with a wide grin, "We're still young and full of energy! Might as well enjoy being stupid and naive while we can! It's how I live my life, and I'm perfectly fine!"

"Coming from you, that's horrible advice." Sky scoffed, flicking his hair back carefully. He ignored the glare from his partner and the middle finger salute accompanying it as he turned to Jaune, "Listen, we lady's men have to stick together. So, if you want my advice, I would advise to be careful with how close you get with all the girls. I know I've suffered some beatings back in my combat school for leading several girls on." he grumbled as he rubbed his arm of the phantom pains. Nothing worse than a gang of Huntresses in training beating the loving crap out of you.

"I find that really hard to believe coming from you. What girl would remotely fall for your crap?" Cardin snickered, batting away the punch to his arm. Pushing the pretty boy of their group away, Cardin decided to add his own two cents in the conversation, "I do agree with the parrot idiot, you should be careful with the girls. I already know of one that's been eying you recently." he said, hinting carefully towards Blake.

Since the FoF incident, things between Cardin and Blake had been… tense to say the least. He no longer wanted to kill the cat girl, but it was still difficult to deal with her normally after finding out she had a hand in the deaths of his mother and sister. But even so, he didn't want the girl to be hurt by a small crush if Jaune ignored her for another girl. He may have been an ass, but he wasn't a bastard. It was why he wasn't out right stating the fact that Blake had a crush on Jaune. That was her business, not his.

Jaune blinked at the thought that one of the girls close to him was interested in him. There was just no end to the revelations he was finding out today.

"Can't I just continue playing the oblivious idiot? I think I have enough on my plate to be worrying about girls right now." Jaune grumbled. Like the game he was stuck in. He already had to worry about the troubles to rise in the future created by gods that simply desired to see an entertaining show of hope and despair. Why couldn't he just have one girl fall for him? Like Weiss.

The vibrating hum of his scroll took Jaune's attention away from the matter to see what was up. He almost squealed in joy at the notification on his scroll.

 _'Hey, you're Limited Edition Variant copy of X-ray and Vav#14: Dog Gone Days, has arrived. Be sure to pick it up today before someone makes me an offer I can't refuse. Tukson.'_

It was finally here! The hard to find Limited Edition Variant that was only sold in seven copies! In Jaune's down time, he had been searching for the copy since he had first heard of it before he had talked to Tukson about it. Turned out he knew a guy that was selling his comic collection for a fair price and promised to buy it off him and sell it to Jaune at an upped price considering its value. Times like this Jaune was happy to be in a game simply for the amount of Lien he was rewarded with.

"Something up?" Russel asked curiously as he tried to look over what was on Jaune's screen.

Jaune quickly hid the message with a nervous laugh. No way in hell was he letting someone else know about this nugget of comic gold! There were vultures, vultures everywhere!

"Nah, it's nothing! I just remembered that there's somewhere I need to be right now!" Jaune smiled, trying to play cool despite the nervous sweat on his face. "Like, right now."

"Oh, alright then." Russel shrugged, not noticing Jaune's odd behavior. He patted his blond friend's pat with a grin and a thumbs up, "Just remember that we at team CRDL have our doors open if you ever just want to chill out with the guys! You can also bring Ren along too, I have a feeling he could use some time away from the girls too."

Cardin nodded along as he bumped Jaune's shoulder with a smirk, "Us guys need to stick together. So, when you ever want to hang out or even spar, let us know. Bro's before ho's!"

"I wouldn't say that, but we gentleman must keep in touch." Sky agreed with a dazzling wink. It oddly reminded Jaune of the Lie Shade during the Dance battle. Which wasn't a good thing.

"We can even practice Grifball! We just need a few more players and we'll have a team of our own!" Dove said excitedly, rubbing his hands together eagerly at the idea.

"Saying that makes me have second thoughts on this broship." Jaune said flatly. What part of not wanting to be detonated did they not understand?

 _ **'Congratulations! Sky Lark's Friendship has been Unlocked. Dove Bronzewing's Friendship has been Unlocked! Russel Thrush's Friendship has risen! A new Skill has been Unlocked! A new Ability has been Unlocked! A new Skill has been Unlocked! Aerial Recovery, Unlocked! Stalwart Edge, Unlocked! Dual Dust Cast, Unlocked!'**_

With the newest updates in hand, Jaune waved good-bye to the all boy team with a promise to hang out again.

It was weird. A year hadn't even gone by since he was once bullied by them. And now they were hanging out as friends. It made Jaune wish he could have done the same with team CRDL before he had died.

* * *

 **Tukson's Book Trade.**

Blake was frustrated.

Originally, she had planned to stop by her favorite book store to pick up some new reading material. That and her copy of Ninja's of Love: Blades of Passion had been ruined by milk stains and cookie crumbs. There was no question as to who the culprit to that was. Ruby was a growing girl, so no need to reprimand her. All she asked was for the reaper to pay her back the Lien to replace it and Blake wouldn't say a word to Yang.

Honestly, if Ruby wanted to read her books, all she had to do was ask. Blake already had Pyrrha reading them. Adding another fan to the series was never a bad idea. Even if said fan was only fifteen.

But there came a personal problem with her favorite books store. Tukson's Book Trade was run by an old ally of her's. Tukson was also a member of the White Fang to this day. Even though he wasn't involved in the more gritty and dirty acts they had performed, he was still an active member that took care of their book work from weapon costs, storage, and marketing propaganda.

And right now, she was having a tense stare off with the puma Faunus over the counter of his empty store.

"For the last time, no." Tukson said in frustration, refusing to back down from Blake's stare.

"Even after what happened with the Friends of Faunus? You're still not willing to leave the White Fang behind after coming so close to being found out?" Blake said in disbelief, her yellow eyes wide before shaking her head at what she was hearing.

Being the older of the two, Tukson decided to drop the stare off as he continued to move back behind his counter and grab a few brown cardboard boxes. He then walked over to the register and began to unload the newest books he had received to their proper places.

"Look, I know how close a call I had come last week. If those maniacs had been any closer to my shop when they began attacking, I'm pretty sure I'd either be clawless and half dead, or locked up behind bars. But I can't just abandon my status as a member of the White Fang. It's not that easy." Tukson grunted, not bothering to turn his eyes back to Blake as he worked.

That, Blake could understand. To this day, she was always careful and watched her back for any signs of White Fang spies. Adam hadn't taken her leaving very well. She always worried that one day he would show up out of the blue and ruin the life she had made for herself in Beacon. But doing nothing never solved anything.

"I know it's not easy, but you can't tell me that you actually agree with what they're doing. You of all people know how wrong Adam's plans are. And I know you don't hate humans as much as the others do. All I'm asking is that you start thinking of plans to leave Vale." Blake pleaded, urging him to at least think about his options. She walked over to him, not caring as his shoulders sagged and he sighed in annoyance. She would not back down now, not after the past events.

"Adam was in the city. Which means he's planning something. And whatever it is, it's going to end up with more lost lives. Don't tell me you're just going to follow along like some loyal dog?!"

The bookshelf in front of the bookstore owner audibly snapped as he smashed his fist on top of it with an angered growl.

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU!?" Tukson roared furiously, standing straight up as he towered over the stoic cat Faunus with narrowed eyes, "You think you know what's right? Don't forget that you're the one who's done his dirty work. I may be part of the White Fang, but at least I'm not a killer!"

Blake flinched back, his stinging words causing her to take a small step back as her cat ears visibly deflated. But still, she hardened her resolve as she refused to back down. She wouldn't stand by and let a good friend make the same mistakes she once did.

"I did horrible things, I've accepted that. And I may never be able to make up for those stupid mistakes, but I won't let that stop me from making the right choice. You shouldn't either. You're a good person, Tukson. I know you don't want to continue living down this path of bloodshed and strife." she said softly, gripping her right arm tightly as she remembered her time in the White Fang. It wasn't pleasant. There were nights she would wake up in a cold sweat from nightmares of what she had done. If she could go back in time and speak with her younger self just once, she would beg for young Blake to stay home with her loving parents.

"It's scary, terrifying, to think about leaving such a life behind. We've had fond memories, but those good times shouldn't be an excuse to stay. As your friend, I just want you to think about what's right for you, and not what's right for the White Fang."

Tukson grew silent as he stared back at the defiant yellow eyes of the White Fang traitor. She wasn't wrong. He had grown so tired of the backroom deals and illegal finances, of always having to look behind his back for cops, and helping his people hide their dirty deeds. It was to the point he could no longer get a decent night's sleep. He sighed tiredly as he rubbed his aching head.

Maybe Blake was right. Maybe it was time started thinking about leaving such a life behind.

 _'I really must be losing it if I'm listening to some high school girl's advice. I'm a grown man for crying out loud and she knows better than me.'_ Tukson chuckled to himself at the thought.

Blake was taken back as she soon found the older Faunus patting her head gently with a tired yet warm smile on his face.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll start thinking about what's right for me. As long as it means you'll stop pestering me. This is a bookstore, not some gossip shack after all."

"That's all I ask." Blake smiled, glad to have her friend finally listen.

The tension hanging over the two old friends died away with the new resolve. And peace fell onto the quaint little bookstore.

For about five seconds.

"WHERE IS MY LIMITED-EDITION VARIANT COPY OF X-RAY AND VAV!?"

Swinging the door to the store wide open with war cry like shout, Jaune spun his head furiously for any sign of his precious comic book. And anyone who would dare get in the way of his new life's mission. No one was in sight, so that was a good sign. Crocea Mors vanished from his grip back into his inventory with a mental command as he stepped inside. Walking over to the counter, Jaune was surprised to find Blake inside the store, looking just as surprised to see him as she stood by Tukson.

"Oh, hey Blake! Guess I shouldn't be too surprised to see you here. Here to buy another Ninja's of Love?" he couldn't help tease as he walked over to the two Faunus.

At that, Blake blushed as she glared back at the knight. He knew her all too well in such a short time.

"That's none of your business. I'm simply out gathering some reading material, that's all." she grumbled, looking anywhere other than him. Tukson chuckled at the rare sight. It wasn't every day that he would see the closed off cat girl act like a normal girl.

"I'm guessing you're here for that comic you wanted me to sell you?" Tukson asked with a smirk. Jaune nodded his head vigorously with stars in his mind.

"I'm more than willing to pay you the 500-L for it right here and now!"

"500 Lien?" Blake said slowly, trying to wrap her head around what she just heard. All for a comic? Was he crazy?

Tukson ignored the baffled expression on Blake's face as he clapped his hands together with a pleased grin, "Glad to hear, kid. Just give me a few minutes to take it out of the safe in the back and place it in a proper case that you requested. In the meantime, look around for anything else that catches your fancy. We got more than comics here, you know?"

Might as well, Jaune thought as he turned for the many shelves of literature around him. It was about time he found something else to read other than his precious comic books.

"What would you recommend, Blake? You know, other than smut."

With her glare back, Blake decided to help him search for something other than picture books.

"I would suggest anything by Luna Yard seeing as you're more of an Action type kind of guy. My favorite book of his would be City in the Heavens. It has a down to earth protagonist stumbling onto an adventure in the clouds of an ancient city and saving several princesses. The romance is well done as well, with a bit of a harem vibe to it despite the ending. I'm sure you'd love it." Finding the book with a quick scan of the many books, Blake handed it over to Jaune. The cover of the green bulky book was depicted with a dark-haired teen in tattered armor standing on a cliff overlooking the massive cities in the sky as he clutched a small luminescent azure dagger in his hand.

"I'll take your word for it then. If you think it's a good book, then it must be. Even if you read smutty literature, you have good taste in stories." Jaune grinned as he tucked it in his armpit.

"Can't you let it go? And I'll have you know that Ninja's of Love is much more than sex, it has a very good story and some of the best world building I have ever read." Blake huffed as she followed him over to the register while grabbing her copy of the book from the shelf. Her own copy was left behind in Menagerie, it would be nice to reread it once more. Along the way, she also steathfully snatched the Ninja's of Love book she had originally came for. Now she had two books to look forward to.

"That may be true, but as Ruby once said, it's also filth." Jaune said before looking back to her with a flat stare, "And I saw that."

How? Since when could he see through her so easily?

"Well I'm old enough to read whatever I want. Besides, you don't have to worry about the things I read seeing as you don't need me by your side anymore." she grumbled, setting down her book on the counter alongside Jaune.

"Hmm? What do you mean you don't have to be by my side anymore?" Jaune frowned.

Blake gestured to his fully healed arm as she returned to her stoic demeanor, "Now that your arm is healed, you no longer need me to help you with anything. I don't have to sit next to you in the lunchroom anymore to help you eat, I don't have to help you with your books to class, and I don't have to help you with your work in class. There's no longer a reason for me to be so close to you anymore." Blake could go back to her usual self now and no longer have to dot over him like some mother hen. And that was fine with her, she was losing her stoic attitude since she began helping him out. It was better for all of them if they just returned to how things had been.

So why did that fill her with disappointment?

Jaune wasn't having none of that. Only Blake would think that their time together was simply to pay him back the favor of saving her life. Velvet didn't think that way and neither did Cardin. Saving them all from the FoF may have been the trigger to the two of them finally connecting as friends, but it didn't mean that it would just end like that after all they had gone through. For a bookworm, Blake could be an idiot. And so, could he.

"Blake, just because you don't have to help me out anymore, doesn't mean that we have to stop being friends. I'm actually hurt that you would only hang out with me out of guilt. I thought we were closer than that." Jaune said with a look of sorrow in his eyes.

"We are!" Blake panicked, almost stuttering as guilt hit her like a bullet wound to the chest. She looked down, shyly kicking her feet around as she felt a sense of awkwardness at this new situation she found herself in.

"It's just, I always thought I was acting like a pest when you've always said that you didn't need my help. Now that you're healed, you don't need me to worry over you. I know how annoying I could be." she sighed.

"No more than Pyrrha, and she's my partner." Jaune laughed as he laid his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. The action turned her eyes to meet his own as his eyes softened at the confusion in her eyes, "We're friends, Blake. If there's one good thing that my broken arm brought out of all this, it's that we've finally got to hang out. I would break my arm a thousand times if it meant we could be friends all over again." he grinned widely, unknowingly causing Blake's face to heat up.

A small giggle escaped Blake's mouth as she bumped her shoulder with his own with a content smile. She should have known better than to think that Jaune would just let things go back to normal. For a goof, he could be stubborn. It was a relief to know he thought more about their friendship. And here she thought her recent behavior had been nothing but an annoyance to him.

As friends went, Jaune Arc wasn't so bad to come by.

Seeing Blake's change in attitude, Jaune brought her in for a quick one armed hug, making her jump in surprise as he couldn't stop grinning.

"So, don't think you can just take a seat somewhere else now. We're lunch room buddies! We even know more about each other than the rest do. We've come too far to let things return to how they once were. Don't forget, we're fellow book lovers!" he chuckled as he raised said book she had picked out for him as proof.

Blake couldn't help but stare at the dorky blond's face, finding herself not able to look away from the grin on his face. She smiled softly.

Even if Jaune was odd, she was glad to have him around.

 _ **'Blake Belladonna's Affection has risen! Friendship has risen! You've received an Item! A new Ability has been Unlocked! HP Boost, Unlocked! Lunar Divider, Unlocked!'**_

"I repeat, this is a book store. If you two want to mess around, then I suggest the hotel by Pancake Overlords."

Jumping back from each other in embarrassment, the two Hunters glared back at a laughing Tukson as he came back with a small picture display with Jaune's comic book safely within.

"I guess you were right, Jaune. Ladies do love it." he snickered as he gave Blake a teasing look. The ex-White Fang girl didn't seem to appreciate the joke as a certain book smacked him in the face.

"Hey! Don't got throwing merchandise you haven't paid for!"

"Sorry, I thought I saw an annoying bug. I think I got it." Blake said casually as Tukson returned her book back while rubbing his red forehead.

"Tch, damn brat." With a reminder to find an ice pack for his now aching head, Tukson turned back to Jaune, sliding the display frame to the boy as he rang him up. "That will be 500 Lien, plus a finder's fee of 50 Lien."

"50 Lien? You're lucky I really want that comic or I'd report you for extortion." Jaune grumbled as he went to look for the money in his wallet, subtly calling on his inventory to take out the Lien, "I'll also be taking City in the Heavens too while I'm at it."

"A book by an actual authentic author?" Tukson said with a look surprise, impressed that the kid would buy something other than a picture book. His eyes moved to Blake, having an idea to what made Jaune pick it out, "About time he listened to someone with some taste. I've been trying to get him to read something else other than children books with flashy colors and bold letters."

"What part of adult graphic novels don't you people understand." Jaune muttered in annoyance.

Blake smirked, "Now you know how I feel."

"Alright then, that total's up to 570 Lien." Tukson said as he rung Jaune up. With the colorful laminated cards quickly handed over to him, the puma Faunus handed over the items in their plastic bags.

Ecstatic, Jaune dropped the books into his inventory without a thought. Taking Blake and Tukson by surprise.

"How did you do that?" Blake asked, her eyes wide as she watched the books vanish in a brilliant bubble that popped.

Cursing himself for the slip in his excitement, Jaune decided to use the good old excuse that was his supposed 'semblance', "It's part of my semblance, Summoning. I can summon things from thin air from my inventory located somewhere safe and send them back. It's how I'm able to perform some of my attacks."

Tukson whistled, "That's a rather nifty gift. Makes me feel jealous."

"It's saved me a lot of trouble." Jaune shrugged before turning for the door. He looked back at Blake expectantly, waiting by the door, "You coming along Blake? We can look around the fair for a bit before meeting up with the others."

As nice as that sounded, Blake shook her head with an apologetic expression.

"I still have to pay for my stuff. And I was planning on finishing a couple of boring errands while I'm at it. You go on ahead, we can always hang out at some other time." she smiled as she waved him away.

Jaune shrugged his shoulders and waved back before heading out. He would hold that to her later. Might as well see what else the fair had to offer while he had the chance.

"I'll see you later then."

With the ringing of the door's bell signaling Jaune's departure, Tukson couldn't help but smirk teasingly at the glaring cat Faunus in hiding.

"Sooooo, you like blond's?"

The hard leather bond copy of a crappy vampire love story smacking his head was Blake's answer.

* * *

With a fresh battered corndog drenched in ketchup and mustard in hand and an Everybody Love's Grape slushy in the other, Jaune wandered the fair in relative peace. He would have been completely in peace if it wasn't for one thing.

That being a missing Ruby.

The blond knight held back a sigh as he held his scroll with the support of his shoulder so he could still continue talking with Pyrrha and enjoy his treats, "You shouldn't worry too much, Pyrrha. Ruby should be fine on her own. I actually feel sorrier for anyone who would try to mess with a speed demon that could be mistaken as a cute grim reaper." he chuckled.

Over the line Pyrrha pouted, doing her best to hold onto Nora as said girl tried to escape to hijack the cotton candy cart passing by, "I'm still worried. One minute we're all enjoying some pizza on the grass by the park, then the next thing I know she vanishes in a blur of roses. I think something must have caught her eye."

"Knowing her, it must have been weapon related." Ruby had the hots for weapons. Which was worrying in some aspect he didn't want to touch. That was for Yang to deal with, not him.

"Well if you see her, bring her back to me. Nora and I will be waiting by Dunkelman park." The line on Pyrrha's end went silent for a second before her voice seemed to cheer up, "Oh! I think I see Ren walking over. Message me when you find her. I'll see you later."

Ending the call, Jaune was left to bite down on his corndog, holding it still so he could pocket his scroll. Now all he had to do was look out for Ruby. That shouldn't be too hard. He just needed to find a small reaper with a red cloak chowing down on cookies and chugging milk.

"Now that's a katana!"

Bingo.

Locating the source of the giddy voice, Jaune quickly found Ruby fawning over a weapons display case in front of a local armory. She was practically drooling all over the nicely welded sword in her hand.

"I'm pretty sure they have a drool on it, you buy it policy, Ruby." Jaune snickered over his fist as he stood beside the small Huntress in red while tossing the remains of his snack in a trash bin.

Snapping her out of her reverie, Ruby snapped her head up to find Jaune's blue eyes looking down at her in amusement.

"Jaune! What are you doing here?" she asked innocently.

"That's what I was going to ask you. Pyrrha's worried sick because you up and vanished on her. Care to explain that, little missy?" he asked with a mock stern glare.

Ruby laughed in embarrassment, poking her two fingers together shyly, "My weapons senses were tingling and the next thing I know I'm standing over a double-sided ax that could change into a great sword. I couldn't help myself! I'm weak to temptation." she grumbled with a pout.

"I can see that. But you should have at least messaged Pyrrha where you were. Imagine if Yang found out we had lost her little sister? She'd go super nova on all of us." And that was a terrifying thought.

Ruby stomped her feet in a huff, her pout still in place as she glared at Jaune. Just because she was fifteen didn't mean they had to watch over her like a child. She was a growing woman for crying out loud! It wasn't like she was dumb enough to fall for some stranger's trick and follow them to their van for the promise of cookies. She was a big girl, darn it!

"I was going to go back. I just wanted some Ruby time is all."

"I can understand that, just don't worry us like that. I know you can take care of yourself just fine, way better than I could myself." Jaune grinned as he ruffled Ruby's hair. That wasn't even a joke. For a girl as short as her, she could wipe out an entire pack of Beowolves with no problem. "Now how about we head back with the others? After I've taken Pyrrha out for some games we can all get started on your Best Day Ever plans."

"Really?" Ruby squealed, her silver eyes sparkling with joy as Jaune nodded. She was ready to bolt away with him in hand but stopped as she suddenly found the ground more interesting to look at. She bit her lip, almost afraid to ask Jaune what she wanted to say.

"Actually, do you think we could just hang out for a bit first? I can't remember the last time you and I hung out. And I still want to see what kind of weapons they're displaying." she asked softly. In all the time they had shared together in Beacon, Ruby couldn't recall a proper time the two leaders had hung out while not under the pressure of school and their responsibilities as leaders. Not since the first day of school when Jaune had stumbled onto her while lying in a crater. They were friends, best friends. All she wanted was a few moments where they could freely walk around.

And maybe buy a weapon or two while they were at it. . .and some sweets.

Maybe some strawberry milk too if they sold any around the streets.

Jaune couldn't say no to the adorable silver eyes staring up at him pleadingly. It was even worse once Ruby added a quivering lip for more oomph. The girl was manipulative, she was just too innocent to realize it. Well it wouldn't hurt to wander around a bit. Just as long as Ruby stayed by his side where he could see her.

"Sure, we don't need to leave just yet anyways. I'm actually interested in what they have on display." Jaune smiled, submitting to Ruby's stare. The little reaper pumped her fist in victory, thanking the gods above for the gift that was her natural cuteness. Now if only she could find a way to weaponize it.

Taking Jaune's arm in hand, Ruby began to lead him around the many weapons laid out on the stands, each tagged with their respective price and descriptions. She couldn't help but babble on about the weapons as she pointed them out.

"This one right here is a short sword that doubles as a lance by extending the pommel for longer reach. And this ax by it? It's actually two hatchets with lightning Dust coating the edges. Oh! This rifle doubles as a shotgun and has an edged handle for close combat! Oh my god! Are those drill gauntlets!?"

A slight ringing entered Jaune's ears as Ruby squealed loudly and let go of his hand to rush over for an odd pair of armored gauntlets with drill like fingers. He winced from pain, glad that she had stopped so she could drool over the weapon with stars in her eyes. Ruby truly was a weapons dork. Watching the red caped girl try them out, he couldn't help but laugh as she began to pose dramatically and point to the skies. Now she was going on about piercing the heavens. The girl had some imagination on her.

Turning his eyes to the many unique arms and firearms on sale, Jaune decided to see if any would actually suit him. All he had on him to fight with was Crocea Mors and Anubis. Now that his life was basically a game, he was going to need to find new ways to fight. A simple sword and shield wouldn't always get him by anymore. Finding a black revolver with a gray handle and barrel caught his eye, Jaune picked it up to look it over.

"I wonder what this does?" he murmured, turning it over in his hand. Just about everything he had come to seen from weapons outside of his home had a hidden function. The revolver looked tame compared to everything else. If anything, it was larger than a normal gun, nearly the length of his old hunter's knife he had lost to Holt.

"It kills things. What else would it do?" A rough grizzled voice spoke from behind Jaune, nearly stopping his heart in surprise. With the gun still in hand, Jaune turned around to find a single light brown eye staring back at him passively.

That man watching him had bright shaggy red hair that fell over his shoulder along with a single bang hiding his right eye. He had dark oak colored skin and wore a simple black kimono decorated with red flowers, a yellow scarf tied around his neck, and wooden sandals. The man's hands were bandaged but in a way that allowed him free use of his fingers. And at a height of 6 foot the stranger appeared even more intimidating in the eyes of Jaune. Despite the deep tone to the man's voice he didn't appear to be older than thirty.

With a nervous gulp under the eyes of the stern looking man, Jaune stuttered, "I-I know that it can kill. I was just wondering if it could do anything else besides shoot bullets is all." he chuckled weakly, fearing whatever the stranger might say back.

The red-haired man nodded in understanding before gesturing his open hand to the gun in Jaune's hand. Not wanting to do anything to upset the man, Jaune handed him the weapon before watching the dark-skinned man play around with its handle.

"Mamba appears like any other revolver, but the switch to its second form can't be found easily enough. It has to be activated, like so." To demonstrate, the stranger swung the revolver back a bit with a little force, surprising Jaune as the gun straightened its handle with a click. Its trigger guard retracted to form a better handle and a retractable bladed edge sprung up from below its barrel, forming a hunter like knife.

"Whoa." Jaune breathed. Even if it was a simple transformation he couldn't stop himself from awing the weapon.

The stranger smirked, pleased at the reaction from the blond kid, "It's nothing too fancy like most weapons these days, but Mamba gets the job done all the same. It's great as a second weapon or when you're in a tight space and can't swing a large weapon around. And it's compatible with certain Dust ammunition that can even augment the blade for a short period. All that and it's only 500 Lien."

"Only 500? But it's so cool! I'd think it would be more than that." Jaune said in awe as the man handed the small weapon back.

Shrugging, the strangers stuffed his hands in the pockets of his kimono, "Well most of my weapons are on sale today. Just about everything in Vale is on sale after the huge donation the city received a few days ago. It's the main reason we're celebrating."

Huge donation? "When did that happen? I don't remember hearing anything about the city being handed a donation, especially one big enough to cause a celebration. I thought it was to celebrate equality?" Jaune frowned.

"That too, especially after the events of last week. But how else do you think the city has been able to repair all the damages to the buildings and businesses so fast?" the red-haired stranger mused, pointing one of his thumbs at a shop close by that was newly constructed, "They received a large check from what I've heard, just about 200,000 Lien in all. Weird part is that the charitable person didn't give out a name or any form of identifying them. They just dropped it off out of the blue."

Who the hell had that kind of money to give out? Jaune frowned in thought, something about the whole story scratched his brain. But before he could figure out what that something was, Ruby popped out of nowhere beside him in a shower of rose petals.

"Professor Kusanagi! I didn't know you were the one selling these weapons. I should have recognized your craftsmanship by now." Ruby smiled happily as she waved at the red-haired man.

Professor? Jaune spun his back to the stranger, his face scrunching up in confusion as he tried to understand what Ruby has just said. The intense looking man was one of their professors? Since when!?

"Ms. Rose, it's a pleasure to see you outside of school hours. I knew I recognized the squeal of joy from somewhere by now." Kusanagi smiled politely as he patted the scythe wielders head.

"Wait, this guy really is a professor at Beacon?" Jaune said in disbelief. Kusanagi frowned at the blond as he found him pointing at him, "How come I've never seen him?"

"You're a student in Beacon as well? Odd, I've never seen your face before." the red-haired man scowled deeply, staring at Jaune intently as he tried to remember seeing the boy.

"Of course, he's a teacher! Haven't you ever stopped by the forge in school?"

Jaune blinked, "We have a forge?"

Ruby smacked her face in shame. What was she going to do with him? Jaune was lucky he had a pretty face.

"How else do you think the students repair their weapons and armors after missions? Or when they want to add some modifications and make new ones? It was in the school guide book for crying out loud!" Ruby shouted as she waved her arms around frantically.

"There's a school guide book?"

"I'm going to punch you now."

Professor Kusanagi chuckled, watching as the tall blond boy held back Ruby's barrage of fists. Well, wasn't this surprising? Shaking his head with a content sigh, he turned his attention back to the boy.

"My name's Ise Kusanagi. I don't teach in a classroom like a normal professor and my class isn't a requirement, but I am a teacher. I don't usually leave the classroom but I have my own weapons shop in Vale where I make an extra Lien to visiting Huntsman and Huntresses. And I'm just as shocked as Ms. Rose, I would have thought a Huntsman in training like yourself would have at least stopped by the forge for some whetstone or spare metal." Professor Kusanagi said with a hum.

"I've never really needed to sharpen my sword. Even after surviving the Great War, Crocea Mors has still retained its sharp edge. It just has a couple of scratches and nicks here and there." Jaune answered back with a casual shrug.

The forge professor grew curious at the mention of the Great War, "It must be made of some quality metal then. I don't know many weapons that have survived the test of time like that, especially if it had been used during such a war. But," he frowned, scratching his chin as he stared at Jaune, "Does that mean you were simply handed down the weapon? You didn't create your own?"

Jaune nodded his head, only further deepening the red-haired man's frown, "Pretty much. I don't even know how to use a gun if I'm being honest." he said sheepishly.

The weight of Mamba disappeared from Jaune's hand a second later, leaving him puzzled as he looked at his empty hand.

With said gun/knife in hand, Professor Kusanagi shook his head in disappointment at the blond-haired boy, "I'm sorry, but I can' sell a weapon like this to a student who doesn't even know how to wield it. It would be like handing a loading magnum to a five-year-old." he deadpanned, sliding the weapon into the sleeve of his kimono.

"Aww, but I wanted it!"

"Case in point." Professor Kusanagi sighed before crossing his arms over his chest. He was not happy with what he just heard, "I should honestly ban you from standing in front of my shop. As a Huntsman, your pride and joy should be the weapon you've worked tirelessly on for months. It's an extension of your soul, a part of you that you take into battle so that you're never alone. It's the heart and joy of our people! But instead you march into battle with the soul of someone long ago, fighting not as yourself but as your ancestor. And while that is a kind gesture to the departed, their battle is long done. This here?" he gestured toward Jaune, his face stern as he narrowed his brown eyes with a passionate fire inside them, "This is your battle. And you should be fighting it with the metal soul you've created."

Hearing those words so bluntly was enough to make Jaune flinch back visibly. When he had left for Beacon, he didn't think much about the kind of weapon he would taking with him. Which made receiving Crocea Mors from his father not much of a big deal. It was a sword and shield, it would do just fine, he had thought. Now that he knew that every student entering Beacon had made their own weapons to suit their styles of combat, Jaune had felt some shame in carrying around his great great great grandfather's weapon. And what Professor Kusanagi had just said cemented those feelings.

But still, it was said weapon that had saved him countless times since stepping foot onto Beacon. It may not have been made by his own two hands, but his own blood had seeped into it and made it his own.

"It may not have been made by my own hands, but I would still proudly carry Crocea Mors with me to battle." Jaune scowled, "And I'm not alone, my ancestor's soul fights with me just fine. I would rather fight with his sword and shield then take anything else, even if meant giving up being a Huntsman. Because I can't imagine a life of fighting without Crocea Mors by my side."

Professor Kusanagi simply lifted his brow at Jaune's little speech, not saying as word as he stared at him with no emotion. As hard as he tried, the weapon's smith couldn't contain the proud smirk on his lips.

"It seems that weapon doesn't belong to your ancestor anymore. It's got a new wielder that's willing to fight to keep it by his side no matter. I can respect that." he chuckled before turning away for his shop. Passing a glance back at Jaune, he continued, "I like your spunk, kid. If you're ever feeling like learning how to smith your own weapon, or even add some upgrades to your current one, stop by my building in school. If you pass the first few lessons, I'll even throw in a little gift your way. Just follow Ms. Rose if you need any directions. I hope to see what kind of soul you can create soon."

Watching the teacher vanish into his shop, Jaune was going to ask Ruby more about the blacksmith, only to be tackled to the ground by a running hug.

"WHY!?"

Ruby gushed with joy as she crushed Jaune's chest with her embrace, "Oh my god! Are you really going to make your own weapon!? Can I help!? I wanna help, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!" she cried, practically begging him to let her join him. There was nothing better than designing weapons! Second only to her dream of being a Huntresses, Ruby also wished to one day make her own line of weapons. Crescent Rose was a testament to the kind of jewels she could create!

Squirming under her, Jaune nodded his head feverishly in hopes that it would end the threat of his lungs dying, "Yes, you can help! Just let me breath! I don't want to die when I've yet to lose my virginity!"

Whatever happened in Fey didn't count.

Releasing the knight, Ruby sat back on his crotch with an overjoyed grin. Her whole body was trembling with excitement! She couldn't contain it, she was bouncing up and down with joy.

She did stop for a moment in confusion as she felt something poke her bottom. Jaune groaned, dropping his head back to the ground in shame as the small reaper pressed her hands on his stomach and leaned over to stare at him with an innocent gleam in her questioning silver eyes.

"Jaune, are you carrying a knife in your pants? What kind of metal is it made of? Feels kinda squishy yet hard and should it throb like that?"

In his defense, Ruby was the one that started bouncing on his dick.

* * *

As the day was going, Ren was having a pretty good time. After the drama of fighting his best friend to leave him along only to wind up giving in and joining the game once again, he had been hoping for some time to settle his thoughts and nerves. Things weren't going to go smoothly even with Jaune working alongside him, but they would have to endure and at least try. For too long the stoic ninja had done nothing and let things go because of his laziness and despair. It was time to take action.

But for today, he was content with sitting back on a bench besides the very woman who he had tried repeatedly to save from her cruel destiny.

Once Ren had finished stocking up on supplies, he had decided to relax at the local park nearby. And to his delight he came across Nora and Pyrrha. Knowing how tiring his partner could be to handle, he decided to take her off her hands for a bit. Pyrrha had been grateful for the helping hand and decided to stay back and relax for a bit. It didn't take much to sedate Nora, not when you had known her as long as he did. A quick stroll around the streets, a couple of games of chance and a promise of a towering cone of ice cream, and she'd calm down. And she still had enough energy to play a few games with the kids in the park while he sat back and watched with Pyrrha.

It was the simple things in life that Ren enjoyed the most. The small moments he found in every world that made it all worth the curse. He had almost forgotten that until Jaune had brought him out of his own despair. For that, he was grateful to his old-time friend. Now that he was clear of mind and soul, he could go back to enjoying life. Ren smiled, the first honest expression he had in Oum knows how long.

He was back in The Game. But he wouldn't let it break him again.

"I'm guessing you and Jaune have finally settled your differences?"

Snapping out of his small moment of peace, Ren found Pyrrha staring ahead as Nora played tag with the city kids, smiling happily. Following her eyes, he nodded back, not surprised that she could see the change.

"When you're back to back against a horde of Grimm, you learn to realize how stupid some things are. Funny how nearly dying makes you see things differently." he chuckled. Or how dying by your friend's sword could bring you hope. Weird how things like that worked.

"That reminds me." Raising her hand up, Pyrrha brought her fist down onto Ren's head with an annoyed frown.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Ren grimaced. That had never happened before. It wasn't like Pyrrha to do such a thing.

"Don't worry, Jaune will be receiving his punishment as well. It's what you get for worrying me half to death yesterday." she huffed, turning away from the Eastern Huntsman as he rubbed his head, "Your silly squabbling nearly got you two killed. I don't even want to play around with the thought of what may have happened to you two if the teacher hadn't found you. If it wasn't for the fact that the others were stopping me, I would have charged into the forest and brought you back myself. I don't think you could possibly understand how worried I was about you." she said softly, refusing to look back at Ren. Her fingers dug into the wood of the bench at the memory of their wounded states.

Ren looked apologetic, "I'm sorry for worrying you. I know I put Jaune into a lot of danger, but he's fine now. Better than ever really. Now he can go back to flailing his sword around with both hands." he chuckled, laying a comforting hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to him again. I know you must be upset at me for placing him in danger."

"And you?"

Ren was confused, "What about me?"

 **Smack!**

A red blush bloomed on Ren's cheek along with a stinging pain in the form of a hand print. His face was completely frozen in shock, not moving a twitch as his eyes fell on Pyrrha and her outstretched arm. Her hand was trembling and her green eyes were glaring at him with anger he had never seen before.

"Jaune wasn't the only one I was worried to death over. He may be my partner and I can even go as far as to call him my best and closest friend, but he's not the only one I care about on this team! You're just as important as he is Ren! And I don't ever want you to think I don't care about you any less ever again!" Pyrrha shouted with tears in her angry eyes.

The trembling tone in her voice and the sight of her shoulders shaking stabbed at Ren's heart. Hurting Pyrrha of all people was the last thing he ever wanted. But even so, his soul was happy. To know that she cared about him even though he hadn't shared much with her since this reset was heartwarming. She truly was too kind for her own good.

Sniffing back the small tears in her eyes, Pyrrha was ready to apologize for slapping her friend before she found Ren taking said hand into his own. He gave her stinging hands a gentle squeeze, looking her in the eye with regret.

"I'm sorry I made you think like that, Pyrrha. I know you care about me just as you do Jaune and Nora. But I'm just use to always being the one worrying about others instead of the other way around. I never had anyone else do that, not when Nora thinks I'm some awesome ninja that can make pancakes out of thin air." he smiled.

Pyrrha smiled back, happy that Ren didn't hold it against her for her outburst, "You're my friend too, Ren. And I wasn't lying before when I said I wanted to be just as close as friend as you are with Nora. We'll be spending the next four years of our lives in Beacon with each other. And I want to get to know you down to the letter." she said brightly, her body radiant with joy in his eyes. Her emerald eyes sparkled, free of any kind of lie or negativity and only happiness.

"I'll always be by your side, no matter what. I hope you remember that."

Bringing the silent magenta eyed Huntsman in for a hug, Pyrrha had missed out on the somber glint in his eyes.

That's right, how could he forget?

"Yeah. . .I'll be sure to remember that."

Glad to have settled the matter, Pyrrha released her embrace to Ren's silent disappointment. It was good to have things to a relative normality. Now they could start working together as a team.

"NAVES! AS YOUR QUEEN, I DEMAND ONLY THE FINEST OF SWEETS AND THE RICHEST OF LIQUORS IF YOU ARE TO PRESENT ME WITH OFFERINGS! FOR YOUR NEGLIGENCE, I BANISH YOU TO THE SAND PIT OF DESPAIR!"

Leave it to Nora to shatter normality's back and dig its grave in less than a second. Both sighing, Pyrrha and Ren found Nora standing over a small crowd of children bowing before her and the two children at her side gripping foam bats as security. Where she got the plastic gold crown from, they had no idea. They were more worried about the cowering ten-year-old being dragged away to the sandbox where a large hole had been dug up.

How the hell did Nora make herself queen of the little people in only five minutes?

Ren didn't question it, chalking it up to the wonder that was Nora's logic. An iron clad rule that basically meant that the norm didn't apply to her and she made society her bitch. And to make things worse, Nora had actually lived out her dream of ruling her own kingdom in past playthroughs. It was the only time he had ever thanked the game for resetting at the end of the final battle. He shuddered to think of what kind of rule Nora would command. Sloths and pancakes were bound to be everyday things.

A familiar dot came into Ren's HUD map, alerting him to a certain blond and silver eyed girl edging closer to their location. Well good things never last forever. Ren wasn't bitter about it though, not anymore. He was more than content with the small moments he was allowed with Pyrrha.

"I think it's time someone dethroned her majesty from her throne. She's gone mad with power. . .again. And only I have the power to stop her before she's barging into the city council's office to start a rebellion." That was not a lie. If you left Nora alone for a good half hour there was no telling what that girl could accomplish. Patting Pyrrha's shoulder gently, Ren rose from the bench seat to save the children from Nora's wrath.

"And send Ruby over, I could use some help while you're out with Jaune."

Pyrrha didn't understand what Ren was talking about until she heard footsteps approaching. Leaning her head back, she was happy and relieved to find Jaune and Ruby walking over. At least she wouldn't have to worry about Yang punishing her for losing her little sister.

Jaune immediately zoned in the odd scene of Nora towering over children while Ren was tackled to the ground by her personal guard. Was it sad he wasn't even fazed by this?

"I don't want to know." he said plainly. Ruby winced beside him, watching as Ren was pummeled by toy bats with little mercy. "You're probably in need of a break after watching Nora for so long. How about we head to the arcade like I promised? I know just the spot not too far from here." he smiled brightly.

"Sounds wonderful!" Pyrrha beamed. Finally, some alone time with her beloved partner! She turned to Ruby, her eyes pleading as the small girl sighed, catching her meaning.

"Don't worry, I got Ren's back." Ruby nodded firmly, pushing up the sleeves of her uniform as she marched forward. May the gods watch over her.

Jaune and Pyrrha watched on as Ruby charged in, tackling Nora off her throne of stolen tricycles and wrestling her to the ground. All while Ren tried to pry off the pancake queen's guard and her loyal subjects cheered on the new redhead girl to free them from her reign of terror.

"That. . .escalated quickly."

"We should go before we're dragged into it."

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the arcade Jaune had found on his map. He didn't even need it to know its location, 16-Bit Heaven was an old hang out he use to frequent back in his earlier life. After exchanging some Lien for tokens, the blond knight had immediately brought Pyrrha to the closest game to try out.

 **"You Lose!"**

Safe to say that Pyrrha was horrible at this.

"You. . .died by the first Joombah that came your way?" Jaune said slowly, staring at the pixelated screen of the arcade machine. He'd always heard stories of people dying to the first grunt in Starboy, but he always thought it was a joke on noobs.

Pyrrha hid her face behind her hands in shame, the music playing on her third death taunting her relentlessly.

"I told you I had no experience in these kinds of things." she moaned, dropping her head beside Jaune's shoulder to hide her depression. The vibration of his scroll distracted him from his partner's humiliating defeat, only to find her status displayed for him to see.

 _ **'Pyrrha Nikos. Friendship: Lvl 7. Affection: Lvl 7. Status: Depressed, embarrassed. Wants to crawl inside a hole and disappear. Perks: 1. Soul Link: Locked.'**_

Chibi Pyrrha stood in front of the video game machine with a dark rainy cloud over her, smacking her head repeatedly into the stand. The sight was adorable and sad at the same time. A little text bubble floated above her head, selling out her innermost thoughts.

 _ **'Senpai is ashamed of me!'**_

What the hell did Senpai mean?

With a comforting pat on her back, Jaune tried to bring her out of her slump, "It's alright, Pyrrha. Not everyone makes it on their first time. I'm mean you did run straight at the enemy the first time, tried jumping over the second time and failed, and then attacked it with your fist only to miss and die on your last life, but these kinds of things can be thought of as experience. It's only a grunt."

"That was a grunt?" Pyrrha said in disbelief, her depression only growing further. But it looked so intimidating!

As intimidating a walking grape monster could be.

"Maybe we should try another game?" Jaune said nervously. Clearly platforms weren't her specialty. Maybe a first-person shooter was more her game? She did use a rifle. Something as simple as a plastic gun and fake pixel monsters should be no problem for a tournament champion like herself!

 **"Loser!"**

Jaune's scroll suddenly displayed Chibi Pyrrha slumped in front of a zombie shooting game. She held the black plastic gun to her head, pressing the trigger only for confetti to shower her head as she cried. Dear god did that turn dark fast!

"Why did you shoot the bystanders? The zombies were literally in your face." Jaune said dully, trying to comprehend the impossibility he had just witnessed.

"The sights to this gun aren't accurate! I wasn't trying to kill that civilian child licking a lollipop! What was he doing out in the streets of a zombie apocalypse anyways!?"

Taking the display gun bending under Pyrrha's grip slowly from her hand, Jaune turned his eyes to another game they could play. Spotting a racing game with twin motorcycles as controllers, he dragged his ever-depressing friend to try it out. He hopped aboard the blue one, patting the seat of the yellow motor bike for the nervous redhead to sit on while he dispensed the necessary tokens.

"Come on, I can guarantee you that nothing will go wrong this time."

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha said nervously, hesitantly sitting her butt on the seat. Jaune nodded his head with a calming smile as they turned their heads to the large screen showing off the starting line of the race.

"What could go wrong?"

Not even a minute later and Pyrrha had crashed her bike. Both figuratively and literally. The yellow toy bike controller bellowed smoke, crashed right into the high def screen of the video game displaying their avatars racing as the two Beacon students stared at the scene with blank expressions. Pyrrha's face had gone pale, the life in her green eyes dimming as she looked on with an empty smile.

 _ **'Must. Resist. Urge. To. Obliterate.'**_

The text bubble for Chibi Pyrrha was horrifying as Jaune watched the little Spartan stare at the machine with a twitching smile before unleashing an unholy scream of anger and rage. Someone was not happy.

"I think we should find something that doesn't involve a screen." Leading Pyrrha away from the now broken piece of expensive hardware before anyone in the gathering crowd noticed, Jaune went on to find something, anything that the girl could win at.

"Shouldn't we notify the manager?" she asked with worry.

"I'd rather not. As far as we know, it was like that when we got there."

He was not going to pay the large bill for that.

Pyrrha's mood wasn't improving in the slightest. For her first real time alone with her partner, things weren't going as smooth as she had hoped. Who knew playing video games took skill? Or that she had horrible luck at them? With dejected eyes, she watched by as the other people in the arcade enjoyed the games without a care. Funny how something as simple as video games made her feel unlike the others. She could win several matches against other Hunters with no sweat, but when it came to something so simple a child could do it without any real skill, she could only lose.

And for some odd reason, the thought made her smile. She even laughed, nearly doubling over as she lost control of her laughter.

"Uhhh, Pyrrha? Are you okay?" Jaune asked with a worried frown, watching as the invincible girl erupted with laughter. He didn't break her, did he?

Controlling herself, Pyrrha fought back a snicker as she nodded. She sighed, rubbing some tears from her eyes as she smiled happily.

"Yes, I can honestly say that I am okay. I'm just not use to being called out as a loser is all." she said brightly, snorting as her laughter had yet to die down. Seeing the confusion on Jaune's face, she decided to explain, "I've always been the best at what I've done. Even at an early age I was considered a prodigy, learning how to read, to speak, to fight, it all came naturally to me. And everyone has showered me with praise for those accomplishments. I've even had a fan club back home that would call me as goddess of victory." she said fondly.

"But all those wins and accomplishments ostracized me from others. No one wanted to play with me as a child because I would always win, no one wanted to study with me seeing as I was already done with the work, and no one would be my friend because they thought I was too good for them."

Pyrrha's childhood had been lonely. It wasn't anyone's fault; her gifts were just too intimidating for everyone. She was like a brilliant light that blinded them the closer they came towards her. An impossible dream they had no hope of achieving. She was doomed to victory.

"But it turns out I am a Loser. I can't even win the simplest games." she giggled, the humiliation she had felt vanishing into the wind, "And that makes me happy. I'm not as perfect as they had all made me out to be. I'm just a normal girl who's horrible at video games!" she cheered in joy.

"That's not something you should be proud of." Jaune sighed with a deadpan. This was a side to Pyrrha he had never seen before. Just looking at the overjoyed expression on her beautiful face was breathtaking. He blushed as he found her face popping up inches away from his own, her emerald eyes wide with a childlike wonder he had never seen.

Was this really Pyrrha?

"Let's go see what other games I'm terrible at! I think I saw a game where you whack these little robotic moles with a rubber mallet by the DDR machine!"

Now it was Jaune's turn to be dragged along as Pyrrha pushed past several of the arcade patrons with a giddy grin. By the end of the day, there were going to be more demolished games in their wake. And a large bill mailed to his dorm for destruction of property and disturbing the peace.

 _'I guess I can't complain.'_ Jaune thought with a gentle smile as he watched Pyrrha excitedly grab the rubber mallet once he dropped in a few tokens into the machine. Starting the game, he watched as the Spartan girl missed several of the animatronic moles with wild swings, and chuckled as she successfully smacked a few with an upset pout. _'I've worried her to death several times now. I would pay a fortune just to see her happy like this. It's the least I could do, especially after I left her all alone in my death in the last world.'_

What kind of life did Pyrrha live when he died? The thought alone clenched his heart in a vice as he grit his teeth inside his mouth. Knowing her as he did, she probably blamed herself for his death. She would be haunted by it, never forgetting about the partner she had left to die. That was just the kind of thought process a girl as kind and caring as Pyrrha had.

Jaune would make sure that she never had to go through that again. And that she never lost that loving smile on her face.

"Aww, I won."

Broken out of his thoughts, Jaune found Pyrrha grumbling as the whack a mole machine dispensed a small number of tickets. The sight made him snort in a repressed laugh.

"That's the first time I've heard anyone sound sad about winning a game. Ever."

"Which only means I have to try harder!" Pyrrha pumped her fist in determination.

"To lose? There really is a first for everything." he shook his head with a grin. "There are other games we can try. And it's not all bad, the tickets you received can be used to exchange for a prize. Like those over there."

Gesturing his hand to the counter area by the main entrance way, Jaune pointed out to the many prizes on display, each with a ticket prize tagged onto them. Toys, stuffed animals, even video game consoles were up for grabs. Pyrrha didn't seem to care much for the junk in her eyes, passively gazing at the items without a care. That is until her eyes laid upon a marvelous relic, the very sight of which made her mouth drop in awe and her eyes widen with stars.

A vintage, life size, Jaune-cena plushy greeted her. It was modeled with a winking face and his fist waving in front of his eyes. And it was at that moment, that she knew what her mission in life was. To get her hands on that wondrous beauty of a prize.

"Jaune, how long do we have until we have to go back to the others?" Pyrrha said slowly, sounding as if she was in a daze.

Checking his scroll for the time, it looked like they had a few hours to kill before the clock reached two. That was when Ruby wanted them all back at the square to complete her Best Day Ever binder.

"I'd say three hours? Why do you ask?" he asked in confusion. He was suddenly taken back by the redhead roughly pulling him dangerously close to her face, her green eyes lit with a strong fire of determination.

"By the end of this day, I swear I will have that doll back at our dorms even if it kills me!"

Jaune frowned, "What doll?"

Following her trembling finger, he gawked in shock at the sight of his large stuffed wrestling form. _'Aw, come on! I thought they only sold that stupid thing in school! And why the hell is it so big!? They're seriously going too far with this RWE thing!'_ Wasn't this what they called copyright infringement!? That was his image, damn it!

Pyrrha wasn't wasting anymore time. Practically smooshing her crush's face to her own, she growled as his face grew beet red, "Take out all the Lien in your wallet. Even if I keep losing, I will earn enough tickets to take Jaune Jr. back home with us."

"You gave him a name?"

"No more questions! Let's go!"

There was no fighting Pyrrha's strong hold as she ripped him off the spot to find another game that rewarded tickets for a low score or loss. There was no logic in her line of thinking at this point. She couldn't lose a game and strive to earn enough tickets for a prize that big. It looked like he was going to have to play along and win the majority of the tickets to keep her happy.

As Jaune stood by Pyrrha, watching her in amusement as she began to fling the wooden balls to a ski ball machine poorly, he couldn't help but wonder at the expression of carefree joy on her face.

This new endless reality of death and reset was strange and horrifying. He had no idea if there truly was an end to it all. And there was so much more to come, events that test his resolve and will against odds that seemed impossible to overcome.

But times like these, where he could simply enjoy the company of his friends for just a day, were what he would look back to for hope. And he would never forget that.

 _ **'Pyrrha Niko's Friendship has risen!'**_

* * *

 **And so the tension between two Players has been lifted. A new road lays ahead of them. The First Act is drawing closer to its end. What hurdles will our heroes face before the semester ends?**

 **The Fourth Player is waiting. And what a night of mischief it will be.**

 **On an important note, I have been talking with my buddy with finally solving a little problem of ours. I haven't added the list of abilities and what they do yet for all the Players, not to mention a few other things in terms of information. So, I've thought up a solution!**

 **A Multiplayer Forum! At the end of the volume, I will upload a forum that will act as a journal of sorts, like you would find in Kingdom Hearts. It will explain certain terminology that's slowly introduced, have information on new enemies, skills, abilities, and weapons and items, and more importantly, list what Monty's Pages say. That way it doesn't pad the word count on the story. It will also reveal what Quirks each Player is capable of and how they work. Now I just need to find a place to upload it on once all the information is finished with during the break. Let me know a place you would all like to find it.**

 **We're down to three chapters now. And one last piece of DLC in the works. I can't wait for you all to see what I got planned.**

 **Now, as a recently turned 22-year old, I must beginning packing for my new house. I'll see you all again once Chapter 22 is wrapped up with. I'm going to play some Pokemon Moon for a bit before getting back to my writing duty.**

 **Read and Review, it's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	22. Strays

**Yo, NeoShadows here! And I'm sweating like a pig. Mmmmm, pig.**

 **The family is now moving into the new house and we're hard at work. Couches be a bitch. Along with packing the last of our things and moving everything by truck, we also have to clean up the mess we left behind our apartment. And boy, did we fuck that place up. I've left several fist shaped holes in the place from rage. . .and tequila. So it's been hard finding time to write. I probably won't be able to writ again like this until we're all settled in, which won't be till Sunday. I don't even know when I'll be done with the next chapter, so I hope you're all patient.**

 **On another note, I've been brainstorming ideas again. When I'm on break, expect some more one-shots added to Arc Works. I'll be putting up a poll on the one-shots I've posted to see which of the top two will be published during the Summer. Multiplayer won't be back until Volume 5 is out. But that's not for another month at best. At latest, two months.**

 **Now for Reviews!**

 **AmuseBeard: Yeah, this was a chill chapter. Not much happened, but I've planted several flags for other events in this chapter. And I know, I write too much. It can be a chore to read all of that in one sitting. I remember reading a fic that went as far as having 40K in chapters. That sonva bitch took me almost a month to finish. Which is why I cut this chapter short. And added a DLC. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Vahn: Glad you love the fic! It always heartwarming to hear that every once in awhile. The lack of stat clutter is something I wish others would do in their Gamer fics. The Jaune-cena running gag is always a favorite of the fans it seems. And it's not 20K, it's 200K. As for Nora. . .well I have nothing to say for that. Nora is Nora, not even I can understand what she does.**

 **RightHandOfPalpatine: Nope! The final Player does share something with her though.**

 **ThatGuy: Normally, I don't answer Guest reviews. But you are right. He is Fucked.**

 **Unknown823543: I am now sad. Especially since I've already sent my insanity papers. Well, they at least have some female staff. Right?**

 **Remzal Von Enili: Then you better make time! I will have some anime girl snuggling me in bed by the end, dammit!**

 **Rihan K. A: It's good to know I got the character growth done. It's always nerve wracking to think I may not have gotten their interactions done well. Hearing that it sounds natural make me feel relieved. Got to thank all the games I've played with social aspects. Great inspiration there. Sadly, I've never gotten the chance to play any type of Persona game. I've got to buy Persona 5, it looks awesome!**

 **AZalmega: I hear ya. Thing is, when I write out each chapter, I have a general idea of how it goes down and let it run its course in my head, like watching an anime. If it happens, it happens. Don't worry, I got some cliffhangers in store for you in later chapters to come, you masochistic freak you. I would love to find someone to draw fanart on Multiplayer, preferably my OC's. I'd love to see Professor Antheia in picture. And thanks for the birthday shout out!**

 **Ultimate Pervy Sage: Happy to hear you liked the chill chapter. It was actually one of my favorites. I wonder if we can make a word out of the letters of the girls? Something to think about at a later point.**

 **Alteris: Ooooohh, stop! You're making me blush! Which is bad, I am a man and a man doesn't blush. . .it if doesn't involve nudity. It took you four days to read? Damn, your eyes must be hurting. I'm happy to have you onboard our little game of ours. I hope to only keep you entertain from here on out!**

 **Zachary2: . . . .There's a body pillow of Yang? Must. Resist. Urge. To. Find! Thanks for the birthday shout out. I don't know about putting the forum on here. All I find is RPG's in the forum section. Gotta to look over that.**

 **TheMischievousnessPuppyDog: The Journal will be posted on a site where you can read it freely. In the coming months though. I'm not finished with it just yet. I'll let you all know where to find it once it's done.**

 **NaoDarkness: A DAY and a half? Boy, you got a gift on your ass. I'm happy to know my OC's are being revieved well. I worked very hard on making them relevant while not taking up the spotlight too much. I wouldn't say I'm a master at all that though. I'm still learning and improving as we speak. Though I will take what I've learned with me when I'm working on an Xover with RWBY in the future. I got two games in mind which I can't wait to work on. And I've been there; hungry, eyes hurting, and body aching from long reading sessions. I love that you wrote down some suggestions on reading material. . .especially the ones for my pleasure. Nice. Happy to have you onboard!**

 **Alright, that's enough reviews for now. We got a story to get to. Oh! We also got a DLC! Kinda lost track when writing it, so it's 8K. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: You know the old drill! All rights to RWBY belong to RoosterTeeth, not yours truly. As much as I love to write, I don't think I'd be allowed to write my one series. Don't get me wrong, I've journals full of original works, but much of those where when I was a naive boy. A naive boy who wrote about harems and naughty goodness. Hmm, maybe I'd be better writing ecchi works of art? Only this time, I won't overdue it with the lolis! I'm tired of that bastard Chris Hanseen knocking down my door and making me sit down.**_

 _ **She was twenty years old, I fucking swear!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Strays.**

It was late into the night, the shattered moon's remains shone down onto the world of Remnant with a pale white light. Remnant's people moved about their lives and the sound of the wind gently rustled the trees of the forests and tickled the earth. All was peaceful.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCK!"

But in the dim dirty alleyways of Vale, things were not so great.

A shadowed figure slid against the walls of the alleyway, passing the massive cracked webs created by a single fist. Rubble fell from the ruined wall, bits of the small brick bouncing off the dark cloaked stranger struggling to walk on their own two feet. Their breath was labored, heavy and fighting to catch their breath. The sound of their heavy panting gave off a distinct male feeling, thick and gruff in the otherwise calm night air.

Where the mysterious man found himself a ragged black cloak, he didn't know. His memory was fuzzy, broken, constantly switching between channels of different memories that were not his own. Or were they? The man suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his head as it was bombarded by several sharp aches that stabbed into his mind callously.

Suddenly, a bit of his memory came back. He found himself mindlessly wandering a red forest, his expression blank as his feet carried him to some unknown destination. That was when he found him. A man, a skilled man, wearing a nice-looking cloak, gray slacks, several pieces of armor and dark boots, and two twin hooked angle swords. Then his memory went blank again and the next thing he knew, he was standing over a bloody corpse. Being naked at the time, he must have taken his belongings. It made sense to him.

But what was his name? The stranger felt the headaches increase in strength and nearly brought him to tears.

Hatred, so much hatred. He remembered being stuck in some unknown prison without bars or walls. Nothing but a small window had greeted him every day. And every day, he would watch as some imposter would walk around with his face, his eyes, his smile, and even worse, his name, living a life that rightfully belonged to him! It was torture, nothing short of the cruelest torture. No matter how loud he would shout at the fake, he would be ignored as if he wasn't even there. It was too much, he was ready to accept his brutal fate and vanish into nothing.

Until the stranger had found himself falling along with the fake, soaking in an unknown energy that granted him a small freedom.

The memory ended there as the cloaked stranger felt the memory slip away from his hands like water. He reached out to it desperately, sobbing in despair as it left him. Tears slid down his paling cheek, the ice cold of the night freezing his skin as his body shivered. The darkening heavens sympathized, cracking with thunder as a light drizzle fell onto the city and soaked his bloody stolen clothes.

The boy's sobbing grew ragged, his breathing becoming rapid as his teeth grit together in a snarl. Anger filled his cold and wet being, growing deeper as his trembling fist rose high into the air. Dark wisps gathered around his hand like a wild fire, growing dense with a tainted red tint to its center.

 _'Name's Jaune Arc, short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue! Ladies love it.'_

With a roar that would terrify a wild bear from its den, the stranger slammed his fist to the ground. The energy in his fist broke the cement on the ground, splintering it in chucks and unleashed a rippling darkness from the webbed cracks crawling towards the very top of the dank alleyway.

 _ **'Congratulations! Dark Advent, Discovered!'**_

". . . . . How interesting."

The rain froze still along with the world, enough to stop the stranger's tears and spin his head around in confusion for the voice. Before his very eye's, a flickering blue light appeared, growing until it grew to a baseball's form. Azure flames bellowed from its form before deep red eyes of fire stared into his own, reflecting off his own ruby red eyes. A wide toothy grin nearly split the wisp of azure flame, finding gray silver hair peek out of the hood of the stranger's cloak and their eyes narrow angrily in recognition.

The Will wanted to laugh out loud, its being filled with giddiness.

This was going to be a fun play through.

"Hi there! Wanna play a game?"

* * *

"Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long, would you please prepare yourselves for combat?"

Back in his seat by his partner, Jaune nodded firmly as he stood up from his seat to walk down the aisle for the combat ring. His heart was beating rapidly, the palms of his hands sweating lightly as he took a deep breath. He ignored the stares pointed at his back, entirely focused on the fight ahead of him.

It was Friday and the school day was just about over with. All that was left was Combat Studies before the bell rang and they could enjoy their Friday afternoons. And they were on the last fight of the day.

In a blink of an eye, an entire two months had passed since the events of Forever Fall. So much and yet so little had changed in that time. Ren had now joined him in his quest to end The Game they were trapped in, he was now two weeks away from taking his qualifying entrance exam to be registered as a true Huntsman in training, and he was now level 25. In two months' time, he had gone up by 8 levels. Now that all the events had stopped and he was no longer fighting monstrous bosses left and right, he was gaining experience at a gradual rate.

Jaune was enjoying it. The normal school life he had once before. Back when his life hadn't fallen into some twisted game that never ended. The simple frustrations of exams, studying, hanging out with friends after grueling school days, and the normal school hijinks he had once been embarrassed of finding himself in. Truly, you never realized what you had until it was gone.

Stepping into the ring, the blond knight waited for Yang to walk out of the locker room while also taking the chance to swap out of his school uniform for a looser wardrobe. The knowledge of his supposed 'semblance' had already been known since the start of the second mouth during a match, so there was no need to worry about any questioning stares. In a flash of brilliant light, his uniform was replaced by a tight but flexible black long sleeved shirt fitted for working out and knee length black shorts. The shirt had a yellow crescent on its back while the shorts were designed with blue swords circling the bottom cuffs. Both his feet and his hands were wrapped in medical tape, replacing his shoes and leather gloves for the match.

 _ **'Disciple's Wear, Equipped! Matching Set Bonus: +7 Attack, +5 Speed, and Hot Shot! Decrease: -10 Defense and -10 Wisdom.'**_

In those two months' time, Jaune had come to discover a special bonus to Coco's Friendship. Along with studying to become a Huntress like her classmates, the fashion obsessed girl also wished to design her own set of Hunter's wear. And she offered her services to her friends for a reasonable price. The only catch to the payment of the special clothing that offered bonuses to stats and offered their own Abilities/Skills was that each one could only be unlocked based on the Friendships or Affections of those he had Bonds with. Take Disciple's Wear; a comfortable attire that allowed more flexibility in close quarters combat while sacrificing Defense and Wisdom to focus on physical attacks. Only available if his Friendship with Yang had reached Lvl 8. Luckily, he had reached the necessary level a week ago and its added Ability Hot Shot decreased damage by 5% while increasing his Attack by 15% for every Critical Hit landed. Against someone like Yang, it was going to be a boon.

After changing out of her own uniform and into her usual combat gear, Yang walked onto the ring with a fired-up grin on her face. If you had told her she would be excited to fight Jaune in a hand to hand match a few months ago, she would of asked you what kind of drink you had so she could feel as hammered as you. But after training said boy for so long she was now proud to say he was up to standards! Not on her level yet, but Jaune was certainly able to put up a good fight now. And today was the day she found out just how much he had grown since that day he had come to her for help.

"Alright, Vomit-boy!" Yang said loudly with energy, punching her fists together with a small boom. She couldn't stop her grin as he met her eyes, moving his fists up on instinct in a boxing stance he had picked up from her, "Consider this our final lesson! If you win, then I have nothing more I can teach you unless you consider copying me to the letter. You'll also graduate from Vomit-boy to simply Lover-boy."

"Can't I be a Man? Or better yet, you could call me Jaune." the blond knight grumbled.

"Nope! You'll take what you can get and you'll love it." Yang said with amusement. "But fail, and your training will be tripled and you'll forever be known as Vomit-girl."

"You will do it, won't you?" No question about it, Yang would loudly proclaim him Vomit-girl for his entire stay in Beacon.

Sighing, Jaune tensed his muscles as they waited for Professor Goodwitch's signal while mentally scanning for Yang's HP.

 ** _'Yang Xiao Long, The Young Raging Dragon._**

 ** _26,000HP/26,000HP.'_**

 **Status:**

 **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. Lvl: 25.**

 **8,000HP/8,000HP.**

 **205MP/205MP.**

 **AP:56/SP:40.**

 **EXP: 1,094,800Exp.**

 **EXP to Next Level: 18,789/300,000.**

 **Strength:43(48.8)**

 **Defense:60**

 **Speed:40(42)**

 **Charisma:28**

 **Intelligence:29**

 **Wisdom: 31**

 **Dexterity: 26**

 **Luck:39**

Seeing as he wasn't like Ren who could see more than HP, Jaune couldn't compare his stats against Yang's. But he came a long way since the first day he had trained with her. He was feeling a little confident. No holding back this time, he was going at her with all she had taught him.

Professor Goodwitch nodded her head respectfully at the two students standing by from the outer edge of the ring. It was time to see just how far Jaune had come since his first hand to hand match against Ren all those months ago. She had been meaning to test him after a week, but with the boy being roped into the Friends of Faunus ordeal, Ozpin had her postpone it. Now there was no excuses. If he was going go through with the Headmaster's exam, then he needed to win against someone as strong as Yang if he was going to have any chance.

Tapping away on her scroll, the blond witch displayed the two fighter's respective auras on the screen along with a ten-minute timer. Class was ending, so they needed to wrap things up. Even she had plans for the weekend.

"Begin!"

At the ring of the digital bell, Yang charged straight into Jaune's guard with a flurry of jabs. She wasn't wasting anytime on the attack. And neither was Jaune. Having already gotten use to the straight forward attack in training, Jaune fell in step with the jabs, weaving back against the quick jabs. Seeing a kick aimed for his gut, he spun on his foot out of the way. Elbow flying up, he aimed to drive into Yang's face only for the fiery blonde to catch it with her own fist. Tossing the blow aside, she was forced to block a couple of high kicks to her chest with her forearm. Jaune spun on his foot again, blurring to everyone's sight as an orange glow lite up his left bandaged foot.

" _ **High Twister!**_ " Carried up by the momentum of the spin, Jaune broke out of the maneuver to swing a chopping side kick to Yang's guard. An almost visible gale of whipping wind could be seen wrapped around his left leg. Yang jumped out of the way, not wanting to see how she'd fare against the new attack. The very space she had occupied let out a boom from the missed blow, blowing a strong breeze past her. She dashed in as the breeze calmed down, her fist coated with aura as Jaune stumbled.

"First blood!" she yelled victoriously. The grimace on his face was enough to tell that he wasn't going to dodge. With a roar, Yang drove her fist straight into Jaune's face, the force sending him flying back in the air.

Jaune quickly flipped in the air and skidded on the arena floor. Even with his aura up, Yang could draw some blood in the form of the small trickle of red running down his bruising nose. He didn't need to see her stats to know she had some insane Strength! No time to muse said girl's strength, he thought as he watched her jump high in the air with a raised glowing fist.

 _'That doesn't look safe.'_

Winking down at her little trainee, Yang dove back to the arena to smash her fist like a comet at Jaune. Knowing he wouldn't want to see how much damage he would take from something that scary, Jaune ran out of the way with a quick command of Gale Speed. It wasn't enough though. An explosive ripple of energy blew up as Yang shattered the ground with her knuckle, smacking Jaune back with its aftermath effect. He grit his teeth feeling his HP drop by 400.

Dusting off the bits of rubble around her, Yang turned back to find Jaune catching his breath. She frowned, upset to see him already winded, "Come on, Vomit-boy! Don't tell me that's all you got? I'm only just getting warmed up over here!" she smirked smugly as she cracked her knuckles.

Jaune shook his head with a wry grin, "Don't count on me slowing down. I'm just getting warmed up too!" he shouted with equal energy, running off the spot with a raised fist.

Such a straight forward attack. Yang rolled her eyes as she prepared to counter the charging punch. Stuff like that never wor-

" ** _Silent Phase!_** "

Yang grew on edge as the image of Jaune seemed to fade away just before he was within reach. She spun her head in alarm, watching for any signs of her fellow blond before a lashing high kick tossed her off her feet and sent her rolling on the ground. From thin air, Jaune appeared airborne, having just knocked the foxy girl with one kick. He had to thank Blake for that little Ability.

Recovering back on her feet from the sneak attack, Yang dashed back for her fellow blond. She quickly jumped into the air, dodging a sweep kick before dropping an ax kick on top of his head. The blow nearly knocked him out as he grit his teeth to stop a yell of pain from escaping. He endured the damage, throwing up his forearm as she spun to lash out with a leg swing to his side. An audible smack resonated from flesh smacking against flesh. Twisting his arm around her leg, Jaune roughly pulled the startled fiery brawler to ram his elbow into her face. Adding aura to the appendage helped to stun Yang as she stumbled back with a grimace. Her vision was swimming. She shook her head as she found three blue eyed blond's run towards her in a zig-zag pattern to further confusion. That was just plain cheating.

Despite the disorienting elbow bash to the face, Yang met Jaune's right hook with her own right hook. The air was blown back against their faces from the meeting fists with a boom echoing off the ring's walls. The two blondes stared into each other's eyes. Blue met lavender, mirroring each other's fire before they found themselves smirking at the other. Their fists trembled against their driving knuckles, refusing to back down the power struggle.

"You done feeling me up, Vomit-boy? It's not nice to tease a lady." Yang winked with a saucy grin.

Jaune held his smirk even as he felt the blonde bombshell add more pressure to push back his fist, "I was always taught to start off with some foreplay. Guess I should throw that all away and get to the real fun!"

With his fist still knuckle to knuckle with Yang's, Jaune used the momentary connection to swipe her fist to the side. He then aimed a jab for her face but found his attack missing as Yang ducked to the side. With the position of her low duck, the brawler rained a flurry of punches into his abs. Jaune cursed as his aura struggled to withstand the barrage. Raising his clenched together fists high in the air, Jaune dropped a Power Strike onto Yang's back. With the heavy strike dropping her onto her stomach with a grunt, Jaune then raised his leg high and swung the heel of his foot to hammer her head.

Yang quickly rolled out of the way of the heel drop and sprung off the arena floor back on her feet. Still within range of Jaune, she then aimed a low kick for the back of his right leg, then the side of his right rib, and finished the short combo with a high kick to the right side of his face. The attacks were too quick to dodge and nearly knocked Jaune off his feet before he found the same combo aimed at the left side of his body. Remembering his lesson of the technique, Jaune swiftly blocked each strike and grabbed onto the kick aimed for his head. He grinned in victory and retaliated with a kick to her own face. But Yang didn't budge an inch, taking the blow while gritting her teeth. Knowing that they couldn't do much with the position they were in now, they both let go and resumed trading blows. Having fought against the other for many weeks now, they fell into a dance of bobbing and weaving each other's jabs, hooks, and upper cuts. They countered each blow, slowly chipping off the others aura as sweat beads rolled down their faces and soaked their clothing.

In the spectator seats above the arena, both teams RWBY and JNPR were watching in awe.

"Jaune really has improved under Yang's tutelage." Weiss couldn't help but admit as she watched said blond knight land a well-timed upper cut for Yang's chin. Said brawler shook it off with a fired-up grin and stumbled Jaune back with a haymaker to his temple, "I still remember when he was just throwing punches around the place with no real tact."

Blake nodded her head, wincing as her partner and Jaune both punched each other's faces, "Goes to show that Yang's more than just a fighter. Jaune's developed well in hand to hand combat under her instructions and teaching. I'm sure she could even teach her own combat class one day if she put her mind to the thought."

"That would mean more work and paying attention in class though. Something Yang is not well known for." Weiss remarked flatly.

Back in the ring, Jaune found himself skidding back on his bandaged feet from an aura coated foot planting itself in his sternum. His breath grew haggard, flinching in pain as the skin of his chest began to bruise. If it wasn't for his Dexterity stat growing high from his multiple near deaths he had faced in his first month, he wasn't sure he would be able to continue with the fight with his body aching. Calling on Power Strike to engulf both his fists in its brilliance, Jaune dashed back to the grinning busty blonde with a right cross attack. Again, the two wound up trading blows, landing whatever blows they could as the clock ticked above them to neither's attention.

Ducking under a straight punch to her nose, Yang spun around Jaune's body to come behind him. Her left arm locked his head in a headlock and her right arm pulled back his left arm, threatening to dislocate his shoulder. "You give up, Vomit-girl?" Yang teased, giving his arm a little uncomfortable tug. She could even hear his bones crack.

Sucking in a ragged breath, Jaune grin widely back at the girl, defiant despite the pain, "You taught me better then to give up so easily!" he shouted before bashing the back of his head into her chin. He broke the skin of her chin, spilling a small amount of blood that her aura quickly went on to heal. Free from the grapple, Jaune leapt up in the air and landed a Hunter's Ax onto Yang's skull, further dazing her as she stumbled back. He then spun on his foot, gathering momentum to whip a gale around his leg.

" ** _High Twister!_** " Finally landing the low accuracy ability, Jaune froze Yang still as the leg smacking her ribs caught her in an invisible lashing wind twisting around her body. Her purple eyes flashed red, the damage she was suffering boosting her strength to high levels. Right fist blazing with aura, Yang broke out of the whipping gale and jumped high in the air to ram her fist into Jaune's panicked face.

The downside to High Twister other than its low accuracy was that it left the user open for attacks for a few seconds. He could do nothing but try and withstand the heavy blow.

"TIME!"

Even as the digital bell rang and Professor Goodwitch called in an end to the match, nothing could stop Yang's fist from making contact. Jaune did show immense will and endurance as he took the thundering punch that sounded off an explosive boom and pressurized ring of air. Refusing to be sent flying out of the ring, he stood his ground and found his feet skidding back to the very edge of the ring, his entire body tensing to embrace the insane force rocking his body. His body trembled, his breathing labored as he looked down to the light skid marks trailing after his torn bandaged feet. His vision was swimming as he fought to stay conscience.

Pyrrha felt worry overtake her from her seat, "Jaune!"

Even Yang felt it crept into her being. In all their training together, she had yet to hit Jaune with the full force of her counter semblance. Not many could get back up from that and she had already been dealing plenty of damage in the fight.

But Jaune wasn't just anybody. Slowly he rose his hand up and gave them a thumb's up in OK. He just needed a moment to settle the ringing in his head and the splitting pain in his temple. Sighing as he gathered his strength, Jaune stood straight back up to turn his eyes to the hologram screen above their heads.

Jaune Arc: 50% Aura/Yang Xiao Long: 50% Aura.

A tie? Really? Did that count as win? There was no way in hell he was going to live with being called Vomit-girl from now on.

With the match now over, Professor Goodwitch walked into the ring. She gave a quick scan of the arena. It was damaged as always when Yang stepped in for a fight. Flicking her riding crop at the arena, her telekinesis repaired the mess while she turned her attention to her blond students.

"That was a rather impressive fight you two. You've truly shown that even without your weapons on hand, a Hunter is just as deadly barehanded." She praised the two as they walked over to stand in front of her. She was more impressed though with Jaune's progress, "Mr. Arc, in three months' time you've polished your hand to hand to fine form. No longer do you flail about with wild swings, but instead plan out your attacks and have even learned to counter someone as proficient as Ms. Xiao Long." Hearing that, Jaune couldn't help but grin proudly even as Yang nearly sent him falling with a heavy pat to his back. Turning her green eyes to said equally grinning blonde, Professor Goodwitch continued her assessment, "And Ms. Xiao Long, you've learned to think more carefully in your attacks. While you are very skilled in hand to hand, you shouldn't let it go to your head believing you will always come out on top. There are opponents that can and will take advantage of your hot headedness, so do continue to improve upon your fighting approach."

"Got it, Teach! Next time our little Vomit-boy won't be so lucky to escape because of time running out!" Yang grinned, "I'll mop the floor with him before he can blink!"

Professor Goodwitch nodded simply, tallying the results into her personal scroll. That was as much as she could say for the moment. Class was over with and it was time to let her students go about the rest of their day.

"I would love to say more, but class is now over. Just remember to continue working on your hand to hand, Mr. Arc. You've improved drastically. I hope to continue to see only improvement from here on out. You've already won several matches since your first month here after all. Don't fall back onto old habits." with a courteous nod to the two blond students, the blonde witch dismissed the rest of the students and went on to patching up the last of the damage to the arena.

Watching their teacher walk off, Jaune could only sigh as he felt Yang's familiar weight fall over his shoulders in a one arm hug. A tie, of all things it had to be a tie. Scowling in annoyance he swapped out of his Disciple's clothing and back into his school uniform with a mental command.

"So, what will a tie get me?" he asked the busty brawler. Yang quirked her brow, tapping her cheek in thought. Shrugging, she led him back to the upper level of the class back to their teams awaiting them.

"You're still a boy, sadly. But that's only because the timer had to ruin our fun before we could find out if you could last another ten minutes. Better luck next time, Vomit-boy!" she winked, giving her so called disciple a noogie to his mop of golden yellow hair, "I will say this though, I don't see any need for me to teach you anything else. From here on out, you got to develop your own style of hand to hand. I've taught you the basics and a few of my own techniques. Now you have to work on the rest and fight how you would like. Can't have two Yang's walking around campus after all."

She was right. Jaune grimaced under her brushing knuckles against his scalp. He could never thank Yang enough for all that she had done these past few months. He was pretty sure that if he had her training combined with Pyrrha's then he would have done a whole lot better in his first life. But ego and pride had stopped him from asking for anymore help back then. Sad that he had only learned that lesson after dying.

"Does that mean no more afternoon training?" Jaune asked with a slight hint of disappointment. The training was grueling and she beat the living crap out of him regularly during his first few weeks, but he had come to enjoy their regular lessons. He had learned so much from Yang and their bond had only grown in strength. Other than training, they would hang out and even go out to Vale to play some games at the arcade while grabbing a bite.

"Pretty much. You got to work on your own style and discover it yourself. I can't hold your hand forever, you know?" she smirked. Seeing the look in Jaune's eyes, Yang added more speed to her noogie as with a grin, "But that doesn't mean you can get rid of me so easily either! Whenever you need someone to spar with or test out your new techniques, I'm only a few steps away from your dorm!"

The noogie stopped as Yang freed Jaune from her hold. Rubbing his burning scalp gingerly, he found himself staring in surprise at Yang's soft lavender eyes staring back at him with fondness.

"We're best friends, idiot. Don't go thinking that just because our training is over that we're done being friends. You can't break a bond like that so easily."

 _ **'Yang Xiao Long's Friendship has Risen! A new Perk has been Unlocked! Enraged Scales, Unlocked!'**_

Patting her favorite blond's back firmly, Yang decided it would be best if she walked back to the locker rooms. She didn't want to walk around in her sweaty combat attire after a good fight. Reaching their teams, she let them know that she would be right back after a change of clothes. And maybe a quick shower.

* * *

"What's the plan for the afternoon then?"

After waiting for Yang to change out of her combat clothes, the two teams found themselves wandering the halls of Beacon together with no real aim. Classes were done with and the weekend was ahead of them. With so much free time they were at a bit of a loss as what to do. No need to study seeing as none of their classes were preparing them for any tests, just simple reviews of what they knew. The semester was ending soon.

Even Ruby was stumped as she looked up to the ceiling with a face scrunched up in thought, hoping to come up with something to do. She was running dry on ideas as of late.

At Ruby's side, Jaune found her thoughtful expression adorable as she pouted in frustration. It was her own fault she couldn't think of anything new when she was always making plans for their Best Day Ever every other weekend. She was bound to run short on new activities. But unfortunately, he wouldn't be joining in this time. He had some personal business to take care of today.

"Whatever it is, I'm going to have to pass. I need to stop by the CCT. My mom's been wanting to talk to me to see how I've been doing." he smiled apologetically as he found Ruby's big silver eyes look up at him with faux tears of betrayal, "I've just been so busy lately that I haven't had the chance to talk to her other than some scroll calls."

"That, and your nervous." Pyrrha said knowingly. Jaune winced lightly, scratching his head in shame as he looked away, "You've had plenty of time to go out to Vale, you shouldn't use your school work as an excuse. I don't understand why. Your mother can't be upset with you, could she?"

"Kind of? My parents weren't exactly thrilled when I was accepted into Beacon Academy. They would have been happier if I had decided to become a simple farmer or something. When I left for Vale, things were kind of tense between us. Mom still says she would be happy if I decided to come home anytime."

"What about your father? Surely he must have understood since he's a Huntsman." Pyrrha frowned.

At that, Jaune scowled with confusion, "My dad wasn't happy either, but he understood that I was free to choose my own path. But lately, I haven't heard from him. I've asked my mom how he's doing, but she always says he's doing fine and stops talking after that. I don't know if he's on a mission or if he simply doesn't want to talk with me. We did get into a fight the night before I left." he said with regret.

While Jaune's father understood his desire to be a hero, the older Arc had also known his son well. Too well. Jaune wasn't trained to fight, he could barely make a fist. When he had found out his only son had been accepted into Sanus's most privileged Hunter's Academy, Beacon, he had been more than skeptical. And after some digging, Alexander had discovered just how his son had been accepted when Jaune had no skill or talent in combat. That very night, he had confronted Jaune about his fake transcripts. Their talk wasn't pleasant. Alexander didn't want to see his son off to his imminent death nor did he want him to walk a path that promised death. Jaune wanted to prove to his family he wasn't a weakling and that he could carry on the warrior bloodline in their veins. Father and son had fought, shouting at the other and refusing to back down. In the end, Alexander had grudgingly allowed his son to prove his worth, knowing that even if he tied his son down he would only bide his time and escape to follow his dream.

And that was it. The next morning had been tense and Alexander had nodded stiffly to his son as he left for Vale. Praying that the blade of their ancestors would guide his boy and protect him on the warrior's path he had chosen.

"I haven't spoken to him since. I'm hoping to get the chance to talk to him face to face at the CCT. I don't want us to continue not talking to each other like this." he sighed.

"Well I believe that it's a good idea to take the afternoon to resolve your problems with your father. You never want things to remain so sour, especially as a Huntsman." Pyrrha said with a somber tone to her voice, "Our jobs send us off on missions that may lead to our demise on a regular basis. You don't want to say things you can never take back."

"Guess I never really thought about it like that. Funny how I forget that what I'm training for is a lot more dangerous then it seems." Especially with how his life was going lately.

"How do you forget that training to fight Grimm is a dangerous concept?" Weiss asked dryly as Jaune shrugged in response.

"Eh, killing Grimm is easier then fighting a man who can hide in his shadows and pop out from your own with a heated clever."

"How you can say that with a straight face I'll never know."

"And I hope you never do."

Tuning out the conversation with a bored expression on her face, Nora found her eyes wandering the halls for something to catch her attention. The drama with her leader wasn't much to worry about, the knight always found a way to resolve his problems. She was sure that by the time he came back to their dorms he would have resolved the matter. Which meant she had to find something to do until her leader came back. Even she was running out of ideas of what to do after last week's game of paintball. What made the game interesting was swapping out their loaned weapons for their own and using paint ammo. It was a colorful mayhem of her favorite color. Pink, pink everywhere.

Her wandering eyes suddenly paused, catching an odd sight that made her frown. Ren stopped alongside his partner, confused as her default joyful expression vanished. Following her line of sight, he found himself staring as the rest of their friends did the same.

By his classroom door, Peter Port was staring at a piece of dirty, red torn, rags. His shoulder trembled lightly as he took a deep ragged breath. A somber air hung around him as he looked straight at the four familiar hunters that handed him the tattered remains.

Jaune recognized the team, the short brunette girl in the leather armor was hard to mistake.

"Hera? What's going on?" he asked as he walked over to team HRTH.

Hera turned her head back with surprise, finding the familiar mop of yellow hair and blue eyes towering over her small frame. She sighed in frustration as she rested her hands on her waist.

"We've just come back from our mission. As you all must know, seeing as you all were at ground zero, Forever Fall's Grimm population has sky rocketed with numerous Grimm popping out of the woodwork. With such a spike in negativity over the forest land, several teams of Hunters have been sent out to quell the monsters before they can step foot past the border of Forever Fall. That's been going on for two months now. All second year and above teams have been sent out to help eliminate the Grimm alongside any professional Hunters." she explained stoically.

"As of two days ago, the Grimm have begun to settle down. All that's left are a few large groups of Beowolves and Ursa prowling the ground. We were actually finishing up a pack when an SOS signal had lit up our scrolls."

Helio ground his teeth, his knuckles cracking as he found it hard to look back at the first years. Seeing the normally arrogant red headed rocker look away with a shameful expression took Jaune back. His blue eyes fell onto the filthy rag in Professor Port's shaking hands. A gut-wrenching sensation ran through him. His nose picked up on a familiar scent.

Blood.

Rue scratched his forest green hair with an awkward smile as the eight younger students' eyes fell on them. Way to put them on the spot.

"A Huntsman's aura had fallen into the red and we rushed over to the signal's location. But," Rue frowned as he crossed his arms and shook his head silently. "It was already too late. Devouring his body was a pack of Beowolves and a Deviant leading the feeding frenzy."

"BeoNoble, a Deviant Beowolf that has survived countless fights with sword wielding Huntsman and learned the way of the dual blade."

Surprise fell on the gathered students as Professor Port finally spoke. He controlled his breathing as he picked at the rags. His portly fingers froze deathly still, finding cool metal meet his skin. A small metal pin, bent and clawed was plucked out of the remains. It was designed with the head of a Boarbatusk silhouette and the ax blades of his favored weapon. The sight of it broke his heart.

"Listening to your report, I can identify the Grimm that you all fought. It is a ferocious beast that wields twin bone like growths as swords and has evolved its armor plating in the style of a samurai. It seems even young Noir was no match for the beast." he chuckled mournfully.

"So, you did know the Huntsman that had fallen. Didn't you?" Hera asked solemnly.

Professor Port nodded, his eyes never leaving the decorative pin in his hand.

"Noir Fell was once a student of mine. He had graduated from our fine academy just around three years ago and he was one my brightest students. Out of all of them, he had enjoyed my tales of youth the most. He had even promised to one day stop by Vale again after his travels to trade stories. I was even the one to gift this pin." gesturing to the ruined metal disk, the portly huntsman found himself only growing sadder as the memory of the simple little gift came back to him.

 _'With this pin, know that your strapping Professor will always be by your side in the thick of battle! Carry it with you always and you will never lose the will to strive forward and fight!'_

 _'Thank you so much, Professor Port! I'll treasure this. Always.'_

 _'My dear Noir, you no longer have to address me as your professor! We are now fellow Huntsman, protectors of the world and its light. You stand as my equal on this glorious day to your bright future. So, drop the formalities and-'_

His breath hitched as a small tear escaped his eye.

 _'Call me Peter!'_

Ruby felt her heart ache as the usually boisterous professor held the pin to his chest. It wasn't right for someone who was usually nothing but smiles and laughs.

"Professor. . ."

Coughing roughly into his fist, the gray-haired professor cleaned off the tear with his hand as he gathered his thoughts. Now was not the time to break down so. He was supposed to be a role model for the young warriors before him. He had to show them that even in loss they had to be strong.

"Thank you, Ms. Kleos. For returning my precious student back to me. Knowing that he had died a warrior is enough to ease my old withered soul. I know that he must appreciate the kindness in bringing a part of him back to the starting point of his adventure. Now, he can find peace." He said softly. His hand parted, gesturing the pin to his students as he smiled fondly at the glinting metal.

"We may not have had the chance to meet again, but I'll be sure to tell your story to future generations. So you can forever live on to guide future warriors, just as your favorite professor will."

Nodding kindly to his students, Professor Port shut the door behind him and stepped past them to continue his way to pass on the report of the mission to Ozpin. He ignored their looks of concern and focused on the task at hand.

A true Huntsman walked forward. And never looked back.

"Poor Professor Port." Yang said sadly, watching the somber man walk away, "It has to be rough to find out one of your favorite students died without having to see them again."

"The weak die, and the strong live. That is the simple law of nature."

Leaning back to the side of the classroom, Tsuki's attention was buried in a yellow book with impassive red eyes. Even as she found the rest of them frowning or glaring at her, she gave them little care as she flipped the page.

"Care to say that again, Big Tits?" Yang growled.

"Yang, calm down." Blake warned as she eased her partner back, "Now's not the time to be picking a fight."

Knowing that a person like Yang wouldn't let down her glare, Tsuki reluctantly shut her book to meet Yang's now red eyes. The sight of the same blood red eyes as her made the dark raven smirk.

"My people believe in strength. The strong live, the weak die. It's unfortunate that one of Professor Port's beloved students had perished, but it only goes to show that he had not the strength to survive."

"Well that's a bunch of fucked up bullshit if you ask me. I can't believe you would even say something like that." Yang's glare intensified, her right hand forming a fist she was more than ready to throw a punch.

Shrugging, Tsuki walked past the angry blonde, glancing back at her with narrowed eyes.

"That is the rule of my people. You of all people would do well learning it." she whispered coldly before walking away to her dorm.

Something about Tsuki's words had pinched a nerve in Yang. With a loud growl, she was ready to charge after the girl with her raging fist, only to find her shaking arm held back. She turned her eyes to the unlucky person and found Helio's stern yellow eyes scowling.

"Don't. Tsuki's hard to understand, trust me, but you shouldn't let it twist your panties in a bunch. The damn chick just has a twisted view on the world." he said stiffly as Yang tore her arm back. He scoffed as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his school uniform, "It doesn't make her a bad person, but it doesn't exactly paint her out as little miss sunshine either. It just makes her out as complicated."

"More like a bitch to me." Yang grumbled.

Rue chuckled as he patted his partner's back, "I've learned that girls are just complicated to begin with. Despite Tsuki's cold personality, the girl's not so bad when you get to know her. . .. Kind of."

"I find that hard to believe." Weiss said dryly.

Hera apologized, "Sorry about my partner. I'll be sure to give her a talking to once I get back. No more RWE for the next two days for her."

"I'm afraid to ask why?"

"She loves to watch Jaune-cena fight in shorts."

Jaune felt his eye twitch in annoyance. His blue eyes fell onto Nora as she grinned at the mention of her little creation, "Look at what you've done. You know I have random girls come up to me in Vale asking for my autograph since we began those weekly fights and uploading them on the net. Tell me again why I don't get any of the profit from the merchandise."

"You should have read your contract, Jaune-Jaune. Now I own your pretty jean ass."

". . .Please tell me you're not being literal." Jaune said in disbelief, turning to Ren for help, "She can't do that, right?"

Ren shrugged, "You should have read the fine print like I did."

"It was fucking fifty pages long! It was nothing but wall after wall of complicated text!"

"You have only yourself to blame for not putting in the effort. This is Nora we're talking about, you should never agree to anything without fully understanding the contract."

"I refuse to believe you actually read the contract to the letter."

Turning away from the two Huntsmen, Hera sighed as she rubbed her arm anxiously, "Today's been a stressful day. I'm sure Tsuki's simply grumpy and trying to deal with it in her own way. Give her a day and she'll calm down. Knowing her, she's probably in her pajama's reading her copy of 'How to Make a Man Fall for You in Twenty Easy Steps' in bed."

Jaune spun his head back to Hera with question, "I dare ask, Why?"

"You know why."

Pyrrha made a note to search for said book when she had the time. She was having trouble getting her feelings across to her partner.

With an irritated leer at the blond knight, Helio brushed past him so he could leave the scene.

"Since Tsuki's gone back, we might as well take the responsibility of finding Professor Port again. We're not done with our report. There's still some things we weren't able to tell him regarding the body." he said with a frustrated grimace. Just remembering the scene churned his stomach.

"What else could you have to tell him?" Jaune asked even as he found the musician's fed up yellow eyes glare back at him. The knight was already use to Helio's behavior around him and pushed on, "Don't you think it would be better to leave him alone after dropping that kind of news on him?"

Helio grunted, shaking his head as he spoke bitterly, "You don't get it, do you? Even if the information is sensitive to the one we report to, we must relay it back at all costs. Even if it only brings them down. Especially with what we found."

"What more could you have found?"

Rue sighed as his partner's frown only deepened and refuse to speak any further, "The body of Noir was being ravaged by Grimm, but once we had killed them off after some struggle, we found something disturbing about his corpse. It was without any clothing other than that single rag of the man's cloak. Even more strange, his weapon was nowhere to be seen along with an odd gaping wound piercing his chest cleanly through. Something a Grimm is not skillful enough to produce."

"Something like that is not normal. We're afraid the Huntsman's death was caused by an outside force other than the Grimm." Hera explained, walking past the students to continue with their objective. She looked back apologetically at the eight for souring their mood.

"We're sorry about the news. You shouldn't let it ruin your afternoon. Go out and enjoy the day for us, alright?" she smiled politely as her team began to head on without her, "One of us has to."

"Don't worry, we will. You should too, otherwise your cute face is going to wrinkle like some old ladies." Jaune smiled as he patted the shorter girl's head. The action earned him an annoyed pout along with a raised fist in threat. It didn't matter if she was older than him, the blond goof wouldn't stop treating her like a child.

"Touch me like that again, and I'm screaming bad touch."

Jaune backed away with a nervous chuckle. With a body like her's, it was a serious threat. He was called a lot of things, he didn't need lolicon added to the list.

Hera huffed, not as happy with the reaction as she thought she would be. She wasn't a little girl, she was a growing woman! He shouldn't act so familiar with her like they were friends. She barely knew the guy.

"Just ignore what happened. It doesn't have anything to do with you anyway." Done talking with the first years, Hera continued on her way, her back turned to the concerned expression on Jaune's face.

It seemed she still didn't consider him a friend. It was Ann all over again.

"We should go back to our dorms. There isn't much need to stay around here any longer." Ren suggested, hoping to ease the solemn air.

Eyes still locked onto the short herculean girl's small back, Jaune nodded. Another problem for another day, he supposed. He had his own personal matters to wrap up.

* * *

 _ **Status:**_

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. Lvl: 25.**_

 _ **8,000HP/8,000HP.**_

 _ **205MP/205MP.**_

 _ **AP:56/SP:40.**_

 _ **EXP: 1,094,800Exp.**_

 _ **EXP to Next Level: 18,789/300,000.**_

 _ **Strength:43(48.8)**_

 _ **Defense:60**_

 _ **Speed:40(42)**_

 _ **Charisma:28**_

 _ **Intelligence:29**_

 _ **Wisdom: 31**_

 _ **Dexterity: 26**_

 _ **Luck:39**_

Scrolling through his Status as he walked past the many students strolling the campus, Jaune was rather impressed with the amount of progress he had been making with his stats. It wasn't long ago that he was struggling to make it through every fight. Now he was at a level where he no longer dropped a sweat against the other students and could actually win a fight. Although he still had a hard time fighting people like Ruby and Yang, just barely making even during combat classes against the high leveled Huntresses. But today had proved that he wasn't far from standing on even ground with them.

Several new Abilities and Skills had been unlocked too, along with three new Perks. Add in some new gear, Spells, and combat items, and it was looking like he was finally getting the hang of his new life. Not having to deal with any big events or plots to disturb the peace was also nice.

But now he had to deal with a bigger issue that didn't revolve around game mechanics and bad guys trying to slaughter him. Stopping right in front of the base of Ozpin's tower, Jaune's eyes trailed the height of the cloud touching building, gulping as the palms of his hands began to sweat. The soothing emerald lights did little to still his beating heart.

Joanna Arc, the one woman in his life whose simple smile could send shivers of fear shooting down his back. The Arc mother was the one who had spoken out about his acceptance to Beacon the most even as he had boarded the ship to Vale. Whenever she called him every week to know how he was doing, she would keep things short and simple. She would always express how much he was missed back at home and said they wouldn't hold it against him if one day he wanted to leave Beacon and return home if he thought he wasn't up to the work. It wasn't that she didn't believe in him, it was just that she didn't want to believe that he had what it took to be a Huntsman. Her precious little blond ball of sunshine fighting monsters of darkness and death incarnate day by day wasn't something any mother liked to think about.

Jaune couldn't hold it against his mother for worrying about him. Or urging him to come home. It just cemented just how much she loved him. But he was a man, more of a man than he had once been months ago. To give up and go home would be insult to everything he had accomplished and survived. Plus, he was sure that The Game would only create some event to drag him back into playing.

Looking toward the very top of the tower one more time, Jaune calmed his nerves and rid himself of his anxiety and stepped past the wooden double doors. As scared as he was of what he would say to him by video call, it was outweighed by the thought of seeing her face once again. He had died without ever having the chance to say anything back, with the tension of their last time together still in the air. He owed it to the mother he had lost in his first life to make things up in the present. Along with the mess with his father.

Within the lower base of the tower, Jaune found the sleek obelisk black interior of the ground floor. Lime luminescent green lights decorated the place, students could be seen exiting and entering the tower, and what looked like a core like cylinder was centered in the middle of the building reaching high to the top. It was a simple few steps to the closest free elevator and pressing his scroll to the terminal to reach the communications level above. It made him wonder what other things the tower held other than communications.

Upon reaching his destination, the doors to the elevator slid back with a ding to allow him to walk to the front counter. Several terminals were gathered around the floor, each one displaying a screen for video calls and other functions. Sensing his presence, a hologram program of a nicely dressed raven-haired woman popped up to greet him at the desk. She smiled politely with a wave.

"Hello. Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center. How may I help you?"

"Just here to make a call home." Jaune said politely as the program nodded.

"We have an open terminal that we can patch you through. Just connect your scroll to its reader and we'll patch your call through. Just head on over to Terminal 4."

"Thank you." Taking a small breath to steel his nerves, Jaune headed straight for the open terminal space situated in the middle of the floor along with several others. Taking a seat in the office like booth, the blond knight laid down his scroll on the digital reader by the side of the hologram keyboard and screen. The symbols for the four major kingdoms appeared on the screen with an empty bar circling each symbol as it began to steadily fill up as his call patched through.

A set of gentle green eyes and a worried face quickly greeted Jaune back. The owner's face was heart shaped and their light purple hair was tied in a long knot falling over their shoulder. From the position of their camera, Jaune could make out the woman was wearing a blue blouse with white frills.

Joanna Arc smiled in relief at the sight of her only son. It had been so long since she saw her little boy face to face. Like centuries had passed her by in such a short time. Seeing him again lifted her worry, seeming to affect her visibly as the color to her hair began to change to a mellow yellow.

"Jaune, it's so good to see you again!" Joanna said happily, her face beaming like the sun.

"Mom. . ." Jaune breathed, the very sight of her smile striking something within as he found the slightest of tears gathering in his eyes. He smiled back, fighting back the sob from escaping his mouth.

The calls over scroll paled in comparison to actually seeing her face and smile again. It was enough to make him want to cry. But he brushed away the wetness as his mother began to frown.

"What's wrong, Jaune? You shouldn't be afraid to tell Mama what's bothering you. Even if we're separated by sea, your Mama will do whatever she can to help her little baby boy!"

"Mom, I'm not a baby. You don't need to worry about me." Jaune found himself chuckling as Joanna pouted, her hair changing color to pink in mild annoyance. His mother had always had this special gift he had never understood until he had come to Beacon. Certain individuals could attain cosmetic altering abilities akin to Semblances even without their aura's unlocking. It was an odd phenomenon that scientists were still researching.

"You could be forty year's old with a family of your own and an overbearing wife behind your back every second of the day, and you'll still be my baby boy. Even being a Huntsman won't save you from my shower of affection and kisses."

Back then, Jaune would have groaned and dragged his hand over his face in embarrassment. His mother was always so affectionate and loving, sometimes it was too much. Now though, hearing it all again after everything he'd gone through caused a fond smile to form on his face.

"Yeah, I think I've stopped fighting that. I'm just going to have to accept it, huh?"

Joanna stared at her son strangely. Did he just accept being called her baby boy? Like that? That didn't sound like her special little sunshine. Had Beacon really changed him that much? Shaking her head at the thoughts for now, her hair returned to its default blonde as she beamed.

"I'm just overjoyed to finally speak to you face to face like this. Scroll calls just aren't the same, you know?" she pouted again as she crossed her arms, "It would be so much easier if you visited home. I'm sure Ozzy can allow you a bullhead to take you here. Just give me a good five minutes alone with a gallon of decaf coffee and I'll have him handing over even his position of Headmaster over!" she chirped, clapping her hands together as a look of horror fell on Jaune's face, "Wouldn't that be fun, sweetie? Having your lovable Mama as your Headmaster instead of the dirty old man who I'm certain is simply one cup of coffee away from a heart attack? I can even help you find a girlfriend!"

No. Dear god above, NO. Surely even Ozpin could stand against a being like his own mother. Right?

Above said tower, reclining in his favorite seat as he topped off another mug of steaming caffeine goodness, Ozpin felt a dreaded shiver of fear enter his soul.

With a shaken smile, Jaune laughed off the matter, "I can always visit during semester break, Mom. There's no need to do anything rash here. Besides, training to be a Huntsman is a lot of work. I can't just leave for a little visit."

Joanna huffed still, grumbling under her breath about old men and addictions, "I suppose you should focus on your studies. I've just been wracked with worry since our last talk a month ago." she said softly as her hair fell into a sad shade of blue, ". . .Our little village just found out about The Friends of Faunus. And the tragedy that fell over the night."

Jaune grimaced as he found his mother's eyes narrow and her hair grow a reddish tint.

"You were there, weren't you?" she said dangerously, only growing more upset and furious as her little boy nodded.

Growing up far from the kingdoms, news traveled slow to home. Jaune was thankful for that, it gave him plenty of time to think about how he could explain the mess to his mother. Too bad he hadn't really come up with anything that a mother could shrug off.

"It's a long story." Jaune sighed, feeling the exhaustion of that day come over him again, "A few of my friends had been caught up in some trouble with the FoF and the next thing I know-"

"You're stopping a group of limb amputators from burning down the city?" Joanna said flatly, feeling the need to reach across the screen and smack her son upside the head. "The paper the neighbors had bought from the traveling merchant had already said plenty of what you and your friends did. Jaune, I can't tell you how upset and worried I was to find out my little boy fighting butchers when he had recently stopped asking me to check under his bed for monsters."

"Mom. . .that was three years ago."

"Yet I still did it when you were sleeping."

That explained the feeling of an overbearing presence late at night. "I had it taken care of! I mean, we all made it out alive."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? That you made it out alive? Alright." she nodded simply, her green eyes zoning in on the poorly healed patch of skin hidden poorly behind his yellow hair, "Tell me, what's that scar on your head for? It looks an awfully a lot like a bullet wound."

Shit, she knew. How? No one else knew about it. Only his friends, his teachers, and-

Jaune groaned as he made a mental note to set Nora loose on a certain Headmaster, "Ozpin told you?" he asked as his mother nodded.

"Around the same time the news came in, Ozzy had messaged me for access to your past medical records. Something concerning with a headshot to the head that he believes might be messing with your memories?" It was taking everything in her power to not find the nearest piece of transportation and fly over to Vale to grab her son and return him back into her arms. And also to find Ozpin to deliver some motherly fury on his ass.

Again, Ozpin shivered as his head spun around his office for the source of the nagging fear.

"What the hell were you thinking? Not only do I found out that you survived a headshot, but you were in the ER for several hours in a near death condition with a shattered humerus bone! Do you know how I felt?!" Joanna shouted hoarsely, her voice choking on emotion. Her heart had stopped that day as she listened to the Headmaster's retelling of the events that lead to her son's hospitalization. She didn't even have the courage to say anything to her daughters about what had happened. The sheer horror and grief that had overtaken her had nearly made her faint on the spot. If she had known about it the very day it had happened, she was sure she would have done whatever was necessary to take him away from it all.

What Jaune was seeing was a stab to his heart. His face fell as tears fell from his mother's eyes. Was this how she had looked when she had found out about his death originally? No, it would have been worse than this. What he was seeing couldn't compare to the devastation she had suffered before.

"This is why I didn't want you to become a Huntsman like your father. You two always talked about the grandeur of a warrior's life, but never stopped to consider the risks that follow closely! And because of that stupid life style, your father is still-"

Joanna couldn't say another word as she bit her bottom lip with a sob. It was all too much. Her shoulders shook as she tightly shut her eyes and tried to suppress the grief. She needed to be strong for her little knight.

Whatever Joanna was going to say struck Jaune as anxiety entered his system. He found it hard to breath as he noticed the background behind his mother. White walls and what he could make out were medical equipment could be seen along with the faint sound of a beeping monitor. One that sounded all too familiar to him.

"M-Mom? Where are you? And where's dad? I wanted to speak to him too." Jaune said with panic in his voice. His questions only seemed to hurt his mother more. She looked to be on the verge of breaking down.

"Ozpin was right, there is something wrong with you. My poor little baby." She sobbed with a hiccup, the color to her hair reflecting the grief. Speaking was becoming more difficult the longer she stared at her son's confused yet fearful expression, "Don't you remember? The mission your father undertook at the request of not only Ozpin but General Ironwood all those years ago?"

Nothing came to Jaune at the mention of said mission. And it only horrified him more.

The blank, sweating expression on Jaune's face clarified Joanna's fears. What she said next drained the color to his skin and froze his heart still.

"Jaune, your father's been in and out of a coma for the last eight years. He was awake two days ago for almost twenty minutes before he fell back into a deep sleep. In that small amount of time we had, he wanted to say something to you." her smiled strained as she moved the camera of the terminal over to a hospital bed and its occupant.

Jaune could literally hear his heart stopping as he felt the breath in his lungs sucked right out of him. He didn't even realize his left arm had gone numb. All he knew was that it had become impossible to breathe, as if the very notion had been lost to him. He found himself clutching onto his heart, its rhythm out of whack as sweat ran down his face at what greeted him.

Laying back in a quilt of mismatched patterns knitted together lovingly, with multiple machines hooked up to his body and get well flowers and gifts surrounding him, was Alexander Arc. His once chiseled features had withered away to leave him with sunken cheeks, sickly pale skin, and horrid scars trailing up from his chest to neck. His golden locks of shaggy hair had been clipped, cut down to very short hair. The towering man who had appeared as a picture-perfect model of a hero now looked like a frail man on death's doors.

"Your father wanted to say hello, and that he misses you every day that you're gone."

A deathly silence fell over Jaune as the very world froze. He didn't know when, but he had subconsciously paused The Game, his eyes locked onto the image of his once strong father stuck in a hospital bed with machines keeping him alive. Cold tears streamed down his face as his body went into shock.

 _'What. . .what's going on? Why is dad sleeping? He's supposed to be on his feet, telling me off for nearly getting myself killed and threatening to drag me back for being so stupid. He shouldn't. . .he shouldn't have all those things hooked up to him. Why isn't he opening his eyes?'_

The world was cold. Everything was numb. Was he having a heart attack? His heart was out of whack, its beating irregular and slowing down in a painful pace. It felt like blazing needles were prickling his heart. In his shock, Jaune only understood one thing clearly. Whatever had happened to his father, it was The Game's fault. Anger easily overpowered Jaune's sorrow as his fists balled and his eyes narrowed furiously.

Everything wrong with his life had been because of The Will and The Game. Two entities that were one and separate, each messing with what he cherished most. Turning his best friend against him, wiping the memories of all his friends and loved ones, leaving him with a scar of his death at some mad man's hands, creating an organization that wished to humanize Faunus, and everything in-between. And now it had left his father in a deep sleep and robbed him of the memory of the event.

All the seething anger was blinding Jaune's vision. He was glad that he had paused the world. He didn't need anyone seeing him in such a state. If it wasn't for the rules of the pause, he was sure he would have found Crocea Mors slicing the terminal monitor to sparking halves. But all that anger began to slip away as his eyes were still locked onto the image of his sleeping father. His face grew somber, the tears in his eyes dripping as they came to a stop. A small thud echoed in the still world, Jaune's forehead falling against the screen. Blue, weary eyes dully stared at the very man who had inspired him on the path he now walked.

 _'Is this. . .my fault?'_ What other explanation could there be? His father had been perfectly healthy when Jaune had seen him last time. Alexander Arc had been fit as a fiddle, ready to take on an Alpha Beowolf barehanded for the sheer fun of it. In this new timeline however, his father had suffered a devastating almost fatal incident, leaving him as motionless as a vegetable.

Jaune couldn't take the sight anymore. He couldn't stand the tears that trailed his mother's eyes, or the sadness in her voice. Biting his lower lip, the blond knight released the pause as he slid his chair back.

Turning the camera back to her, Joanna brushed away the tears from her face to continue her talk with her son. If his memory truly was damaged, then she needed to help him remember whatever he lost. And encourage him to come home. Ozpin be damned, her son couldn't continue this path. He was obviously unwell. Whatever it took, she was going to have her baby boy back home in her arms.

The sound of a chair hitting the floor took Joanna back as the next second she knew, Jaune had vanished from sight. Startled gasps and shouts could be heard from his end. Joanna's eyes fell, her heart breaking even more as the call ended.

What had happened to her little knight?

* * *

A tired sigh escaped Ren's lips, his gaze unfocused as he and Nora along with Pyrrha were caught up in one of team RWBY's drama's. One that was played out to death if you asked him. But The Game insisted on the Event in order to bring Weiss and Blake closer.

"How can you defend a group of genocidal animals!?"

"Stop calling them animals! That's a racial slur that you have no right to use!"

"Oh? Then how about I stop calling the sky blue? Because if we're just denying the facts, we might as well throw everything else out the window that makes reasonable sense!"

"You just don't understand! You talk about them as if they're pure evil when no such thing exists!"

In the hours that Jaune had left the two teams to take care of family business, Ren and his team had found themselves tagging along with RWBY to Vale to check out the visiting students from Vacuo. Having done this Event hundreds of times before, Ren knew that the bright and cheery mood wouldn't last long once the Event Flag known as Sun Wukong passed them by. And after meeting the living wonder that was Penny, things soon devolved into arguing back and forth between the white and black themed girls.

'Black and White Event is now available! Tension between the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and the once White Fang cat Faunus is at an all-time high! Ways of life clash, leaving a team broken in the wake. It is up to you to try and mend the broken bond, if you chose to accept it. Special Gifts and Items will be rewarded upon completion. Do you accept? Yes/No?'

Ren swiped the notification in his HUD away after hitting No. This was Jaune's problem, not his. While the lazy ninja was now part of The Game again, it didn't mean he was going to go gung ho and accept every mission or event that popped up in his face. He wasn't even that close to the two girls. He also knew that this fight, while big, would fix itself by the end of the next few days for the better. The Black and White Event was only useful in gaining some experience on the side for the heroes and reaping some decent rewards. Things he wasn't lacking at the moment. Besides, Ren was sure Jaune would be able to resolve everything better than he could. Out of the two of them, the blond was the people person.

Besides said raven haired Gamer, Pyrrha stood uneasily along with the others watching by. She honestly had no clue what to do in a situation like this. The topic of the White Fang was sensitive to Blake it seemed. And while she herself had her own opinions about them, she wouldn't go so far as to call them animals like Weiss. Choosing sides between the two would only do more harm than good.

"Should we do something?" Pyrrha whispered to Yang who stood by her with a complicated set of lavender eyes.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Maybe we should just let them vent."

"That can't be healthy. They look like they're ready to jump at the others' throats." Something had to be done. Even Nora was quiet, looking as uncomfortable as the rest. That had to say something before things went out of hand.

Weiss shook her head in disbelief as Blake glared at her. Had the ninja girl lost her mind? "I don't understand what the big deal is. The White Fang are a group of savage, blood thirsty, depraved, animals that could care less if an innocent human being was killed right in front of their eyes! So why would you defend a group of filthy animals like they were innocent!?" She shouted incredulously.

"I told you to stop calling them animals!" Blake hissed, "And have you ever stopped to wonder why the White Fang hates humanity so much? It's because of people like you that only see them as snarling mongrels that only snap and bark! Maybe they're simply misunderstood!"

"Misunderstood?" Weiss rolled her eyes with a scoff, only raising Blake's anger further, "I don't know how you can misinterpret their message of genocide as anything other than pure evil. And what do you mean, people like me?" she glared dangerously.

"I'm talking about racists, people who only see the Faunus as potential threats! What else would you call them?"

Now Weiss knew that Blake had lost it. To think her own friend had the gall to call her out as a racist of all things. It stung. Weiss had to take a step back under the almost seething glare directed at her. Did Blake not even see the hurt in her eyes?

Taking a breath to calm herself, Weiss met Blake's glare with one of her own, "Clearly you've no idea what you're talking about. Let me guess, because I'm a Schnee that automatically makes me out as a slave driver who sees the Faunus as exploitable fodder instead of living beings? And you have the nerve to see me as discriminatory?" she said coldly, "Have you ever seen me look at Velvet with such disdain before? Or any of the Faunus that walk around campus? Have you?"

No, Blake had not. The anger clouding her judgment wavered as she was at loss of words. She blinked as she found her body trembling with such anger she almost found it difficult to breath. It was as if something else was in control of her. But still, it didn't change the way Weiss saw her people, she would still call them out as animals out of habit.

"Then you would stop referring to them as animals, or filthy Faunus. If you had any respect for them at all, then you wouldn't see them any differently!"

"Well, I'm sorry if said habit is due to living under a roof where your father is always cursing them out as animals to the point you find yourself picking up the habit! And you still haven't explained why it upsets you so much. Or have you forgotten?"

Weiss began to count off her fingers the several incidents that the terrorist group had been responsible for, "They've been responsible for several robberies, vandalism, verbal threats, attacks on civilian shops, and that's only the lighter crimes. Do you remember how exactly they announced their threat of genocide all those years ago?"

Blake found it hard to meet her friends gaze at the reminder. Of the horrible massacre she had unknowingly been involved in so many years ago.

From the sides, Nora frowned in confusion, "How did the White Fang announce their agenda? I never even knew that they were once peaceful." Having lived on the road most of her life with Ren, Nora wasn't up to date with some of the matters they were talking about. She had always thought the White Fang was bad from the beginning.

"Oh, I'll tell you how, Nora." Without turning away from Blake, Weiss began to explain the events that lead to the Faunus attacks, "The White Fang were peaceful, once upon a time. But they had thought that instead of doing things peacefully and working with humans, that more violent methods would do them better. So, one day they disguised themselves as workers to an event that would bring together the two species in a festival. With the others, none the wiser, they planted several hidden bombs all around the square of the town and laid in wait for the residents to gather around. And with the press of a simple button, you know what they did?" she glowered, her fists shaking as Blake's face feel in shame, "They killed not only humans, but Faunus as well in an incident that would be known as The Canterbury Bombings. It was nothing short but a slaughter that lead those animals to a path of killing every human on this planet."

"What do you know?!" Blake suddenly shouted, the memories of that day surfacing painfully as she lost her composure in the moment, "You talk about it as if you were a victim!"

"Because I am a victim!" Weiss shouted back with equal anger. Composing herself once again, the white heiress found her eyes facing the window to stare off at the night sky. Just like she had found herself doing many times in her youth.

"Do you know why I hate the White Fang so much? Why I find myself calling Faunus animals against my better judgement? Why even when I'm talking to someone as sweet and kind as Velvet, I still can't stop myself from thinking of her as another filthy Faunus? It's because my family has been at war with the Faunus since even before my birth."

From the day Weiss had been born, she had known nothing but hate and anger pointed at the Faunus. From her father, staff, even at times her own sister and brother, she had known nothing else but distrust to the animal folk. Growing up in such a household created bad habits. She hadn't even realized how wrong her way of thinking had been until her butler Klein had helped her see just how wrong she had been.

"A target has been painted on the back of my grandfather's company for as long as I can remember. And that target is literally on the back of my combat dress. Do you know what it's like growing up in a home where family friends, kind board members, and even sweet staff just randomly disappear the next day? Only to find out from your frustrated father who can hardly look at you from stress that they were assassinated just because they worked for us or were friends with us? If you don't, then let me tell you that it doesn't lead to the most pleasant of childhoods." Weiss said bitterly. She spun back around, glaring at the black themed girl as she marched to stand in front of her.

"And I'm not the only victim of the White Fang either. Tell me, have you ever wondered just how exactly Jaune got that deathly scar on his chest?"

At that, Pyrrha frowned as she found herself walking over to the two girls even as Ren tried to hold her down by her shoulder.

"Wait, what are you trying to say?" Pyrrha asked in worry. Nora joined her as well, curious at the mention of her lovable leader's old wound.

Blake was too in shock to say anything more as Weiss continued, "Months back, Jaune had shared with me how he received his scar. When he was just a child, he had been taken under the wing of a Faunus. That Faunus had become his mentor, teaching him the way of the sword and trained him to become a warrior. Jaune had been his disciple, his student. But that Faunus also turned out to be none other than the leader of the White Fang branch in Sanus. When Jaune had found out about the horrible things that the White Fang had been doing with his own eyes he went to confront his mentor about it. He trusted that man implicitly. He told me how he genuinely thought he could convince this Adam to stop all the senseless killings. Do you know what that filthy Faunus did? To someone as kind hearted and pure as Jaune?! His own mentor cut him down and left him to die alone!" she spat in disgust.

In all the tension and drama, Ren quirked a brow in interest, _'Huh. So, that's the explanation he came up with for his scar. Adam's not going to be happy. I'm actually surprised they believed him.'_ What a way to get back at the horned Player.

Pyrrha gasped in horror at the news. That was how her partner had gotten such a wound? From someone he had trusted? She couldn't even imagine such a scenario with any of the people who had trained her. How horrible...

"That's why I don't completely trust the Faunus. But it's because of those depraved animals in the White Fang that I can't. That's why I despise the White Fang and all those who gather around their cause. It's because they're a bunch of liars,"

Blake clenched her fists, shutting her eyes as she recalled all the promises she had been promised in the White Fang. The promise of change and peace with humans.

"Thieves."

She remembered running away from home and being on her own on her way to Sanus. And the times she had been left with no choice but to steal food when she was turned away for the simple ears on her head outside of her homeland.

"Backstabbers."

She remembered the humans who wore plastered smiles, hiding their true faces and the sneers aimed at her back. How they would say they simply wanted to cooperate only to turn around and laugh at their naivety before making them work for less than they deserved.

"And Murderers!"

The blood, the burning flesh, the cackling fires devouring corpses, and the firm back of the one who had said it was all for a just world. The only truth in Weiss's words. A truth Blake refused to confront. Something inside her snapped, removing the last of Blake's restraint as she yelled.

"WELL MAYBE WE WERE TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND BY YOU HUMANS!"

The bellowing shout took Weiss and the others back. The white heiress found her back smacking against the bunk bed behind her without her noticing, her body filled with fear. And shock. She couldn't find any words to say as her mind began processing what her teammate had just said.

"Blake?" Ruby said softly, her silver eyes confused as the raven-haired girl stepped back with horror in her yellow eyes.

Said girl couldn't believe what she had just said. What had gotten into her? Tears gathered in her eyes as she made out something she had never wished to see in Weiss icy blue eyes. Fear. It was too much, all eyes were now on her, judging her and filled with questions. Questions she did not want to answer.

So, she did what she did best. The only thing she was good at.

She ran.

* * *

Night had fallen without Jaune noticing. His legs had been running for so long, he had lost track of time as his thoughts were in a panicked frenzy. He had been desperately trying to find the missing memories, the ones detailing the incident that left his father in a comatose state but found nothing. It was a like a white canvas whenever he tried to reach out to the recollection. Every time he tried to pin an emotion to the event, he found himself feeling numb. No emotion could be connected to a memory that wasn't even there.

The cool breeze of the night hit his sweating face, the strength in his legs giving out after hours of endless running. Leaning his head back, Jaune drank in the cool night air in gulps. He was tired, tired of it all. Things had been going so great, he had finally begun to live a somewhat normal life after the jagged start to this game. Even if there was bound to be difficult times ahead, the time he had been enjoying had been enough to ease his worries. But this? Jaune grit his teeth, the image of his bedridden father refusing to leave his thoughts as a guttural shout left his lips. Crocea Mors fell into his hand, slamming down into the pavement in response to his anger and splitting the ground in cracks.

This turned his whole world upside down. All this time he had been carefree, ignoring his father's condition and never even once calling home to make sure he was alright. It was always his mother who had made the calls and he had always acted like everything was fine and dandy. When in actuality his family was suffering, suffering with the fact their father was in a deep sleep he would always fall back into when he awoke for a few minutes. What the hell had he been thinking when he left them to become a hero? What kind of son and brother did that make him for being selfish enough to leave them to suffer like that?

And why couldn't he remember any of it!?

Tears rolled down his face, from either frustration or something more he wasn't sure. All of this was too much to handle. His strength had completely left him at by now and he wandered over to a nearby bench. He looked up to notice the statue in front of the courtyard. Funny, he was right back to where he started, only a short run to the CCT. The visage of true heroes filled his vision as he looked at them with solemn eyes. Not that long ago he wanted to be just like them. To be the embodiment of what it meant to be a Hunter, of a true hero. Looking at his ideal now however only filled him with disgust and despair. Not at them however, only for himself. How could he ever hope to be a Hunter? Someone as selfish and worthless as him had no right to even try and call himself a hero.

Shoulders slacking, the blond knight tried to gather his jumbled thoughts and the train wreck that were his emotions. What he wouldn't do to be The Mind like Ren. His Title gave him a special ability to always remain calm under pressure. Not like the emotional heart.

What the hell did he do to deserve this?

"J-Jaune?"

Snapping his head up, Jaune found a familiar pair of yellow eyes staring back at him in alarm. And tears.

"B-Blake? What are you doing here?" His voice was cracked and broken, much like how he felt himself at the moment.

Apprehension met Jaune's question. Blake looked away, gripping her left arm. Well, of all the people she knew, he was the one she had grown to trust the most besides her team and they weren't really an option now.

"I... messed up. I said some things I didn't really mean-well I don't think I did, but-I... I don't know anymore!" she shouted in frustration, her eyes shaking as she gripped the sides of her head.

The sight of Blake in such a state struck him deep inside and he forced his own whirling emotions down. They were still there and threatened to spill over but he quashed them as best he could. There was something more important to deal with than his own self-loathing. He turned his full attention to the despaired girl as he tried to ease her, despite himself needing the same. "Calm down, Blake. I'm sure whatever you said wasn't that bad." He tried to smile for her, he could only imagine how fragile it must have looked.

"But it was! I was fighting with Weiss and accidentally let slip that I was part of the White Fang! Even worse, when I said it she looked at me with fear! She feared me, her own teammate!" Blake cried. Her fingers brushed her bow, the one thing hiding who she really was. With a mad scowl, she ripped it off, freeing her fluffy cat ears to breathe.

"So, I ran. Because that's all I'm good at."

Jaune's eyes widened as realization struck him. That was right, today was the day Blake and Weiss got into the big fight that revealed her time in the White Fang. He was supposed to help in making sure it didn't repeat again. He had completely forgotten about it, his own despair completely overwhelming everything else that had been going on.

"I don't think that's all you're good at. And it's about time you took off that bow, I thought you would look better without it."

Hearing the new voice close by, Jaune jumped out of his seat in panic. He couldn't have anyone knowing about Blake's secret. Not like this. Searching for the voice, the blond knight was surprised to find another blond with short spiky hair grinning back at them, his deep blue eyes and yellow furred monkey tail bringing back memories of long ago.

Sun Wukong waved his hand at Blake, happy to have found her.

"Sup? Funny seeing you around here. Who's the blond?"

* * *

 **DLC #8: After-school Insanity.**

"Wait, we have clubs?"

Pyrrha nodded as team JNPR walked the halls of the vast school for today's team activity. "Yes, even a combat school like Beacon has after-school clubs available to its students if they so chose. And, since we've been attending school for two months now, we first years are now allowed to scout for a club to join. Doesn't that sound exciting?" she couldn't help but grin happily. She'd never done this kind of thing back at her school in Mistral. Mostly due to her busy schedule hogging all her free time to train and prepare for tournaments.

Jaune shrugged as he threw his arms behind his head, "I guess so. Back home, we did something similar. Seeing as I have seven sisters, they would take turns hanging out with me and each one was different in their own way. I was basically in seven clubs."

"What was it like?"

"It was fun most of the time, when I wasn't being dressed as a girl."

"You use to cross-dress?" Nora snickered, imagining the blonde in a frilly dress and heels. Got to say, he didn't look half bad for a dude.

"Say what you will, but I looked damn good as a flower girl. . . .I shouldn't be proud of that." he said dejectedly.

"Don't feel bad. I know Ren makes a pretty cute girl when you've forced him into a nice dress."

Ren looked away from Jaune and Pyrrha's curious gaze, blushing in shame, "You try living with her on the road. There were things I had to do that she forced me into that I'm not proud of."

"Like posing as some damsel in distress! Show a little leg skin, and we were able to distract the merchants long enough for me to stealthily pick them of food and Lien!"

Jaune laid his hand on Ren's shoulder in support, "It's alright. I know your pain, brother." he sniffed.

Ren growled at the contact, but relented as he hugged his leader, "Shut up, and stop touching me!" he cried into his shoulder.

"Anyways," Pyrrha uttered slowly as she tried to peel her eyes away from the odd scene of two teen boy's crying in each others arms in support, "I thought we can all see what they have to offer. Other then fighting, I don't have much other skills anywhere else. It could be fun learning something new, I always wanted a hobby."

"Well, they have a lot of clubs here." Nora said as she looked over the emerald green pamphlet they had been handed by Professor Goodwitch, "They have Music Club, Cooking Club, LARP Club, Sewing Club, Martial Arts Club, Weapons Club, Hunting Club, plus a couple more. Talk about diverse."

The hell was LARP?

"My, we do have quite a number of options available for us. I'm sure if we take our time, and consider what suits us, we can all come to-"

"Let's split up!" Nora grinned, shoving a copy of the pamphlet to her team. "Divide and conquer, I say. After we've checked each one out, we can regroup and see what clubs we've joined, if any."

"But I was hoping we could all join one club together." Pyrrha whined.

"Pyrrha, hanging out together is nice and all, but we all have to have some room to breath. I mean, just look at Jaune and Ren." she gestured to the two crying huntsman earning weird looks from those passing by, "Clearly always being around woman has had some. . .side effects. Just yesterday I caught Jaune braiding Ren's hair while they gossiped. I think they need some time away from us and team RWBY so they can be bros."

The redheaded champion pouted, but relented. When Nora was right, she was right.

* * *

Splitting up, Jaune had wandered over to the first club that had caught his interest, Music Club. He didn't mean to brag, but he was actually talented on the guitar. It was something he had picked up one day when his mother had taken him out on one of their family vacations. Maybe he could become a traveling musician if all else failed?

With a quick knock on the door, Jaune was greeted into the class by one of the students. It was a large class, set up like every other classroom with the exception of all the instruments and music posters hung around. The center of the class was set up for them to play their instruments just like a concert stage. It was all pretty neat. From the sounds of it, the class was already in the middle of a set as they played a melodious tune.

"For a second, I was actually worried that I would walk into something weird." Jaune chuckled as he walked down the middle aisle for the head of the club. Spotting a well dressed brunette girl playing conductor, he waited for them to finish so he could ask about joining the club.

But life was never that simple for one Jaune Arc. The angelic music was broken by the strums of an electric guitar, straining Jaune's ears as a rainbow of spotlights beamed down on the center stage. Heavy rock drowned out the once light music as the center of the concert stage split open. And from their a familiar redhead slowly rose up from a pedestal with fog rising from the stage.

Jaune felt his eye twitch, watching as Helios threw his head back in his school uniform as he went off in a guitar solo. There it was. The catch.

Seeming to share his thoughts, the brunette girl sighed in exasperation, opening her eyes to reveal a fed up blue shade. Her conductors wand finished up the last of their piece as Helios did the same. She blinked, finding a blond haired student standing in front of her.

"Oh? I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Welcome!" she smiled brightly as the lights dimmed on the concert room, "Name's Vylla Strome, second head of the Music Club in Beacon. What can I help you with?" Said girl had short chestnut locks with a small ponytail on the side of her hear and wore a black coat tail and slacks with a frilly white blouse.

"I was thinking about joining your club." Jaune said, not so sure of the idea anymore.

Vylla nodded her head before turning her head back to Helios as he walked down the stage, "No problem. LYRE! GET YOUR DUMB ASS DOWN HERE!" she screeched.

"CALM YOUR TITS, BITCH! I'M COMING!"

Jaune clutched his ears in pain. Man, could they shout. They sounded like harpies. There went the nice image he had of the girl.

Arriving down to front, Helios intermediately grimaced at the sight of Jaune, "Freshy? What are you doing in my club?"

"What do you mean your club?" Vylla muttered in annoyance.

"I was thinking of joining. I do play guitar, so I wanted to check it out." Jaune shrugged.

Helios smirked, "Do you now? Gotta say, it's not so easy to learn to play guitar. Now anything else?"

"I know some trumpet, violin, the classics really. My little sister is kinda a prodigy and we use to play together."

"But are you any good?" the redhead rocker leered, standing over the knight with a challenging grin, "As the first head of the Music Club, it's up to me to see if anyone interested has what it takes to join my merry little band. And I know talent when I see it."

Vylla groaned, smacking her face as she recognized the look in Helios face, "Please, don't. Can't he just try out one of our regular set pieces instead more of your bull."

"I'm sorry, but which one of us dethroned the old club leader in a piano duel? And you call yourself a third year."

"I'm about a third way through my temper of kicking your ass."

Jaune stepped away as Helios rubbed his hands together mischievously.

"Actually, I think I forgot my guitar back at my dorm, so it looks like I can't try out." he laughed nervously, gulping when the redhead rocker grabbed the collar of his uniform. Jaune did not like that look in his eyes.

"Boy, we about to have a wind instrument duel. You better hope you survive my musical beating. I'm a musical, lyrical, miracle."

"That sounds so lame."

A hard slap to Jaune's was Helios answer.

* * *

An hour later, and a bruised face Jaune was trudging his feet through the halls for another club to join. Because Music Club was a little too intense for him. The so called wind instrument duel had gone. . .poorly. Not to say Jaune didn't know how to play, but compared to someone like Helios who had a natural talent for music, the knight didn't stand a chance. He wasn't adept in playing a trombone and for every mess up, he would suffer shot from a bean bag turret on the opposite side of the stage.

' _Just because we're being trained to fight monsters, doesn't mean we have to make everything so extreme.'_ At least he had found out something about the duel. Things like playing instruments drops him into a mini game of playing notes. It was pretty fun, if it wasn't for the bean bag bullet to the face. _'I might need to see Ms. Sprig about theses bruises. They really sting.'_ Jaune whimpered as he gently touched his face.

Their had to be a more comfy club in Beacon that didn't involve bodily harm.

Scanning from the club signs posted outside of the classrooms, Jaune's curiosity was peaked at spotting a very decorative painted sign. _'Art's Club?'_ Walking over to it, he found it was drawn with vibrant colors and a chibi face of a pink curled haired girl with a winky face, _'Alright, I can't see any way they can mess art club up. Unless they use the blood of their enemies as paint.'_

A quick prayer to a god that wasn't The Will, Jaune went opened the wooden door to the classroom. Inside he found every wall was painted white and the floor was tarped with large mats of painting paper for the many rainbow stains everywhere. The walls were also decorated with artistic pictures splattered by paint with little care and the only furniture he could see where the many paint displays circled around a round pedestal. The students were too focused on their individual works of art to notice him stepping in.

Jaune sighed happily at the nice atmosphere in the room. Nothing like Music Club. At least he hoped not. Now he just needed to find the one in charge to see if he could join.

"Jaune?"

The familiar voice caught Jaune's attention and turned his eyes to find Weiss sitting at one of the displays near the door. He smiled and waved at the heiress as he walked over.

"Hey, Weiss! I didn't know you painted. I thought you would be more interested in music."

Weiss scoffed at the blond knight as she dipped her brush in red, "While I do enjoy singing, I found the club lacking in real practice. Not to mention it's left in charge of two brutish upperclassmen that spend most of the time yelling at each other over the music. Besides, art takes a firm hand and a calculative eye. It's perfection at its most natural form."

"Did Helios hit you with beanbags when you messed up too?" Jaune deadpanned, noticing the faint blue and green tint on the side of her face.

"That man's worse then my instructor. I was off by the slightest key!" What a dent to her pride.

Making a mental note to find some way to make the rocker pay for dare hurting his precious Snow Angel, Jaune took a peek at her painting. It was a beautiful snowy tundra of ice inhabited by what looked like Grimm. Only the usual black hides on the Beowolves had been painted an almost glowing white with shades of light blue markings. Where they Mutants?

"So, what are doing here? Are you interested in joining this club by any chance?" Weiss asked curiously, her eyes never leaving the paper as she lightly brushed the red of the monsters eyes.

Jaune nodded, "Pretty much. This club seems really nice and I don't see any way that I could get hurt here. Or have someone hurt me."

Weiss smirked, "I wouldn't say that. Annoy me enough and you'll fine that my next work will have a new type of red that isn't paint belonging to you."

"Ouch. Why must we play these harmful games of emotions? Can't you just love me?"

"Don't get too familiar with me. Just because we're friends and we've hung out a couple of times, does not mean I'll just fall head over heels for your crappy shtick." Weiss huffed with the smallest tint of pink on her cheek. Seeing the goofy grin on Jaune's face only made her turn away in frustration. Damn idiot, did he not know he was a hazard to her cold personality?

"If you want to join, then all you have to do is talk with the club president. I'm sure she's around here somewhe-"

"WE GOT A PROBLEM, WHITE!"

Charging out of the door at the back of the room, a light dark skinned woman wearing a white apron over their school uniform ran out with a look of panic. The woman had lavender wavy hair reaching to her lower back and what Jaune could only describe as the gentlest pair of pink eyes he had ever seen. Her figure behind the color stained apron resembled an hourglass, her hips wide and her chest putting Weiss to shame. Just looking at her gave Jaune the impersonation of a mother.

Weiss frowned as the lavender haired woman stopped at her display with worry, "Lavender, what's going on?" she asked as the woman looked back at her with teary eyes, biting her lips to stop from sobbing.

"Our model for the day whimped out on us! Now we got no one for our lesson of the day!" Lavender cried, waving her hands around like a child who didn't get what they wanted.

"That is a problem." Weiss nodded before adding quickly when the older woman began to openly cry, "But we can simply move onto another lesson plan! I'm sure the others won't mind!"

"But I wanted to do the lesson!" she whined childishly.

Weiss rubbed her head tiredly. To think the president of the club who was in their third year could act so childish. It was hard to believe she was a huntress.

"Model?" Jaune asked with a tilt of his head. "What, you need someone to pose in the middle of the class so you can paint them?" he scratched his head in thought.

Blinking past the tears in surprise, Lavender found her eyes drawn to the blond haired boy beside Weiss. Her curiosity overpowered her whining as she leaned her face to get a good look at the stranger.

"Yes, actually. My lesson plan for the day was going to be on the anatomy of a huntsman. I wanted them to pose heroically for the class to show off their build, but unfortunately my model chickened out at the last second." Lavender pouted, puffing her cheeks in annoyance, "Guess he was too shy for the job. Not everyone can stay still for several hours in front of wandering eyes."

That did sound nerve wracking. Jaune could understand the nervousness it would invoke. He himself was feeling nervous, finding the older student poking his chest with scrutiny. And was her free hand rubbing his thigh?

"I'm sorry, but I never got your name."

At that, Jaune smiled apologetically as he introduced himself, "Sorry about that. Names Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!" he grinned with a wink. What could he say? Old habits died hard. And if it wasn't broken, don't fix it.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the knight, "Really? Can't you greet yourself normally?"

"I think I'll just call you, Yellow." Lavender said brightly, snatching her wandering hands back. She looked at Jaune shyly, swinging her hips behind her with a pleading look. The sight made him blush.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor, Yellow."

"Uuuuuhhh, depends?" he gulped as the dark skinned beauty touched her lip with her finger to bring out her puffy lips. Was it getting hot in here?

"Well, you look like a well built huntsman. Even better than my last model if I was honest. So, I was hoping that you could take their place instead? Please~?" she pleaded, leaning closer. Her pink eyes softly gazed into his own as she trailed her finger in circles on his chest, "I'll let you join my club. And I'll owe you a favor."

The way Lavender said made it uncomfortable to be standing. Flustered, Jaune nodded his head mutely. The purple haired artist jumped in joy, dancing in place as Weiss looked at him skeptically.

"Are you sure you can handle modeling? You'll be still for a long period of time." she said warily.

"How hard can it be?"

Now that was taken care, Lavender quickly grabbed onto Jaune's wrist, ready to get him ready. She did stop for a second with doubt.

"You won't run out on us, will you?" she asked with tearing eyes. It was like a knife to Jaune's heart.

Giving her a winning smile, Jaune eased her worries, "Don't worry, you have my word that I won't leave you like the other guy. And an Arc never goes back on his word!"

It was just posing. What could go wrong?

* * *

"I hate my stinking mouth."

Jaune's brow twitched madly as he stood in front of two dozen students circled around him brushes ready to paint his heroic pose. He even had his sword and shield out for added effect. With his sword raised high in the air majestically, and his hair blowing gently from a fan Lavender had set up behind him, he looked the part. Except for one thing.

He was naked, naked as the day he was born.

At the front of the first row of the class, Lavender giggled at the shade of red on the once confident boy, "I did say we were working on anatomy of a huntsman. We can't get a good picture of the anatomy if you're in your clothes. How else could we paint your dick?" she said innocently.

 _'How can you say something like that with such a face?!'_ Jaune groaned, his blush increased as he found hundreds of eyes drinking in the sight of him in the buff. He even caught a few wolf whistles.

"Look at the sword!"

"What a scar! It makes him look so rugged."

"I see a muscle I'd like to run my hands over."

"Wait till I tell my friends that I've seen the one and only Jaune-cena naked. They'll be so jealous!"

"If only we had some tanning oil! Imagine how his muscles would glisten in the light!"

"Hey, big boy! How you doin?"

Green colored Jaune's cheeks as he held back his lunch. That last comment was not a girl.

Back in her own display, Weiss openly gaped at what she was seeing. No matter how hard she tried to look away, her icy blue eyes would always sway back to the glistening muscles in the middle of the room. It was taking all of her will power not to stray below his waist. Beside her, one of the students leaned over in a whisper.

"Do you have any aureola pink? I'm all out."

Weiss growled, ready to shout at them before she caught the sound of a few of the girls in the classroom gasping loudly and whistle. She couldn't stop herself from spinning her head back to see what they were going on about before freezing deathly still.

Jaune snarled at Lavender as said girl was openly licking her lips at him, her gentle pink orbs never losing their innocence. The sight made his soldier stand at attention, further embarrassing him as the older girl undid the button to her shirt to reveal her dark skinned cleavage. She was doing it on purpose!

 _'Uuuuuuhhhhhhh,'_ Weiss's brain stopped functioning as her eyes devoured every detail of what she was now seeing. Her hands were on autopilot, etching the arousing sight without her notice.

"What a big boy~! Call me, hon!"

"SOMEONE GET THAT GUY OUT OF HERE!"

* * *

An hour of shame and embarrassment later, and Jaune was once again strolling the halls for a new club. Art was out of the question. Whatever innocence he may have retained before today was beaten to death by spiked clubs. Even when he tried to think of unsexy thoughts to calm his erection, Lavender would just give him these alluring expressions and poses to keep him hard. She said it was a good lesson for the class to draw an erection at full mast, when would they ever get the chance at it again? What made it worse had been his pleads to Weiss to help him out of the mess, only to go unheard in her blank daze. He was pretty sure he had broken her. Hopefully she didn't paint any of what she had seen.

Back in the art room, Lavender was busy struggling to hold Weiss back from burning her and the many pictures of a naked Jaune in many art styles with her rapier drawn in a fiery shroud. The white heiress looked to be foaming from the mouth in rage.

With another sigh escaping his lips, Jaune slid the shameful event into the back burner of his mind. He could always find a nice quite corner to sit in and cry later. There still was the matter of his after school activities. In his search, his eyes spotted a familiar sigh post by one of the classrooms. He couldn't help but grin fondly as he walked over.

"LARP?" Looking over the post, he made out the usual fantasy tropes decorated onto it. Wizards, dragons, magic, knights, goblins, the usual suspects. They had LARP in Beacon? Well that was a little odd to see. Who knew that they would have such a nerdy and dorky club in an academy training warriors. How would that even work? Reading over the description, he found that the class wasn't being held in the room today. They were actually having a match in the fields behind Beacon right now. Anyone who was interested in watching or joining the club could come over at any time.

Opening up his map on his HUD, Jaune decided it would be worth checking it out. Back home, he would play LARP with the little friends he had. It may have been nerdy game and made them out as losers and idiots, but he always had fun playing in a make believe world they had created. With that in mind, the knight went on his way to the fields, hopeful to find an after school activity he could enjoy that didn't hurt him or humiliate him.

Third time's the charm, right?

* * *

"Lightning bolt!"

"Fire, Fire, Fire!"

"I cast, Invisibility!"

"You rolled a 3, Zue. Now I can see you, so face my Gale Blade!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jaune nodded his head in satisfaction, his ears picking up the familiar shouts of magic and numbers as he made it to the fields. The back end of Beacon had a large sprawling field several miles long for sports activities. In all the combat classes and Grimm hunting, Jaune had almost forgotten that while Beacon was a school for training warriors to save the world, it was still a school. He could see several all other students doing their own things, but he was more focused on the LARP field.

The club took up decent field size. White chalk lines separated their zone from the rest and obstacle courses had been set up all over the field made up of actual rock. From the looks of it, they were already in their own game, casting spells, fighting enemies, and opening chests all while rolling dice. There was just one difference to the regular LARP he had played with his friends.

They were actually using weapons. And Dust as spells.

Watching an assassin class player get sent flying back into a stone wall in the field by a large ball of fire, Jaune could kinda see why. They were still training as hunters and their bodies were protected by aura. Using their training and tools, they could make their games even more interesting and complex. It would also simulate real combat. Who knew you could make such a nerdy game practical?

Someone in the game noticed his presence as Jaune walked over curiously. The man had jet black shaggy bed hair reaching his shoulders, green eyes, and pale skin. Seeing Jaune, the man walked over with a polite smile. He was dressed in dark blue trench coat, purple baggy pants, leather sandals, and wore rectangle shaped glasses.

"Hello, stranger! Taking a look at our weekly game of Wyverns and Knights, are you?" he said brightly.

Jaune nodded, "Pretty much. I never knew you could use huntsman training to play LARP though. It's like bringing our fantasies to life." he smiled fondly.

"A fellow Larper, are you? It's always nice to meet one who hadn't started playing the hunter's version like most here." the older student grinned before introducing himself, "Name's En Aku, president and founder of Beacon's LARP Club. Nice to meet you!"

"Name's Jaune Arc, and it's nice to meet you too." Jaune grinned back, shaking En's hand. So far, so good. The guy in charge of the club wasn't manipulative or strict, the dark haired club president actually appeared normal.

"So, Jaune, are you interested in joining our game? We have enough room for another player join in if you're interested." En smiled, fixing his glasses as a stray gust of wind from a player's spell ruffled their clothing.

Looking out at the field and the excited smiles and grins on the other students faces as they played in their own made up fantasy, Jaune nodded back with an excited grin. He was a little rusty in LARP, but he had the jist of it down. All he needed was some dice and a class, and he'd be set.

"I'd be more than happy to play! It's been years since I got to play with others like this. I just need you to give me a quick run down and what I need to play though." he said sheepishly.

En nodded in understanding, musing as his green eyes looked Jaune over. It was then that Jaune was taken back, catching the raven haired student's eyes dull and grow an odd cross hair like circle bar. The sight of it made the knight go on edge and step back, his arm flying for the handle of Crocea Mors summoned to his waist. He knew that look anywhere.

Seeing the action, En waved his arms around frantically, smiling in apology as Jaune began to slide the blade to his sword out, "Wait! I'm not trying to hurt you or anything like that. It's just my semblance activating is all." he chuckled nervously, the bar in his eyes filling up with an audible ding.

Semblance? "What kind of semblance is that?" Jaune frowned, sending Crocea Mors back to his inventory. For a second he thought he found another Player. That would have been trouble seeing as the only Player he was on good terms with was Ren.

"I like to call it Observation. By looking at my target, I'm able to see things normal people can't. I'm able to see their aura, weak points, what kind of weapons they carry even if their hidden, and even determine their strength. It's nothing flashy like others, but it does well when my leader has me running our missions as a tactician. Kinda useless against Grimm though." En said weakly as he scratched the back of his head.

Calming down, Jaune was glad to know he wasn't facing another Player. Too many of them have tried to kill him since joining The Game. He didn't need a fifth after his head.

"It doesn't sound useless. I bet your semblance has saved your lives plenty of times. And if you can see the weak points in Grimm, I wouldn't call it useless." Jaune reassured him as the student smiled gratefully. He did frown though, "Why were you using your semblance on me anyways?"

En blinked before gasping in understanding, "Oh, well I was just seeing what kind of class of warrior to assign you before you started the game. After a quick observation of your skill level, I would say you're better suited for a Rune Knight class. You posses a decent amount of strength and your aura is rather large, more so than most. I would actually worry about fighting someone like you in an actual fight." he said nervously. Reaching into the many pockets of his trench coat, En gestured for Jaune to open his palm before handing him a few sets of brightly designed cards.

"Those will be your Ability Cards and a few Item cards. You're going to start off as a Level 5 Rune Knight based on the observation. I just need you to download the dice rolling app on your scroll before we begin. I'll even explain to you some of the rules to the game to get you going."

Taking out his scroll, Jaune couldn't help but feel excited. Looked like he finally found a club that wasn't going to end so badly.

* * *

A quick talk with En and downloading the app to game, and Jaune was already out on the field on his own adventure. The LARP field stretched out to the Emerald Forest, just enough to where no Grimm activity could be stumbled upon. Seeing as Jaune was new in the game, En decided to follow after him and help him get back into the flow of things.

Already a twenty minutes into the game, and the party of two had already fought various enemies on their path.

En nodded encouragingly at Jaune as they faced three 'goblins'. Said monster were really old training robots painted and decorated to look like the fantasy creatures.

"All you need to do is roll a seven on your first turn and we'll be rid of these foul creatures!"

They had already dealt some damage to the goblins and now they simply needed a wide range attack to finish them. And as a Rune Knight, Jaune had a wide range Ability that could seal the deal. He just needed to make the right roll.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune shook his scroll around, the action rolling the programmed dice on his screen to simulate a roll. Tumbling around the screen like a super ball, the red dice came to stop and landed on seven. Both huntsman cheered.

Staring off with the goblins waiting their turn, Jaune smirked as he played his Ability, swiping the card against the reader of his scroll, "Alright, let's see how they like a taste of my Ignis Grenade!" Using up a Fire Dust crystal, Jaune used the magical stone in place of fire magic to launch a ball of licking flames at the three mock monsters. Using the same system that connected to the app, the robots were destroyed by the fireball, their systems reading the damage they were dealt as they perished.

Jaune pumped his fist in victory, his scroll loading the EXP and rewards earned from slaying the goblins. Why couldn't his own curse be like LARP? It was actually entertaining and not life threatening.

"I can't believer Ozpin let us use the old training droids as enemies. It makes LARPing even more fun!"

En shared the same thoughts as he looked over his own rewards on his scroll, "When I first entered Beacon, I talked to him about creating a real life LARP while practicing our combat abilities. He actually loved the idea and helped to set up the foundations of the club alongside me. Even gave me the Lien I needed to create the program on our scrolls." he said happily.

That was cool of the Headmaster. Jaune always got this dungeon master feel off of him.

"So, what's next? The mission on our scrolls said to investigate a disturbance in the forest. Looks like the goblins weren't the objective." Jaune asked.

En frowned in thought, scrolling through his own mission. Random quests were given out by the Fantasy Engine he had created, creating scripted battles and adventures he had stayed up nights writing. This one was a rather simple one for beginners. Find the Goblin Leader and take him out before he reached the border of the Emerald Forest to the other players. They should have walked into the boss by now.

"I guess we should continue searching the forest. We're bound to find the disturbance somewhere."

Pocketing his scroll, Jaune turned back to the forest path in search of his elusive objective. He was really enjoying himself. It was looking like he had just found the club he wanted to join.

"AWAY WITH YE, NAVE!"

Jaune's face paled at the familiar shout and the sound of an explosive nearby. No, for the love of all that was holy, it couldn't be who he thought it was!

A burning, mangle portly green painted goblin robot soon followed the commotion, sent flying past the trees to crash into the bark of the large tree by the two players. Flames and sparks were released from its corpse as it let out a goblin shriek before shutting down and exploding in an inferno. Jaune recognized the damage all too well.

Walking past the trees with with her hammer laid over her shoulders, Nora grinned widely as her green eyes read over the rewards and experience gained from beating the boss on her scroll. From the looks of it, she made an all time record for defeating the Goblin Leader.

"Sweet! I've just leveled up and gained All Mighty Blow! This game is a lot cooler than I gave it credit for." she said with a pleased hum. Turning her eyes up, she blinked as she found a familiar blond by the defeated enemy boss. "Jaune-Jaune? What are you doing here?" she asked curiously before her eyes fell on the cards in his hand. She suddenly squealed before jumping in joy.

"You're playing LARP too? That means we can fight each other!" She'd been looking for a good excuse to fight her leader.

Jaune gulped nervously, backing away from the wide grin on the valkrie's face. Yeah, no. There was no way he was going PvP with Nora. He looked to En for help, hoping the older student could help him in his escape.

"MY GODDESS!"

Jaune grew slacked jawed, finding En falling to his knee's in reverence to Nora of all people. What the hell was he seeing? With literal stars in his green eyes, En sighed dreamily at the orange haired hammer girl, the very sight of her making his heart beat like crazy.

"What are you doing here? I would have thought you were challenging other fools to trial by combat at the PvP grounds?" he asked, his eyes growing hearts as she smiled lovingly.

In Jaune's normal sight, she looked bored as she picked her nose. Times like this he wished he had Weiss teaching her proper manners and how to act like a lady. He went back to the lovestruck En, wanting answers.

"Why are you going head over heels for Nora?"

En gasped dramaticlly as he stood back up to stare Jaune dead in the eyes, "It's because out of all the new players that have joined, she is the first to best several high level players at once! My observation had picked up on her incredible strength and assigned it to her accordingly, so it was no surprise that she had done so well. But the way she took charge of the game and got into character so well is what really robbed me of my heart!" he gushed, his heart eyed stare falling back on Nora as she poked the flaming wreckage that was her enemy, "Never have I seen such a beauty in my life! She truly is the Queen of the Castle! The very picture of grace and tranquility! She's beauty incarnate!"

Jaune stared flatly at Nora, the bubbly orange head batting the flaming head of the robot away with a raspberry. None of what he said was right. Nora was hot and pretty, but her insanity terrified him at times.

Growing bored, Nora spun her head back to Jaune, smirking as she lifted her hammer/grenade launcher at him in challenge.

"Seeing as I'm done with my quest, I've decided to finally challenge you to a fight! So, please do well to entertain thy queen in combat, foolish Rune Knight! Or I will have your head on a pike!" she laughed maniacally.

"I don't have to fight her, do I?" Jaune asked nervously, sweating as she reared back her silver gray hammer. En nodded enthusiastically.

"She has declared PvP! Your scroll is now locked onto her own. There's no running from our beloved queen!"

"What part of that is beloved!" Jaune shouted in annoyance, pointing his trembling finger to a madly grinning Nora as she cackled evilly.

"I'll take the first turn!" Not giving Jaune anymore say, Nora shuffled through her cards, growing giddy as she found just what she was looking. It was a sparking bolt striking an old weathered hammer, one of the very first abilities she had unlocked, "I play, Thor's Strike! If I roll three 5's in a row, then not only do I attack you, but I also land a Critical Hit! I only have one question for you, foolish Rune Knight!" Nora whispered huskily.

"Are you feeling lucky?"

Jaune whimpered, hating the rules based on old RPG's. They moved in turns and he couldn't dodge.

"En, mind backing me up?"

"GO, MY BEAUTIFUL WAR GODDESS! SMITE THY NAVE WITH THE BOLT OF LOVE AND PEACE!"

". . .I hate you."

Nora grinned in victory, the last roll reading five. That was three in a row! What were the odds of that happening? With leering eyes, she swung back her weapon, activating her semblance to coat it with pink lightning.

"PICK A GOD AND PRAY!"

Jaune cursed the gods above, his girlish scream echoing through out the forest as Nora's elemental enhanced hammer swing sent him flying just like the Deathstalker in initiation had done. He looked like a twinkling star crossing the heavens.

Guess LARP Club was out of the question.

* * *

"I think I'm done trying to find a normal club."

Head falling back into the soft pillow provided by Nurse Spriggan in the nurse's office, Jaune sighed in defeat as he laid in the nurses bed. After falling back to earth like a literal star, some student had come across his smoking body and carried him back to the nurses office. Now he was just relaxing after the pink haired woman had treated his wounds and left him heal with his aura.

LARP had been so promising. But the game allowed Nora to go crazy and the club president was more than content with letting her do what she wanted from the looks of it. It was better that he didn't involve himself in such an after school activity. It was dangerous to his health.

' _I wonder if Pyrrha and Ren are doing any better? Because it looks like I won't be doing anything after school with them.'_ Hopefully they had done better in their search then him.

Opening the door to her office, Nurse Sprig raised her brow at finding a depressing aura over the normally dorky knight. It was like a dark storm was raining down onto his head.

"What's got you down in the dumps now, Jaune?" she sighed, walking over to her most frequent patient. She took a seat by his bed, crossing her arms as she looked at him questioningly.

It was a weird habit they had fallen into since the FoF event months ago. She would play counselor and listen to his troubles whenever he wound up in her care again. Which happened every so often with his training and bad luck. Seemed there was some deity out there who just loved to watch him suffer.

Jaune scratched his head, staring up at the white ceiling with a frown, "I don't know? I guess I'm just bummed out that I can't even find a normal club to join. It's like I fail at even something as simple as that." he grumbled.

Nurse Sprig rolled her eyes, poking Jaune's temple flatly with a pen on hand, "Who cares if you can't find a normal club. You don't have to join one. There are better things to do with your time." she said tiredly, not all that interested in his problems.

"Yeah, but I'm sure the rest of my teammates fond a club to join. I'd join them, but the point of all this was to find our own clubs. I don't want to cramp their style."

"Then you can just hang out in your own dorm and play video games or something." she shrugged, not really seeing what the big deal was, "I swear, you make this out to be much more of a problem than it should be." she smirked.

The pink haired nurse was right. It wasn't something to get upset about. Still, Jaune thought as he slumped further into the bed. It would have been nice to find an after school activity to relax and unwind in. Maybe even make some new friends too. His Quirk and growth did largely depend on making friends.

Seeing the blond knight still depressed, Nurse Sprig tapped her lips in thought. Well, there was one way to lift his spirits up. And it benefited the both of them. Well, mostly her.

Patting the blond's head reassuringly, Nurse Sprig smiled at him, "There is one club that I think you can join with no problem. It's rather simple and there are no strings attached." she assured him.

Jaune was skeptical, but listened. As rude and unmotivated Nurse Spriggan could be, she had his best interest in mind. She of all people knew what was best for him. Sitting back up, he faced his pseudo counselor with interest.

Third time was a bust. Surely the fourth wouldn't fail him.

* * *

With the number of the room in hand, Jaune soon made it to the club room Nurse Sprig had given him. The club was actually held in Professor Port's class. Made sense seeing what it was about.

"Hunting Club, huh?" Jaune mumbled, looking at the simple bold lettered board hung in front of the door.

Nurse Sprig had said Hunting Club was rather simple. It was a club where students learned not to hunt Grimm, but how to hunt animals. Along with that, they also learned how to survive in the wild and learn skills in the field. It was just like Professor Antheia's class but more campy and he wasn't being seduced by an older fox eyed woman. They even took regular trips out into the forest for campfires to roast treats and tell ghost stories if he remembered what the pink haired nurse had said. Safe to say, he had some hopes for Hunting Club.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune gathered his courage and opened the door. He had to stop thinking about what could go wrong and just go for it. It was an outdoors after school activity. The worst that could happen to him was catching on fire.

"For today's prey, we will be hunting the ever elusive, strong and dorky, Jaune Arc. Also known as my future baby's daddy. Maybe babies."

Silence. The very moment Jaune stepped into the door and shut it behind him, all eyes inside the classroom fell on him. His blank face met none other then Tsuki Yumi, the raven ponytail huntress's own red eyes locking with his own at the end of her sentence. On the white board, a very detailed, naked drawing of his earlier pose in art club could be seen as Tsuki pointed her wooden pointer towards his marker etched dick. A little tag was taped to her left breasts, reading 'President'.

Jaune blinked once. Twice. Nodded his head simply and even turned his head to the left of the class when he found a familiar pair of magenta eyes staring at him in disbelief from their seats.

"Hey, Ren. I, uh, didn't know you would be interested in Hunting Club too." Jaune said emotionlessly. Ren nodded back, not really sure what to say after what the club president had said.

"Yeah," he said slowly before pointing to the raccoon hat on his head that many of the students also wore, "They give you a pretty nice hat upon joining."

"Cool, that's, uh, pretty cool." Jaune sighed, his emotionless eyes turning back to find Tsuki grinning sharply at him from the teacher's desk. Her leering red eyes were full of mischief.

"And that, my fellow hunters, is how we lead our prey to our den after paying a certain nurse a couple hundred Lien to send him our way."

A vein pulsed visibly on Jaune's forehead, his face remaining blank as a certain pink haired traitor came to mind. He had half a mind to send Nora her way. But for now, he spun back for the door, not saying a word before dashing out of the club in a mad haste.

Ren sighed, shaking his head as Tsuki began to strut for the door, eyes gleaming with a scary tint.

"Do we really have to hunt him down?"

Tsuki looked back at the eastern boy, raising her brow questioningly.

"Depends. Do you want to give back your raccoon hat?"

". . . . . .I'll start setting up the traps at his regular grazing spots."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

Humming happily, Pyrrha knitted the last thread in whatever she was knitting. Content with her work, she stood up from her desk and walked over to the club president to see how she had done.

Hera carefully inspected the red scarf in her hand from said spartan girl, "Not bad, Nikos. Compared to your first few attempts, this one actually came out pretty decent. I still see some threads crossing visibly in the stitching here and there, but you're getting there." she said politely.

Pyrrha smiled happily, "Thank you, Hera! I appreciate your honesty. I won' let this failure stop me from messing up the next one!" she said brightly with vigor.

"The point is not to mess up, you nut." What was wrong with the so called four time winning Mistral champion? It was like she enjoyed messing up.

Taking back the slightly messed up scarf back to her work station, the red headed spartan went back to sewing her next article of clothing. The very first club she had found was Home Economics, a simple club activity that taught everyday chores and household skills. It wasn't combat related and some would say there was no use for such a boring club, but Pyrrha disagreed. As someone who had been taught combat from an early age, she had no idea how to do some of the more simple things in life. Such as what she was doing now. Even if she was messing up in knitting and sewing, it was still fun.

A loud feminine scream caught the attention of the few students within the classroom. For some reason, the girlish cries for help were awfully familiar to Pyrrha as she turned for the doorless entrance. Her jaw then dropped, finding a blond streak pass the door followed closely by several students wearing furry raccoon hats with old time muskets and rifles armed.

"YOU WON'T TAKE MY FINE ASS ALIVE!"

"EITHER IT'S HIS ASS, OR YOUR ASS!"

Pyrrha stared dumbly at the passing Hunting Club, her mind stumped and baffled at what she had just seen. Three questions arose as she processed what her eyes had made out.

1\. Was that Jaune? 2. Why was Ren leading the charge? And 3. If that was Jaune, why was he naked?

* * *

 **Mistakes and forgotten memories. A dark presence has caught a Will of its own and old wounds have opened up. What makes you, You? Is it your face, your smile, or your name? Strays lost and confused in the night, only for a bright eyed, bushy tailed monkey to stumble onto them. What new events will surface when next we meet?**

 **Beware the man who speaks with class and smells of smoke. Lest he reminds you of the sins crawling up your back.**

 **Alright, so Chapter 22 was actually broken off where we are now. My Beta, A Fan1204 had suggested I cut back on the word count, so I thought it would be a good idea to stop there. I have the rest that I'm working on with his help. He actually helped a lot in reworking some of the scenes. And because of that, we probably won't be done for another three chapters. I was planning on finishing up this Volume with the last two chapters, but I've added another one to get the most out of it and not rush it.**

 **Again, I won't be able to write as freely as before until we've finished unpacking. At least that gives me plenty of time to polish up what I got. I'm going to see what I can get done right now. Tomorrows going to be busy. Also, Multiplayer's got its own TvTropes page! It's filling up slowly, so if check it out if you want. If you know of any tropes missing, contact Saint Danielle. He's also the author of Arcane, an interesting fic I have high hopes for.**

 **Oh, and on the Multiplayer Journal. I'm still looking out for a place for it. I'm also looking out for any fanart for it, so if you got any drawing talent, go crazy. I'd really love to see teh OC's drawn out too.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	23. All Who Wonder

**For thousands of years, I have slumbered! Who dares to wake the great and mighty NeoShadows!?**

 **Oh, right. Almost forgot I got a fanbase to cater to.**

 **NeoShadows here, chilling back in my bed in my new room and home! Phew, almost thought I'd wind up homeless for the third time in my life. Got to love my Grandma, otherwise we would have been sleeping outside in alleys and unsavory spots as kids. But now I'm able to actually have a home under my name and take care of my mama, got to love hard work.**

 **For the past month, I've been busy fixing up the house and moving things in. I haven't had enough time to sit down and actually write since we started. I got all this done under a weeks time though, so I'm back in the game! Even got a nice little DLC done too. Well, little to me. But compared to others, 8k+ is extra reading is a lot. Hope you all didn't think I'd just abandon the story. I know that's the problem with Gamer fics half the time, most writers would give up after a while. But not this guy! I got things planned and in motion.**

 **So, let's save all those matters for the end AN and get Reviews out of the way with! Or, simply scroll past and dive in. I won't judge.**

 **He Who Listens: Jaune's new combat gear is based off the Mercenary Class in Fire Emblem Fates. The Dread Fighter class is badass though. Glad to find another Fire Emblem fan.**

 **EiNyx: I told you he'd have his development. It's no fun if it happens like that. As for the length of the DLC, eh, my Beta has already said I have a problem with churning out too much words. The DLC is simply extra fun that you can read if you so please. And I don't really feel like making them into their own story. Too much of a hassle really.**

 **Matvize: That's what I do, boy. I tip the scales in my favor! Fire Emblem Awakening is my favorite 3DS game, I still play it to this day. And I'm truly honest in saying that it surprise me that my OC's have gathered such fans. It makes me giddy to know my own characters are beloved already. And I'll continue to hopefully met your expectations!**

 **Dragon Ryo: You know, that's how I picture my story while I'm writing, as an anime. It really helps, especially when depicting the action scenes. Glad I could make you laugh.**

 **Saint Danielle: Boy, we haven't even touched the surface of the drama I have in stores. You understand a bit of what I have planned, good on ya. But the fighting between them won't happen in this Volume, I have that saved for next. And I'm still working over the edges of his 'gifts'. I'm happy for your praise of my OC's, nothing makes a fanfic writer happier then to know their own creations are loved. I hope the rest I have planned will do well. You know who Pitho's is inspired from? Do tell. And for the Fourth Player, he's been hinted at. And he's been seen. You'll meet him soon, sooner then you'd expect.**

 **Benthino: Deathwatch, you say? Why does that bring back memories I can no longer recall? And send a shiver down my spine. Always a pleasure to read your reviews.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Man, that was a long one. Let's see what I can answer. You copied me, you saw the great NeoShadows move and felt the desire to as well. He has to be as strong as Yang, not exactly stronger but enough to stand toe to toe. Tsuki is a mystery, one that will slowly be explained in future Volumes. I don't think anyone will be able to guess her story or background. Fake Jaune? I wouldn't say that to his face. That's all I can answer for now. Now get to reading, ya bum.**

 **Ultimate Pervy Sage: With a name like that, I bet my DLC's are the best to you. As they are to me as well.**

 **Zoanzan: You gotta love that spiky haired monkey. Also, I didn't get the link you posted in your review. Now I'm curious as to what you wanted to show me.**

 **AZalmega: Ah, you two are a masochist? Sadly, I may as well be too. If you think you've seen dark, then you ain't seen nothing yet. Wait till Volume Three of Multiplayer, that's going to be a doozy for ya. Sadly, not every chapter can have a cliffhanger. Ya can't force it, it happens on its own, ya bastard. As for expressing my dirty side, have you read Chapter 3 of ArcWorks? It won't be long until you've fully witnessed such a side. And I'm always happy to reply to a fan whenever I can.**

 **TalonIbnAhad: Why, hello my white colored associate! It is pleasent to meet you. (Keep cool, amigo. Those bastards will never take us from our tequila and precious porn!) Again, you leave me hanging with an Omake not even finished this time? I have half a mind to hunt you down and backhand you till you're calling me papi. The third god, or goddess, will be revealed in time. I love her design out of all because of what she represents. As for the other Jaune, I can't wait to show you their confrontation! In another time though. We got to build up that kind of thing. Remember, hermano, stock up on all the liquor in sight and save all your most valuable hardcore porn and hentai in a drive. We must prepare to face them head on, drunk off our asses with a bodypillow of our waifu's by our side. VIVA LA PORNO! And remember to finish your omake, don't leave me hanging, ya bastard.**

 **Lazylifeguard: Been there, done that ten times in my life. Glad to have ya on board!**

 **Phantom Stranger: I like what you've said, but I got something already planned in mind. But! I like two of the names you've created, Incidium and Verus Mors. I'd love to use them for the two weapons I had created but been stumped on their names.**

 **Alright! That's done, so let's get to reading! We'll have more to discuss if you're willing to listen at the end of the chapter. So, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Just got my tax returns in! Too bad I know of no sexy-sexy clubs nearby. Aw, well I'll just entertain myself with my newest game, Persona 5. I seriously must have a problem if my mind falls down the gutter at finding out my teacher in game is working as a sexy cleaning maid with 'special services' for older men. God, I love this game!**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: All Who Wonder.**

Morning came sooner than Ruby had expected, her face twisting as she fought the drowsiness in her eyes, her efforts to blink away the sleep with a yawn proving fruitless. Stretching out her arms with a groan, her silver eyes immediately spun for the bottom bunk across her own. She sighed, gripping her bed covers tightly when she found no trace of her black themed teammate. Blake hadn't come home.

Last night had been eventful to say the least. A simple little stroll into Vale had evolved into a shouting match between Weiss and Blake, their arguing carrying over all the way back to their dorms as their team and the NRP of JNPR could only watch on awkwardly. Any attempts to calm them down or ease the tension was immediately shut down by the two. They settled for hoping that the two could settle their petty arguing. Said hopes were shot down though as a little secret had slipped past Blake's lips in their fight. Well, two.

Blake was a faunus. How they had never realized it until now was baffling. It did make Ruby curious as to what kind of faunus the book lover was. You couldn't blame them for not knowing, Blake showed no visible animal features. So, it was shocking to find out that their friend that they had been living with for the last four months was secretly a faunus. But the real kicker wasn't even that. No, what had really taken them back was more. . .complicated.

Blake was part of the White Fang. Or had been. Ruby wasn't too clear on the details and that was the problem. Her friend, teammate, sister from another mother, dirty smut reading buddy, had been part of an organization that wished to wipe out humanity from the face of the earth. It was no wonder why she had been so defensive about the White Fang. All the insults thrown towards the organization was the same as insulting her. Honestly, it was all rather confusing to the young huntress.

The White Fang was a terrorist organization. To find out that Blake was associated with them was hard to believe. Ruby had always seen her as a quiet, gentle, polite, albeit a bit anti-social, but an all-around good person. Thinking back to the many crimes the White Fang had committed caused a shiver of doubt to run down Ruby's spine.

Blake was a good person, right?

With a disgruntled huff, Ruby fell back to her bed while pulling at her hair in annoyance. Now she was doubting Blake of all people! Sure, she wasn't sunshine and rainbows, but after getting to know the ninja girl these past few months, Ruby was positive that she wasn't a bad person. Thinking such things wouldn't get her anywhere. What they needed to do was listen to Blake's side of the story before coming to any conclusions. After that. . .well, they'd get to that part after finding their friend first.

The morning was still young and it wouldn't do her any good to ponder and plan their next plan of action on an empty stomach. Her stomach happily growled at her wise decision as she nodded her head firmly. Some breakfast and cookies would do her good right about now. With that plan in mind, Ruby jumped down from her bed and blitzed around the room in rose petals to dress herself.

"Wake up, Yang, Weiss! It's not good to lay around in bed all day! We got things to do!"

Yang groaned as she shifted under the covers of her bed. Why couldn't Ruby be like any other girl and sleep the day away? A day off meant that they could do whatever they wanted. Sleep was on most girls' list. Like herself, you didn't get a body like hers by waking up early in the morning. She needed at least ten hours of beauty sleep to keep up her sexy looks, damn it!

The covers hiding Yang from the world were cruelly tugged away, sending her falling for the unforgiving floor with a surprised shout. Despite how groggy and tired she was feeling, the boxy blonde still had the energy to glare daggers at her sister poking her tongue out at her. Dirty little red head.

"All of my hate." she hissed, flinching as a cute animal stuffed pillow smacked her face.

Ruby grinned at her sister's grouchy rebuttal, "If you keep glaring at me like that, then don't blame me when you start developing wrinkles on your face. I think I saw a wrinkly line over your forehead before I threw my pillow at you. What boy would want you now?" she teased.

"As long as I have a kickass rack like this, no boy would be able to resist me." Yang huffed as she tossed the fluffy bed item away. "Just watch yourself, little sister. You'll get your due for ruining my sleep."

"Silly Yang, that's why I have super speed! Can't reap what you can't catch."

Rolling her eyes, Yang got back up with a yawn and stretched her back. Subtly, her magenta gaze peeked at the top bunk of her bed, finding herself disappointed. No sign of Blake. She must not have come home last night. Where was that girl? Well, standing around wasn't going to answer her questions. It was time to get ready and see where her partner went off to.

Looking around for some casual wear, Yang leaned her back for a moment to glance at Weiss's bed. She frowned, not catching the head of pale white hair resting on her bed.

"Where's Weiss?" Yang asked Ruby, her question snapping her little sister's gaze to the heiress's lower bunk. Ruby frowned, just as confused.

"I don't know? I would have thought she would still be sleeping. Then again, Weiss does wake up earlier than the rest of us."

"Yeah, she does. But not on weekends." Just like herself, Weiss valued sleep. It was only on their days off that she would sleep in. Something wasn't right here.

While it was out of norm for Weiss to not be sleeping in, Ruby wasn't worried. If anything, her partner probably couldn't sleep after yesterday's events. She must have gotten up early and walked around to clear her mind or something. Feeling like she knew just where to find Weiss, Ruby threw on her combat gear and headed straight for the door. They had work to do.

Swinging the door open, Ruby was suddenly taken back to find Pyrrha at the front of her door, the ponytailed red head's fist ready to knock on the wooden frame. Pyrrha's eyes looked tired, as if she hadn't had a wink of sleep. Standing behind her was the rest of her team. Except for one blond haired knight.

"Pyrrha? What are you doing here?" Ruby asked as the spartan girl looked back at her with worry.

"I was just wondering if any of you have seen Jaune since yesterday? He. . .he hasn't come back yet." she said softly, her shoulders stiff with worry.

"Jaune hasn't come back? At all? Didn't he go to the CCT to talk to his parents?"

"Right, but we haven't received any message from him saying he was going anywhere after that. And all my texts and calls have gone unanswered." Pyrrha bit her lip, feeling a lump grow in her stomach, "It's almost like he doesn't want us to see him. I'm afraid he's gotten into another mess like he found himself in with the FoF."

Yang waved the worry away, "You're over-exaggerating, P-Money. If Jaune hasn't come back, then chances are that he might have met a pretty lady and spent the night with her. If you know what I mean." she grinned playfully.

Pyrrha shook her head stubbornly. Her personal feelings aside, she had very little belief that her leader would do such a thing. Despite how strong he was in a fight, he was very timid at times. She was his partner after all, she knew Jaune's character very well. Going out for a one night stand wasn't like him.

"Jaune wouldn't do something so sleazy, I know that for a fact. I'm just worried with his kind of luck that he's been roped into another mess." she sighed tiredly. Jaune just had that weird misfortune about him. It was like he couldn't go a single day without it devolving into chaos. Though, most of that had to do with having someone random like Nora in their team she supposed.

"I guess you do have a point there. Wasn't he chased around campus by the Hunting Club last week?"

Ren nodded his head to that, "We were so close. I nearly lost my cozy hunting cap because he escaped our traps." Tsuki was not happy about that. Those cold red eyes reminded him of a certain someone, and that wasn't a good thing. If the girl owned a red odachi then Ren was calling shenanigans.

"You shouldn't worry too much about the guy. I'm sure he's just fine. He probably had it rough with his parents and decided to collect his thoughts away from his team, or something." Yang shrugged, "He'll come around. Sometimes a guy needs his space, especially since he's team leader."

"I still think we should go look for him."

Knowing Pyrrha wouldn't leave it as is, Yang decided to just let her do her own thing. The blonde brawler had her own team troubles to deal with it anyway. Looking for Jaune when she positive that he was fine wherever he was would waste time in finding her own partner. What a coincidence though. If Yang didn't know any better, both their teammates had just run off into the night together.

"Well, we're still getting ready on our end. Once we've tracked down the rest of our team, we'll be sure to help out in your search if you haven't found Vomit-boy."

"Blake not make it home yesterday?" Ren quirked a brow, knowing full well of the cat girl's situation. Knowing Blake, she was hiding out in Vale with Sun. He knew exactly where to find her. But this was an Event that he didn't want to butt into. He was curious to Jaune's whereabouts though. The blond knight wasn't even responding back to his own messages. It was as if he was shutting them out.

Ruby sadly nodded her head, her silver eyes falling to the empty bedside of her teammate.

"Not since her fight with Weiss. I'm really worried. What if she ran away?" she bit her lip with worry.

Ren shook his head calmly, smiling to ease the reaper's worries, "Now you're the one over exaggerating. I don't think Blake's the type to run away."

That was a lie. It was completely like Blake to run away from her problems. It matched her semblance to a T.

But it was enough to settle Ruby's nerves as she worked up a smile. There was no need for them to go guns blazing yet. The real action wouldn't unfold until tomorrow.

The loud rumble of hungry stomachs quickly brought down the tense atmosphere. Ruby scratched the back of her head bashfully along with Nora. Even Pyrrha glanced away with an embarrassed blush. Ren chuckled.

"I think right now would be a good time as any to grab some breakfast. It's no good to be making any hasty plans on empty stomachs." he suggested, turning his eyes to Pyrrha's own still worried green gaze. Even when she was hungry and tired from a sleepless night, she still put herself second. Laying his hand over her shoulder reassuringly, he urged her along with the others to the cafeteria, "I'm sure that Jaune is fine as well. Who knows? He might just turn up on our way back to the dorms. You can scold him then for worrying you."

Pyrrha looked like she wanted to argue, but relented with a grudging sigh. Ren was right. Jaune was probably on his way back to Beacon as they spoke. Not to mention her own stomach was fighting with her to listen to the raven ninja. Nodding her head, she followed after the rest of the two teams.

It was only morning. She was sure her teammate would make it back before breakfast was over.

* * *

 **Vale**

"You two really are a couple of rays of sunshine, aren't ya?"

Sun Wukong stared flatly at the two hunters sitting across from him from within the small diner of the hotel they had stayed at overnight. The two Beacon students were downtrodden, an air of depression hung over their heads as they sat with sullen expressions. Jaune and Blake sighed in sync, glimpsing back at the dirty blond faunus with slight annoyance. They were not in any mood to be talking.

With a grumble, Sun bit down on his banana topped pancakes. And here he was hoping to make some new friends in Vale. One of them was even a faunus, a cute cat faunus! What more could he ask for? Unfortunately, he caught them in the middle of some drama it seemed. It was his turn to sigh as he leaned back into the booth. Maybe he would have been better off waiting another month with his team before heading to Beacon for the Vytal tournament? The monkey faunus shook his head at the thought. Where was the fun in listening to Neptune?

Digging into his breakfast, the monkey faunus scratched his head to figure out where to go from here. This was kinda awkward. Here he was, all smiles and enjoying his meal, and then he had the two across from him quietly poking at their food with very little interest. They were taking small bites, lost in thought. They were starting to bum him of all people out!

"Soooooo? You guys mind filling me in on what's bugging you two?" he asked with a raised brow, openly chewing on his syrup soaked flapjacks with little manners. He frowned in more annoyance, not even getting a rise of disgust out of them. That usually worked on most.

Blake didn't give him more than a slight glance before going back to staring at her Vale toast. Why was she even here? She should have been. . .Well, that was where her train of thought pretty much ended. She didn't have a clue on what to do next. Now that her friends had learned that she was once part of the White Fang, she couldn't just return as if things were the same. Not after the bombshell she accidentally slipped by. Her yellow eyes did turn to Jaune, his downtrodden demeanor mirroring her own. It looked as if she wasn't the only one lost and confused.

 **'Blake and White Event has arrived! Blake and White: The bonds of two warriors has been strained! Two sides to the same coin, conflicting and fighting another like water and oil. What will you do? Favor the Black, or soothe the White? This Event is not mandatory but will affect the bonds of Blake and Weiss and grant rare rewards! What conflict will await you?**

 **Accept? Yes/No.'**

The text invisible to all but Jaune glared deep into his being from his scroll. His fork dug aggressively into his own fluffy pancakes, bleeding the maple syrup and soaking it into its being.

He was like Blake right now. He had no idea what to do after learning of his father's fate. A cruel, heart wrenching fate born from Jaune's status as a Player. Left in a critically wounded condition of waking and a falling back into a coma while his family was left to watch. What the hell kind of torture did he leave them in? Their only son running off to fight as a huntsman, the same path that had apparently left his father as a vegetable. It was the same as stabbing them in the back without a second thought. The hell had he been thinking?

His own troubles were eating at him. He couldn't think about The Game right now. Not when his father was currently trapped in an on again off again coma. Especially when his mind was coming up blank on the events that caused it. It was silently driving him crazy.

 _'Things will turn out all right with Blake and Weiss, at least that's what Ren told me.'_ Remembering his fellow Player's advice on the oncoming event to take place, Jaune thought it would be better to focus on his own troubles. From what he recalled, the Black and White Event would be resolved cleanly whether they decided to participate or not. Adam cared very little for it seeing as it wouldn't advance his plans, and the Fourth Player was a wild card. Which always made Jaune wonder who exactly the original Player was. Ren didn't feel like saying, chalking it up to letting it be a surprise and not wanting to spoil things. Even if Ren was now playing along with him, the ninja wasn't going to be holding his hand through it all. He would only guide his leader when the time was right.

With a swipe of his thumb, Jaune ignored the event. Blake was with Sun, all he had to do was let things play out naturally and everything would turn out the same as before. What he needed to focus on was recovering his memories. They couldn't just be gone! He had to have had the previous Jaune's memories inside his head somewhere. He just needed some time. Time to get his jumbled and lost thoughts together.

But before he could make some excuse to leave, Blake beat him to it. With the clatter of her fork, she stood up from the booth with a sullen expression.

"Thank you for the food, Sun. But I think I'm going to go back to my room now. I'm not feeling well." she sighed, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. As nice as Sun was, Blake didn't exactly feel like telling him her life's story. He couldn't possibly understand her situation. Maybe if she ignored him, he'd leave her alone. He hardly knew her, what possible reason could he have to stay with her?

As she got out of the booth, her eyes fell back to Jaune. For a moment, she hesitated. The air around him was the same as her. He was suffering just like she was. And for a second, her hand twitched, ready to reach out to him.

Why didn't she?

Turning away, Blake left for her paid room. Once again, running away.

 _'I really am a coward.'_

Sun watched her go, his eyes trailing her retreating form with a frown. The girl wasn't much of a talker. He felt bad to see her go with such a sad expression. He fell back to his seat while scratching his head in confusion. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't even know the girl, so why was he here? Some part of him just guided him after her for some reason. Now he found himself in the company of two strangers who wouldn't even speak to him other than a few simple sentences. There really was no reason for him to stick around any longer.

 _'What a mess I've found myself in.'_ And here Sun had been hoping to make some new friends.

Another clatter of a fork fell onto Sun's ears, turning his dark blue eyes to his fellow blond rising up to leave. Jaune walked out of the booth, his eyes turned for the door.

"I'm guessing you don't feel like talking either, huh?" Sun grumbled, going back to his meal. Might as well finish eating before he left. At least it wasn't all a complete waste, they served some killer pancakes here.

Stopping before he could take another step, Jaune turned back to Sun. It didn't look like the monkey huntsman wanted to stick around any longer either. Guilt once again ate at Jaune. In his original timeline, the two of them were friends. They had hung out a few times along with Neptune once upon a time. He was one of the few male friends he had. But because of The Game, those wistful memories were erased and set back to zero. They were complete strangers.

And here he was turning his back on restarting that friendship even earlier than before. It wasn't right to abandon Sun now. But he had to get his memories sorted out. He couldn't continue on his path with this massive blank in his memories and the fate of his father left alone. He had to say something at least.

Even with his thoughts in a jumble, Jaune looked back at Sun firmly.

"I'm sorry about. . .all this, Sun. Blake and I are just in a bad place right now. It's nothing against you." Jaune smiled shamefully. All the stow away wanted to do was make friends. That was something they both had in common. "Just give Blake some time and don't give up on her. She doesn't want to say it, but she wants an open ear right now. She's just too stubborn to reach out. Give her a day and prove to her that she has a friend in you, and she'll come around. I can promise you that."

"You sure about that?" Sun asked with a look of doubt, not really buying the words for what they were. "Because she really looks like she just wants to be left alone."

Jaune shook his head with a small chuckle. He had a knowing look in his eyes, "Trust me, she'll come around. I'm willing to bet my word on that."

Sun was still doubtful, but shrugged anyway. Why not? He didn't really have much else to do. And it didn't sit well with him to just leave her alone. Despite her cold attitude and silent nature, he really just wanted to see a smile on her face.

"Wait, what about you?" Sun blinked. His fellow blond was the same as Blake. It looked like he was going through his own troubles.

Jaune grimaced, his thoughts turning back to his absent memories. And his family that he had abandoned to suffer.

"Let me ask you something, Sun. Do you ever wonder why we're here?" Jaune asked, his eyes falling to his hands. The image of blood once washed away dirtied his trembling hands again.

The question caught Sun off guard. Turning his head up to the ceiling in thought, his answer came out slowly, perhaps not fully understanding the question. "I'm here because I wanted to see Vale and see what kind of people lived here before the tournament began. That and I followed Blake and ran into you." he said simply.

"No, I mean why are we here, as hunters?"

"To fight monsters and travel to new places?" Sun asked, unsure of what Jaune was asking.

Jaune sighed at the answer. Guess he himself wasn't sure what he was asking Sun either. It was something the knight was going to have to discover himself. And only by himself.

"I need to find out why I'm here. Because I'm not so sure about the path I'm walking on anymore." Jaune said tiredly. He smiled at the monkey faunus one last time before turning away.

"Do me a favor, Sun. Please, watch over Blake for me. She needs a friend now, more than ever."

Watching Jaune leave at the sound of the bell hanging over the door ringing, Sun found himself even more confused. He was Blake's friend too, right? His eyes soon fell back into the mirror reflection of the water pitcher on the center of the table as he raised his glass of milk to his lips. Jaune's question rang in his ear.

Why was he here?

* * *

 _'Why do I keep coming up with nothing!'_

Jaune gripped both sides of his head in frustration as his feet lead him to god knows where. By now, late morning had come and was on the verge of the day hitting the afternoon. He had spent who knows how long simply trying to recall the memories of his father's condition only to always turn up with nothing. Literal nothing. Every time he tried to pin an emotion to the event, he couldn't feel anything. And it only further drove him mad. He was close to hyperventilating again!

How was it possible to be missing such an important chunk of his memories? Everything else he recalled came to him just fine. Well, for the most part. Small spikes of pain dug at his forehead when he was recalling some of his past life. Specifically, his childhood. How could he describe it? The closest thing he could come up with was as if he was jamming a puzzle piece into a picture that refused to fit. Was this normal?

Ren said that whenever a Player died, their souls would be transferred over to a set Save Point once the world was reset. When their selves at the time reached it, they would be overwritten, like saving over a save file in regular games, and retain the current worlds memories. But if that was true, was Jaune alone struggling with his memories? Now that he thought about it, this wasn't the first time he found something wrong with his body. His very Level was set to 1 when Ren had said that he was at least Lvl10 when he entered Beacon, his Abilities and other functions were buggy when he first started, he still retained the very scar of his death from his original timeline, and not to mention the dark voice he had been hearing in his subconscious months ago. Out of all the Players in the game currently, Jaune was the odd one.

And it was all because of Will. The deity wisp of blue flames had said something about rushing the process of overwriting his soul. It was the reason he had gone through all the patches to make him stand on the same ground as the other Players. Jaune wanted to laugh bitterly at the god's idea of even ground. He was outmatched against experienced Players that could defeat him on skill alone. He couldn't even defeat Ren in their PvP match when the raven-haired player was at a lower level than those in Beacon's first year class.

That's how it always wound up. All his problems, every single damn one of them since waking up in the Emerald Forest, could be connected to The Will and its games.

This was Jaune's life now. Constantly having to put up with the cruel games created by gods who stood by to watch their lives put to the grind for entertainment. His father suffered because of the curse fallen onto his only son. And many more had too. Ann had lost her father figure because of the events created by The Game, Cardin had lost his family to the White Fang in this new timeline, many faunus had lost their animal appendages because of a group created for opposition, and so much more grief that he didn't even know of yet. People would suffer because of him, because of his role in this world. The longer he stood by their sides, the more they would suffer.

So, what was he supposed to do from here with that knowledge? How could he continue to fight against The Game when he would be putting his friends, his family, and innocent people in danger just because the drama of it all pleased some twisted god?

In the sea of people walking the streets of Vale, Jaune stood out as he found his legs stopping. His head fell, his body losing the strength to take another step.

 _'Your father wanted to say hello, and that he misses you every day.'_

 _'Dad. . .'_ Jaune bit back a snivel as his shoulders shook.

Just what the hell was he supposed to do now?

"Excuse me, sir? Might I have a word?"

The sudden voice behind Jaune caused him to jump in surprise. The small number of tears gathered in his eyes quickly vanished as he spun around to face the stranger speaking to him. A girl with dark skin, short navy blue hair, and blue eyes greeted him. The girl wore a plain gray golden button down shirt, blue combat skirt, black fingerless gloves with sleeves that reached up to her elbows, white boots that reached her kneecaps, and a blue beret atop her head. Jaune blinked at the girl's appearance, finding his eyes drawn to the odd gold colored symbol on her forehead. It was a gold oval centered on her forehead surrounded by four smaller circles.

Jaune scratched his cheek, caught off guard by the girl, "Uhhh, sure? What can I help you with?" he said awkwardly. A small part of him was glad for the momentary distraction. It felt like he was falling down a depressing hole.

The girl smiled politely, nodding her head as she raised up her left arm. The high-tech wristwatch on her wrist let out a small whine, blinking as it displayed a hologram screen from its display to float above. On said screen, Jaune found the familiar face of one Penny Polendina staring back at him.

"I'm sorry for taking up any of your time, but have you seen this girl anywhere by chance? She's very easy to spot and she likes to greet others with 'Salutations!'. The last I saw of her, she had followed after a Lechenaultia Divaricata."

"A tumbleweed?" Jaune said slowly, recognizing the word only due to the fact it had been on a quiz in Professor Anthiea's class, "What's a tumbleweed doing passing in the wind of an urban street?" That didn't make any geological sense. And that was coming from a guy who's very life defied natural physics.

The dark skin toned girl shared his thoughts as she tapped her chin in thought, "I myself have no idea how it found itself in the city. But its unnatural passing had caught my teammate's short attention span and lead to her following after it with gusto." she said flatly, her calm and professional demeanor betraying the hint of annoyance in her voice. It slightly reminded Jaune of Weiss and how she acted. The girl sighed through her nose, doing her best to keep her calm as she gazed down at her watch. It was 12:47pm, close to 1pm. She'd been looking for almost two hours now and still had no inkling as to where her orange curled teammate ran off to.

The Headmaster General wasn't going to be happy.

 _'I almost forgot, this is the event that leads to Ruby meeting Penny.'_ Jaune inwardly smiled. He had met the odd girl briefly in his previous life. She seemed so out of touch with people, almost like she had been trying to understand how to act human herself. But she was nice, quirky girl who only wanted to make friends with everyone she met. She was someone who followed after his mother's words without ever meeting his mother. Strangers were only friends that you hadn't met yet.

That must make the girl in front of him her partner. Last, he recalled, Penny was from Atlas, making them both from the rich, cold continent. And that meant they were General Ironwood's students.

"Sorry, but I haven't seen her before." Jaune smiled in apology. He couldn't exactly say he knew Penny when they hadn't even met yet. The dark-skinned girl nodded in understanding, frowning slightly as she called off the hologram of her watch.

"I see. Well, I thank you for your time. . .?" She let her sentence hang, gesturing for the blond to introduce himself.

"Jaune, Jaune Arc." he introduced himself, forcing a smile on his face. He couldn't go meeting a nice cute girl with a sour expression. That was something his father would have looked down on.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Arc." she bowed elegantly before resting her hand over her chest as she began to introduce herself, "My name is Ciel Soliel. I am one of the huntresses visiting Vale for the Vytal Tournament in the coming months along with my teammate."

"You're visiting Vale now? Don't you think it's a little early to be stopping by?" Jaune asked in confusion. Most of the students wouldn't be arriving until the start of the second semester. He had thought Sun was the only one who had arrived early.

"Normally, yes. But our Headmaster thought it would be a good idea to acquaint ourselves with the city and its hunters for reasons unstated. But it looks like I've lost sight of my charge, again." Ciel muttered the last part to herself as she looked away. She couldn't believe how easy it was to lose someone like Penny so easily.

A thought quickly struck Jaune at that moment. Walking around aimlessly trying to remember some painful event wasn't getting him anywhere right now. If anything, it was driving him over the edge. He needed to clear his head and think about something else for the moment. And it looked like Ciel could use some help. Besides, it wouldn't be right to turn away from a cute girl in need.

 _'A man helps a woman in need, no matter the situation! Whether you're in pain or despair, it is the job of a gentleman to suck in their gut and lend them a hand. That is a true gentleman, Jaune!'_

Jaune smiled fondly at the words of his father. He really, truly did miss him. It wouldn't do his father any more good if he ignored his words now.

Coughing into his fist to bring the dark navy haired girl's attention back to him, Jaune gestured his thumb to himself with a grin, "You know, I have a pretty good layout of the city. And it's better to look for someone with two pairs of eyes instead one. If you want, I can help you look for your friend! It wouldn't do me good if I just left you to find her in a city you're a stranger to."

Ciel crossed her arms and regarded him with barely concealed suspicion, weighing her options in her mind. It was true, she wasn't familiar with Vale's streets and maps could only be so accurate compared to the real thing. Not to mention it would speed her search up if she had help. It was good idea, she had to admit. But why would the boy in front of her care so much as to sacrifice his time to help her? She would be taking a chance trusting him as well, after all, she had only just met him. But he did look trustworthy and nothing about him spoke of ill intents.

"I suppose that would be of great help." she admitted, nodding her head as she accepted. "Only if it wouldn't be of any trouble to you, Mr. Arc. I don't want to take you away from any important matters you may be in the middle of." she frowned.

Jaune shook his head with an empty chuckle. Nothing that he could remember, sadly.

"I'm just out for some fresh air and to clear my head. It wouldn't be any trouble, Ciel."

"Then I thank you for your aid. But if you are to help in my search, we must start looking now." Turning on her heel, Ciel immediately began walking on in search of Penny, "It's three minutes past noon and the clock is ticking. I don't wish to return to our temporary lodgings in Beacon until I've found my teammate. So, let's get on the move, Mr. Arc."

Jaune quickly scrambled after her, surprised at how fast she could move simply by walking. The girl seemed to be the efficient and diligent type. At least this would prove to be a distraction from his troubled mind, maybe after he would be able to find what he was missing?

"Wait up! And please call me Jaune!"

* * *

For the hundredth time since she opened her book, Blake sighed despondently, flipping another page as she laid back in the hotel's bed. The sad thing was it was the Special Edition copy of Ninja's of Love: Hearts Ablaze that she had been looking forward to reading during her free time. But instead of being fully invested into the story, drama, action, and guilt-fully hot steamy 18+ scenes depicted with the main characters, her eyes were passing the words with little care. She was halfway through the book and she had already forgotten the main objective of the main characters. Something about a red stone that reflected light like fire and vampires?

It was no good, she couldn't enjoy her favorite book series like this. If she was doing her reading back at her dorm, right now would be where she would be fighting Yang's grubby hands from stealing her precious book, Weiss would be covering Ruby's innocent little ears as said blond haired brawler read the dirty passages out loud, and Ruby would be fighting to tear off her partner's hands while shouting about how she was a big girl and drank plenty of milk. The loud, chaotic, noise that filled her room was something she had found herself getting used to. Now that she was by herself, away from the sources of said distractions, she found it oddly difficult to read in peace.

With a groan of annoyance, Blake hit her head against the headboard of the bed. She just had to go losing her temper and shouting out her past allegiance to the White Fang. Running away from her problem certainly didn't help, but what was she supposed to do? Weiss was already scared of her, that look in her eye had said more than she could ever verbally. And Ruby and Yang? Now that they knew that their teammate was some rabid extremist who had taken part in vile acts of terrorism and spilled innocent blood, they too would have the same look of fear in their eyes.

Some things never changed. No matter how far she ran, her past would always track her down and remind her of her sins. The events of the FoF had been a clear reminder of that.

Setting aside her book, Blake sat up on her bed and rubbed her weary head. She didn't bother to save the page number, she hadn't been paying attention since the first sentence.

The question now was what she was going to do? Could she simply go back to Beacon, to her team, after revealing a secret like that? Blake wasn't sure anyone would welcome a criminal back to their home as if nothing ever happened. Fear had been planted, and it wasn't so easily uprooted.

She did know one thing without question. There was no way she was returning to Beacon right now. She had some things to sort out before thinking about such an idea. Not to mention she had to get rid of the monkey on her back. Literally. Sun seemed like a nice guy and he certainly had helped in temporarily easing her troubles, but she didn't want to drag some stranger into her mess. Who knows? The spiky blond huntsman had probably already left when she had brushed him off. It's what a normal person would do.

In her thoughts, Blake was abruptly reminded of the fact she hadn't taken more than a few bites of her breakfast hours ago as her stomach let out a rumbling growl. She blushed in embarrassment, glad that she was alone. It was a good thing she was at least smart enough to call in room service for something to ease her stomach. The raven-haired cat faunus couldn't help but lick her lips. She had ordered a smoked salmon sandwich with extra salmon and a side of tuna salad with a nice pitcher of milk. At least she would be able to chalk off one of her problems today.

Today was going to be a stressful day, why not face it with a full stomach?

 **Ding!**

The sound of the doorbell and a few raps on the door to her room signaled Blake to rise up and greet the staff member with her food. That was awfully quick, she sent down the order seven minutes ago. She shrugged it off her paranoid mind and turned the handle.

"Room service!"

The second Blake had opened the door to greet the bellboy, was the second that she had been completely frozen still in surprise and disbelief.

Likewise, Cardin was in the same state as he blinked at the cat faunus standing like a statue. Well, that explained the fishy order.

"Blake? What are you doing staying in a hotel? Shouldn't you be back at Beacon?" he frowned in confusion, pushing past her with his small trolley of food to drop off. Shaking off her surprise, Blake returned the frown as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I could say the same thing to you. What are you doing working in a hotel?" While Cardin had made some big leaps in his character over the last few months, the brown-haired huntsman that could shatter the exoskeleton of a Deathstalker wasn't the most hospital or polite person for work like this.

"It's called a part-time job. You know, work that pays me some nice Lien to buy stuff, or pay back the headmaster for the damage caused by my team." he muttered the last part to himself with a growl. That was the last time he was allowing Dove to practice his Grifball tactics in the courtyard.

Right now, he was wearing a velvet colored hotel staff uniform lined with gold and shined dress shoes. He even had a little red hat to finish it all off. In all honesty, Blake had to suppress a laugh at how a huntsman trained man like Cardin could fit in such wear. It almost looked like his muscled frame was ready to tear his clothing.

Annoyance painted Cardin's face, noticing Blake trying not to laugh, "Ha, ha, ha. I know it's weird to see me in this monkey suit, but this place is the only place that would hire someone like me."

"Is it because of your attitude?" she said flatly.

Cardin didn't appreciate the comment. He made it clear by slowly edging the silver platter topped by a case holding her breakfast to fall off to the white rugged floor.

"Another word like that, and the little kitty doesn't get her chow."

"One, that's incredibly racist. And two . . .Please don't toss my food." Blake's stomach begged him to stop playing around and feed it its fishy treats. She blushed lightly as she looked away from the taunting grin on her former enemy in shame, "I'm. . .really hungry."

"Noooo, really? I would have never guessed." he scoffed before setting her silverware and food down properly. Pulling off the top of the plate, Blake was greeted to the pleasant whiff of smoked fish, capers, onions, and the tuna salad nicely set up in a decent bowl beside the breakfast sandwich. They even included a nice complimentary bag of salt and vinegar chips. It's like they somehow knew just what she wanted. She wasted little time in digging in, not even caring that Cardin stood by watching as she took the first bite to her sandwich. The savory pink meat of the fish melted in her mouth so well she couldn't help but moan in approval.

Pouring the fresh chilled milk into a glass cup, Cardin continued his earlier questioning, "So, why are you here? I gave you my reason. I never took you as the kind to go out on the weekends and rent a room for herself just so she could eat a plain old sandwich."

Mid chew, Blake paused as she was sadly reminded of why she was holed up in this room. What a way to spoil a pleasant meal.

"It's. . .complicated."

Cardin hummed, having wandered around the room shortly after setting down her drink. His eyes wandered over the ink passages of a rather lewd scene held in his hands as he read it out loud.

"Nooooooo, Toshiro~! Not there! Ahhhhh~! W-Wait! What about Samuel? He's watching."

"Let him join, Saki! Why must we detain our true, scalding passions of heat in such a way! We may be of blood, but our love transcends even iron clad barriers as ours!"

"B-B-But! -Aaaaahhhhh~! I don't think I'm ready for two at the same time! I'm still but a flower."

"Then steel your resolve and mind, and make way for three!"

"Eiiiiiaaaaaahhhh~!"

Burning red fire painted Blake's mortified face before she dashed for her precious book. No! Her secret shame! And she hadn't even got that far in the book yet!

"Huh. This actually explains so much right now." Cardin said dryly as he tossed back the smut to its owner. Man, were those some dirty scenes. He had to give the author credit though, they wrote it in such a way that he could actually clearly picture it all going down in his head like an actual porno. He was still on the fence whether that was a good thing or a bad one.

"Guess that answers my question."

"It's not what you think!" Blake shouted in anger, her red face growing darker as he looked at her skeptically. Of all the people to find her like this, why did it have to be Cardin Winchester? Did the universe hate her? Seeing he didn't believe her, she decided to tell him a small part of the truth. "I got into a fight with my team, okay? And I didn't want to go back when things were. . .complicated." she said weakly.

"They found out you were a faunus and an ex-White Fang member." The way Cardin said it wasn't even a question. He was literally stating fact as if he had been there. Seeing her open her mouth to ask how he had hit the mark, he shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back against the wall to the side of the bed she now sat on.

"It's not that hard of a guess. You only have two secrets on you, that I know of, that would lead to you basically running away from your team. Not to mention I had caught some snippets of Ruby worrying over you during breakfast. I'm actually surprised it took them three months to realize you were a faunus." his blue eyes fell on the black ribbon bow tied atop her head, the only thing hiding her heritage from the world. He could see the hidden ears twitch, "When I look back on it now, I feel dumb for not ever realizing. Kinda blew my mind."

"Along with myself." Blake leered, reminding the huntsman of their past fight. Cardin rubbed the back of his neck in shame at the memory. It was hard to believe he had come back from such an anger.

"No need to remind me. I've learned my lesson for your information. People are shitty no matter what race or species they are." he sighed. It was a miracle he hadn't been sent to the same punishment as the Friends of Faunus. Just another favor he owed to the Headmaster. "I've learned my lesson, but it looks like you still haven't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake said in annoyance, returning back to her meal while avoiding his judgmental stare. How was it that Cardin of all people was judging her?

"You're still running away, just like the scaredy cat you are." he scoffed.

"And you still say racist things even though you said you changed."

"Atlas wasn't built in a day. I was raised racist after the little firework show your organization caused back at home." he scowled with some residue venom in his voice. Blake hung her head at the mention of the old terror, he inadvertent aid to such an attack weighing heavily on her still. He sighed at the guilt and hurt on his guest's face. "Now that I think about it, we haven't had the time to talk about what went down that day or resolve our beef. We've just been leaving it on pause and ignoring it. Now would be as good as any time really."

"What about your job? Don't you think you should go back to work instead of slacking off with me?" Blake suggested, hoping to make him leave. She really didn't want to talk about such an uncomfortable topic right now.

Tapping the earpiece in his right ear, Cardin called up one of the senior members on staff, "Hey, Rammy? Tell the boss I'm taking my break now. I got some personal business to take care off." He smirked at Blake's nervous expression.

 _'Already? But you're only three hours in! It's not fair that you get to go on break when I've been working without breakfast since my morning shift!'_

"Quit complaining! All you've been doing is greeting guests! I've been busting my ass off running back and forth to answer our guests' dumb complaints! And what do you mean you haven't had breakfast? I saw you eating some garbage trash when I came in, you stereotypical goat!"

 _'Racist! It was three days old and about to be thrown in the trash! There's a difference.'_

"Sure there is. Tell that to your psychiatrist."

 _'I will!'_

Rolling his eyes, Cardin ended the call before turning back to Blake. It was better to rip off the band-aid now than letting it grow old and infected. "You could run away from everyone else, but you can't run from me. I ain't afraid to track you down like an animal. That's sadly something Holt taught me before he passed."

Ignoring the racial contents to his words, Blake sighed as she set down her meal and looked back at Cardin with a grumble, "You really won't let it go, will you?"

"Look, we both know that I didn't grow up with the best role model for that equality crap you keep pushing. I'm not dumb enough to not realize that. I don't want to end up like my father, I've seen what that hate has done to him, I don't want anything to do with that." His eyes belied the truth of his words. She could tell by looking at him that whatever his father had become was nothing to aspire to. Even more than that, he feared that he could become whatever his father was, and that fear genuinely surprised the faunus.

The larger hunter in training sighed tiredly, his hands rubbing his face to try and rid him of thoughts of his father, of the bits and pieces he saw of his father in his own actions every day, none of them were things he was happy with. "If I want to actually get past this I need to confront it, and I want to change, despite how I act sometimes. I need this, just as much as you do, even if you won't let yourself believe it."

The man's blunt honesty was enough to stop Blake's retort, her ears flattening against her head. After everything that had happened, the bombing, the killing of his family, what right did she have to deny him a simple conversation? He wanted to change, his eyes were far too honest to make her believe otherwise at this point. How could she even pretend to preach about equality and understanding if she turned away from a prime opportunity to do just that all because she was uncomfortable with the topic? The answer was simple, she couldn't.

"What do you want to know?"

"For starters, why would you join a group that wants to kill all humanity?" That was a biggy right there that would make any common sense faunus leave right away. And Blake seemed like she had her head on right compared to those animals.

The girl sighed, a fair question in all honesty, a tiring one though. "It didn't always start off that way. A lot of people tend to forget that the White Fang used to be a peaceful group that cooperated with humans to come together. At least, that's how it had started off before I was born." Back in those days they had often used non-violent approaches from peace rallies, handing out pamphlets, organizing discussions to up the wages of underpaid faunus, fundraisers, the works. But nothing was working as well as they hoped, they were making very little progress.

Perhaps it had begun with impatience that had eventually led to more drastic measures, but by the time Blake had been born many of the White Fang members had started suggesting tactics that would soon turn violent.

"As time passed, it looked like nothing we were doing was making any noticeable difference. Our peace rallies were disregarded as mere annoyances, our boycotts laughed at and ignored. While we tried our hardest to improve the lives of faunus everywhere, they were still suffering. Beatings, underpaid and overworked, displaced, and removed when things became convenient. Our people were being abused and even in some cases killed. Many believed what we were doing wasn't enough, wasn't fast enough to protect ourselves."

"So, you got violent, is that it?" He asked with a scoff.

She made to glare at him but the look dissolved within moments as she had to look away, fully aware that he was right, how wrong that statement sounded in her head. "A new form of leadership started forming, one that thought that through fear we could achieve our goals. The worst part was, it worked. Rallies turned to riots, negotiations turned to intimidation and coercion. We saw improvements in the lives of faunus from those we went after. For many, the results were all that mattered, it didn't matter what we had to do to get them."

A growl escaped the muscular hunter's lips, his fist tightening until his knuckles grew white. "And that just made everything ok? You all thought that hurting people would bring about your so-called equality? That's the most ass backwards thing I've ever heard."

A small smile came to her lips at his words, despite knowing that she should insulted or enraged at his comments she couldn't muster it. He was right, in his own crude and blunt way he was undeniably right. She only wished she could have come to that conclusion sooner herself. Maybe things could have been different if she had? "Not everyone agreed with the new ways. Many of the moderates left the White Fang, my parents included. They thought nothing good would come from our new violent ways. We fought over it and I called them cowards, turning my back on them to fight a battle I thought we had every right to fight. I was such a fool..."

Cardin's glare stayed on the faunus girl but he didn't interrupt her. Her emotions were clearly jumbled, something he could relate if he was honest with himself. Unfortunately, that was overshadowed by his simmering anger. Still, he wanted this conversation, regardless of what it brought out of him. He would let her say her peace.

"We weren't hurting people, at least not at first. We were using fear to gain respect and to stop the cruelty. But fear through respect is nothing worth gaining." She stopped to look at Cardin, her eyes full of guilt and regret. "Things continued to escalate until it stopped being self-defense at all and we started the fights, we went on the offensive and attacked whatever we thought would earn us the respect and fear we wanted."

Cardin popped his knuckles, gritting his teeth at where Blake was going with this.

"Canterbury."

"Officially speaking, Canterbury was the first attack by the White Fang that led to a death toll. I was only seven years old when it had happened. I was led to believe we were only helping out with an event that would connect humans and faunus together by someone I trusted. As a seven-year-old, I didn't understand much of what was happening behind the scenes, not even when the bombs went off." Blake looked away with a pained expression, still feeling the fires of that day crawl on her skin. Luckily, she hadn't suffered any permanent damage from one of explosions close by that knocked her out, unlike the many that had perished that day. "I was told it was an accident that led to the Canterbury Bombings and that we were being blamed for all the deaths. And I believed them. But eventually I found out of not just their involvement in that town, but of the many other acts of terror they had hidden under shadows."

"So, they had slaughtered others before my town? Why am I not surprised?" Cardin growled hatefully. "And knowing that, you still continued to follow after them?"

Blake struggled to answer, grimacing as she looked into Cardin's hateful blue eyes.

"I wanted to, many times since learning of what we were doing. As I got older, it became obvious what we were doing was wrong and cruel. I was confused at the time. I had put everything into the White Fang. I abandoned my family for the cause, fighting for them and shedding blood. At one point, I would have died for the cause if need be. How could I just leave something after all of that? Even so, I knew what I needed to do. Despite all of that, I had to leave. But when I tried I was always stopped by someone that I cared for, at the time I thought I loved him. He was the only thing that kept me clutching at the shadows of the White Fang."

"You stayed in a hate group because you had a lady boner for some guy?" Cardin wanted to laugh. Of all the dumb reasons he would have expected, that was something way out of his line of thought.

Blake glared at Cardin, but didn't say anything back. She was young, and people did stupid things for love.

"He was an excuse, it allowed me to stay my own guilt. I allowed myself to believe his words because deep down I wanted to believe them. To believe that I hadn't dedicated my life to a group of blood thirsty killers hiding under a banner of equality and change." She stopped, thoughts of her former lover crossing her mind. The mixed emotions that he caused made her hate herself even more. He used her, led her down a path he knew she didn't want to follow and still thoughts of him caused her to pause. She hated how she couldn't just let him go, no matter how hard she tried.

"Then we officially declared that we wanted the genocide of the human race and it was the White Fang's true purpose. No amount of justification or misdirection was enough to make that alright, to somehow justify the slaughter of millions. I had to leave, so I did, not giving even the one I cared the most about a chance to stop me. After that I tried to never look back, only focusing on doing something to bring about some good in this world, if only to try and wash away my own sins. That's how I came to Beacon, to start that life." She sighed tiredly while rubbing her forehead. "I never thought my past would catch up to me so soon."

"It was only a matter of time. You had to know that eventually you would have to answer for your crimes someday." Cardin said sternly with a scowl, "You have no idea how much I've dreamed to find one of the deranged animals who had helped in the Canterbury Bombings and to wring their damned necks until their bones turned to dust! And now, I find one of those faunus standing in front of me, looking less and less like a savage freak," he sighed in frustration as Blake's sullen yellow eyes looked back at him, "And more like a stupid girl who didn't know any better until it was too late."

Blake chuckled weakly, "You could say that. I'm actually surprised you aren't as mad and angry as I had thought you would be. I was really nervous to be talking to you like this."

"Most of my anger and rage had dwindled after what went down months ago. Two months gives a guy plenty of time to think and reflect." Taking a deep breath, Cardin eased his tense muscles with an annoyed grunt. Even after all this time, he couldn't stop himself from tensing up at the sight of a faunus. Old habits died hard it seemed. "So, from what I've been hearing you were born into the White Fang and followed after some guy you liked when they turned over a violent leaf and had been too much of a scaredy cat to leave once you got some common sense in ya. Now you're here after mustering up the courage to leave and lo and behold, one of the people whose lives you fucked up is standing in front of you. Let's not forget about the fact you accidentally let slip your past to someone else who had a shitty childhood because of your so called 'misunderstood' brothers and sisters." he said with a deadpan.

That pretty much summed it all up, as crud as it may sound. Blake was annoyed at the way it was said, but couldn't find herself denying his claims. The truth hurt.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Cardin asked after a moment of silence. It looked like she had no clear idea on where to go from here. "Don't tell me you're just going to continue to run away?"

Blake's continued silence was answer enough. He shook his head in disbelief.

"For a girl who loves books, you're pretty stupid."

"And what would you suggest I do?" Blake said in frustration, glaring back at the once racist huntsman, "I can't possibly go back to them after learning of my past. Who would welcome back an animal who could only bark and bite? People aren't so forgiving!"

"GIVE THEM SOME CREDIT!"

The loud shout stunned Black back as Cardin's fierce blue eyes fell on her. His shoulders were shaking, he looked as if he was stopping himself from snarling as he scowled.

"You're right, no sane person would welcome a criminal like you back into their lives, not after the things you were involved in. But your team isn't exactly your normal bunch of chumps. They're idiots like you, they would go after you the moment they got word that you left." He said that with an amused scoff. Just this morning he had overheard Ruby make plans to find said girl if she didn't respond to their messages. It looked like they weren't as fazed by the news as Blake had suspected. "I can't believe I'm the one saying this sappy crap, but they're your friends! They won't throw you away from their lives because of some shady past, they've all spent too much time together with you to let it go to waste. Trust me, just because you were able to run away from everything else, doesn't mean you'll be able to escape them."

"What, I should just go back then? As if nothing had happened?" Blake chuckled in disbelief, "And what about you? Don't you hate me? Wouldn't it be better for you if I just left Beacon? If I left, you would no longer have to deal with an animal with the blood of your mother and sister on her hands." she spat with venom.

"You. . .didn't kill them." Cardin struggled to say, sighing tiredly, "I told you, I had plenty of time to think about it all this. And past all the nightmares and scathing thoughts, I realized something. You were just another scared little kid who didn't know any better until it was too late. Just like me." They were alike in a way, just kids who had grown up in the hate of their species and shaped by tragedy. If their roles had been switched, he was sure that he would have found himself in Blake's spot.

Hate was tiring. An adrenaline that could last you a lifetime, as long as you had a target to focus on. Venomous, scathing, toxic, contagious, and blinding. A raging beast that throttled whatever got in its way. But when that hate had nothing to be drawn to anymore, when the source of that hatred was nowhere in sight, you find the beast that you've become wandering around with no one in sight in the aftermath of its rampage. Alone, with no friend or family in sight, all turned away from the monster you've become. And you find yourself exhausted, drained and a husk of what you once were.

Cardin had seen what that kind of hatred could do to a person. Henry Winchester had been swallowed whole by his hate, spitting him out as something new that could no longer see anything but a cruel world. His father had become strict and punishing, using his seat in the council of his town to change their laws against the faunus. Curfews, taxes, banning them from participating in events, and eventually driving them out and preventing any more of the animal people from settling into the town he created out of hate. And despite it all, his father had not gained an ounce of happiness. Only growing older and exhausted in appearance. He was drained, a former shell of what he could have been with his mother's guidance.

It made Cardin wonder, if he hadn't opened his eyes, would he have wound up just like his father?

"You leaving wouldn't solve anything. You would only be doing more harm than you believe. I can't say that I forgive you for all that you've done, I don't think I ever can, but that doesn't mean I hate you any longer. You're my classmate, we're bound to have to work together in the near future as comrades. I can't have something as useless as hate cloud my judgment in the field." he chuckled as he pushed himself off the wall. He walked over to Blake, standing in front of her with something she had never dreamed to see on his face when talking to her.

Cardin Winchester smiled at her. It wasn't exactly happy, hateful, empty, or sarcastic. She couldn't find a word to describe it, but he smiled at her.

"I want to change, turn over a new leaf. I don't want to run away from problems, I want to face them head on. And it's only because of you and that idiot Jaune that I can finally move on to become something better than my father."

"But I didn't do anything!" Blake shook her head in denial, "I was caught by my mistakes, hunted down so you could have your revenge. Jaune I could understand, but I didn't do anything."

"You did though." he said softly, "You reminded me of my mother in those eyes and that was more than enough."

Cardin's words left Blake speechless, dumbfounded that she had helped to clear his hate. He wasn't lying, there was nothing but honesty and sincerity in his eyes. The boy who had seen nothing but red and beat her around like a doll once before was gone. In his place was someone who was now facing his fears and hatred to better himself for his sake. He wasn't running, he was walking forward.

A beep from Cardin's earpiece caused him to frown in annoyance. He tried ignoring it, but the noise only grew louder. How annoying. Here he was having a heart to heart and now they ruined it. Sighing, he turned away from Blake to answer the call. He listened to the call, nodding his head grudgingly after a few moments before turning back to Blake.

"I hate to say it, but we got to cut this chitchat short. I'm needed in the front lobby to take care of a very rowdy guest who refuses to leave. Apparently, he's drunk off his ass and he's already flashed his dick to the girls." he sighed, cracking his neck as he turned for the door. Why the hell did he have to deal with the crazies and wasted jack asses? Reaching the door, he looked back at Blake with a small good nature smirk.

"I won't say a thing to your team. I get that you still need some time to figure things out. But if I were you, I'd stop running and face my problems head on. And if you really want an answer to if they'll accept you back just look at that blond idiot. Somehow even before the Friends of Faunus thing went down he knew about you. He knew you were a faunus, he knew you were a member of the White Fang before and despite all of that he fought tooth and nail to bring you back safe and sound. Hell, the bastard nearly died twice to protect you. I have a feeling your team would do the same for you." He chuckled at his own words, finding humor in how obvious he thought it all was. "You're my example of a faunus, don't go souring the image I have of them now."

With the sound of the door shutting behind him, Blake was left all alone in her room again. She stared at her half-eaten meal, her mind a jumble of thoughts clashing against one another. Taking another bite of her sandwich, she pondered all that she had just heard.

Running away was her first thought. But it wasn't the only option. She feared hearing what her team, what Weiss would have to say about her. In their time together as a team, Blake found herself cherishing every minute that she spent with them. They were like sisters.

And she loved them.

Finishing off her meal, Blake cleaned up the mess and sat back in her bed. There was a lot to think about. Idly, her thoughts fell onto the two blonds that were waiting for her in their own rooms. Sun, who she just met unexpectedly, was putting up with her even as she brushed off his helping hand. All he wanted to do was help.

Then there was Jaune. Despite how distraught he appeared, he was more than willing to stay be her side. He was suffering in plain sight and she had selfishly ignored him. After everything he had done for her, to protect her and stand by her side even when she felt no one should have, here she was letting him deal with his pain alone. That thought caused as much pain in her stomach as the thought of her team leaving her.

She needed to talk with them. It wasn't fair to keep them waiting for nothing. Even Sun. Once she gathered her courage, she'd have her own heart to heart with them. From there, she'd see where it would take them. With her mind made up, Blake rose up from her bed, ready to make the first move!

Until her eyes lingered over to her unread copy of Ninja's of Love. She blushed, biting her lip in vain to ignore it's tempting calling. But she was weak to its power. She shrugged and grabbed the mature book.

First some well written romance, then action.

* * *

 **Beacon.**

"Still nothing?"

Pyrrha shook her head, her face painted with worry as she stared at her scroll while biting the nail of her thumb. So far, she had sent twelve text messages to Jaune and still got no response back since the first one an hour ago. Did he enjoy worrying her to death? Her finger scrolled through the messages, landing on the only text he had sent back since her first one.

 _'I'm fine.'_

That was it. Nothing back since then. Was all her worrying only worth two measly little words to him? If she didn't have a soft spot for him, she was sure she would have lost her temper with him by now. She was this close to hunting him down herself and dragging him back kicking and screaming.

To her left, Ren shrugged. He wasn't all that worried over their leader. Even if the tension that the two had between them when they first entered Beacon was gone with, the lazy ninja still at times seemed to not care much for Jaune.

"Jaune's fine. He's probably busy dealing with some personal matters on his day off. You know, we all don't have to hang around another in our free time?" he sighed.

Nora nodded along with a cheery smile in her skip, "Yeah, just give the silly lug some space, Pyrrha! Being clingy isn't attractive, you know?" she grinned teasingly.

Pyrrha huffed with a small blush, "I don't know how you two can be so calm about this. Team RWBY is worried about their teammate going missing. Ruby's even in the courtyard with fliers of Blake to anyone who may have seen her."

"But they got into a fight. Last time we saw Jaune, he left to talk with his parents. I don't think anything they could have talked about would want to make him want to leave Beacon like Blake." Nora reassured her.

 _'Not unless his parents found out about his fake transcripts and demanded he go back home.'_ Ren mused. It was a rare event that popped up every couple of lifetimes where the Arc parents would discover their son's false acceptance to Beacon and travel all the way to Vale to bring him back. Jaune would have to prove his worth against his father, with some help from his team, and then be allowed to continue his path as a huntsman. But with Jaune as a Player now, the event activating now wasn't so likely.

It was odd for Jaune to ignore their messages. All he had said was that he was fine. No context, no nothing. The Black and White Event was active, so the most likely thing to have happened was that he was now involved in helping Blake with her problem along with Sun. Still, he would have thought that the knight would have at least let him know about what was going on seeing as they were now working together in the game.

Ren rubbed his forehead in slight frustration. Leave it to Jaune to complicate things for him.

Right now, the three of JNPR were heading back to their dorm. They had been hoping to head to Vale, but knowing Pyrrha, she would spend most of their free time sniffing out for their leader. Ren loved Pyrrha, truly he did, but sometimes here overbearing nature could be too much. She was a literal mother hen. What she needed was some Pyrrha time to herself. He knew she had been eying the hidden compartment by her bedside where she hid her Ninja's of Love novels, courtesy of said runaway cat. How Blake had successfully poisoned Pyrrha with such filth, he would never know.

"Maybe we should make fliers as well?" Pyrrha hummed to herself, tapping her lip in thought to one of the photos of Jaune she had that would work well in her search. Ren and Nora looked back at another, hanging their heads in defeat. She wasn't letting her prey out of her mind any time soon. Their talks were turning into plans for a hunt.

"If you really want to hunt Jaune down, why don't you ask Tsuki for help? Out of all us, she's the most adept in hunting people down, specially our mighty leader." Nora said, recalling to the many times said dark, cold raven would pop out of nowhere to greet Jaune. Between Pyrrha and Tsuki, it was little contest to which was the best in finding their leader.

At the mention of said 'love rival', Pyrrha growled as she clenched her fist.

"Maybe I should go ask her a few questions? I wouldn't be surprised if she had a hand in Jaune's disappearance." Her poor knight was probably locked up in that demon's dungeon, powerless to her demanding advances. The red-haired gladiator picked up her pace with haste. Well, if she was going to be investigating, she needed to be fully prepared for whatever challenges might await her!

"I don't think I've ever met a woman as obsessed as Pyrrha." Nora laughed nervously. It was kinda scary, and that was coming from her of all people.

"That's what love does to a person." Ren said tiredly as they followed after their teammate, "It makes them go crazy with obsession. Not even a four-time winning tournament champion celebrity is safe from that."

"But I love you and I'm not like that!" Nora pouted.

Ren slowly turned his head to meet Nora's gaze flatly. He already knew that she like-liked him since his second run in The Game. And he had even gone into a relationship with her many times before. It was actually one of the enjoyable parts to always having to repeat his life over and over again.

But Nora Valkyrie had a problem. She loved too much. Way too much. And that tended to lead to some rather. . .unique ventures and accidents. He shivered, recounting the many times she would try to woo him or play damsel in distress. She had once sent a girl flying to the skies above for a small flirty wink aimed at him. And that was one of the lighter events he could think of. Nora be crazy.

"Give it time, Nora. Give it time."

He just hoped her love didn't extend to their whole team. Again. One of the oddest relationships he had ever had.

"Weiss?"

Just as Pyrrha had reached their dorm room and raised her scroll to unlock the door, the door across from theirs had opened to the sight of Weiss walking out, blinking in surprise at the three members of her sister team. From the looks of it, she hadn't really changed from her sleepwear last night, her expensive bed wear wrinkled and her hair undone to fall over her shoulders. Her eyes looked tired, as if she hadn't had a wink of sleep last night.

"Pyrrha? What are you doing here? I thought your team was planning on going out to Vale all day today?" Weiss asked in confusion as Pyrrha sighed.

"We were, but Jaune's still missing. He's only answered our messages once, and that was it. I'm worried he might be in trouble."

"And we think he's just out on some personal errands today. He's probably too busy to talk right now." Nora interjected as she patted the red head's shoulder in support.

Weiss shook her head, her confusion only growing, "Wait, Jaune hasn't come back? I thought he returned after talking with his parents at the CCT?"

"He hasn't come back since then. He said he was fine, but that was it."

The headache in Weiss's temple continued to grow as she rubbed her forehead tiredly. Great, first Blake had run away, now Jaune was off doing god knows what. Why was it only their teams that got into so much trouble?

Noticing Weiss tired visage, Pyrrha asked her, "Where did you disappear to this morning, Weiss? Your team was worried about you too. I think they may have thought that you ran away as well."

Weiss huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance to the mention of her team. Only Ruby and Yang would blow things out of proportion.

"Do to last night's events, I had difficulty sleeping. With nothing much to do, I decided to head over to the training room to take out some of my frustrations on the training bots. I lost track of time from there and by the time it reached close to noon, I headed back to our dorms. Sadly, even after hours of decimating droids, I still couldn't find a wink of sleep." she sighed tiredly, the bags under her eyes being a testament to her words.

Nora craned her head, taking in the heiress's choice of wear, "You went to the training room to fight in your jammies?" she said suspiciously.

Weiss was actually a little embarrassed at that as she scratched her check, "I wasn't in the right mind at the time to think about changing. Trust me, I realized my error once students began to walk in for morning practice." she growled lightly. Her choice of wear had earned her a few wolf whistles and had earned those slime balls a few strikes of her rapier. She did shiver remembering one particular female dog faunus student who had walked in. Someone had been grabby.

An awkward silence soon fell on the four. Pyrrha didn't know what to say next to the snow themed girl. After last night, tensions in team RWBY had gone to an all-time high. It was jarring to find out that Blake had been part of the White Fang, but she was a nice girl who had shown no signs of hating humanity. She was simply stoic and a bit cynical at times. She couldn't possibly imagine how Weiss was taking it. Her family was in constant war with the genocidal terrorists since Weiss was born. To find out that the teammate she had trusted with her life was connected to the group responsible for the drama and tension in her household must have been too much to process.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Weiss decided to be the first one to speak up, "I'm sure Jaune's all right if he says so. He may be an idiot at times, but he has his head on just right to not get into any more trouble. He did promise you all that he wouldn't go lone wolf again, did he not?" she smiled softly.

Pyrrha struggled to say something back to that, her worry overriding her common sense before she relented with a sigh. It was true, he had said he wouldn't charge into a mess like that again. And she valued her partner's word. She bit her lip, realizing that maybe she was getting a little carried away with finding him. Sometimes people needed their space.

"I guess it would be silly to be handing out lost fliers with his picture out to the students so early like Ruby." Pyrrha chuckled, her worry only momentarily softened.

Weiss groaned, smacking her forehead before dragging it down across her face, "Please tell me you're joking." she said mortified at her partner.

Nora shook her head with a grin, "Nope! She even has Yang helping along. Though I think Yang's only doing it as a joke." The brawler was grinning ear to ear as she handed out the pictures.

"I'm gone for the morning and a good half of the afternoon, and this is what happens? Blake's only been gone for a half a day at best! She's not some lost child!"

"But aren't you worried about Blake too?" Pyrrha couldn't help but ask. Weiss calmed down at that, her face gaining a small frown as her eyes looked away to the side, "I know things had gone out of hand yesterday, but aren't you at all worried to where she may have gone? She might have run away."

"Running away would be the least of her worries." Weiss grumbled, sighing as she rubbed her head again. What she needed right now was medicine for her monster of a headache, "Listen, I appreciate your concern, but this is something a lot more complicated than you would believe. You could go as far as saying our families have been at war with another for hundreds of years. This isn't something that can be resolved just like that. Years of hardship and suffering don't just vanish into thin air, you know." she muttered quietly. Inwardly, she grit her teeth as she remembered the look she had seen in Blake's eyes last night.

Hate, so much hate and anger. And it was all directed at her, her own teammate and friend. It was the same look she had seen in those who had only seen her name as the origin to their kinds neglect and pain. To see it in someone she had begun to consider like a sister was almost too painful to bear.

Was that how Blake had always seen her?

"But Blake's your friend, right? It shouldn't mean that you two can't get over some drama that has nothing to do with you guys now." Nora scowled. It didn't make much sense to her. They were friends! And friends forgave one another no matter what.

"Didn't I just say this is more complicated than you would believe?" Weiss said in annoyance, "You could tell from the way she looked at me yesterday that she hated me. Maybe she always hated me from the start? As someone from the White Fang that's all she could ever look at me with. It was only until yesterday that I realized that." she said sadly.

"I don't believe that's true. Blake was simply caught in the emotions of the last night, I don't believe that she would ever hate you." Pyrrha argued.

Weiss shook her head with an empty laugh, "Then clearly you didn't get a good look at her eyes. You could see it from space."

"Then what are you going to do now?"

The snow-white heiress shrugged, an action unlike her as she turned her eyes upward.

"I don't know. Right now, my head's killing me. I just want to stay in my room and try to clear my head to ease my headache." Focus on one problem at a time, her sister always said. She couldn't get anything resolved as she was now. Turning her eyes back to the three members of JNPR, she gave them all a little smile. In a way, she was happy for their worry. It was nice to know that she had more friends other than the ones in her team. All who worried over her, and not her name. That was something she wasn't sure she would have been able to find back in Atlas.

"I really do appreciate your concerns, but this is something only I can come to on my own. All I need is time, time to put my emotions in check and come to a sound conclusion. And whatever decision I come to, know that I still see you all as good friends." she smiled.

Nora and Pyrrha smiled back, but their eyes were enough to tell her that their worries were still there. This was more than a matter of one friendship in danger, it was an entire team's. You couldn't have team RWBY without the B, or the W, or Y, or R. To be team RWBY, you needed every letter that made it what it was; a team of sisters that loved another like actual family. To see it all threaten to fall apart was upsetting. None of them wanted to lose their friends because of some fight and past mistakes.

A twitch, unseen by all in the middle of the hall, developed on Ren's normally passive features.

 _'This has nothing to do with you. This has nothing to do with you. Just leave it be and everything will fix itself. This is just like every other time those two have fought in every Reset.'_

Funny thing was, in every new world he woke up and repeated the same old dry cut events again, Ren had never actually seen the turmoil either Weiss and Blake had gone through to come together again as friends. He never really liked to stick his nose in others' business, so he always stood by and watched such things unfold like they always did without his help. Now that he was seeing Weiss in the middle of the event, troubled, confused, conflicted, and exhausted from the bundle of twisting emotions she was currently going through right now, he was starting to understand something he had always tried to ignore.

With a tired sigh through his nose, Ren grudgingly decided to speak up. This still did not mean he was participating in the event. He was just doing what friends do. And that was offering some kind words and advice.

"You'll make the right one, I'm sure you will." he said stoically, leaning back against the door as he shut his eyes. He could feel the girls' eyes on him, questioning and surprised. He couldn't help but chuckle. It was rare of him to say such things.

"For the past three months, you and Blake have fought together, studied together, ate together, laughed together, smiled together, shed blood together, and grew stronger together. And in all that time, have you ever once seen a hidden veil of hatred in her eyes?"

Weiss was stumped at hearing the normally cool and silent raven of JNPR talking to her, but frowned as she thought about his words. In all their time together, she had never seen any kind of hostility from Blake. Unless Blake was a master of emotions, there had never been any inkling to her hating her for being a Schnee. Other than annoyance and the flat stoic expression she always wore, Blake had been nothing but kind to her. Yesterday had been the first time she had ever seen her teammate with such a ferocious look in her eyes.

And if Weiss was to be honest, the anger and hatred looked alien on the face of Blake. As if it was never meant to be.

Ren took Weiss's silence as an answer, "In all that time, even though you had no idea as to who she really was, Blake had known who you were. You were a Schnee, the heiress to the very company that underpaid and undermined her people for years. In her time in the White Fang they had taught her to see you as the enemy and painted a target on your back. But instead of listening to the ones she had thought of as family, she decided to do something else." Opening his eyes, he looked back at Weiss.

Ren did not like talking. He was not a talky kind of guy and he never would be. All those sappy cliché speeches were not to his taste and he had always left those kinds of matters to Ruby and Jaune. He spoke through actions and through the shadows.

"She decided to give you a chance. A chance to prove her wrong and show her that you weren't some slave driving Schnee who only thought of the Faunus as animals to work to death. She gave you the chance to be something other than an enemy, a target, a way to relieve her peoples' hatred and suffering."

But just this once, he would suck in his distaste and say his piece. If only to ease and help a friend.

"She gave you the chance to be a friend. Don't you think you should return the courtesy?"

Nothing more needed to be said in Ren's opinion. Turning back for his dorm, he slid his Scroll on the reader and walked in ahead of his team. He didn't need to hear Weiss's answer, he already knew what conclusion she would come to. She would have come to it without his help either way. All he did was make it a bit easier for her to reach it. A little push here and there never hurt.

Nora blinked once, rubbed her eyes and then stared at the shut door to team JNPR in slight awe.

"Did. . .Did Ren just go off on a speech to make someone feel better?" she said breathlessly, "I think adding that extra cube of sugar in his morning tea may have had some odd side effects. I don't think I've ever heard Ren speak as long as that to someone who isn't me."

Pyrrha nodded wordlessly to that. In all their time together as a team, she had never really heard Ren speak for that long. To a normal person, it may not have seemed like much. But for someone like Ren who valued silence and stuck to getting to the point of a conversation, it was surprising. She looked back to Weiss to see her reaction and found the heiress in deep contemplation.

The tired, sleep deprived expression on Weiss's face suddenly vanished. The snow themed girl's eyes were now filled with thought and surprisingly, the ache in her head had gone away. What Ren had just said to her seemed to click something in her head. With a nod, she looked at Pyrrha and Nora with a smile.

"I think I may have come to a conclusion. But I just need a little more time to think on it before I go with what I have in mind. Thank you all again for your support, and if you see those two buffoons I call teammates, tell them I'll be waiting for them back at the dorm once they're done acting like idiots. I should also change out of my sleepwear, I look a mess." she laughed. Turning back for her room, Weiss was ready to change into something more proper before stopping in place. Her icy blue eyes glanced back at the two girls softly.

"And tell Ren, thank you. I would have never thought that he of all people would help me with words."

The door behind Weiss shut with a click, leaving Pyrrha and Nora standing in the hall. They had just witnessed something odd and were still reeling from the oddity. But in the end Nora simply shrugged and chalked it up to her childhood friend being amazing and awesome. She always knew Ren was secretly a caring person who didn't like to see others suffering despite his cold and stoic appearance and attitude. Skipping back inside her dorm, she poked her head from the side of the dorm to call out to the red haired spartan girl.

"You coming, Pyrrha? Since Ren's in a good mood right now, I say we get him to make us his Ren's Special Deluxe Limited Edition Lunch Breakfast!"

"Don't milk it! And it's the afternoon!"

Shaking away the shock, Pyrrha turned back to her dorm room. Inside she found Nora begging the silent huntsman to cook with a bear hug as he struggled to pry her arms off his neck. His face was turning blue as the two of them fell back with an audible thud. Ren reached his trembling arm up for help, the action bringing a giggle to escape Pyrrha's lips before walking in to help her friend.

She always put so much attention on her own partner that she was sad to say that she at times forgot about her other teammates. Sure, she had feelings for Jaune for being the first real person to see her as a normal girl, but she couldn't forget that he wasn't the only one to do so. She had more friends than she could count on her fingers that treated as what she had always wanted to be seen as. A regular girl.

Jaune was fine. She believed in her partner to stay out of trouble for a day and come back to them safe and sound. Right now, she needed to pay attention to her other friends and help them out.

* * *

 **A Simple Wok, Vale.**

A tired yawn left Jaune's lips within the familiar noodle shop he liked to frequent every now and then when stopping by Vale. The involuntary action earned him an irate glare from the dark-skinned huntress beside him as she lifted her watch to the wrinkled old man with poor eyesight to see the hologram picture of Penny.

"Are you sure you haven't seen this girl by any chance?"

The old man shook his head sadly, feeling bad that he couldn't be of much assistance in their search. Ciel understood, nodding, and thanking the patron before turning on her heels to exit the noodle stand. Her steps were paused by a firm hand on her shoulder, turning her to meet Jaune's apologetic eyes.

"Hold up a sec, Ciel. Don't you think it would be a good idea to grab a bite to eat before we continue searching? We've been at this for hours now." he suggested in the face of her annoyed frown.

Glancing down at her watch, Ciel held back a small curse at the time. It was already nearing seven o'clock? How long had they been at this? That wasn't good.

"Mr. Arc, I've told you before that we must make haste. Penny and I have to return to our paid rooms to pay for our continued stay or risk losing our stay. I must also make a call to General Ironwood on our status by eight. We can't waste any more time here when we have much of the city to search." she said stubbornly.

"I understand that, but we can't keep this up without some energy. I know you must be hungry by now."

"I am perfectly fine." Ciel huffed as she looked away from the blond. But to her horror, her stomach enacted the ultimate betrayal as it agreed with Jaune with an audible growl. Even the old man looked to her skeptically. To her credit, she didn't blush as she gave Jaune a flat stare.

"Just make it to go."

With a small chuckle, Jaune turned back to the old man with two fingers raised up, "We'll have two Pork ramen to go, please."

Handing over the necessary currency, Jaune accepted the change before the old man vanished like the wind to prepare their order. The old guy must have had some kind of speed semblance to be able to cook their meals. It was as if Ruby was a chef. Going back to Ciel, he couldn't help but frown as he caught her nose deep in the hologram keypad of her watch. From what he had learned from his new companion, she wasn't much of a talker. Was it wrong of him to be fine with that?

Normally, he would find himself trying to strike up a conversation in a situation like this. Making friends was something he enjoyed and it benefited his ability as a Gamer. But the events of yesterday just wouldn't leave him alone. His father's withered visage was still fresh in his mind. It was dragging him down, leaving him with some worrying thoughts. He couldn't exactly make friends like that.

Jaune sighed as a moment later his scroll buzzed. He had set it to silent after the fourth string of worried messages from his partner. Sometimes she reminded him of his mother, which was a good thing and a bad thing in itself. Apparently, she wasn't satisfied with his message that he was just fine. Taking out his scroll, he quickly read over the message and found himself surprised.

 _'I've decided that if you're not going to respond, I'm just going to stop trying. Whatever you're doing or going through, know that your team wants to help and will be waiting for you back at the dorm. You don't have to respond. But please, take care of yourself, Jaune.'_

Jaune winced. Great, she was mad at him. She really did behave like his mother. Even when she was fed up with his crap, she still worried about him. Now he felt worse than he already did. It was one thing to wallow in his own despair, it was another to cause trouble for his team.

The smell of pork broth and noodles quickly brought him out of his slump as he turned his head up to see the owner of the little stand hold out the prepared ramen to take. With a grateful smile and a thank you, Jaune reached out for the food and handed it out to Ciel. Even when she was nose deep in what looked like a program, her spatial awareness was well enough for her to absent-mindlessly accept the meal. Waving bye to the nice old man, the two walked out to continue their search.

 _'Maybe some noodles will make me feel better.'_ Snapping off the chop sticks wrapped around the nicely decorated insulated cup, Jaune dove right into his dinner. A content moan escaped his noodle filled mouth as he chewed and sipped some of the broth. At least his stomach wasn't gnawing at his insides anymore. One problem solved, sadly many more to go. Slurping another ropeful of the noodles in, Jaune glanced at the slowly darkening sky with a frown. It was starting to get late. And they still had no idea where Penny may have wandered off to. You'd think it would be easy to find such a sunny and bright girl like her in the streets. They would have probably found her already if it wasn't for one thing; This was a game, and The Game liked to drag the simplest of things on for its own purposes.

Jaune's teeth bit down strongly onto his chopsticks with a snap as he scowled. Again, it always came back to The Game. Every problem, every mess, every mistake, and every disaster was because of some omnipotent being, or circle of beings that watched their struggles for the thrill. And their harbingers of their favorite spectacle were the four cursed individuals that brought with them a wake of tragedy.

Two sets of eyes, one a chestnut brown and the other a magenta pink, stared back at him with empty eyes as their lights dimmed and died. Blood began to bleed out of his trembling arm, crawling up his arm to his fingers as the wooden sticks in his shaking hands were replaced by the image of a soaking red Crocea Mors. His breathing grew heavy as he tried to calm down. He grit his teeth as his free hand flew to grip his chest, the weathered scar that brought him to this reality burning up like scalding flames.

 _'I shouldn't even be here. I shouldn't even be alive. I should be dead. All I've done is bring more trouble than good.'_

What he was experiencing wasn't something new. In these months that followed since his first death and his first kill, he had found himself suffering from mini episodes of guilt and despair. It was akin to a panic attack. Morally speaking, Jaune believed that all life was precious and that killing only brought about more problems than solutions. It was something his mother had taught him that all good heroes followed. But he had broken that moral code when he found his blade running through Holt like a hot blade to butter. The dirty blond's words could still be heard in his head, taunting him, and praising him for gaining a killer's instinct. But that could be chalked up to an accident, right? Jaune never meant to kill him. But he couldn't find a good enough excuse for when he did the same to Ren, someone who was not an enemy but a cherished friend. He killed his best friend, stopped his heart by his own choice.

It was all to save Ren from corruption. Jaune couldn't count the number of times he repeated that over in his head like a chant. But some dark emotion had been born for just a second as Ren's heart died. Satisfaction. It was fleet and weak, but it had been there. And it hadn't been the only time he had felt it. The thought of stopping Adam's heart the same way always bore the same emotion.

The Game, it was slowly turning him into something he was not. And this was only his first life! Did that mean that the longer he continued playing, the more likely he was to become a shell of his former self? The thought terrified him.

"Are you all right?"

Snapped out of his troubling thoughts, Jaune's senses were soon blaring with sensation of scalding pain drenched over his lesser hand. He bit back a curse, finding his fingers clenching the cup of noodles to waste and spilling the steaming broth over his reddening and blistering skin. The chopsticks had snapped in his other hand, bits of the wood digging into his bleeding hand along with the splinters. Ciel looked at him with some worry, the sight of his trembling shoulders and darkening expression taking her by surprise. She didn't know much about the blond, nothing but his name really, but she found such a look on his face out of place. She sighed, snapping off the clip to one of her pouches to her skirt to reach inside. She took his bleeding hand in her own as she led him to a nearby bench, scowling lightly as she used a clipper to dig out the splinters and wood.

Jaune flinched at the sensation before looking down in shame.

"Aura may come in handy when fighting off the creatures of Grimm, but outside of combat and training, it lays dormant unless called out. Our shields aren't always active, so even simple little wounds and mistakes as this will go blind to it until the damage has been done." Ciel explained as she continued picking out the wood bits, "It's like always leaving a light on, it's a waste of energy. So, you should be more careful. A huntsman in training should know this, it's one of the most basic things you learn in combat school."

"You could say that I'm not like many huntsman." Jaune said with an empty chuckle.

"Clearly you're not." Ridding his hand of the last of the splinters, Ciel disinfected the wound next before wrapping it up with a roll of bandages. It wouldn't take long for his aura to heal the damage, but it was a good idea to treat a wound the old fashion way. She moved to his blistering red left hand next while rummaging through her pouches. She was sure she had some burn ointment in there somewhere.

 _'Way to go, Jaune. You can't even go a minute without causing trouble.'_ That was all he was good for apparently. He winced as Ciel found the ointment and lathered it around his burns.

"For a huntsman in training, you oddly show signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Which is rare to find in someone so young."

PTSD? Jaune blinked at the observation. Was he. . .was he really suffering from PTSD? Professor Port had gone over it before in one of his classes. It was a condition that plagued people who had suffered through traumatic events in their lives, mostly pertaining to soldiers who came back from war. But how could he be suffering from a war symptom? It did explain the random times he would stare off into space and go into a cold sweat. He usually chalked it up to his team as studying late into the night and getting little sleep.

Ciel studied Jaune's face with interest as his eyes glazed over again as he stared at his bandaged hand. She had seen such a look before. There were times General Ironwood would do the same thing with his left arm. It was surprising to see someone as young as Jaune with the same condition.

"Like you said, I'm not like other huntsman." Jaune sighed as he rubbed the back of his head with his bandaged hand.

Done with treating his wounds, Ciel was ready to get back to searching for her teammate/partner before her watch gave off an alert. Pulling up the message, she frowned in frustration as she pinched her brow.

"Something wrong?" Jaune asked.

"For the past hour, I've been talking with the receptionist to the hotel Penny and I have been rooming at to hold off on giving away our room. In order to continue our stay, they have to have confirmation on our stay in person. And it appears that they had grown tired of waiting and offered our rooms to someone else." She said in annoyance. It was their responsibility to keep a roof over their heads once they made it to Vale. The General/Headmaster couldn't do everything for them and left them to the simple task of renewing their hotel rooms. And it looked like they couldn't even do that. Ciel sighed at the lecture she was sure to get for not only failing the task, but losing her partner.

Jaune hung his head, "Sorry I couldn't be of much help. I've just been wasting your time."

"It's not exactly your fault. You took the time out of your day to help some stranger find her partner. Most people wouldn't do that." Ciel said with a small smile. She looked back to his bandaged hands, finding them lightly shaking, "If anything, I apologize for taking up your time. You must be going through your own problems."

"Something like that." Jaune smiled weakly. His aura was already on the move and healing the small wounds as he made out the light shine of his white aura pulsing. He clenched his fist tightly as his thoughts turned back to what was plaguing him.

 _'Dad! When I grow up, I want to be an awesome Huntsman! Just like you and Grandpa!'_

 _'Oh? But you're too adorable and huggable for a thing like that! You got some serious growing up to do before even thinking of picking up a sword, my little knight.'_

 _'Then just you wait! When I'm big, I'm going to be as tall and strong as you are! And I'll be a warrior, just like you!'_

 _'I guess I'll just have to wait and see if you're up for that. With spirit like that, you might just pull it off, Jaune.'_

For the hundredth time today, Jaune was asking himself what he was doing here. Knowing the condition his father was left in, why did his previous self leave them all behind to suffer? He could have stayed to help around the house, to comfort his mother and sisters, maybe even devote himself to learning all he could about what was hurting his father to treat it. But instead he left to pursue a selfish dream that only benefited himself.

He ran away. Ran far away from the problems of home. Like the coward he was. And he couldn't even remember it.

"Ciel, can I ask you something?"

The Atlesian huntress looked back at him with surprise as she found his solemn blue eyes staring at her. They looked troubled, almost haunted. Whatever was going on in his mind was eating him alive and she could actually see it. It made her feel a little uncomfortable but she nodded her head politely. Answering a question was the least she could do for all his trouble.

"I suppose you can."

"Why did you become a huntress?" The question confused Ciel as she watched Jaune stare down, unable to meet her eyes. It was a simple question, albeit personal.

"I became a huntress to serve my country. Just as anyone else would." she answered.

Jaune shook his head with a small frown.

"Is that it? Don't you have a family, friends, people who depend on you and miss you every day that you're gone? Why leave behind something like that to go fight monsters, risk your life, and make mistakes you can never take back?" Wouldn't everything be better if he had just stayed home? The blood on his hands would have never been painted, he would have never died and gotten stuck in some twisted game, and his father would have continued to live a healthy life. No one would have had to suffer if he had stayed home with his family.

"Why leave the nice, comfy, peaceful life behind you for the path of a bloody warrior?"

Now Ciel was really taken back. Those blue eyes of his, they were so lost. Like they had lost their will to take another step. They were searching for something, something they had lost. She glanced away from those eyes, not really knowing what to say to someone she had only just met hours ago. She did know one thing; he was lost and confused. Sighing, Ciel turned back to meet those despaired blue eyes with a firm stare.

"I don't know you that well to give my life's story, but there's more to me being a huntress then serving my country. I have my own reasons for walking the path I'm on. And I'm sure you do as well." she said, finding her hand moving to his shaking hand. Her hand paused for a second before gripping his hand softly.

It was odd. Here she was with a complete stranger trying to comfort him when she knew next to nothing about him but his name. But something about him made her reach out to him.

"You must have a reason for why you are here right now. It's led you this far, so why question it? In all that time that you've spent here, haven't you made any progress or done some good? Or was all that pointless?"

The memories of the FoF event and saving Ren from his Corruption came to mind. And all the small moments in-between. He had saved Ann from a life in the shadows of criminals, saved Blake, Velvet, and many other faunus from losing what made them special, helped saved Cardin from himself, and even proved to Ren that it wasn't too late to take action and change things for the better. The shaking stopped.

"But I've simply been fixing all the troubles created by me." The Game had created all the events to test his worth and for the enjoyment of three gods. If he had never stepped foot onto Beacon and become a Player, then maybe none of those things would have happened.

"Maybe. But that doesn't change the good you've done. You're a huntsman, it's your duty to save others so they can live normal lives. I'm sure even your parents understood that when you left for the academy. Otherwise they would have stopped you."

Why didn't they stop him? Knowing the condition their father was in, why hadn't they stopped their only son from leaving? He could have helped them in whatever way he could. So why would his seven sisters and mother let him go off down the same path that had taken their father?

"You made the decision to become a huntsman long ago and I'm sure you thought about it clearly. So, don't doubt yourself now. If you can't remember why you're here, then just find a new reason to be here." Ciel said as she stood back up. She turned her head up to the darkening skies with a frown. Night was coming and it looked like she didn't have a place to stay. Strangely enough, the General had yet to message her to check up on them.

Jaune stared at Ciel. For someone who didn't seemed to talk much or be very friendly, she was still trying to make him feel better. His eyes fell back to his hand, the vision of blood dying away as he couldn't help but smile.

 _'Find a reason to be here, huh? Don't I already have one?'_ The friends he had once lost in a hero's death were still here with him. And he wanted to help Ren end this torture of endless repeats. He wanted to be a warrior, a hero, someone who they would tell stories about to their children one day. Weren't those reasons enough? The image of his bed ridden father returned to haunt him but instead of falling back down that hole, Jaune scowled firmly and stood up from his seat.

All this sorrow and despair wasn't going to heal his father. If he wanted to see him again as the strong huntsman who inspired him to become a warrior, he needed to stop crying. He was in a game, right? And just about anything was possible within a game. So, a cure for his father could exist in this world, he just needed to find it.

 _'I... I can't stop now. Not after everything I've been through, not when I still have people who depend on me, and not while I can still try!'_

Ren had once said that he wouldn't be able to handle all that The Game threw at him. The despair, the hardship, the agony, it would all be too much for someone as soft as him. And while the news of his father was crippling, Jaune wouldn't let it stop him there. Whatever the hell The Game or the gods threw at him, he would face it head on and fix the damage.

"Thanks, Ciel."

Ciel looked back at Jaune with confusion, "For what? I really didn't do much."

"Simply listening to me and putting up with me while I've been down in the dumps was more than enough to bring my spirits up!" he grinned brightly. The vice grip on his heart had eased, enough for him to get back on his feet again.

"You seem to be in better spirits now." Ciel said slowly as she stared at him weirdly. How could he change emotions so quickly? What an odd guy.

A buzzing from Jaune's scroll set his attention back to a familiar message. The Black and White Event was still live. Tomorrow was the day that Blake and Sun encountered the White Fang and resolved their mess. With his mind now settled, he accepted the Event without a second thought. He had all the time in the world to figure out how to heal his father, but right now he needed to focus on a friend in need.

 **'Blake and White, Accepted!**

 **Rewards: Level up in Blake's Friendship and Affection, Unlock Sun Wukong's Friendship, Unlock Penny Polendina's Friendship, STR Boost, 12,300L, and Igni Symbol.**

 **Failure: Permanent Decrease in Team RWBY's Friendship. Unable to access Vale under house arrest. Loss of trust from Headmaster Ozpin.'**

Those were some hefty penalties. Which only meant he couldn't fail come tomorrow. If only he knew what challenges he would be facing.

Night had fallen without his notice as Jaune stared at the black sky. Plans for tomorrow he supposed. A good night's rest was what he needed now after a day like today. Turning back to Ciel, he remembered that she had no place to stay tonight. She helped him, now he needed to repay the favor.

"It's getting late, how about you come with me back to my hotel room for the night?" he suggested innocently before he found a glare pointed at him. He waved his hands around in panic once his words hit him, "I mean, I'm sure we can find you a room there for the night! I didn't mean anything sexual by it!"

Ciel tapped her foot in suspicion as she quirked a brow. The blond boy began to sweat nervously as he laughed sheepishly. She sighed, deciding to take him in on his offer. The hotel she had been staying at had been pretty full, they had been lucky to have gotten rooms when they arrived seeing as it was pretty high class. She supposed she could search for Penny tomorrow. This wasn't the first time her partner had disappeared on her in some new city for an entire day. And like Penny liked to say, she was combat ready for any situation.

"I suppose I have no choice. Searching in the dark won't get me anywhere." she relented with a nod. But if he tried anything, she was using her military training to beat his ass.

Jaune sighed in relief, "Then just follow me. Our hotel isn't too far from here." he said with a smile as he began leading her to his current residence.

Night was here and it was time to settle down for tomorrow. He had a game to beat, he needed all the rest he could get. And he also had to prepare for the scolding he was going to receive from Pyrrha once this was all over with. He could already picture her mother like scowl.

Unknown to either hunter, above the tall city buildings touching the skies, a lone figure hid itself from sight at the top of a tower like structure. The tattered, bloody black cloak bellowed in the wind as the man fixed a torn rag scarf around his face. His red eyes followed the back of the blond teen, glaring hatefully through the slit of his hood covering his face and silver white hair.

A ball of azure flames ignited beside the stranger's head, grinning mischievously as its red eyes twinkled.

"You can take him by surprise if you want. I don't think he's in the right state of mind for an attack from the shadows. I'm sure all you would need is a single swing of those angled blades of yours and that's that!"

The stranger shook his red eyes, never leaving Jaune's back even as he vanished from his sight.

"You give him too little credit. He's strong." A pure black crosshair materialized in his right eye, vanishing quickly as he shook his head with a deep scowl, "Stronger then I could ever hope to be." he hissed angrily.

"So? What, you going to simply stalk him for eternity and sulk? I didn't give you all those powers just to watch some drama." Will whined as its fiery form slumped. It wanted action!

"I've still got a ways to go before I can confront that fake. I've only just received this so called 'gift'. I need time to build up strength, then," he tightened his fist until a shroud of vile flames engulfed it with a crackle, "I'll slaughter all those who are responsible for this body!"

Will sighed in disappointment. Well, it supposed the boy had a point. At his current level, he wouldn't stand much of a chance. He just needed to grind the old whetstone before showing it something worth watching.

"I guess you're right. Tomorrow's another day, at least I'll have something fun to watch. Heart's going to meet Soul, I can't wait to see how those two duke it out!" it giggled happily as it danced around in the air. The stranger didn't pay the godly flame any mind, scoffing as he turned away to find a spot to rest for the night. His body was still adjusting to the changes he had gone through. A burning sensation on his chest caused him to hiss as his hand flew to clench the origin of the pain. It felt like burning teeth were grinding deep into his chest.

 _'Just you wait, you damn fake. I'll take back my life, one way or another.'_

Watching the raggedy cloaked red eyed boy leave the rooftops, The Will went into thought as it materialized a white gloved hand to stroke it nonexistent chin.

"Born from death, willed by hate, and forgotten by time. What Title shall I bestow upon you, old child of Light and Dark? A copy of The Heart poisoned by its ill fate. What shall I call you, little corpse?" it hummed as it scanned the stranger's retreating back.

 _ **'?.'**_

Oh well, it had plenty of time to figure that out. Dispersing into embers unseen by the world around it, The Will grinned one last time as it chuckled for the show it was about to witness.

It always did love a good old twist.

* * *

 **DLC #9: Spectacles of Eros MK IV.**

Jaune stared blankly at his latest summon, the short light blonde haired girl staring back at him haughtily with such elegance she put his precious Snow Angel to shame. Her dress could only described as gothic lolita and her hair was done in pig tails that nearly reached the ground. The ribbons in her pigtails stood up, almost reminded him of a bunnies ears standing up in attention. Her bold red eyes stared deep into his own blue, almost as if she was looking into the deepest depths of his soul. He shivered, her very presence sending chills down his spine.

She was just a little girl for crying out loud!

"Nago, punish him."

"As you command, my lady!"

The odd fat, plushy like black cat beside the blonde girl's side saluted her before springing off the spot and morphing into a large ball to smack him right in the face. The damn thing hit him with the force of an iron ball! How the hell could something that seemed so plushy hit that hard? With shout of indignation, Jaune stumbled back as he held his bruising face and glared at the blonde pipsqueak.

"What was that for!?" Jaune shouted at the 12 year old girl with a shaking face.

"Your face reminded me of an old ally of mine. And while I can no longer make out his face nor his name, I can still oddly recall the type of face he would make when looking at me. Seems all dogs no matter their bark or size are the same." she sighed as she called back her magical servant. The little red devil winged like plush on her right side giggled in a high pitch voice.

"His glare kinda reminds me of Blood Scythe! Now he just has to talk like a foul dog and yap loudly, mistress!"

"He acts more like a pup then a dog."

"Who are you anyways?" After checking to make sure the blow hadn't done too much damage, Jaune turned back to his newest guest curiously.

After completing a mission with his team that Professor Goodwitch had given them, he had received a unique reward. A summon crystal of all things had been his reward for patrol duty in a small village plagued by a unique bat like Grimm and Beowolves. It was blood red in color and held an intricate rose crest within. The name of the gem was The Blood Eyed Rabbit. He didn't even mean to call her out, it sorta just happened. It was a good thing no one was in the dorm right now or he'd have to make something up.

With a snap of her fingers, the strange girl summoned a simple wooden chair for her to sit on. Even when she was sitting down, she looked elegant. Like some kind of aristocrat. She cleared her throat before introducing herself to the knight.

"My name is Rachel Alucard, current head of the Alucard family and once Bystander of my dimension. Though it seems I am no longer in it seeing as the Ether in this world is practically nonexistent. To think such a world exists. It's quite fascinating." she with interest, turning her eyes around the room to understand where she was summoned to. Her eyes fell back to Jaune, eying him carefully, "I take it was you who had summoned me to your world? I'm quite shocked that such a commoner like yourself has the power to perform such an action. Despite your scrawny appearance and plain demeanor, you do posses a strong magical connection to the world."

"I'm more then meets the eye." Jaune shrugged as he sat back on his bed. What caused the odd little girl to be summoned from his gem? He frowned in thought as stared at the dulled summoning mineral in hands. Word of his so called Summon Semblance had already spread, but it was harder to explain how he could call on warriors from other dimensions. Only his team and Yang knew of that bit.

"Why am I here? Last I recalled, I was enjoying a nice cup of tea courtesy of an old friend before finding myself blinded by a bright light and standing in this room." Rachel asked, raising a fine brow as a book lying on the bed beside her caught her interest. Ninja's of Love? She'd never heard of that particular piece of literature before. Grabbing a hold of it, she began to skim through as her familiars made themselves useful and began to set up a tea set for her.

Jaune scratched his head awkwardly, "I'm as lost as you are. I didn't mean to call on you or bother. I'm still getting this Summoning stuff down. Guess I must have accidentally pumped your gem with magic."

Idly, Rachel's curiosity grew as her red eyes drank in every word of the book in hand. My, the author sure knew how to blend a compelling story with pure smut. It was oddly a drawing tale. Without taking her eyes off her book, she gestured for the small devil bat like creature, Gii, to hand her the steaming porcelain teacup of her favorite brew before taking a tentative sip.

"You have the gift of Summoning? That is a rare ability that few posses even in my world. How did you come to posses such a gift?"

"It. . .kinda fell onto me, you could say." Jaune sighed. The Summon Gems were meant to help him in combat, yet he had not once used any of them to help him in a fight. Lightning had taught him some spells and swordplay and Tifa had helped in his hand to hand and endurance. But they had brought so much trouble to his social life. Pyrrha had been very clingy since Light had left and Yang had gotten awfully touchy and grabby with him. He fought the blush on his face and buried the memories of his three way 'fight' with the busty brawlers. That had not been a good day for his face once Weiss had woken up and Pyrrha had found out. He was lucky to be alive thanks to Nurse Sprig.

Rachel nodded, too engrossed in the arousing tale. She made a mental note to find a copy of the entire series before returning home. Despite its filth that would make even Hakumen blush like a school girl, it was a rather drawing story.

"So you are untrained in such a gift and accidentally summoned me from my world for no reason? My, I don't think I've seen such wasted talent in my many lifetimes." she sighed.

"Life times?" Jaune frowned, tilting his head as he eyed her with scrutiny, "What's a little girl like you talking about life times? You can't be older then twelve." he chuckled. She actually reminded him of his youngest sister. All she was missing was mud on her face and a shoveling trowel.

Gii and Nago began to sweat nervously as the black ribbons in Rachel's hair twitched. Oh, he hit a sweet spot without even knowing it.

"Pardon, but did you just mistake me for a middle school child?" she asked with a hint of indignation.

"What, aren't you? You're pretty short and have a child like build. Not to mention. . ." he dared not say no more.

But the immortal vampire understood. She briefly looked down towards her chest, her silent fury only growing as she narrowed her eyes dangerously. Her familiars cowered as a dark aura rose from her body.

Before she could enact her punishment to the blond little puppy sweating under her gaze, the door to the room swung wide open. The dangerous aura dispersed as she turned her eyes to the intruders.

"Nora is in the house! And I got pancake batter~!" The orange haired bombshell that was Nora sang happily as she lowered her leg. She always did love kicking it open dramatically. Ren sighed as he followed after his partner followed by Pyrrha back into their dorm. He made a mental note to patch up the cracks before Professor Goodwitch noticed.

"You act like it was the end of the world."

"It was going to be the end of someone's world if I didn't get my daily fix, Renny." Nora pouted as she hugged the several boxes of nirvana to her chest like a child. To that, Ren couldn't say anything back as he shivered. He could only recall one time she missed her daily intake of fluffy goodness. He died that day, that was all that needed to be said.

Now that they were all in the room again, Pyrrha finally took notice of the stranger sitting gracefully in a small tea table she knew for a fact had never been in there room. The little blonde's girls eyes unnerved her, something about them unnatural on the face of such a young child.

"Jaune, who's this?" Pyrrha asked as she walked closer to the two. Her eyes feel on the two stuffed animals by the girl's side, feeling even more unnerved as their eyes seemed to follow her.

Jaune gulped as he found his teammates staring at him with question. He promised them that he wouldn't summon another warrior after the last two incidents. He couldn't endure another lecture from Pyrrha or a sparring session with her! His ass was still sore.

Leaping off his bed to his feet, Jaune grinned nervously as he brought the small blonde girl in a one armed hug, surprising her as her eyes shot wide open.

"Who, this? This is just my little sister, Rachel Arc! She just stopped by Vale without our parents permission to visit her big brother! Ain't that right, Rachel?" he smiled, silently urging her to play along.

A single twitch developed in Rachel's left eye before quickly fading. Summoning in this world must have been either forbidden or unheard of. Still, to think the child had the utter gall to pin her as a child was infuriating. She'd show the little pup a lesson.

For now, she'd play along.

"Right, big brother. I just wanted to see you so badly. I'm sorry I ran from home." she apologized with a faux quivering lip. Inwardly she cringed. She wasn't going to be living this down in this century.

Glad that Rachel played along, Jaune patted her head, "It's alright, little Rachel. I'm just happy you got here safely. That's what really matters."

Pyrrha awed at the adorable scene in front of her. It was good to know that Jaune was good with kids. She wanted five. Even Nora thought it was cute.

' _Am I the only one that sees the demonic aura floating above the girl's head?'_ Ren thought dully as he stared at the devilish figure mad of vile, haunting aura flowing from the smiling pig tailed girl. Was it weird that even her stuffed animals were sweating?

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Rachel." Pyrrha smiled kindly as she lowered herself down to the little girl's eye level, "My name is Pyrrha Nikos and I'm your big brother's partner!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos." Rachel smiled back in return.

' _You'll be calling me big sister soon enough, Rachel. In time, in time.'_

Pushing Pyrrha away with a shove, Nora got right in Rachel's face, taking the vampire back as the orange haired girl grinned widely at her, "Name's Nora Valkyrie! And I'm Queen of our little castle, missy! How you doing, pipsqueak?" she said happily.

Ren stepped back from his team as the demonic figure of aura grinned openly from above Jaune's so called little sister, its cruel razor sharp teeth glinting maliciously. How the hell was he the only one seeing that?

"Fine." Rachel's smile twitched, straining as she fought to keep it up, "It's nice to meet you as well."

"You talk awfully proper and elegant for a brat. When I was your age I could barely form a coherent sentence."

"That's because you use to eat sugary sweets every morning before I cut you off. It was like talking to a female Oobleck." Ren frowned. How she was alive, he would never understand.

"And that over there is my teammate, Ren! Say hi, Renny!" Nora gestured to her partner to greet the young lolita. He simply nodded, the gesture being more then enough for the girl as she nodded back in acceptance. Something about her screamed tread carefully. And he was never good with words.

With the introductions out of the way, Jaune began to push his 'little' sister towards the door.

"Well since my little sister will be staying with us for a bit until we've set everything up for her to go back home safely, I'm going to go right ahead and giver her a tour of Beacon! She's always wanted to see a hunting academy up close." he grinned frantically.

Pyrrha's face lite up. This would be a perfect opportunity to get a good word in from his sister. If she could get along with the little Arc, it would make it easier for her to get Jaune to see her as more then just best friend material.

"How about I join you? I think it would be a wonderful chance to get to know each other better."

Jaune immediately shook his head with a nervous chuckle, grinning in apology as his partner's smile fell.

"That's alright, Pyrrha. We can all hang out with each other later. Right now we need some brother-sister bonding time. Ain't that right, Rachel?"

Rachel smiled back pleasantly to the three children that were part of her summoner's team. It was taking all her will power not to call down lightning to punish them all for the grievous crime of treating her like some brat.

"It's as big brother says, we need some bonding time together. I'm sorry for taking him away from you all. I just really missed my brother." she sniffed, her little act being more then enough for the two female members of JNPR to apologize encourage her play with her brother.

Ren made a silent prayer for leader, watching as the demonic figure above Rachel's small frame slid its finger across its throat joyfully with a demonic grin.

' _This is another reason why I stopped involving myself with The Game and its creations. I've died too many times to make the same mistakes again.'_

Thanking his team for understanding, Jaune shut the door to his dorm with a relieved sigh. Thank god that worked. He wasn't sure that his lie would work. He really was too good at lying.

"Sorry for springing that on you, Rachel. I can't have others know about my ability to summon right now." he smiled apologetically as the two of them walked the halls of the school. He was a little worried as the small red eyed girl went silent, almost as if she was off in thought as her two familiars were dragged behind her like toys. He winced, catching the sounds of their whimpering at the action.

Her eyes glanced back at him from the corner of her eyes, taking his image in. What to do, what to do? She could electrocute him, but that was too simple. She could bring out some of her old instruments of torture that her father had once used back in the dark days, but that was too messy for her liking. She crossed her arms as she thought of a fitting punishment for the blond pup. Idly, she noticed Jaune reaching for what looked like some kind of electronic tablet.

"What is that?" she couldn't help but ask.

Jaune smiled as he showed off his scroll to the little blonde girl, "This? It's what we in Remnant call a Scroll. It acts as a communication device along with several other functions. Right now, I'm messaging a friend of mine, Velvet who wanted to see if I wanted to hang out today. Which I can't seeing as I still have to get to know you better if we're going to work together in the future." he explained.

An odd glint appeared in Rachel's eyes. Velvet? That sounded like a woman's name.

"And this Velvet, is she a good friend of yours?"

"You bet! Course she's not the only one. I have lots of friends. Which is surprising for a guy like me."

"And of those friends, how many of them are female?" she asked curiously as a plan began to form in her mind.

"More then I can count with my finger?" What a weird thing to say.

That was more then enough for Rachel. Oh, she had just the payback for a boy like Jaune. His demeanor and personality was perfect for the effects of her favorite little gift. And it was the newest model.

"You know Jaune, if we are to get to know each other better, I would like to start things off with a gift."

"A gift?" Jaune stopped, turning to the oddly smiling girl with question, "You don't have to do that. Usually when I summon someone, they tell me about their life's and pledge to help me in whatever way they can. As long as you don't call me Master like the rest of them, you don't have to do anything like giving me a gift. I'm then fine with just having you as a friend." he grinned.

A boy who could summon as powerful as her on whim for whatever deeds he commanded simply wanted her as a friend? For a split second, Rachel hesitated. Back in the old days, she wouldn't have thought twice about such a prank. But since the end of The Master Unit and Terumi, she had found herself becoming slightly soft. All due to the man who had changed her life but had forgotten from his ultimate sacrifice. He was rough around the edges, but had a good heart. Just like this Jaune boy.

But then that boy had to lower himself down to her eye level and ruffle her hair and open his mouth again.

"Instead, how about I get you some ice cream? Then you can introduce me to those cool little friends of yours and we can even have a little tea party. Doesn't that sound nice?" he said as if he was talking to a child.

Narrowed red eyes didn't seem to think so. And in case he didn't seem to understand, the pain that followed to his head should have tipped him off.

"My eyes!"

Falling back to the floor with a shout of pain and surprise, Jaune threw his hands to grip at the odd pair of pink heart lens sunglasses snapped onto the sides of his face. Small spikes detached from the arms of the glasses, digging into the side of his head where they made it impossible to yank off. Blinking the tears away, he glared back at the amused small blonde girl standing in front of him.

Or floating in front him now that he took a good look at her.

"W-What was that for!?" he shouted at her angrily, flinching as the spikes dug deeper into his skull, "And what did you do?"

"I've simply given you a little gift, pup, for all the disrespectful barking you've made. Treating me as a child, really?" she scoffed as Gii and Nago sprang back up and floated beside her in the air, "I am Rachel Alucard, the very last vampire and immortal who watches the world for calamity. Not some brat you would take out for ice cream and lollipops." she leered, looking down at him like an ant as he continued to pry the odd glasses off.

"What you have on you is called the Spectacles of Eros MK-IV. A powerful item that bewitches the opposite sex into seeing you in an amorous reflection. It's power only works on those who comprehend love and only affects the wearer if they are of moral heart and mind. Those with ill intents that adorn these spectacles will not be able to bring out their power though. And now you will fall under its effects, effects even I have yet to fully understand."

Jaune stopped struggling to rip off the annoying glasses to stare dumbly at the floating vampire girl, "Uhhhh, I didn't really understand much of what you just said. Did you just say you were a vampire though? And immortal? How old are you?" he couldn't help but ask, tilting his head as he looked her over.

"Older then your great grandfather's father and then some." The dropped jaw and disbelief on his face said he got the message. As he should.

"But your so small! You look like a loli!"

Rachel found her brow twitching at the comment. Not the loli comments. She always despised those the most. Here she was trying to punish him, but instead she was the one having to suffer with talking with him. It was thanks to the sounds of footsteps that Jaune was saved from having to suffer from her physical wrath. She turned her eyes to find a humming dark red haired girl walking along with a spring in her step, the sight of her bringing a glint to Rachel's blood red eyes.

Now to watch the pup squirm and sweat like a fool.

Ruby waved at Jaune as she ran up to him with a cheerful smile. She had been hoping to find him close by.

"Hey, Jaune! I've been looking for you everywhere. It's not nice to make a girl run around the entire school for you." she chided the blond knight with a pout.

"You've been looking for me? Why? You could have just messaged me if you needed me." Jaune said with confusion. At that, the small girl looked away with embarrassment, blushing a dark shade of red as she seemed to struggle to say something back. She gripped the hem of her skirt deathly tight, gulping as she felt her breath hitch under his blue eyes.

Rachel smirked, fully recognizing the symptoms and signs. She gestured for Nago to hand her a bag of popcorn it had summoned for her pleasure.

"Jaune. . .I. . .I. . ." Ruby clapped her cheeks together, smiling nervously as she spun around like some love struck girl. Jaune found himself gulping at what she was going to say, finding it hard to look away as Ruby's big, adorable silver eyes stared deep into his own.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"I. . .lost my scroll." she finally spat out, laughing nervously as she scratched her head. How embarrassing. A loud thud made her turn away from her best friend to finally notice the new girl in the odd lolita black and red dress laying on the floor. When did she get here?

"That's why you were looking for me? Because you lost your scroll?" Jaune said slowly as the little reaper nodded and looked down. He sighed, not sure why he had been nervous a moment ago. Honestly, it almost sounded like she was about to confess. "Last I saw it, you were playing Sniper Sight on your scroll again while in Professor Port's class. Check your seat and ask around if anyone's seen it, or better yet, ask you team to call it while looking around the classroom or your previous spots. I'm sure you'll find it then."

Ruby liked the sound of that idea. With a plan in mind, she nodded her head firmly and spun around to begin her quest to find her precious scroll! Though she did spin right back to hug Jaune tightly for his help.

"Thanks, Jaune! I don't know what I would do sometimes if I didn't have you here." she sighed in content of the embrace before running off to find her team.

Rubbing her sore behind from the fall, Rachel went on to march towards Jaune and pull him down to her level with an annoyed glare.

"Is there something wrong with the Spectacles of Eros MK-VI? They are the newest model and I've yet to understand their full power. I know for a fact they should have worked the moment a female had found you in their sight." she frowned as she examined the butterfly shaped lenses attached to Jaune's face. The only reason they had no effect on her was due to an enchantment she had placed on herself to void its effects on her.

"Effects?" Jaune frowned back before gently moving the smaller blonde's hands away. She did say that the weird glasses did something to girls.

"Jaune? Is that you?"

Moving back from Rachel, Jaune smiled at the sight of Weiss, still in her school uniform at the end of the hall. The white heiress scowled at the sight of him, marching after him as if she was on a mission. He stepped back once she got within arm's distance, gulping as her icy blue eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Weiss! Uh, what's going on? I thought you would be with Ruby looking for her scroll." he said nervously.

"Never mind that! What I want to know is, who is she?" Weiss gestured to the pig tailed girl with red eyes with hostility. Rachel quirked brow in interest, inwardly smirking as it clicked.

"Who, Rachel?" Jaune said in confusion before shrugging his shoulders, "She's-"

"His girlfriend." Rachel quickly cut him off, her worlds freezing his body still as Weiss's scowl only deepened. Seeing the snow themed girl's shoulders tremble and look down with a shadowed expression confirmed her thoughts as she smiled in victory. To add insult to injury, the petite vampire hugged Jaune's arm close to her chest and brought their faces close to another.

Now was where the real fun began.

"Girlfriend!? That's not true!" Jaune shouted in alarm, waving his hands around in a blur as Weiss refused to meet his eye. Dear god, he didn't want his crush to get the wrong impression of him. They were finally making some headway in their relationship and he was sure he was this close to her considering the possibility of going out with him for at least an hour.

A hard slap to the face knocked him down on his butt as Weiss glared at him with tears in her eyes. Something he was not expecting in the slightest. And what she said next nearly gave him a heart attack.

"You damn idiot! I thought you and I were together!"

"Wha?" he said dumbly as Weiss rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. The hell did she just say?

"So, were you just playing with my heart and leading me on this entire time?! I thought you loved me. Because I know I love you!" she cried loudly, glaring daggers at the girl who had stolen her lovable blond knight from her. Jaune's hanging jaw smacked onto the floor, his eyes wide as saucer plates as his mind struggled to comprehend what his ears were hearing.

"YOU WHAT!?"

Weiss blushed, going shy under the gaze of her beloved. It was as if he was mentally undressing every article of clothing on her! The thought only made her blush grow into a shade that burned her cheeks. She swayed on her feet, clasping her chest as she explained.

"I don't know how I could be so shallow and cold to ignore your advances when we first met. I thought you were after my name and the power it holds. But you've proved me wrong time and time again. And I've always fantasized about a knight in shining armor taking me into their arms and riding away with me into the sunset." she said shyly, looking away at the reveal of her secret childhood dream. But the blonde girl beside her had reminded her that there apparently was some opposition in that reality. She growled, pointing her finger accusingly at Rachel.

"But here I find out that you've had some woman on the side the entire time? As a proud member of the Schnee family I won't stand for this! What is it that she has that I don't?"

This was happening to fast and too suddenly! Jaune struggled with his words, his speech failing him as he babbled nonsense. It wasn't what it looked like! He glared at the amused smirk on the vampire's face as her familiars giggled. That damn little rabbit ribbon eared brat! She was ruining a dream come true!

"Is it the chest? Is it because she's flatter then me!?" Weiss gasped in dramatic shock, her eyes falling on girl's flat board breasts. The ond time she finds a woman with a smaller chest then her and it's against her. Never before did she believe the day would come where she would curse not having smaller breasts.

The amusement died with that sentence as Rachel glared back at the Schnee heiress. Now that was just a low blow. A dark essence began to drift from her small stature, the energy affecting her familiars as they sighed and felt their bodies undergo the sensation of transformation. They had been hoping not to be called into battle today.

"You're presence has become an annoyance. And I wouldn't say that I have a flatter chest, the courtesy belongs to you." she said haughtily.

"I don't believe I was talking to you." Weiss responded coldly as she Myrtenaster slid out from its place beside her waist. "You look nothing more then a child. You must have used some Semblance or trickery to take him away from me!"

"It seems I must teach you a proper lesson in manners, child. Such uncouth thinking is rather ugly. Such a shame I must punish someone with the appearance of class."

The tension in the air grew heavy as Jaune found himself in the middle of the stand off. How the hell did it go from small talk in his dorm with his summon to a cat fight? That's the good old Jaune luck for you. And as much as he wanted to stick around and convince his beloved Weiss that what Rachel had said was nothing but lies, he knew better then to butt in.

At least with their attention fully focused on another he was able to run away from the scene post haste. A thundering boom followed the sound of the hall being destroyed by a rising glacier of ice. Had he not ran he was sure he would have been sandwiched by the attacks.

Was this all because of the odd glasses? Again Jaune tried to pry them off with little results but the spikes stabbing deeper if possible. Seemed the more he tried the more they dug in.

' _Maybe I can find someone to tear these things off?'_ Surely someone in his circle of friend could help him. Turning a corner, he stopped suddenly as he found the rest of team RWBY leaving Professor Port's class. Maybe Yang could rip them off?

But something odd seemed to happen to Yang as the moment she laid eyes on him a pink flash of energy so brief that you would have to blink to miss it passed her lavender eyes. She grinned widely at him and walked up to him with a swing of her hips. Something didn't bode well there.

"Why, hello there Ladykiller! Funny running into you you here." she winked as she got real close to her fellow blonde. Her hot breath tickled the skin of his neck as her finger ran circles on his chest. Someone was being awfully touchy. Jaune suddenly made a noise of surprise before narrowing his eyes at the grinning busty boxer.

"Is that your hand on my ass?"

Yang didn't say but she did give him a knowing look. And an extra squeeze on his surprisingly firm ass. Man did her training pay off.

"You know it's been a while since you and I got to really hang out. Not to mention I've also noticed that your form has been slacking in combat class lately. How about you and I got off for some more of that 'Special' Training?" she whispered huskily, pressing her body chest to chest with lust lidded eyes. "I know just the work out that accents your hips and strengthens my gluts at the same time. And this time, we won't have our fun spoiled by another girl."

Ruby found the scene in front of her strange. Yang was flirty true, but this was something else. She was never that forward for no reason. And this was Jaune, she had very little reason to seduce him for no reason other then to tease him. And sure, they had done the deed in their room once, but Yang had said it was a one time thing. She turned to Blake, hoping for some insight.

"What's Yang trying to do?"

Blake huffed and responded with irritation, "Your big sister is throwing herself at Jaune, and rather shamelessly if I might add. It's disgusting." she growled with narrowed eyes, watching as her partner ran her hands all over the knight. Couldn't Yang see that he was uncomfortable?

"He doesn't belong to her, he belongs to me!"

"Whaaaaa?" Ruby said slowly before the black bowed ninja ran up to the blondes.

Yang flinched as Blake tore her away from her lover, growling as the black themed girl held his head close to her chest with a look of adoration. Aww, hell no!

"What give's Blake!? You can't come in-between a girl and her future baby daddy like that!" she shouted angrily.

"Baby daddy?!" Jaune gaped, gasping as Blake smothered his face in her chest. Whatever else he had to say was sadly muffled in her heavenly fun bags.

"You must be mistaken, Jaune isn't your baby daddy." she sneered as she ran her hands through Jaune's hair gently, "He's my future husband, the one who will help me reign in a time of peace between humans and faunus! And together with our many many children we will change the world for the better! Isn't that right, Mr. Belladonna?" Blake purred as she snuggled Jaune's face to her face affectionately.

"Mr. Belladonna?" Jaune couldn't help but question, "Wouldn't you take Arc as your last name, Blake?"

A hard slap to his face was Blake's answer before he found himself staring into her glowering yellow eyes filled with lust. He frowned, face twitching as he found her slapping a collar on his chest. Okay, this was some territory he wanted no place in.

"That's mistress to you and a human pet like yourself should not speak unless spoken to, slave."

"What the hell!? What happened to all that equality between humans and faunus you were going on about!? I'm not some sex slave!"

"That's right! That's my man, you damn sex starved pussy!" Yang shouted as she tugged on Jaune's right arm. Blake hissed in her face, pulling back on her own hold of the knight as the two found themselves in a tug of war for their lover. Jaune whimpered at the sound of his arms being pulled and threatening to be torn off.

' _Is this what Rachel was talking about? Is this all because of the Spectacles of Eros?'_ And did his left arm just pop?

Even if Ruby still had no idea what was going on between her friends, she knew that if she didn't help Jaune he would lose his arms. With firm resolve her body became rose petals and shot after her fellow team leader, her speed being more then enough to allow her to switch places with Jaune. Blake and Yang stared in confusion with their small leader between them before swiveling their heads to find the object of their affections.

"Run, Jaune! And don't stop until you've found sanctuary! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Ruby shouted back to running back of said blond. She struggled to hold back her teammates from running after him as she tackled them to the ground and wrestled them down. Times like this she was glad to have participated in Nora's RWE.

"Damn it, Ruby! That's your future brother-in-law you're letting get away! Don't you want to be an aunt?"

"Not it if means having to share my cookies with my nieces and nephews!"

Sweat ran down Jaune's panicked expression as he fled from the strange scene. First Weiss was acting strange and spouting her love for him, now Yang and Blake? The only one not affected was Ruby! He gave her a salute for her sacrifice and as he found himself taking shelter in a classroom behind a fort of desks he created. Maybe if he hid for a while the effects of the strange glasses would wear off? Suddenly, the hint of mulch and flowers hit his nose. He knew that smell all too well now. His face dropped in horror as his eyes finally noticed who's classroom he had run into. The sound of the door locking and a giggle only sealed his fat.

"Darling, it's so nice of you to drop by after work hours. I've been so lonely in here, grading papers and such that I've been needing a pick me up. I'd been hoping for you to stop by."

A shadow fell over Jaune's little fort, causing him to slowly turn his eyes up to the smiling face of Professor Antheia. The orange haired teacher had tossed aside her sunhat and dropped off her armor as she undid her hair to fall over her shoulders. Her usually shut eyes were open, revealing her blue eyes filled with the same scary emotion he found in the other girls.

"Hey, Professor Antheia! Funny running into you here." he said with a shaking smile.

Professor Antheia pouted, jumping over his only mean of defense as she plopped down on his lap. He gulped as the plant loving teacher leaned dangerously close and got comfortable. It was at this moment he realized something; she was wearing a skirt and a regular old blouse instead of her usual wear. And she was not wearing any undergarments what so ever.

"Darling, you know you don't have to address me as such. A fiance is allowed to call his future wife by her name, it's only natural." she said gently as she undid the buttons to his uniform shirt.

' _Aww, great! As if I didn't have enough problems to deal with Professor Antheia as it is! Though not much has changed much other then the husband stuff.'_ Since when was he engaged? He began to panic once the teacher tore off his shirt and left him bare chest. Now her fingers had strayed to his belt as she slowly ground against his rising member. Could you really blame him for such a reaction?

"What are you doing?"

The professor seemed surprised at the question before smiling lovingly, "I'm only performing my wifely duties seeing as you seem so stress. And I've been itching for some fun for a while now. Won't you please fulfill your own duties as a husband and let your wife quench her thirst with your seed?" she said hotly as she pressed her lips against his neck to trail kisses down slowly.

What kind of disillusioned thoughts did these glasses create?! Jaune winced, biting his inner cheek as she continued her butterfly kisses to the real object of her desires all while looking up at him with eyes of lust. At this rate he wasn't sure he was going to be able to resist. And a part of his mind was cheering at that.

Luckily, or unluckily if you were Jaune's libido, a hero had heard his silent call for help! The desk fortress he had created and was pressed against was sliced to fine pieces, causing him to fall back with Professor Antheia's head falling face first to his crotch. Something she didn't mind until he was yanked off the ground by the nosy intruder. She looked back up with a scowl, her blue eyes meeting a cold set of blood red.

Jaune frowned, sighing as Tsuki had somehow tied him up in less than a minute and hulled him over her shoulders. Tsuki wasn't any better then Professor Antheia.

"And just what do you think you're doing, Ms. Yumi?" Antheia growled as she matched the younger but bustier woman's glare.

"I'm taking my deadbeat husband back to the tribe. It wouldn't do our child well to hear about her father partaking of such ill acts with another woman that wasn't her mother." she said stoically before frowning as she glanced back at Jaune, "And where is your wedding ring, dear? Don't tell me you've taken it off to flirt with single woman again." she glared.

Jaune found his eye doing that spazzy twitch again, "Their are several things wrong with everything you've just said. One, I don't have children. Two, I'm not married. And three, if that was all true, why the hell am I being labeled as some deadbeat husband that flirts with woman as if it was the norm? What kind of bullshit fantasy are you seeing!?" he shouted in annoyance. He was losing his patience with all these random shenanigans. Seemed these magical glasses did more then attract woman, they had the power to alter memories as well.

"What do you mean 'husband'? My darling belongs to me, clearly you must be mistaken." Professor Antheia smiled dangerously.

To that, Tsuki simply unbuttoned her uniform shirt, reached into her bountiful cleavage, and pulled out a stamped and sealed document, all while never losing her stoic expression. In her rummaging, she had let go of Jaune. With his arms tied together, he could only lean over and examine the document. His eyes shout open wide as his brain shut down.

"This certificate signed by the following, Jaune Arc and Tsuki Yumi, under the law of all four kingdoms of Remnants, dictates under god, or gods, that the two are legally wedlock as husband and wife." he read out loud dully, his eyes blank as he felt his soul try to escape his body.

Professor Antheia cracked her knuckles. Lies, all lies! Her white knight would never marry another woman!

"We even have a child, take a look." Reaching into her cleavage again, she showed off a picture of the happy family. Jaune wasn't sure he could ever find the words to what he was seeing as he gazed at a family portrait of himself in a tuxedo and Tsuki in a beautiful velvet dress with a small pig tailed raven girl standing in front of them with blue eyes smiling at the camera. The little girl couldn't have been more then eight years old. And she even wore a smaller version of his pumpkin pete's hoodie.

' _Shenanigans, I call fucking shenanigans!'_

It seemed the orange haired teacher had enough. A dark glint lit up her eyes as she summoned her wooden staff from out of nowhere. It's hook then ignited with flames, coursing fire to envelop it as she raised it towards the harpy with her love.

"Seems Ms. Tsuki had an unfortunate accident, darling. How sad we could never find her body. But you know the Grimm, they simply love to devour trash." she said menacingly.

Tsuki sighed at the threat. Looked like she was going to have to fight off another woman. Moving Jaune behind her, she stepped up to the plant loving teacher as she cracked her neck.

"Dear, tell Luna that supper will be late tonight. You'll get a good talking to once this is over as well."

Jaune didn't give response back to that. He simply turned for the door and thanked god that it was left wide open. With his hands tied up, he quickly slammed his back against the door and held it there as an explosive boom shook its frame.

"I gotta find Rachel." he said simply, the twitch in his eye only growing as another boom hit the door, "She's the only one who can help me. I can't trust any girl other then her to get these god forsaken glasses off me."

"High Leader Nikos, I believe we've found the target!"

Jaune froze, his face blank and devoid of emotion as he slowly turned his head to the end of the hall. Before his very eyes, a small army of woman dressed in gold plated gladiator armor and red capes marched along behind their commander. Pyrrha Nikos, his best friend and partner, led the march with a decorated cape of her own on a white horse. Her armor had been polished to shine like glittering gold and her hair had been undone to flow behind her back. She was actually more breathtaking then ever.

It was too bad she had the same look as the other girls did. And somehow she had recruited Yang, Weiss, Blake, and even Velvet and Coco into her ranks.

Pyrrha smiled kindly to the saluting troop. She would do well in rewarding the girl. Perhaps five minutes with her knight would suffice. But right now, she needed to return him back to her chambers. It had been to long since she had felt his callous fingers running over body.

"Hello, Jaune. Won't you please return to our bed without a fight?" Pyrrha asked kindly, only to get a furious shake of the head from her lovable knight. He was such a hardheaded goof. But fighting only made her want him more. "Then it seems I must bring out my Enforcer." she said sternly with narrowed eyes.

Jaune looked at her flatly, "It's Nora, isn't it?" he said bluntly.

Pyrrha nodded happily, "It's Nora."

Nora nodded her head gleefully, appearing out of no where in her own gladiator armor, "Yeah, it's me. Sup, Jaune-Jaune?" she waved without a care. Typical Nora. Even under the effects of Eros, she was still herself. He didn't know if that was a good or bad.

' _Yeah, no. Fuck this shit, I'm out.'_ That was a god damn army of woman lead by his teammates. He could see a banner with his face on it for crying out loud! And every girl part of it had eyes of adoration on them. There was no way in hell he was going along with that.

'But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! An orgy of woman with eyes only on you! Aren't you a man!?' The traitorous part of him cried.

Death by sex was not on Jaune's bucket list. That had nearly happened with Yang and he didn't want to experience it again. With that in mind, he turned away from the army of woman and activated Gale Speed, vanishing like the wind. He dared not to turn back and see if they followed.

From that moment on, Jaune ran from Beacon and its army of female soldiers chasing after him. Even as he fled to Vale, he was careful in sneaking into the nearest air ship to hijack. With her magical abilities, Rachel watched the blond knight escape into an aerial ship into the clouds as the woman of Vale followed closely in their own armada of military ships. She floated above the spire of Beacon's tower while seated in a table as she dined on pastry treats via magic. Rachel chuckled as she watched the army board the ship and demand him to strip and hand himself over. Even without her magic, she could make out a faint 'NEVER' in the air.

"Jaune Arc, what an amusing mortal. I can't remember the last I've been entertained as so." she said fondly as she sipped her tea. Faintly an old memory, one distorted and broken came back to her. She closed her eyes, finding a man with a blurred face wearing a red trench coat and white spiky hair lazily wave to her with a cleaver like sword. Sadly the image vanished and his appearance was deleted from her memory.

Rachel supposed staying in this world for a while wouldn't be so bad. She could always help the young summoner to flourish his skills. And as gift for the recollection of a memory that should no longer exist, she would free him from the Spectacles of Eros.

After another hour. This was too entertaining to stop now.

* * *

 **The finale of our little arc is nigh! Let's play a game. Your resolve, how strong is it? How long will you last before you too fall alongside the others? Life's a game, why not have fun with it? How much will you bet against the odds of you falling to the same fate as all heroes?**

 **Everyone has a reason for surviving this long. Can you discover the resolve of a mischievous, selfish Soul?**

 **Man, does it feel good to publish again. You know, we're almost at a thousand reviews and Favorites. People, we're so close! Let's make this story something worth mentioning!**

 **Honestly, we would have had this chapter uploaded by Saturday, but my Beta had been busy helping to rewrite the Cardin and Blake scene. I'd honestly be lost without him. You know he's just published a new story, The Last of his Name. I won't say no more, but if you want to give out some appreciation for the cleaner edits, give a chance. I know I can't wait to read the next chapter.**

 **With the next chapter already under way, we're nearing the end of the Volume for now. With that in mind, I've been pondering my next fic to fill the space after my break to fill Multiplayer's spot until it's up again during Volume 5. I'll be working on two more one-shots for ArcWorks and then deciding on their popularity and how I feel about them whether I should upload the first chapter. So, look out for that.**

 **I'm sure I had more to say, but I'm coming up blank for the moment. Been writing all day in my new work desk. If you all have any questions, you know what to do! I need some sleep, work is calling me early tomorrow.**

 **Read and Review, it's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	24. Chaos Theory

**Damn, how long was I gone this time? A month? Come on, NeoShadows! Ya got to get your shit together, man.**

 **Okay, now hear me out for a sec. There's a perfectly good reason why this chapter took so long to come out. . . .It's because of Persona 5. I honestly didn't think I would so drawn into the game when I first pre-ordered it months ago out of curiousity. But damn is a good! That and plumbing issues and yadda, yadda, yadda, kept me from completely focusing on this chapter.**

 **And what a chapter it was! After hearing your feed back on the last chapter that reached over 30K+, I decided on splitting it in half! So, I give you the first half of the original chapter which if I was honest with myself with wasn't completely finished. Good thing it was split, I suppose. Lucky for all of you, I've stopped myself from playing Persona 5 until I've got this story done with, and just as I got to the Final Palace too. We're getting there, don't you worry about that.**

 **So, some Reviews!**

 **Crocea Neputo: Thank you for the support and love! Glad to have made a fan out of you. And I hope you learn a thing or two from my story.**

 **Saint Danielle: Well, ain't this a nice little gift for ya? Happy birthday bud, you've helped spread the word of my story out, a chapter on your birthday is the least I could do. You're are right, the beginning of this little Arc isn't action packed, but I'm happy to keep my audience reading without it. Honestly, my previous works had an action scene in each chapter, mostly because I didn't know how to write scenes without them. I've really grown since then and I'm happy to see you all appreciate it. Ah, that DLC piece was one I had been thinking of for a long time but didn't know how exactly to write it out. In the end, it came out better than I had hoped. Good eye on that very subtle reference to that Western manga about love chocolate, I thought I was the only one to have read it. As for the Soul's identity, that will finally be answered today! 'Jaune' robbed of his fate has his powers set, but damn did that bastard figure it out, that's all I'll say. And again, spot on! Professor Pitho's weapon was based on Honey Lemon. Let's see what else you'll find out.**

 **A Fan1204: Shut up! I'm off my meds! You're lucky I took them this time. And I'll struggle all I want, damn it!**

 **L337 M4n: You caught that reference? Nice. I should honestly make a DLC based on that.**

 **DragonManMax: I'll be sure to keep this up, my fellow writer! Igni is something special, something I can't reveal just yet. But oh, is it good. Now for Jaune's Semblance, that is something I can not talk about. Not yet at least but Gamer's do have them. I will touch on that some other time, so just wait and see. Ha! Yeah, Persona is a hell of a drug, it's amazing. Ya poor bastard.**

 **Benthino: Ah, my humble fan, your words of praise always please the Great Shadow! But, I must confess, I have no idea what Warhammer 40K is. I've always heard about it, but I haven't looked into it. For now, your plea will go unanswered. I hope you take solace in the latest chapter, my loyal fan.**

 **Ssjzohan: I realized that too once I actually played a Persona game. And it's only given me more ideas. I'll try not to make you all wait forever again. No promises!**

 **James317: Certain DLC's, like Lost Fairy Tale's are connected to canon. And some are connected to each other but have no affect on canon, like the Summoning DLCs. I've been meaning to correct the confusion, but I'm sadly lazy. I'll be sure to fix that soon.**

 **Ultimate Pervy Sage: Cardin's character was my favorite to play around with. Having so little information about him actually help to shape into a somewhat decent guy. He's still an asshole and a bit of a racist, but it's work in progress for him. Glad you like the character development. Speaking of Ann, well, I won't say nothing. Just keep reading.**

 **Ghost Angel14: But is that any fun?**

 **Phantom Stranger: Thanks for letting me use those names! Don't worry, it's their meaning which got me wanting them for the weapons I created. The Dark Jaune's name is a secret for now, but thanks for the suggestion. Now, for your two ideas for the future of the story. I already have something planned out for the Fall of Beacon, something I can't divulge, so I can't really go that route for reasons. And for Jaune and Player One, well, you'll see why that won't be happening during this chapter. Don't know who Priscilla is, I'd have to research her to see if she would work out as a DLC. And Summoning DLC isn't canon to the story. I do encourage more ideas though!**

 **Azure Megacyber: Glad you loved the development, bud! I'll keep up with the Bio's, so be sure to write me something good! Keep up the good work!**

 **The Immortal Doctor Reid: Yup, I've been shanghaid and I fucking love it! And NO! Kawakami is Bae, heathen! This is war. And my boy Ryuji has my back!**

 **Azalmega: Happy you liked. I admit, had my doubts about it, but came to love it as it finished. The pacing is something I try to improve on, trust when I say a lot has been cut out. And with Persona, it's only matter of time indeed until I do something with it n a DLC.**

 **Enigma1995: Good idea on the Wizard, but I already have something planned out with that.**

 **That Guy: I like your reviews, too bad you don't make an account. But I will answer yours. I like your suggestions on Title, but I already got something planned out.**

 **Harutora75: The Multiplayer Journal will be posted after the two month break where I will finish it up. As to where it will be, I don't know. I'm honestly thinking of posting here on the site in the forums.**

 **God Emperor of Gar-halla: Sorry you feel that way. The next DLC I have in mind won't be too much like that. It involve lawyers, that's all I have to say. I look into the Drakengard franchise sometime. I could always use more inspiration.**

 **SonicFanFlame: Boy, I am slick! You'll all get more info on Tsuki, don't you worry. The gods are gods, but they are limited in some aspects by The Game, a forced reality/being that will be explained at some point. Ciel is best waifu, you are my boy. And the penalty will be explained after the evens, you'll see. Trust your shadow.**

 **The climax of this little Event is here! But it's been split. More on that at the end. For now, just enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the right to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth. I am a dirty boy, or was. After four days of no water, I am clean! Well, physically speaking. I ain't proud of what I've done. I blame anime, that's all I got to say. Sexy, sexy, anime.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Chaos Theory.**

"All right! Will search teams please call out their team names so that we can get a good idea of who's searching where, please!"

Weiss rolled her eyes as she along with her team watched their young leader make a fool of herself in the center of Vale's busy streets. She eyed the so-called search teams that had agreed to join in to help them look for their missing teammates with disbelief. Why did they have to play along with Ruby's game? It wasn't a good idea to encourage that speedy brat.

Pyrrha waved back to her with a polite smile as she stood with Ren and Nora, waiting patiently to begin their search. Not only did Blake not return last night, but the leader of team JNPR hadn't either. Which was awfully suspicious if you asked her. So today after some planning from RWBY's own little leader, Ruby had decided that enough was enough and that they were going to search for their missing friends. Which Weiss supposed was the right thing to do after they had been both missing for two days now. But this was just overdoing it in her opinion. Her icy blue eyes moved over to the only other available person in their circle of friends that had jumped in to help in their search efforts.

And right now, that person was in a glaring match with Yang as the two butted heads. Despite Tsuki's cold and stern demeanor, she was a rather spiteful person.

Tsuki Yumi was an oddball to Weiss. Not in the sense of social norms or anything like that, but in the sense that she was a huntress that Weiss couldn't really understand. She was beautiful, breathtaking really with raven hair that looked like silk and red eyes that reminded her of rubies. Tall and slender with a waist and bust that made Weiss want to call shenanigans, she was a second-year huntress that many first years looked up to as an example. Add her cold and uncaring expression along with strength and she was everything you'd want to find in a professional huntress. Except one little thing.

Tsuki was obsessed with Jaune Arc of all people. Weiss had no idea how it had happened, the two had never met until that day in the cafeteria where they met Hera's team. But since that day, she had been leaving the blond knight Anima lunchboxes, little love notes, wishing him good luck with banners and flags of his face during combat class, all while she had a passive look on her face. That and the comment she made offhandedly about her bearing his child. How Tsuki could say such a thing with a straight face as if it wasn't a big deal, she would never know.

Like the rest of them, Tsuki was dressed in her combat wear. She wore a slim sleeveless trench coat that reached to her kneecaps that was buttoned down the middle by odd raven like feather buttons. Red spaulders protected her right shoulder along with a hunter's wrist brace. And like Yang, she wore a black tight fitting yet flexible black short with a belt of shell cases tied around her waist and black heeled boots with black feathers decorating the sides. Red beads hung around the raven girl's neck along with a yellow ribbon tying back her ponytail top. And from the looks of it, her weapon of choice was an elegant bow on her back along with a high tech looking quiver.

"Team Search and Destroy is right here, oh great red leader!" Nora saluted with a bubbly grin beside her team consisting of Pyrrha and Weiss.

Weiss slapped her forehead as Pyrrha chuckled nervously, "We are not destroying anything, Nora! This is a simple search, not a military operation! And put down your hammer! This is a civilian zone!"

"You have to expect some casualties in our line of work, Weiss! It's for the greater good."

"What greater good!?"

Taking Nora's outburst as enough, Ruby moved her eyes to their second search team. Ren gave the little reaper a dull stare from his position in the middle of two glaring busty beauties. Who the hell came up with the teams?

"Team B is all accounted for." he said with a sigh.

Yang was in the same boat as Ren. She didn't like how the teams were made up. Or more specifically, she didn't like who she was going to work with.

"Why are you even here, Cow Titties? Don't you have a widow to bring down with your sour philosophy? Or a kindergarten class to call weak and throw to the wolves?" she said with a growl.

Tsuki's eyes narrowed further, "What a weak-minded view you have. You're all talk and little bite behind those utters of yours. Having you on the team will only slow us down. Why don't you go find a homeless man to entertain for a few hours with those gorilla hands of yours?" she said coldly with a smirk.

"You'd like to see that wouldn't you, you stick up your ass bitch! Maybe that's why you can't get some? You can't stuff anything up there with that mile-long pole that is your bitchiness in the way!"

"Is that all you got? I'm disappointed, I would have thought you had something more scathing in store. Even in wordplay, you're weak."

Ren raised his hand up meekly as Yang cocked Ember Celica with a snarl, "Can I request to switch teams?" He had no plans to be a casualty in a cat fight. Not again.

Ruby shook her head with pity, "Sorry, we got to have at least one right minded person with a calm head per team. Except Nora's team, she needs two." For good reason.

"Why are you even here?" Yang huffed, reigning in her anger for the moment. She was this close to exploding in a column of fire. No need to lose her cool right now. They had a job to do and friends to find. So, she settled with a glare as Tsuki looked away from her to the streets.

"I had gotten word that Jaune was missing since Friday night. Hearing that, I decided to lend a hand in searching for his whereabouts. I can't have that man gone from my sight when I still have use of him." she said simply, turning her narrowed eyes back to the girls and Ren with disappointment, "I would have thought that his own team would be able to find him by now, but clearly I was wrong."

The older girl's words rubbed Pyrrha the wrong way as she walked to stand beside Yang with a frown.

"We had planned on looking for him yesterday, but he said he was fine. We believed he was fine and decided against going as far as actively searching for him when he didn't want us to. But we haven't gotten a response back since then. We are only looking for him since we are also helping in finding another friend of ours, Blake. It's not as if we didn't want to find him." she said tersely.

"Either way, I am only here to make sure he returns to Beacon. That is all." Tsuki scoffed as she turned away from the group to begin her search. She didn't wait for the others to follow as her body blinked with blood red energy and vanished from sight. The action only put Yang over the edge and as she pulled her precious lock of hair in anger at the nerve of the older girl.

What was it about her that pissed her off so much?

"Get back here, bitch! You ain't running away from my fist! I'll pull that crappy weave that you call hair off that dumb head of yours!"

A thin blurring streak of red suddenly whizzed past Yang's cheek, just narrowly missing a lock of her hair. Everyone found their eyes falling on an elegant arrow buried deep into the pavement behind the stunned brawler. If Yang's anger wasn't already visible, then the flaming aura leaking from her body would help in signaling her fury. She cracked her neck with a mad grin, catching sight of a black streak jumping across the top of the buildings.

Ain't no one ever escape Yang Xiao Long's knuckles of wrath.

Ren's shoulders slumped as Yang shot off the spot to follow her prey. He looked back to Ruby, hoping she would understand and let him join them. Again, she shook her head with a sheepish chuckle as he cursed. Great, now he had to make sure they didn't kill each other. And here he had been hoping to stay out of the events of today and sleep Sunday off before school tomorrow. He could never get his way. With a quick scan and look up on his HUD, he followed his temporary team members reluctantly.

The sad part was that he already knew the exact location of Jaune's stay. But he didn't feel like sharing that piece of information after getting a discreet message from his fellow Player to not find him. Which he understood since Jaune most likely began the Black and White Event. But the silent Player was this close to throwing his leader to wolves if he had to put up with this shit all day. Worse part was, even though he said he wanted no part in the Event, he was now part of it officially. With the two working together now, Ren was no including in Events like this if his leader accepted them. He really should have thought twice about helping his leader out.

Ruby waved good-bye to the Jaune search party with a nervous smile. She should have thought about the teams better. But with their skill sets combined, she was positive that they would be able to sniff out the leader of team JNPR in no time. As soon as they regrouped and stopped fighting with each other that was.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to put Yang and Tsuki in the same search party?" Weiss questioned, sighing as she caught a distant Yang like shout of fury, "Those two don't seem to get along. And adding poor Ren into the mix doesn't seem to add much to the team dynamic."

"Weiss, Weiss, Weiss." Ruby chided with a bright smile, "Your great leader has everything planned out perfectly! The Jaune search party is made up of a huntress whose head of the Hunting Club, a powerhouse girl who won't take no for an answer, and someone who's basically a ninja! With their skills, I'm sure they'll be able to find Jaune in no time!"

That actually didn't sound like a bad team setup. Weiss had to give her partner some props, she was actually paying attention in school. Tsuki was probably the best tracker out of everyone present and her obsession for Jaune made her the ideal person to hunt him down. Yang was the muscle; her strength would prove useful against any resistance they may run into and Ren was very agile and stealthy, blending into the shadows just like Blake, making it easy to sneak up on his leader. It was hard to believe that Ruby had thought it out so carefully.

"What about us then?" she frowned. Wouldn't it have been better for team JNPR to look for their leader with Tsuki?

Ruby shook her head, "Our team is perfect for finding Blake. With my super speed, I can cover more ground and search for any signs of her. Pyrrha here is our polite and kind diplomat, she'll help in keeping everyone's emotions in check and making sure no fighting breaks out with her magnetism!" she gestured to the waving red haired champion.

"Just say the word and I'll cuff her!" she said brightly, raising her magnetized right hand in the air to levitate several pairs of handcuffs.

Weiss stared at them with wide eyes of disbelief. Was this a search team for a friend, or search team for a criminal on the run? Well, with Blake's history it wasn't exactly wrong. _'I don't see anything diplomatic about this.'_

"And dare I ask what Nora is for?" She was afraid of the answer to that.

"She's our muscle and a wild card!"

Said orange haired hammer girl was bouncing on the tips of her toes with giddiness, "Ooooooooh! I love the sound of that! I'm basically a ticking time bomb of surprises!"

Weiss's deadpanned stare met back with Ruby, "I am now more terrified then I have ever been in my life. And mind you, I have a target on my back aimed by genocidal terrorists. Think about that clearly for a second."

Ruby thought about it for less than second, "Have some faith in Nora, Weiss. She hasn't blown up the school yet. She can totally handle this."

The Schnee heiress highly doubted that. Looking back at Nora, she felt those fears only confirmed as the bubbly girl began loading several grenade shells into her hammer with a menacing laugh.

"And what of me? What's my role in all of this?" Weiss asked confused after turning her eyes away from Nora. She understood the roles for everyone else, but that left her out.

At that Ruby scratched her head awkwardly as she stood in front of her partner.

"Well. . .your role is just to talk."

Weiss blinked, "Talk?" she said unsure of what she had just heard.

Ruby nodded her head, her eyes firm, "Right, talk. This whole mess began because we were all keeping things from each other, important things. And because you and Blake never got to talk about these things, she's run away and you've been ignoring the matter." she said sadly as she rubbed her arm.

"I miss Blake. I know she's only been gone for two days, but it feels like a lifetime has passed. She's my friend, one of my first real friends since coming into Beacon. I know she's quiet, secretive, moody, and would rather read books than talk with people, but that's what makes her my friend. And I don't want to lose her because she thinks we will only see her as a White Fang agent."

Blake was scared. For the first time since meeting her, Ruby had seen Blake terrified. She never thought such an emotion could exist within her stoic teammate's eyes. She was terrified of their reactions to finding out she was part of an organization that hated humans to the point of aiming for their extinction and had run away.

That was all in the past. Ruby chose to believe that as fact. She just couldn't see her book loving friend continuing with such anger and hate when her own team was human. And she would believe that until she had heard otherwise from the mouth of her friend.

"We can't be RWBY without Blake. I don't want our team to be broken up because of some fight we could have resolved if we had all talked with each other. I don't think I can make it as a huntress without all of us together."

Weiss sighed, struggling to find anything to say back to Ruby. Truth be told, she had already made up her mind the other night. She had plenty of time to think about it all. And it was true, if they had all simply gotten to know each other better when they first started off then none of this would be happening.

If all she needed to do was talk, then that was what she would do. Just as long as Blake was willing to do the same.

With that in mind, Weiss smiled at the small little leader of her team. To think she had doubted her once before. Ruby sure knew how to prove her wrong. But Weiss raised a brow as her gaze went over Ruby to someone else.

"Alright, I'm in understanding of my position and the rest, but how does Penny fit in all this?"

Still, Weiss questioned the greatness of her leader? Ruby rested her hands on her hips and shook her head slowly with an amused laugh, "Silly Weiss, Penny's role is-,"

Ruby paused, her bravado withering as her mind registered what Weiss had said. Did she just say-

"Salutations!"

"GAUGGHH! My ribs! Why god, why!?"

A bone cracking hug suddenly took Ruby by surprise as she found herself lifted in the arms of one Penny Polendina. The orange curled hair girl with green eyes and monstrous strength grinned widely as she greeted her friend in a gentle embrace. That was what humans did, right? Greet their friends with hugs when they saw another after a long time? Though it made her wonder if such action was healthy for them. It sounded as if friend Ruby's bones were threatening to shatter with just a little hug. They must not be made of durable material.

Ruby's head lulled to the side, her body dangling in Penny's grip as her life flashed before her eyes. Her only regret in life was that she hadn't taken enough pictures of herself and Crescent Rose when she had the chance.

"I leave you for one second to grab a coffee, and I find you strangling some girl on the street? You know that's harassment and physical assault, right?"

Ears perking up at the sound of the annoyed voice, Penny relented and let her friend free from her hug. Aww, she just wanted to say hi. Was that so wrong?

"Are you all right, Ruby?" Weiss asked as she helped her leader up with the help of Pyrrha. Ruby nodded her head slowly, shaking away the edges of unconsciousness as she got back up and cleaned the dust off her skirt.

"I'm fine, I think." Did she just taste metal? Cracking her back with a wince, she turned back to the apologetic smiling Penny with her own smile.

"Penny! What are you doing here? Last I saw you, you were chasing some tumbleweed around."

The mention of said anomaly caused Penny to search around for it. It was the oddest thing, it just appeared out of nowhere during the strangest times. Almost as if it was being set up just for such occasions. She needed to document it for further study. Her Father would love to hear all about it.

"I still can't believe you lost your teammate because of something so stupid. You're lucky we found you when we did or who knows what could have happened to you."

The new voice who had stopped Penny's embrace caught Ruby's attention as she looked past her new friend to the stranger behind her.

A woman with red hair falling over her shoulders wearing the same suspenders and slacks as the Vale Police Force greeted the four girls. The dark shades on her face hid her eyes as she stood with a cup of piping hot coffee in hand, eying the girls with interest before smirking. A pair of purple headphones rested on her neck, faintly playing rock music before she turned off with a click of a button.

"Seems you've found some friends, Penny. Guess I can report back to the station that you're in good hands. Which is a great for me, I was getting sick of playing babysitter." Why the hell did Church have to hand her the lame jobs? So she was a trainee, that didn't mean they could dump the crappy jobs on her.

Penny nodded happily to the woman, "Thank you again, Officer! Though, Ruby is a new friend I made yesterday. I've yet to find my partner, Ciel yet."

The 'officer' grunted, dropping her head as she sighed, "Damn, and I was hoping to head back to download the newest album by Jeffrey Will at the Vibe Cafe. Knowing how thin the ice between me and the chief is, I don't think he'll be satisfied if I haven't helped you find your partner. Tch, sometimes I wish I was back in the streets." she grumbled to herself.

"I'm terribly sorry for the trouble, Officer. If I hadn't misplaced my scroll, we would have found partner Ciel by now." Penny apologized to the grumbling redhead.

"You lost your partner?" Ruby asked with surprise. Was that why she had been wandering Vale two days ago by herself? Now she felt bad for ditching the strange girl.

Penny nodded, not all upset about it as her smile stayed intact, "I was entranced by what you all call a tumbleweed passing in the wind when I lost sight of her! And with no scroll to contact her, I have had trouble locating her. The hotel we have been residing in has unfortunately given up our rooms after missing the renewal deadline, leaving me very little in thought as to where she may be!"

"For someone who's lost, she's awful energetic, don't you think?" Nora whispered to Pyrrha.

Penny craned her neck past Ruby, finding two fellow redheads beside the Schnee heiress. Her green eyes lit up as her smile grew, "Friends~?"

From behind the odd orange curled girl, Ruby shook her head furiously to warn Pyrrha and Nora as well as the red head officer mirroring the reaper. Nora being Nora didn't listen, "Sure, we can be friends, what's your name!" she grinned widely as her fellow orange head tried to suppress a squeal of joy. No sooner had those words left her mouth did Penny lift her up in a bone crushing hug in excitement.

But again, this was Nora.

"Ohhhh? Trying to out hug me, are ya? Well, we'll see about that! Have at you!"

"This can't possibly be healthy." Weiss muttered, trying to understand what she was watching as the two girls continued to add more pressure behind their hugs. Forget about how Nora was still standing, how was Penny able to withstand Nora's strength? The bubbly hammer girl was a beast.

The officer sighed, "Just give 'em a moment. Penny's bound to tire out some time." Turning her head to the shorter redhead in their group, the officer addressed Ruby, "By the way, you all wouldn't know where this girl's partner is by any chance? I've been tasked with helping her find her teammate today and I haven't had any luck. Seeing as you're all friends, I was hoping one of you might have a clue."

"Sorry, but we all just met Penny yesterday. I didn't even know she had a partner with her." Ruby said back sheepishly, wincing as she heard two separate cracks. It sounded like Nora and Penny were getting a little carried away.

The officer nodded and massaged her head tiredly, "It's all right. I apologize for bothering you all. I'm sure you're all busy as well from the looks of it."

"Pretty much. We're actually looking for two of our missing friends right now." Curiously, Ruby asked, "By the way, have you seen a black-haired girl with yellow eyes, cute black bow, looks like a ninja pass around here?"

The officer quirked a brow with a flat expression, ". . .No, I don't think I've seen such a girl before." Though the description did bring back a sense of deja vu.

Ruby pouted. Darn, she was hoping for some clues.

"What about a messy blond haired boy with blue eyes, scar on his forehead, wearing a Pumpkin Pete's hoodie jacket?" she asked, the description causing the red-haired officer's eyes to widen and freeze.

The woman opened her mouth, grimacing as she decided to refrain from speaking. She shook her head sadly.

"S-Sorry, but I haven't seen him either." she apologized before turning her sights back to her charge, "Look, I can't stay in one place too long. It's not like we're going to luck out and stumble upon this girl's partner like this." That and the longer they stayed, the longer she ran at the chance the other weird orange haired girl would break Penny. The hell was up with their strength anyway? From the looks of it, the spartan themed girl was having a hard time pulling her teammate off the other girl.

Ruby nodded in understanding. They weren't going to get much searching done if they continued to stay here. She was sure that Yang and the others were making more progress than them by now.

"It's alright. We got to get going too. But if you see anyone by the description, their names are Blake and Jaune. Let them know that their friends are looking for them."

The officer nodded and gave Ruby a small smile, "Don't worry, little Red. I'll be sure to let them know if I see them." she said kindly, ruffling the younger girl's hair before craning her neck back to Penny, "Penny! Let's get a move on. We ain't going to find your partner anytime soon just standing here."

Hearing that, Penny dropped her embrace and smiled widely as she turned back to the officer, "Yes, ma'am!"

Nora thanked Pyrrha for catching her as she was released, "I don't think I can feel my legs." she grumbled with a pout. To think, she would find her rival in Vale. Well, she would show that chick who was the stronger hugger when next they met!

Waving good-bye to her new friends, Penny fell in line with the nice officer as they continued their search. Besides losing Ciel, Penny was very happy that she had arrived in Vale. Everyone was so nice and she even made even more friends! She was going to have to thank Mr. Ironwood for allowing her to visit the kingdom so early. She could only tell that this was the start of an amazing adventure. Just like in those books her father would read to her. Oh! Maybe she'd even meet a knight, just like in her stories!

"Where shall we search next, Officer?" Penny asked her fellow redhead happily. She grew curious, finding the older woman in deep thought as she stared off ahead.

Ann sighed, a headache growing in her forehead. It seemed that the idiot was always causing problems.

 _'What the hell are you doing now, Blondie?'_

* * *

 **Valeside Corner.**

"Bread sticks!"

"Are you fucking out of your mind!? Cheddar Biscuits are the way to go!"

"Who the hell mixes cheese inside a biscuit?! Nothing beats the simple stuff! Bread sticks goes with everything and anything, plus it you can customize it!"

"Bread sticks are the dime a dozen whores you find outside the street in the food world. Cheddar biscuits are exotic, they're nice and classy compared to boring old, limp dick, breadshits!"

"No, no, NO! That shit just falls apart in your hand, you can breathe on it and it'll turn to vomit goo! Bread sticks are nice and simple, you can customize it with whatever you want! And they're a staple with pasta! Who want's cheddar biscuits with their spaghetti and meatballs? NO FUCKING ONE!"

"No one goes out to a restaurant for the bread sticks! I don't even like this restaurant, I'm pretty sure the're racist, but they serve cheddar biscuits, so I'll stay! And if I have to stay, then you have to stay! YOU WILL NEVER GO TO A RESTAURANT JUST FOR THE BREAD STICKS! NOW, SHUT UP AND SHOVE THOSE CHEDDAR BISCUITS DOWN YOUR HOLE, YOU FAT FUCK!"

Blake and Ciel hid their faces behind their hands as Sun jumped up on the seat of their shared booth across from them and furiously began to stuff Jaune's face with cheesy biscuits despite the angry protests and flailing hands. The other patrons within the nice outside patio restaurant stared at the four with judgmental stares, and shockingly in some cases, support for their favorite appetizer. The whole scene was embarrassing to the two huntresses.

After last night's talks in where Jaune introduced Blake to Ciel and convinced her to share a room for the night, the four hunters had decided to all meet up for breakfast the next morning. Sun was happy to be invited, appearing sheepish as Blake apologized to him for her behavior the other day. She even promised to tell him about herself if he was willing to listen seeing as he only wanted to help. The monkey faunus was ecstatic about that. It seemed he was right to listen to Jaune's advice. Blake wasn't as bad as he had first thought. And he even got to meet another cute girl too, Ciel. It was just too bad that the other girl had demanded that he button up his shirt. Spoil sport.

With everything in order, they had gone out to a nice restaurant that served food outside a nice scenic patio. It was called Valeside Corner, or something like that. Sun didn't care, all he cared about was the fact they served his favorite appetizer, Cheddar Biscuits. But then Jaune had to go and ask for bread sticks instead. The damn heathen. At that point, they had fallen into a nice little, pleasant debate about their favorite little side snack that quickly evolved into a heated shouting match. At least Sun had some of the people eating in on his side. Unlike those bastards backing Jaune up.

"Personally, I'm fine with either." Blake sighed, shaking her head in disappointment at the two blonds. It was like they were children fighting over their favorite super hero. She did wince watching Jaune find the bread sticks they had delivered to the table and begin viciously shoving them down Sun's throat, after dipping them in all the spreads he had ordered.

Ciel had enough of the childish antics abound. Her brow twitched madly as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Her annoyance was only further tipped as the two idiots wrestled out of the booth and rolled around the floor, never letting up as they shoved whatever food their supporters handed them to each others mouths.

"Sit your asses down, NOW."

The silent, cold, commanding voice immediately stopped Jaune and Sun's squabbling as they paused mid chew of the food inside their mouths. They shivered, finding Ciel's frozen tundra colored orbs glaring at them with such ferocity they nearly whimpered in fright. How such a small girl was capable of such an expression, they didn't know. But they were smart enough to comply as they nodded furiously and sat back down with their hands on their laps and looked down like children being scolded. Blake was impressed.

Nodding her head, Ciel turned back to the waiter who had been standing by patiently for their orders. The man, despite his cool and uncaring expression, was sweating lightly as he found the authoritative girl's eyes on him. He couldn't help but gulp.

"Thank you for patiently waiting. We'll all have the Morning Special, short stacks, one topped with bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and the last one with. . .fish." Ciel said the last part slowly, peeking back to a sheepish Blake who couldn't face her back. Ignoring the odd topping, she continued, "We'll also take a pitcher of milk and orange juice as well, if you don't mind."

The waiter nodded hastily, writing down the order before bowing and running off to hand the order in.

"Is it me, or did the guy look like he was about to piss his pants?" Sun mumbled, going back to eating his basket of cheesy fluffy biscuits. Jaune shrugged, dipping his bread sticks into tomato sauce. The two glared at one another, ready to throw down again before a subtle glare from Ciel stopped them. Reaching for some tea brought beforehand, Sun turned his attention back to Blake. "Sooooo, are you finally going to talk? For the last two days, all you've done is give me these funny looks which aren't as flattering as you would think."

Blake glared at him with annoyance.

"See? That's what I'm talking about."

"I'm not sure I should be talking about that right now." Blake said with uncertainty, subtly gesturing to the newest member in their group. It wasn't wise for others to know about her secret, especially someone who had contact with a general/headmaster of a country.

"If this is about your identity as an ex-White Fang member, I am already well informed." Ciel said plainly, never taking her eyes away from the hologram screen displayed by her watch. She didn't give the alarmed and panicked look in the secret cat faunus girl's eyes much thought, "I've worked alongside General Headmaster Ironwood in handling information gathered in the aftermath of the fall of the Friends of Faunus as an assignment. Among the reports, I found your file attached to the event along with your past records. You didn't honestly believe that an ex-White Fang member would have been able to smoothly slip past the Headmaster's watch, did you?" she asked skeptically.

Blake appeared sheepish. It did sound hard to believe that she had entered Beacon with no trouble considering her past. She just never thought much about it when Ozpin allowed her to enter his school.

"That still seems rather convenient, don't you think?" Sun mumbled over a mouthful of biscuits before suddenly choking as he fully processed what Ciel had said, "Wait, ex-White Fang!? You were part of those lousy bastards making us look bad!?" he gaped.

 _'That's The Game for you.'_ Jaune thought dully. It was the Deus Ex Machina of the world. Things that didn't make sense or seemed convenient could automatically be chalked up to The Game.

Sighing in defeat, Blake told her life story, at least the parts that mattered at the moment. It was just too bad that she wasn't revealing all this to her team first. Something she would have to fix at some later point.

"It seems you already know of the White Fang from your reaction. But we weren't always as bad as you believe." she glared subtly at Sun, "The White Fang started off as an organization that fought for faunus rights in all the kingdoms of Remnant. We were a peaceful organization at first, wishing to get along with humans and cooperate with them on an equal ground. But nothing was working, we weren't gaining much ground on that end. Not until our old leader stepped down and a more forward leader stepped up with radical movements."

"Radical? Their actions were anything but radical. I would say cruel better suited them." Ciel scoffed lightly.

"Didn't they set fire to shops who didn't serve faunus or something?" Sun asked curiously. The White Fang's name was widely known, but he didn't have much of an idea to them other than word of mouth.

"It was more than that. The White Fang is responsible for several acts of terror including bombing an entire city square with both faunus and humans present. Murder is not something they shy away from."

"Really? Man, I always thought they were a bunch of thugs. I never knew that they would go as far as killing people." Sun frowned. And Blake had been a part of them once? Did that make her a murderer?

"Unfortunately, yes." With some struggle Blake answered, feeling more ashamed of what she had once been part of. Seeing the look on Sun's face, she elaborated on her part, "I was just a child when all those events began, so I never had a hand in those dealings. I was kept unaware of the White Fang's true intents until they announced their plans of genocide. By then I discovered what we were doing and left after gathering my courage. I didn't want to be part of any of that, no true peace could come of it." she said sadly with regret, "I became a huntress to make better use of my skills, and maybe, make a small difference in my own way.

"At least you grew a brain and left. Not a lot of people can do the same." Sun said softly, "From what I've heard, the White Fang doesn't take kindly to faunus leaving their cause."

"If you leave the White Fang, you're marked as a traitor and hunted down. That's why I'm always careful when I'm in Vale. The FoF incident only confirmed my theory that there are members hidden in the city."

"Which would explain the rise in Dust robberies." Ciel said, thanking the waiter for dropping off their meal to them, "It's to the point that the sale of Dust has escalated to 15% in the city of Vale. It's become difficult for others who specialize in fighting with it to even restock their supply."

"That doesn't make any sense to me though." Blake frowned deeply, "I know for a fact that the White Fang has no need for that much Dust. For the last two years, they've found a contact that has been supplying them with the necessary ammunition and Lien to never need to rob anyone other then sending a clear message. If this was an act of the White Fang, then those Dust shops would have been in flames. Something like that would spread a better message then simple robbery."

The White Fang was above petty thievery on such a small scale. All their actions had a reason and a message to the world about their cause. Whenever they did need a large stock of Dust, they would turn to shipments from SDC and rob them of everything they had and leave behind a trail of destruction and carnage. And while she wasn't their biggest supporters anymore, it just felt wrong to hear people automatically accuse them, as if everything wrong in the world was their fault.

"Is that why you're out here by yourself? Are you investigating the robberies to see if they're the ones behind all that junk?" Sun asked.

"Not. . .really." Blake said weakly as she took a moment to bite down on her fishy fluffy cakes. "I got into a fight with a teammate of mine about the faunus. And in the shouting, I accidentally let slip my past involvement with the White Fang and ran away. I was too scared of their reactions to stay with them any longer. Which is how I met you and Jaune." Remembering the second the blond in their little group, Blake turned her eyes to the silent knight passively eating his meal. "Which reminds me, why are you here, Jaune? Did you get into a fight with your team too?" she couldn't but ask curiously.

All eyes seated in the table fell onto Jaune, pausing his hand from shoving another slice of pancakes into his mouth. He sighed, setting down his meal as he scratched his head in thought. Now it was his turn to talk it seemed. He had to think of an excuse for running away from his team that wasn't connected to his father's condition. But what reason did he know to lie to them about that? Now that he thought about it, his bullet scar was actually a blessing in disguise. From what he had learned as of late, not all of his memories matched this world's Jaune perfectly. There were bound to be inconsistencies in his memories and this would perfectly explain why he didn't remember them. Just as long as he didn't mention anything involving The Game, he was sure he could make something up.

Gingerly, he parted his hair to fully reveal the faded bullet scar that would have killed him on the spot if it weren't for his body resembling a video game character, "I didn't get into any kind of fight with my team. I was actually out visiting the CCT to talk with my mom face to face after months of not seeing her. She said she had something she wanted to talk with me about, and it turns out it had to do with my involvement with the FoF." he said tiredly, recalling the worried and angry expression on his mother's face, "My home doesn't have much access to the outside world, we don't rely on technology too much and only use Dust for practical uses, so news takes some time to reach us. And around the time that my family found out about what was happening in Vale, Headmaster Ozpin had called my mom to talk about my medical records. If you know my mom, then you know you can't keep a secret from her for very long. So, it was no wonder she had found out about my involvement with the Vale City Police and the FoF." he couldn't help but chuckle with some mirth. It didn't matter if you were the strongest nor the most influence person on Remnant, his mother would talk down to you until you listened.

"Medical records? Wait, is this about your scar?" Blake said with some worry, her eyes falling to his chest were the ugliest scarred tissue resided.

Jaune shook his head, tapping his forehead instead with a bitter smile, "Nope. I would have been more relieved if that was the case. No, it turns out that the Headmaster was concerned about the headshot I survived, courtesy of the Friends of Faunus leader."

"Duuuuuuuuude." Sun breathed in awe, his eyes drawn to said scar, "You took a bullet to the head and lived? That's metal."

Ciel found that hard to believe as she leaned over the counter and inspected his forehead with scrutiny, much to Jaune's embarrassment, "That can't be possible. For you to have suffered such an attack and gain a visible scar and live, the bullet would have had to broke the skin with explosive force and. . .well, I can't think of anything that could explain the science of what would have stopped the bullet at that point from shattering the bones in your forehead and exit the back of your head." she said with a sense of frustrated disbelief. A story like that couldn't be true. There was no logic to it.

"How did you survive?"

"I dodged, really, really, really, fast." Jaune said plainly as if it was as simple as that. His answer only brought more skepticism on Ciel's part. It was even more difficult to accept when she found no notation of lies in his eyes or words. He was speaking the honest true and it was giving her a headache.

"So, if I was shot in the head, all I have to do is dodge incredibly fast like you?" Sun asked Jaune, getting a dry look back from the knight.

"I don't recommend you doing that. I'm pretty sure that luck was on my side that day."

"That's beside the point. Why would the Headmaster want to see your medical records and why does it have to do with your bullet scar?" Blake asked with worry, feeling an uneasy sensation at where this was all leading to.

Jaune rubbed the old wound as he looked away from Blake's yellow eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to like the answer. These past months had revealed to him that despite her attitude, Blake was the worrying type.

"The thing is, I might have, sorta, kinda lost some of my memories?" he smiled weakly as he chuckled nervously.

"WHAT!?"

"Shh! Keep it down, Blake!" Jaune whispered, pressing a finger against the girl's lip as she glared at him. He gulped under her gaze and sat back down as she got a hold of herself, "The Headmaster believes that I suffered some brain damage because of the wound. Apparently, the trauma had caused me to lose portions of my memories from before I arrived at Beacon. The damage couldn't be seen at the time when the doctors were checking up on me due to my aura healing all the damage it could. That's the only explanation I could think of anyway." he said with a sigh.

"But the doctors said you were fine! The only lasting damage would be a few scars and a broken arm. How could they miss something so serious like that?" Blake growled. That was just incompetent of them.

"It's not their fault. They did the best they could and it's because of them that I'm even alive after the thrashing Holt gave out. I didn't even notice the affects till two days ago." Jaune looked down at the memory of his trip to the CCT, "Talking with my mom had revealed a lot that I can't remember. Things that nearly broke my resolve to stay in Beacon any longer. If I didn't meet Ciel at the time, I was sure that I would have given into my depression." he smiled, his blue eyes falling to meet the calm face of his surprise savior.

"I did nothing special. Whatever conclusion you came to was of your power." Ciel replied calmly as she poured blueberry syrup over her stack of pancakes.

Turning back to her friend, Blake was still worried about his mental state. Memory loss was a serious problem. It could grow worse as time passed. And he wasn't panicking or worried about it? She found that hard to believe.

"What memories did you forget?" she asked curiously. Jaune flinched back at the question, finding it hard to look back at her as his father's condition came up. He shook his head stubbornly with a frown. Now wasn't the time to be sinking back into that hole. Besides, right now wasn't about him. This was an Event to repair Blake and Weiss's friendship. He could deal with own problems once this was over with. He just had to grit his teeth and bear with it until it was safe to reveal to them his father's state.

"I rather not say. Not right now anyways. What I'm here to do is bring you back to Beacon." he said stubbornly, reaching across the table for Blake's hand. The action took her by surprise, "You have to talk with your team about the whole White Fang thing. That, and I think it's time you told them you were a faunus. You can't keep hiding behind that bow forever. Not with your friends at least."

Blake knew that. Carefully, she played with the bow on top her head that hid her heritage from the world simply enough no one ever noticed. But it was still hard to believe that they would welcome her back so easily. Even after her heart to heart with Cardin, she was still unsure. But maybe it was time she faced her fears. She couldn't run away forever. If she wanted to actually make a difference in this world, she had to come to terms with who she was and trust in others.

First though, there was something that had been bugging her for some time now. The robberies in Vale had been blamed on the White Fang or faunus that supported their cause. It wasn't right to blame them for the sake of placing blame, no matter how horrible they were. To do so was to shine a bad light on her people. And what need would they even have for that much Dust? It didn't make any sense to her and she couldn't let it go.

Making up her own mind, Blake voiced her decision to Jaune, "I won't run from them anymore. But. . .there's something I have to confirm with my own eyes. I can't go back to them until I've found the true culprit behind the Dust robberies. It can't be the White Fang, or some 'no-good' faunus as Weiss had said. It just can't." she said resolutely with a firm nod.

"How are you going to do that? It's not like you can conveniently find the one's behind all those robberies in one night." Jaune said with some doubt. He tried to recall his conversation with Ruby of the event from his first life for an idea where they would need to head to. And he had to make it seem as if he conveniently figured out the location without it seeming as if he already knew. He was going to need another lie to cover that up.

Fortunately, there was no need for him to make up a lie. Thanks to one Sun Wukong. The monkey faunus ears perked up at the mention of Dust robberies as he paused midchew of stuffing his face to turn to Blake. But whatever he had to say was hard to understand as with his full mouth he spat some crumbs of his breakfast onto the table. Ciel looked at him with some disgust while Jaune shook his head with mirth as Blake glared at her fellow faunus at his lack of table manners.

"Sun, chew and swallow."

Nodding, Sun gulped down his meal with a pleased grin before going back to the matter, "Actually, I think I might know of a way to find the one behind all those robberies you were speaking about. While I was stowing away in that ship to Vale, I heard a couple of the guys up top talk about a large shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas today. If you really think the White Fang aren't behind all those crimes, then why don't we go check it out?" he suggested with a wide excited grin. Just thinking about it was pumping him up, "We could find out who's behind all the robberies and even stop them ourselves! What better way to spend the night then fighting some baddies?"

"You can't be serious." Ciel said in disbelief as she noticed Jaune and Blake consider the spiky blond's idea, "Do you forget that you're all just students? We are trained to fight monsters, not stop criminals. Matters such as this should be left to the police. Not children." she sighed, rubbing her forehead as they all looked at another in understanding, "You're not even listening to me, are you?"

"Sorry, Ciel. But it doesn't look like this is something we can just turn away from." Jaune apologized, "If it is the White Fang, then I can't let them do as they please. Whatever they may be up to, I will stop them myself." he said bitterly as he felt his scar flare up. He already knew that it was them behind the robberies. And foiling their plans messed up Adam's schemes in some way. He did feel sorry for dragging Ciel along. All she wanted to do was find her partner. Now she was in the middle of them discussing plans to stake out a burglary. She was just a normal Atlas student, she didn't deserve to be caught up in their mess.

"You don't have to come along with us. I know you must be worried about your partner. We can split from here so you can continue your search."

Ciel didn't respond, choosing instead to close her eyes and sip her tea peacefully.

What a situation she found herself. All because she chose to accept the hand of a stranger. The Headmaster General always said that the best laid plans never lasted, even simple ones such as walking the streets of a foreign country. Her thoughts turned to the odd robberies centered in Vale. So much Dust had been stolen to the point the price of it had risen. And it wasn't just Vale that was suffering such an incident. Several towns and cities had their supplies of Dust stolen to the point they would have to raise the price they were selling their supply at. It was odd, something even the General was starting to look into out of suspicion.

Discovering the culprits to the crime would be a good way for the General to see her in a good light, especially after losing Penny. General Ironwood favored Penny for some reason, so he wasn't going to be happy that she had lost sight of her. And she trusted her partner enough to keep out of trouble. Penny may act like a child at times, but she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Not to mention she had also talked of making some new friends in Vale, if she was lost then Penny could simply go to her new friends for help.

Ciel's dark blue eyes glanced back at the blond huntsman in training. For some odd reason, she was drawn to him and his problems. Like some force was pushing her into following along. And she was finding it difficult to argue with the idea even though common sense told her to leave them be and focus on her original task.

She sighed and set down her drink. Well, it looked like she was going to be taking part in some childish stake out to find criminals today.

"I suppose I could lend my services to you as thanks for helping me." she said simply, crossing her arms as she began planning how they were going to go about their venture, "I also can't believe that you'll be able to pull this off without giving yourselves away." her eyes pointed out to Sun. The blond monkey faunus pouted, his tail tipping his milk into his mouth like a waterfall from over his head.

"Are you sure? I don't see much reason for you to help out." Blake said carefully. She didn't want to involve someone who wasn't comfortable in what they were doing. Hell, she didn't like dragging Jaune into her problems and she had just met Sun and Ciel.

"It's alright. I'm actually trained in these types of scenarios. Training in Atlas is unlike that of Vale. We're taught in much more than fighting Grimm, we're taught as soldiers. I believe that I can contribute enough to help your operation run smoothly." she said with some confidence in her voice.

Sun grinned, pumping his fist in the air. Sweet, now they had a four-man team! Now all they needed was a name.

"Then how about we all finish our breakfast and get ready! From what I heard on the ship, the shipments supposed to arrive sometime this night. So, we got enough time to prepare ourselves for some action!" he said energetically.

"Shouldn't we be hoping not to have any confrontation with an enemy?" Ciel asked dryly. She didn't have her weapon on her at the moment. It had to go under some repairs, so the only thing she had on her was her watch and it wasn't suited for any type of heavy combat.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Blake said with a small smile.

Leaning back into his seat, Jaune began to switch his abilities and skills around via scroll. He knew for a fact they were going to meet some opposition. The Game and The Will loved a good fight. And there was another reason he was carefully preparing his abilities as well.

The Fourth Player, or as Ren had said, The Original Player to have endured the curse before any of them. Ren had warned him that he would most likely encounter them during this Event. Why, he didn't say, choosing to let Jaune figure out himself. And knowing his luck with the other Players in The Game, Jaune had to watch himself unless he wanted another Player wishing him death.

It looked like he was going to have to visit Husk before they began their little mission. He was going to need to stock up on items.

* * *

 **Vale's Dockside.**

Night had quickly arrived sooner than Jaune would have liked. After the four of them had gathered what they felt would be necessary for their stake out they had followed after Sun to the location of the SDC shipment dropping into Vale. The docking bay was where they found themselves hiding out, the smell of the bay water hit Jaune's senses as they waited atop one of the building's rooftops close by. They had a good view of the entire docking bay but they had yet to find any sign of the White Fang to steal the massive crates dropped off. And if he was honest with himself, he was starting to grow bored.

Propping his head to rest on his arm, Jaune idly brought up the map of the docks. It was times like this he wished he had Ren's Scan: Grandscale. The ability only lasted a minute, but it gave a complete scan of the area along with the location of any enemies. Sighing, he turned his eyes to Ciel and Blake resting on their stomachs beside him, looking out for any signs of activity with patience and diligence. Maybe he should have gone with Sun for snacks when he had offered.

Speaking of the monkey faunus, Jaune felt a presence dropped by them. Sun munched on a green apple with little care, staring at the large crates with barely concealed boredom as he settled himself by Blake's side.

"Still nothing, huh?" Sun said through a mouthful of apple, offering one to Jaune with the help of his tail. Smiling in thanks, Jaune accepted the fruit and bit down on as Blake glared at the blond faunus.

"I thought you didn't have any money on you? Where did you get those apples?" she said with suspicion.

"Okay, so a fruit vendor might be missing a few apples right now. But! In my defense, who sells fruit late at night? That's just begging someone to rob them blind."

Blake didn't know what more she could say to Sun. Did he not understand that his actions made their kind look bad? Come to think of it, it was because of him that she had gotten into a fight with Weiss defending him. It must have been nice to be as oblivious as him. She looked to Jaune and Ciel to hear what they thought about his actions, but found herself smacking her head onto the floor of the roof as she found them both nonchalantly eating the stolen goods. Jaune, she could maybe understand, but she would have thought someone who acted so cordial and professional like Ciel would have something to say.

"Odd question, but you wouldn't have by chance stolen some Everybody Love Grape Soda while you were out?" Jaune asked Sun, only causing Blake to groan in disappointment.

"Nope, all they had was Everybody Loves Orange Soda."

Jaune stuck his tongue out in disgust, "Who the hell loves orange soda?"

Ciel raised her open hand in the air, queuing Sun to throw her one of said sodas. She didn't give Jaune's look of betrayal any mind as she popped the can open and took a sip.

 _'Am I the only one taking this seriously?'_ Blake felt a headache coming on, but found herself accepting one of Sun's apples in the end. She huffed, taking a grudging bite. Well it wasn't like they were going to get much done worrying over nothing. She was too tense. She just needed to calm down and relax.

But sadly, the moment she eased her shoulders and shut her eyes for a moment of peace, the loud roaring jets of an airship entered her ears. She winced along with the rest as they felt a strong wind hit them from their hiding spot. The large metal body of an airship slowly came into view from above their location, setting sights on the middle of the docking bay where the crates of Atlas Dust rested unguarded. Her heart sped up at the sight as she watched the aircraft touch ground and lower a ramp. It wasn't long until someone stepped down the ramp and her thoughts were confirmed.

The familiar bone like masks of the White Fang was a dead giveaway.

Seeing members of the White Fang steadily walk out of the large ship, Sun was actually bummed out that the rumors were true. It would have been nice to discover the culprits as ordinary humans. In his opinion, all the White Fang was good for was dragging the faunus name in the dirt. But Blake still had hopes for them despite what they had done. He didn't understand why with all that he had recently learned, but he guessed she still had some fondness for them. She did say she was born into it.

"You really thought it wasn't them, didn't you?" he asked softly. To his surprise, Blake shook her head with a bitter smile.

"No, some part of me kinda knew it was them. I just didn't want to believe what the others were saying. I guess I was just trying to fool myself and hope it was all some humans doing."

Jaune patted Blake's shoulder in support. She may have left the fang, but she still saw them as family. To hear them bad mouthed without any evidence must have hurt her. The White Fang was still a part of her even if she left them behind.

"What do you want to do now?" Ciel asked as they watched the masked grunts connect cables to the Dust containers. They could simply settle for taking pictures of the scene and hand it the authorities and be done with the matter. Better than confronting a group of terrorists.

Blake clenched her fists. She wanted to stop them. Make them see that there was a better way than this. But she found herself frozen on the spot.

"What's the hold up? Don't you boys know that we ain't exactly incognito right now? You think no one's noticed a big old ship over the dock by now? I know you're all animals, but I didn't think you'd be as dumb as one."

The ears hidden by Blake's bow perked up at the sound of a new voice echoing in the air. Her eyes then spotted a well combed orange haired man wearing a stylish white suit and bowler hat casually stroll down the ramp. The man's green eyes twinkled with amusement watching the grunts nod their heads with nothing to say back. His name suddenly came to mind having been displayed many times by the major news outlets.

"Roman Torchwick?" Blake whispered in confusion, growing angry at the idea that someone like him was working alongside the White Fang. That didn't make any sense. The White Fang didn't work with humans, period. Adam would never agree to something like this.

Ciel found it odd as well. Records showed that Roman Torchwick was a master thief with a record that stretched several pages ranging from petty theft to cold blooded murder. But none of their records showed that he was the type for something this big. What would someone like him have to gain from working with the White Fang?

Standing up, Blake reached for Gambol Shroud and readied herself to jump down. She needed answers and doing nothing would get her nowhere.

Jaune moved his hand to stop Blake but found her slipping past him and stealthily jumping below. He cursed, giving a signal to Sun and Ciel to follow after. Why did she have to be so gung-ho? Wasn't she a ninja? Doesn't charging in go against their code or something?

With her skills, Blake was able to carefully hide in the shadows and sneak close to Roman as he busied himself talking down to one of the grunts. From behind one of the large crates, she grit her teeth as he demeaned the tusked faunus. He was the type of person she despised, using them as work animals for their own gain. Why would they aid him of all people? It didn't look like any of them enjoyed it.

"Do you not understand? Hook it up to the crate once the rest have secured the hooks onto the top surfaces. This is not a leash." Roman pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as the faunus tried to untangle the large steel cable on hand, "I swear only one of you animals doesn't get on my nerves. Do you idiots need a translator or something? I should just get Perry to handle this." he sighed in annoyance. Amateurs the lot of them.

Falling beside Blake, Jaune stopped her from making another move with his hand on her shoulder. Her angry yellow eyes glared back at him, commanding him to let her go. He shook his head. "We shouldn't go charging in like this! Think clearly for a second; do you think this is a good idea? Running into the wide open with enemies armed and ready to kill?"

Blake shut her eyes to calm herself. He was right, she couldn't let her emotions get the best of her.

"Pick up the slack! We're burning night light here! Either you hurry up, or I'm going to have to show you animals my bad side. And trust me, you don't want me to do that. I'll neuter the lot of you."

That smug, proud, arrogant voice! Blake couldn't stand a man like that. It was like a trigger. Brushing off Jaune's hand, she utilized her Shadow to fling herself to stand behind the loud speaking thief. He didn't even seem to notice her, allowing her to easily draw Gambol Shroud's blade to his throat.

The cold, deadly steel of blade against Roman's throat wasn't anything new. Calmly he nodded and glanced back to the furious yellow eyes of a raven-haired girl. He motioned his hand to the surrounding White Fang members to not move as they raised their guns.

"Well hello there! I don't believe we've met, Ms. Sword-to-my-Throat. By the way, do you think you can lower that thing? I'm afraid you might nick my scarf and its fine silk for your information." Roman said cheekily. The blade pressed harder against his throat, his aura being the only thing stopping it from drawing blood.

Despite Roman's urging, the grunts locked their sights on Blake. Seeing that, Blake reached for her bow and undid its bindings, showing off the cat ears adorned on her head.

"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum!?" she shouted, disappointed that they would forsake their pride to work with a human that treated them like dirt.

"Hey! I'll have you know that scum does not dress as finely as I do! You feel that fabric? It's cashmere."

"Shut up!" Blake growled, growing closer to slitting Roman's throat.

Roman pouted, "Now, that's not very nice. Don't you have any manners? And I'll have you know that your brothers and I got a little thing going on here." he smirked, gesturing his head to the grunts. They nodded, raising their guns to aim their sights on him.

"What are you talking about? Why would they help someone like you?" she hissed.

So feisty! Roman chuckled in amusement as he raised his hands up.

Blake never changed.

The roar of jet engines took Blake by surprise as she turned her eyes up. From above several airships just like the one on the ground appeared out of nowhere. Their bright searchlights scanned the area before falling onto her. The lights were blinding, hitting her eyes and making her lose sight for a moment. And that was all Roman needed.

"Fire, boys!"

Roman's body vanished from Blake's hold, leaving her wide open to the gunfire aimed at her. Thinking fast, she let her Shadow take the shots and ran for cover. Their guns followed after her, their bullets whizzing past her as she dodged. Having enough, she made a bee-line for the grunts and jumped high above them. Gambol Shroud's blade switched to its kusaragi form and she swung it around herself by its elastic ribbon. The motion of her attack spun it around her to create a barrier of swinging steel that struck the White Fang members. It was more than enough to knock the few of them down.

Landing on her feet, Blake turned her eyes in search of Roman. She let her guard down at the worst possible second. Where could he have disappeared to?

"Cat got your tongue?"

An amused chuckle tickled Blake's neck. She stopped dead as she felt someone just appear behind her. She growled, swinging the bladed sheath from Gambol Shroud for Roman's chest only to hit thin air. Again, she felt him drop behind her. She moved to attack him but found the bottom of his cane jabbing into her stomach. She coughed, her breath robbed in a single strike as he leaned his head down to stare into her eyes mischievously.

"Naughty kitty. But, I suppose you still deserve a treat. Here, it's got quite a kick to it!" he grinned as his finger gripped the trigger to his cane. He laughed, firing the cannon like flare in his cane into Blake's stomach. It was like a firework had gone off, the force of it carrying her off her feet and flying towards one of the nearby crates. Raising his cane again, he fired off a couple more shots to finish her off before she hit the crates.

Sun didn't waste a second jumping in from the shadows. Running behind her flying form, he grunted as he caught her in his arms. He cursed loudly, seeing the twinkling flares come too close to dodge.

" _ **Reflect!**_ "

Appearing in a blur, Jaune got in the way of the fire with Ciel held close beside him. A mirror like dome of pixels surrounded them, protecting them from the deadly shots. The flares were enveloped by the magic making up the spell, encasing them in a shell and firing them back to their owner.

Roman watched the flares bounce back at him. He frowned deeply, simply craning his head to the side before his shots could hit him. Several large explosions created by his flares hitting the combustible Dust shipment behind him detonated, bellowing a tower of pluming smoke into the air. He gave the fires of elements little thought as he turned his curious eyes to four hunters appearing out of the dark of night.

Were his ears playing tricks with him?

Jaune sighed in relief, thanking Gale Speed for the save. That was too close for comfort. Turning his crosshair sights onto Blake, he was happy to see her HP was still in the green. But it was edging close to half.

 _ **Blake Belladonna, The Shadowed Beauty.**_

 _ **7,500HP/13,000HP.**_

"Are you alright, Blake? Can you stand?" he asked worriedly.

Blake grimaced, smiling in thanks to Sun for catching her as she turned back to Jaune, "I'm fine. He just caught me by surprise is all." she grunted, gingerly pressing her hand against her stomach. A red burn marked the skin along with blood trickling down her white shorts.

"You should have known better than to run in like that." Ciel scolded as she walked over to her. From her pouch, she handed the cat faunus an odd smooth round rock. It almost looked like a candy.

"Take it. It's an Aura Booster created by an associate of General Ironwood. Despite its appearance of a sweet, it helps one's aura to recover faster and heal wounds. But you will feel some fatigue in an hour or two."

"Thank you." Blake said weakly with a smile before popping the booster into her mouth. It tasted like lemon-lime, almost like it was a candy. No sooner did she eat it did her wound begin to mend itself.

Now that Blake was healed up, Jaune turned his eyes back to the enemy in front of them. He frowned, finding it odd that Roman wasn't doing anything other than staring at them curiously. It would have been a perfect time to strike, so, why didn't he?

 _'Doesn't matter. I can't let him hurt Blake like that again. He nearly took out half of her health with one shot! What kind of Boss are we facing here?'_

Above in the opening doors of the bullheads, several of the White Fang prepared themselves to lend a hand. But they were stopped by Roman as he raised his hand in wait.

His eyes never left the hunters in training, narrowing as he tapped his cane.

"I know we're fighting and all that jazz, but if I may, a question if I might?" he asked curiously.

Sun glared, "What would you wanna know? If you're trying to stall, forget about it!" he shouted before dashing off the spot towards Roman. The well-dressed criminal didn't make any move to dodge Sun's attack. Reaching behind his waist, Sun brought out Ruyi and Jinju Bang and brought them together to form his staff. His swung for Roman's head but found the criminal's cane blocking his swing. The cane's hook snatched his staff and slammed it down to the side. With his free hand, Roman backhanded the faunus monkey, kicked him back and then fired the handled hook of his weapon to snag his open vest. Spinning on his foot, Roman then swung Sun around before releasing him and sending him slamming against a crate.

"Sun!" Blake yelled in alarm before setting her sights back to the grinning orange haired man.

"Hey now, I just wanted to ask you a question is all. That's what an animal gets for snapping at someone like that." Roman chuckled before his eyes strayed past Blake to Jaune and Ciel. He tapped his chin in thought.

Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors and raised its shield, "What do you want to know?" he asked as the man grinned widely.

"Nothing too personal. I just want to know who was responsible for that little fancy trick that sent my own flares back at me is all." he said with a chuckle.

Anxiety filled Jaune's being. That was an odd question. And that look in Roman's eyes sent shivers down his spine. Something about him wasn't right. Gulping, Jaune formed a crosseye to scan Roman.

What he saw shook his core.

 **Roman Torchwick, Soul of The Gamer.**

 **69,600HP/69,600HP.**

Roman grew even more curious as he noticed Jaune begin to shake visibly and his eyes grow wide in shock. Oh? That was an interesting expression. A grin grew back on his face before he vanished from their sights. Their heads swiveled, looking for any signs of the incredibly fast thief. They didn't need to wait too long as he appeared in the middle of them as if he was always there. Melodic Cudgel was quick to block the slash aimed at his side courtesy of Blake before his free hand found itself aimed at her face. A warm orange glow lit up his face as his palm burned brightly, " _ **Firebolt.**_ " his lips curled as the girl tried to step back and dodge. He tsked, firing the grappling hook of his weapon to catch the girl mid-step as he did with Sun before reeling her in. A bolt comparable to lightning flames blew Blake back, sending her carried off by the magical spell and smacking into Sun just as he recovered. He chuckled, turning his eyes back to the other two hunters in time to see an all too familiar ancestral blade swing for his face. Roman went to bat the attack but found a high kick from below his cane swing knocking it upwards. He sighed, turning his eyes down to find Ciel responsible before Jaune's sword met contact with him.

" _ **Barrier.**_ "

From thin air, a see through emerald green bubble surrounded Roman at least a yard in diameter. Its appearance said nothing about its durability as Jaune's sword clanged in resistance.

"Hmm? Is that surprise in your eyes, boy?" Roman asked with mirth. He could see the blond knight's teeth grit visibly and his eyes narrow. But he could see it, the shock he tried to hide. Snapping his finger, he dropped his spell and spared little attention to the dark-skinned girl running into his guard and jumping up high for a lashing kick to his head. He caught her ankle easily and tossed her aside with little effort. Again, Jaune swung his sword but found Roman grabbing onto the blade instead of blocking or dodging it. The stylish thief leaned over carefully, whispering.

"Tell me, can you hear the words of The Game clearly, Jaune?"

That confirmed the status Jaune was reading from Roman. It was something Jaune hadn't thought about much until Ren had begun explaining the workings of The Game to him, but it's said that those who don't possess the title of Gamer were deaf to the words needed to activate their abilities and skills. To them their incantations sounded like shouts of determination or battle cries.

And Roman had used his name. Jaune had never even met Roman until today and the guy was saying his name with familiarity.

Silence was more than a good enough answer for Roman. He whistled, finding himself laughing out loud as he kicked the knight back with his foot.

So, this was the so called newest Player in their little party? The one Adam had cautioned him about? Oh, he just had to see what the boy's title was now.

" _ **Scan.**_ "

 **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **8,000HP/8,000HP.**

The Heart? Roman found himself agreeing with the Title. From what he recalled from his meetings with the Arc boy in his many playthroughs it fit him to a T. Easing his laughter, he gave Jaune a welcoming smile as the blond boy glared at him.

"Well, isn't this surprising? I would have never thought that you of all people would fall into this little world of ours. Now I'm even more curious." he chuckled as he spun his cane around with his finger. He sighed though, catching the eyes of the other three hunters recovering from their blows and run at him. "What annoyances. Seems I've got to clear the room before we can talk freely."

Jaune didn't like the sounds of that, "What the hell are you doing?"

Roman smirked and decided to let his actions answer for him. With a flick of his right wrist and a snap of his fingers, four body sized poker cards surrounded Blake, Sun, and Ciel before they could close in on him. From the back of the cards his moniker could be seen as the cards spun around them and prevented them from escaping. They became a blur, tussling the wind before slowly coming to a stop. The cards folded, revealing to Jaune's shock his friends vanishing.

" _ **Local**_ _ **Shuffle.**_ "

"You!" Jaune seethed in anger before spinning his head around, "Blake, Sun, Ciel, where are you guys!?"

"Calm down, kid. You act like I killed your dog or something." Roman said, rolling his eyes as he found Jaune back to glaring at him, "What you saw just now was a little Ability, Local Shuffle. With it, I've simply sent them to another area of the docks where they can't disturb us." And to make sure that they didn't get in their way, Roman reached for his scroll and made a call, "Let the boys know that we got a couple of rats roaming the place. Take them out if you feel like it and if they prove to be a hassle, let Perry know that he has permission to use 'That'. I'm sure he'd love a chance at busting out his new toy."

" _ **Air Slash!**_ "

Roman sighed as he ended the call and batted away several blades of air pressure. Did the kid not know any manners?

Seeing his attack easily blocked, Jaune raised his sword high above himself as its blade gained a dark purple tint, " _ **Lunar Divider!**_ " Slashing his sword downward, he released a large tearing blade of purple energy after Roman. It tore the ground to pieces, gaining speed before it met the smirking man head on.

" _ **Barrier!**_ " Calling on the same bubble shield as before, Roman watched as the attack's force fought his defense. That was a new Ability he'd never seen. Barrier shattered suddenly and left him to suffer being hit by Lunar Divider. He grunted as the blade exploded against his aura. Curiously he found his body weakened a bit by the attack. _'Defense Down? Isn't that a nifty trick.'_ he grinned as he found Jaune prepare the same move again. He moved his feet forward, vanishing from sight to stand right in front of Jaune just as his mouth opened to shout the incantation.

" _ **Steal Wonder**_ _ **.**_ "

The power running through Jaune's being died away, robbing him of the strength to use his ability as Crocea Mors lost its energy. His mind went blank, the feeling frightening him as Roman snatched a bubble of luminescent light from his chest. The bubble flickered, popping to form a playing card of his own design in his fingers. Jaune stumbled back in confusion, frowning as he tried to recall what he had just been doing. He was using an ability, right? What was it called again?

Roman smirked smugly, raising his cane in the same manner Jaune had done with his sword as the card in hand sank into his body, "Have you forgotten what your ability was called, kid? Don't worry, here's a reminder! _**Lunar Divider!**_ "

Purple malicious energy released from Roman's downward swing, forming a tearing blade that collided with its original owner. Jaune gasped, his breath stolen as the energy detonated and left his body weary. He gripped his forehead in pain as the memory of his ability returned.

Lunar Divider, an Ability granted to him from his Friendship with Blake. It fired a blade of energy that dealt decent damage but also inflicted Defense Down; a status ailment that lowered Defense for a short period of time. How the hell did Roman use an ability only he could use? Firebolt he could understand, it was spell that all Players could learn along with Reflect and Power Strike. But Lunar Divider was unique, Ren had even said so himself that he wouldn't be able to learn it. So, how did Roman learn it?

And why had he forgotten?

"Confused? I bet you are, most usually are when I use Steal Wonder on them for the first time. Boy, was Adam pissed." Roman laughed. The horned boy had lost his patience and tried to end him with one lightning fast slash when he had revealed to him their shared status. But found himself stumped as his mind went blank and suffered the very ability he was about to use. Seeing Jaune glare through a grimace, Roman decided to be a good sport and explain, "Steal Wonder is an Ability unique to the Master Thief Class, it allows me to steal just about any Ability my opponent is about to use and leave them confused. They are unable to use said ability until I've used it myself. Ain't that a useful move?"

Useful? More like terrifying. An ability like that created an opening that left him to suffer an attack. And he wouldn't be able to use the ability he forgot? That was cheating. Fighting the weakness spreading across his body by his own attack mirrored back, Jaune raised his shield in front of his body for any more attacks. Last time he hadn't been prepared to fight Adam, but this time would be different.

Roman sighed in exasperation, slouching his shoulders at still finding the blond knight on the offensive. Did the kid not know when to take a hint? Did it look like he wanted to fight? If that was the case, he would have ended him as easily as he sent the other brats away.

"Kid, let's calm down for a second here. There's no need to fight right now." he said honestly, trying to ease Jaune's tension. He even sent his beloved weapon into its inventory space as a sign of good will.

But Jaune wasn't falling for it. Roman was known as a trickster by the media and even Ren had warned him to stay on his toes if he ever had to face Player one.

"No need? You hurt my friends and sent them who knows where! And you're working with the White Fang." the grip on his sword tightened audibly, his mind drawing up the arrogant smirk belonging to Adam, "If you're working with him, then that means whatever you're doing is no good. And I won't fall for anymore of his bullshit!" he roared, dashing off the spot as Crocea Mors slid back into its sheath. He locked his blue eyes with Roman's blank green eyes before his body blurred.

Jaune appeared a few spaces away from Roman's back in a gust of wind, his sword partially drawn before clicking back into pace.

" _ **Sonic Line!**_ "

Idly, Roman's eyes peered down at his stylish coat to find a nick spreading from the center of his chest and running to meet his back. A small amount of blood leaked down the white of his clothing, much to his annoyance. Now that was just rude.

 **Roman Torchwick, Soul of The Gamer.**

 **69,150HP/69,600HP[DEF-D].**

Only 450 Damage? Even with Defense Down active that was all the damage he could inflict? Sonic Line dealt damage by multiplying his Speed by 50. His attack should have done a thousand or more. And Roman treated the wound as if was a bug bite rather than a blade slash.

Roman was not happy with the small cut. Now he was going to have to wash out the blood when he was done and the material he was wearing didn't handle in certain washers very well. He sighed as he turned his head back to meet Jaune.

"You're lucky you're a fellow Player otherwise you'd be dead before you hit the ground." he glared with annoyance before reaching into his coat. The action put Jaune on guard, causing him to roll his eyes. He didn't even have a weapon on him! The kid was really jumpy. Finding what he was looking for, Roman downed the vial of red colored liquid in one gulp. The small wound was quickly healed a second later. "Got to love potions. Much better than your average band-aids, don't you think?" he asked with a smile. But to his ever-growing annoyance, Jaune refused to lower his guard.

"Give me a break kid! Here I am trying to make some small talk and have a conversation, and you're looking at me like I killed your dick or something. What do you have against your fellow Player?"

"You're a criminal and you work for the White Fang for starters." Jaune scoffed, "And let's say that every time I've met a Player I found myself either dead or dying."

Dead or dying? Roman whistled lowly, "I take it Addy-boy and Renny didn't take your arrival very well. Especially Renny, that boy has a hateful bone for you. I'd put down 30,000L that he was the one to kill you on the spot." he grinned knowingly.

"Addy-boy? Renny?" Jaune said slowly in confusion. Subconsciously he found his guard lowering as he tried to understand the man in front of him. Roman acted completely different from the other two Players in The Game. Where Adam was cruel and vicious, and Ren was lazy and unmotivated, Roman acted cheerful and full of spirit. This was the Original Gamer? The one who had endured countless lifetimes of Reset with little change other than that occasional Remix?

When Jaune had thought of the first one to inherit The Gamer, he had honestly pictured a broken man, a mix between Adam and Ren. Roman was none of that. If it weren't for the fact he had effortlessly thrown his friends around and was a dangerous criminal wanted in the kingdoms, Jaune would have thought of him as pleasant.

Seeing Jaune ease up a bit, Roman continued, "Those are my nicknames for the kids, I did teach them about The Game after all. I like to think of those brats as little brothers, we're all blessed with the same power, or curse if you would prefer, so why not think of each other as family? Unlike those two, I have no feelings of animosity for my fellow Player. In fact, I welcome you to our little party!" he said with a cheerful smile, bowing elegantly to the stunned blond, "Welcome, Jaune to The Game of Life! A world of true freedom where you are free to do as you please."

Jaune didn't know what to say. This was unlike the time his status was revealed to the others. Usually he would be struggling to breath out of his dying lips. But this? This was a little jarring. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as Roman grinned at him, showing no signs of wanting to harm him.

"Thanks, I guess?" he said after trying to find something to say back. He shook his head, frowning in confusion, "But aren't I in your way? I'm here to stop whoever is responsible for the Dust robberies and your connected to the White Fang, right? Shouldn't it be your mission to stop me?"

Roman shrugged his shoulders, his face showing boredom as he leaned on his cane, "I suppose that is what the Quest I've taken says I should do. Its details say that I must steal at least five cargo shipments of SDC Dust before the clock hits midnight. I am to expect opposition and will receive several bonus rewards if I'm able to steal more than five. But I've done this quest so many times now! If it wasn't a Story related mission I would have skipped it." he grumbled before taking a moment to whip out a cigar. He lit it, waving away the magical flame on his finger used to light it and dragged in a deep breath of the sweet nicotine. At least the flavor of his favorite habit would never change. "Well at least I got the chance to meet a new member of our merry little family." he chuckled.

"So, you're not going to stop me?" Jaune tilted his head to the side, his confusion evident, "Does that mean you can bring back my friends?" he said hopefully.

Again, Roman shrugged with little care, "I can't bring them back, but they are close. I really don't care if this mission goes well, I won't catch any heat from the boss lady. The little girl still has use for me." he laughed. Oh, if only Cinder knew how easily he could have their roles switched. But that would be no fun, not anymore at least, "Of course there is still the matter of the White Fang actually doing their jobs and attaching the cables to the ships, so you'll still have to deal with them. Animals they may be, but they're rowdy bunch. And I can't say that your friends are safe either, especially if my buddy Perry already busted out the little toy I gave him for being a good boy."

That didn't sound good. Jaune spun his head around, trying to listen in for any signs of battle already in progress in the large dock area. Faintly he could make out the sound of gunfire before his eyes caught the sign of a massive column of black smoke rise to the sky from overhead. He had a good guess that he had just found their locations.

If Roman wasn't going to fight him then he had little reason to stick around any longer. Turning his back to the man, he was ready to run to them.

"Leaving already? Come on, stay and chat a bit, Jaune-Jaune! Let the NPC's enjoy themselves, you shouldn't worry much about the non-important. If they die, they'll just respawn in the next life."

Jaune stopped cold in his steps. His knuckles popped, shaking as the mirthful tone in Roman's voice hit a nerve. So, he was like the others. For second, he had thought he might have found someone who wasn't uncaring. He couldn't help it, he turned his head back to meet the older Player's amused green eyes.

"They're not NPC's, they're people. I would have thought you understood that with how long you've been in this game." he said with disappointment.

Roman blinked, caught off guard. Did the kid just call them people? He erupted with laughter, holding his gut as his eyes teared up. The reaction made Jaune's blood boil.

"Oh, Oum! That-That was a good one, kid! I swear, I think I nearly choked on my own laughter there." Snickering as he tried to get a control of himself, Roman sighed in relief, "But seriously, they're just NPC's. No need to worry about trash." he smirked.

"They're human! I don't understand what part of that you all don't understand! They're living, breathing; they're alive!" Jaune shouted, throwing his hand out in anger. But Roman didn't seem to think so, his expression still amused at what he was saying. It frustrated Jaune to no end to see them think so little about the people around them. "Surely you understand that? What about the White Fang members you're working with? Don't they have any meaning to you?" he said solemnly. Even if they were the enemy, couldn't Roman see that they too were alive.

"Meaning?" Roman hummed at the word. He grinned mischievously at that and raised his cane to the sky. Taking out his scroll again, he made a quick call to one of the bullheads to draw closer. The pilot nodded in understanding and settled itself to hover above the two. The mounted artillery locked their sights on Jaune, waiting for Roman's command to fire.

"What are you doing?" Jaune asked, finding himself uneasy as Roman simply smiled.

" _ **Magnum Flare.**_ "

To Jaune's horror, a sparkling orange-red flare shaped like pointed bullet slug shot up from Roman's cane and streaked upward to the airship. The faunus inside could do nothing as the projectile pierced its body and detonated in a dazzling bonfire of flames. For a short moment Jaune could hear the chilling screams and cries of the burning White Fang members before the flaming wreckage fell to the earth behind Roman. Then nothing but the cackling flames met his ears.

 **+12,200EXP! +14,000Lien! +(x7)Standard Katannas! +(7)Standard Pistols!**

Roman made a noise of satisfaction as he read over his rewarded experience, "Well they do serve a purpose in earning exp, Lien, and some items. So, I suppose that gives them meaning." he mused with little care in his voice. Not even enough to fill up his EXP bar by 5%. What a bummer. The money was good enough for some pocket change too.

A sick lump grew in Jaune's stomach as the faint smell of cooking flesh hit his nose, his eyes watching in horror as the flames behind Roman cackled and filled the sky above with smoke.

"W-Why?" Jaune asked faintly as his shoulders trembled.

Suddenly remembering why he had done what he had, Roman turned back to Jaune with a casual wave, "Eh, I suppose it's because I felt like it honestly. That, and the guy behind the control of the bullhead had given me a funny look just because I may have accidentally scuffed up his shoes in our last heist."

The answer brought Jaune's anger over the edge to the point a vein throbbed visibly on his forehead.

"Oh, what's with the anger? They're NPC's, they'll come back to life in the next reset. Who knows? They may even resurrect following a path that doesn't lead them to the White Fang. Which means I technically saved them and steered then down a brighter path!" he said cheerfully only to frown as something caught the leg of his pants. Looking down he was irritated to see the burning hand of one of the NPC's gripping his pants for dear life and the suffering eyes pleading for help. Melodic Cudgel's barrel greeted the annoyance and put an end to that with a boom. Charred brain matter and smoking blood splattered the ground.

 **+1,000EXP! +200Lien!**

Bile rose up Jaune's throat and spilled out from his lips, his stomach unable to withstand the atrocity he had just witnessed. He grit his teeth openly as his eyes glared hatefully at the carefree expression on Roman's face as he kicked away the burning corpse. What the hell kind of monster was he?! How? How could he do something so vile with little care?

Sensing the hostility aimed at him, Roman scratched his cheek with a coy smirk, "Right, almost forgot about your self-righteous soul. Doesn't something like this just tickle your nerves?" he drawled musingly. He threw his hands up and shrugged with an amused sigh, "Seems you still don't understand how this world works. How sad, I'd thought Renny would have showed you the ropes at least. Then again, it would probably take you a few runs before you understood that. This is your first life, so your still naive as a schoolboy going out with his crush."

Spinning his cane continuously by his finger, Roman couldn't fight the excited grin spreading on his face. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall the last time he had a good fight. Not since his last little heist in Atlas. And it didn't look like Jaune was going to be going anywhere after that fireworks show. He could already see the kid's body strain itself from attacking him.

It seemed that old little Adam and Ren had failed to teach the kid the ways of the world. Well that was alright, that's why good old Roman was here! He properly taught the others, might as well teach the green horned knight whose world he now resided in.

A dark shadow grew over his face as he fixed his bowler hat. His visible green eye was filled with mischief and a sadistic glee. The very air around him twisted along with the flames and smoke behind him.

From above the two Gamers, a single pixel unseen by the world radiated in the night sky. It blinked before rapidly spreading to form a dome like bubble around the two, cutting them completely off from the real world. To those blind to The Game, their sense would turn them away from the area for reasons they could not understand or fight. As if something deep in their being forcefully steered them away from whatever forces were at bay.

"Let me enlighten you to the ways of my world, little hero." Roman chuckled deeply, "And in exchange, you can relieve me of my boredom. I never did like standing by while the others had their fun, it's about time I show you what lays ahead of you!"

Jaune felt his anger consume him as the stylish man readied his cane. He forgot about his friends and focused his sights on the amused Player just as the fires twisting around him were blown back into a light shower of dancing embers.

 _ **'Roman Torchwick, Soul of The Gamer has formally challenged you to a battle! Will you accept?**_

 _ **Yes/No?'**_

The scraping sound of his blade drawn from its sheath was Jaune's answer.

* * *

 **Player One is here. The man with class and mischief, a free Soul that runs rampant to his hearts content. Heart, Soul, Mind, and Body. What reasons have you for madness? It's just a game.**

 **Why so serious?**

 **Chapter 25 of Multiplayer is almost done! Can you believe it? We just might have it out by next Tuesday if my beta finishes it by the weekend when I finish it by Friday. Honest, it's at its climax. Which means Volume 1 is now wrapping up. One more Free Event and the Entrance Exam. Oh, I can't wait to write that out! Let's see if Jaune prove his worth against what Ozpin's been planning.**

 **Now, let's talk about the Multiplayer Journal. I've been working on it here and there, and I've decided to plan on making it as a forum on the site. I haven't place for it yet, so I thought why not? The story is here, why not keep its Journal here? I'll just need to see how Forums work and when it's complete, you'll all be able to read it! And even make up your own conversations about the story. So, look forward to that.**

 **But what about the last Fairy Tale DLC!?, I here many of you cry. To that, I laugh with a grin on my face. The final LFT DLC is a special one, that's all I can tell you. It will be unlike the others in size as well. Just look forward to it. It will shock and awe you!**

 **For now, that's all I got to say. Just keep reading and reviewing! Honestly, I appreciate all the support and words of advice. We're almost done and I feel like I've really grown as a writer since my days in Fairy Tail fandom. And I got you all to thank. Please look forward to my future releases, I got some great stories in store.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	25. Just a Game

**NeoShadows here! And yes, I am single.**

 **Sorry for the delay, the chapter was actually finished last Friday if I remember correctly, but due to problems on both ends of myself and my beta, the chapter wasn't polished until a few days ago. Life, what more can we say?**

 **Okay before we scroll down and read up, yes, this is another monster chapter. I got carried away writing out the action scenes again. So, it's a heavy action oriented chapter. But there is much to learn from it. I apologize if large chapters aren't to your liking, but what's written is written! I just couldn't see myself splitting it up in half.**

 **So, seeing as we're already running at a huge amount of words, I'll answer a few reviews this time so we can move along.**

 **That guy: Glad you love it. So, the people have spoken, have they? Hmm, well I have no heart to deny them that. We just might have a new story up by Summer's end involving a certain group of hot mamas.**

 **Pokemon Trainer Tom: Happy Birthday, bud!**

 **Flametusk: RWBY Loops? Hmm, it does sound familiar. I'll check it out some time.**

 **Ssjzohan: I just beat the game at lvl72! And my 'waifu'? Kawakami, hands down.**

 **TheNakedFlame: Hey, it's alright. Critiscim is welcomed. The scene with the girls was just for humor, showing varying signs of their romantic feelings for him. The only ones with Affection for Jaune are Blake and Pyrrha, and the emotions vary between person. As for the multi perspective thing, sorry to say that's my writing style. And trust me, there's a lot that I keep hidden even with the perspectives of the others shown. Sorry if that hinders the experience, but it's how I write. I have taken something from your thoughts though. I'll be careful not to overdue it too much.**

 **Saint Danielle: I love ya too, bud. As I do with all my fans who read my story. . .No homo. God, I need a lady in my life. . .one that's not a pillow from a japan. Who's idea of a gift is that anyways? Moving on from that, Roman was a fun Gamer to work on. And you've just given me an idea for a DLC for Volume 2. We're done with DLC's for this volume, sadly. And I'm a breadsticks man myself.**

 **Okay, that's enough for now. We have plenty to read down below, trust me. I think my Beta's already signing papers to drag me back to the rehab. Ha! Jokes on them, I'm immune to their drugs!**

 **Now, let's get scrolling!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. You know what's hard? Writing and editing when you've just bought a new game. Bloodborne is calling to me, damn it! They give you weapons to fight monsters that mech shift, like RWBY! That, and the old guy says to do whatever I want with the doll girl. Hmm, that sends warning bells off the bat. Almost like a body pillow come to life.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Just a Game.**

In the smoking remains of Kuroyuri, a small raven haired boy with a lock of pink hair released a ragged breath as his arms finally stopped trembling. Below his body the decomposing body of a large Nevermore let out one last death caw, the deadly curved knife belonging to the boy twisting into its chest one last time to ensure its passing.

Ren watched the sliver of HP above the monster's body reduce to nothing. He stumbled back as the large dark bird's body died away into a black miasma smoke. Even with the beast now gone and the surrounding area free of Grimm, the boy's eyes were still trembling as he stared down at his blood-stained hands. The knife fell out of his hands with a clatter.

What just happened? How did he end up back to the day of his home's destruction? He vaguely remembered that it had only been maybe a month since he had been forced to run away from his burning home ransacked by the creatures of death. So how was it possible that he was back to that very nightmare? And how had he been able to fight like that? He reacted without even understanding what he was doing. His vision now displayed an odd screen, displaying what was called HP and MP.

But even with the scary odd situation and the new powers in his body, Ren forced himself to turn back to the very reason he had fought the small Grimm and what was called a Boss. A little girl around his age wearing dirty, tattered and torn clothing stared back at him with slight fear and what he could barely make out as relief. She had orange dirtied hair from living on the streets and seafoam green eyes.

Faintly he recalled the girl before the destruction of Kuroyuri. She had been picked on by a couple of kids before his father stepped in to make them stop. And when he had been running for his life, he thought he had seen her hiding below a burning house before a Nevermore had perched itself atop it. Shamefully he had run away, his fear overtaking him as he left her behind.

A voice, a powerful one full of mirth had talked to him when he had reached his home again. It promised him power, unimaginable power to change the world and save others. All he had to do in exchange was save the girl.

Fighting his own fear and anxiety, Ren worked up a smile for the girl. She was like him, alone and scared in the world. Warily, the girl stood back up on her wobbly feet and looked down shyly. Her green eyes peeked at him with trepidation and he decided to give her a bigger smile. And that was enough.

Ren was taken back as the girl ran at him and hugged him deathly tight. Her body trembled against his, her soft cries drowning out the cackle of the flames eating away at his home. Carefully he patted her back, feeling a bit awkward at the situation he found himself in. It was odd, but his mind was calm, the fear receding as if it was never there. He was. . .at peace.

"Um, hello there. My name is Lie Ren, who might you be?" he said slowly after a moment of letting the orange-haired girl cry. She sniffled one last time and looked back to him shyly, going silent for bit before finally speaking.

". . .Nora." she said softly, wiping away her tears as she stepped back from the boy. No, she shook her head as a tiny small made its way to her face. He was her hero.

Ren nodded his head with a calm smile, "Nora, that's a nice name." he said warmly.

The two little kids in the middle of a burning, smoking, destroyed village smiled at one another as dark clouds began to roll over the skies above. Despite the passing nightmare, the two were at ease. Even though they were alone, they were together.

Well, not alone, alone.

Just as the clouds let loose a light curtain of rain onto the village, the drops of rain were frozen perfectly still. Even the flames and smoke froze. The world was paused, growing deathly silent.

Ren frowned as Nora didn't move an itch. Not even a breath of motion. He grew worried, walking over to her as he looked her over for any serious injuries.

"Nora? Are you alright? What's going on?" he asked, gulping anxiously when she didn't answer. She wasn't breathing. His frown only grew deeper as he turned his eyes to the skies, finding the rain frozen like a picture.

"What's going on?"

"That, little Renny, is called a Pause. Nifty little ability I'll say."

A mirthful voice chuckled from behind Ren, appearing out of thin air. He grew still, fearing another monster attacking him like the others. Slowly he turned his head to find an odd man grinning down at him. The man wore an expensive long white sleeve shirt under a black vest with white stripes running down, a red tie, black slacks with a golden pocket chain, black dress shoes unsoiled by the dirty ground, and a black bowler hat. The man had orange hair combed neatly back and amused green eyes reflecting his confused expression. He looked like a man of high class, the ones his mother had described to him from a story in a big city of glamor.

"A pause? What is that?" Ren asked with a confused frown, shaking his head before narrowing his eyes at the strange man, "And who are you?"

The man chuckled as he leaned down and ruffled the boy's dirtied raven hair. Ren didn't like the gesture, tearing his head away as he glared at the man. The expression only further amused the stranger.

"No need to fear, kiddo! The names Roman Torchwick, the gentlemen thief, and Player numero uno!" Roman said with a stylish bow and wink. Ren looked at him funny, finding the man odd. And what did he say? What was a Player?

"Don't understand, do ya? From your baffled expression, I take it you don't recall your earlier life. Seems you're like Addy-boy, born naturally with The Gamer within you until you made a deal with The Will. Conniving ball of flaming excrement, to think it would use this Event to draw it out."

Everything that the man known as Roman was saying didn't make any sense. Ren tried to understand what he was saying, but found himself coming up empty. All he did know was that the orange haired man was the one who stopped the world.

"Why are you here?" Ren decided to ask after forgoing trying to understand the lowly mumbling man. Why would such a well-dressed man come to a place like this? Especially while it was being attacked by the Grimm?

Roman stopped his mumbling to stare at Ren blankly for a moment, "I had some. . .unfinished business to attend. Business that a certain someone had ignored." For a split second, Ren could have sworn he had seen a dark glint in the man's green eyes before it had disappeared as quickly as it came. Ren was surprised to find his hands shaking again before calming himself, "When oddly enough, I found myself thrown back in time about a month or so to this very day. Most likely due to my earlier presence." he mused.

"Anyway, in my stroll, I was surprised to find you, small, frightened, little Ren battling a small house sized Nevermore with quick timed reactions and the Title of Mind on your status. To think you of all people would be dragged in this game." he said with bitter mirth.

"And you know what's happening to me? To my body?" Ren asked curiously as he looked down at his battered, dirtied hands. A faint coat of pink energy covered his hands, the very power that had allowed him to survive the attack of a monster that could have easily ended him with one hit before.

"Pretty much. I could even go as far as saying I know you pretty well, Lie Ren. Tell me, would you like to know more of your powers? Of your fate as a Player?" Roman asked, leaning down to meet the boy eye to eye. Ren looked back at him warily, not sure if he could trust the man. A man who literally appeared out of nowhere. Someone who said he knew of him when he had never meet the man before today.

But for some weird reason, a part of his soul trusted him.

"Would that mean you would take me with you?"

Roman tapped his chin and lightly nodded, "I suppose. I'm already taking care of one rowdy little squirt with an ice cream obsession. Having someone like you would actually be a boon." he grinned.

Ren found himself smiling at the notion, "Then I accept! I'm sure Nora will be happy to meet a new friend!" he said happily.

At that Roman winced, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked away from the little eastern boy, "Sorry, kid. But if you were to come along, the girl would have to be left behind."

"What? Why?! She doesn't have anywhere else to go!" he said in frustration, glaring back at the man.

"Trust me, I know." he said uncomfortably before sighing, "I'm not so cold hearted as to leave her alone in this hell hole. We can take her to a nice orphanage where she could live a normal life. It's just that. . .there are reasons why she can't come along." he said sternly.

Ren now found himself at a crossroads. He had the option of following after a man who understood the powers that ran through his body and was willing to teach him about his so-called fate, or stay with a girl he had just met and knew nothing about other than her name. The smart choice was obvious; follow Roman and learn of his powers. His mind had been sharpened, granting him intelligence beyond his young age. It was telling him to listen to the man.

But then came the strong tug at his heart at the thought of leaving Nora behind. She was the sole reason he could even fight the Grimm, his need to save her unlocking his Aura and by proxy the new powers granted to him by the bodiless voice in his head. In the end, he was all she had in the world. And he found himself growing sad at the idea of abandoning her after getting a smile out of her.

Even with his increase in intellect, Ren wound up following his heart. It wasn't the smart move, he knew that, but he refused to leave Nora alone again. He did it once and he wasn't going to do it again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Torchwick, but I can't leave Nora alone. I know I may have just met her, but I'm all she has now." he said firmly, standing his ground before the intimidating man who radiated unimaginable power.

Roman didn't say anything. It was as if he was in thought. Sighing, he finally spoke.

"I had a feeling you would say that. You've barely known her for a few minutes, but you're already hanging onto her. Seems that bond of yours truly does transcend The Game. How amusing." he chuckled lightly. Ren and Nora, an odd friendship that actually balanced itself out. It was the same as every world, not even changing now that Ren was a Player.

Perhaps. . .that was a good thing.

"That's fine, I suppose. If you stick with her, you'll be in safe hands. Believe me, that girl. . .she'll grow into some bombastic powerhouse."

Ren smiled, glad that Roman understood. It was weird that he believed that the quiet girl would protect him, but Roman seemed like he knew what he was talking about. If anything, Ren was sure that he would be the one to be watching over her. She appeared so fragile and shy.

Inwardly Roman was laughing hysterically. Oh, if only the kid knew.

Patting the future great huntsman's head one last time, Roman moved to continue on his way. He did stop, reaching into his coat to hand something back at the boy. Ren took the small piece of paper in hand, finding numbers on it. Instinctively, his free hand caught the smooth tablet thrown at him.

"That's a scroll, Renny. While I can't take you with me right now, I can lend you some help every now and again to help you as a Player if you call. I'll even give you the basics before I end our Pause to get you on our way. After all, we Players got to stick together." he grinned cheerfully.

Ren didn't know what to say. After all the carnage and horrors he had witnessed, it was hard to swallow such kindness. He found himself tearing up a bit as he stared at the gift. He wasn't sure what awaited him in this new world, but it was warming to know that there was someone out there to turn to. He looked back at Roman with a mirroring grin even as a few tears slipped out.

Roman Torchwick, he would be sure to remember that name fondly.

* * *

A sharp snap of fingers suddenly caught Ren's attention, bringing him out of his wandering thoughts. He shook his head around to clear himself of the drifting memories and found Yang snapping her fingers in his face.

"I'm sorry, did you say something, Yang?" he asked politely as the girl huffed and crossed her arms over her impressive chest. Beside her, Tsuki looked at him passively, just as annoyed as the blonde beside her.

"I was asking if you had gotten any word from Jaune lately before you went stupid for a minute. Jeez, what were you even staring at?" Yang asked irritably. He had been just fine before his eyes turned to the distant. Out of curiosity, she spun her head towards his line of sight and found a column of smoke rising into the night sky. 'It's night already? How the hell long have we been looking? Man, I'm must be losing my touch if I hadn't even noticed the sun set.'

Tsuki scowled at the sight. Something wasn't right. Her heart was suddenly steering her towards the origin of the smoke and she had learned from her mentor/caretaker that sometimes you had to follow your instincts. Without another word to the younger hunters, she took off for the direction of the commotion.

Her Jaune senses were tingling.

"Great, now raven tits is running off again." Yang said tiredly, slumping her shoulders as she didn't even bother to follow. She was done chasing those cold jugs around when she was supposed to be finding Jaune. And they were still no closer to finding him. Turning back to Ren, she found him rubbing his head and sighing.

"Something on your mind, Ren?"

"Yeah, you could say that." he said with some annoyance. He shook his shoulders loose with a sigh, mentally going over his Inventory for the coming fight. Because when Roman was involved, there was a fifty-fifty that things would end in a fight. He began walking forward, shifting through his abilities as Yang began to follow closely behind.

"I think I might know where Jaune is. And Blake. Because if there's one thing I know, those two are drawn to trouble." he said flatly.

Yang couldn't argue with that. That and they didn't have much leads. If Ren believed he knew where they were, then she would follow along. He was the smart one and she was the muscle! And Tsuki was the stalking tracker nutcase with useless fun bags.

"Then lead the way, Captain Ren! It's getting late and I want to get this shit done with so I can eat and sleep! And I can't do that without my Blakey or Vomit-boy back at home!"

 _'Hopefully we make it back in one piece. With Roman, you never know what might happen.'_ Ren thought tiredly.

Roman Torchwick, a name that had lost its warmth.

* * *

"But do you really think you need it?"

"I mean, how else do I distinguish myself from the others?"

Perry, a normal looking White Fang grunt with round glasses shook his head, trying understand the logic behind his fellow freedom fighter's reasons. What reason was that, you might ask? That would have to be the rather bulky and loaded heavy machine gun in his friend's hands.

"There's a reason why we all look alike, you know? It's so we can't be tracked down in our civilian lives. And that kinda gives you away."

"But I don't carry around a machine gun outside of my Fang clothing."

"Not. The. Point." Perry stressed. Why the hell did he have to watch over the new recruits? This wasn't exactly a good start off mission for them, they were stealing several cargos of Dust at night using bullheads that anyone walking out at night could point out. That required some skill, not no skill whatsoever.

"Just drop the heavy artillery and focus on hooking those cables to the cargo. We don't have all night to be doing this."

The White Fang grunt nodded sadly and turned back to the mission. He was ready to leave the machine gun behind but found himself puzzled as three separate rotating circles of playing cards materialized out of nowhere at the center of their location. Suddenly, three oddly dressed teenagers feel out in a daze.

Perry gaped at the sight. What the hell was that? His ear piece went off a moment later, connecting him to one of his brother's watching over them in the air.

 _"Looks like we got three huntsmen in training, Perry. Roman says to deal with them however you can."_

Fixing his glasses over his mask, Perry resisted the urge to slap his forehead, "I should have known it was one of his weird tricks. Why couldn't he deal with them himself?" He had rookies with him for crying out loud! They weren't trained for this sort of thing!

 _"Yeah, I'm not going to ask him why. You of all people know how he gets. But he says that if they're giving you trouble, you have permission to bust That out."_

Now that got Perry's spirits lifting. His face split into a grin, revealing the sharp canines associated with his heritage. Oh, he had been hoping to bust his newest toy out! Roman was an asshole, but he treated the men who listened to him and followed him very well. And after working alongside him in that last heist in Atlas, the master thief had rewarded him with one hell of a reward.

"Is it me, or is everything still spinning?" Other than the pain from that sly bastard Roman's attack, Sun was wincing as he tried to get his bearings. He wobbled a bit on his feet and held his mouth closed. There it was, his breakfast.

Blake winced as she held her aching head. What was that? Was that Roman's semblance? Clearing her head and fighting the nausea she focused her attention on her surroundings. Now, where were they? Her memory flashed back to certain missing member of their group.

"Where's Jaune?!" she panicked. Where they the ones targeted by Roman?

Ciel shook her head, narrowing her eyes as she finally took notice of the company gathering around them, "I don't think we have time to be worrying about him right now."

Trapping the hunters with their numbers, Perry nodded his head as he had caught the dark skin's girl's words, "No, she's right. You have much more important things to be worrying about," behind his mask, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he got a good look at Blake, "Traitor." he hissed venomously.

Sun nudged Blake and whispered lowly, "I think he's talking about you."

Blake rolled her eyes.

"Ready your weapons men!"

"Ahem?"

Perry groaned, "And woman. Now, FIRE!"

"Scatter!"

Blake and Ciel didn't need to be told what to do. Together three hunters leapt off the spot and dodged the mad gunfire chasing after them. Pulling out his trusty gun-chucks, Sun met the gunfire with his own. A few of his shoots knocked down a few of the grunts but found himself being chased after by two katana wielding grunts. One aimed a swipe for his head but was blocked by a swing of his gun-chuck. The second one aimed to stab at his chest. Sun sidestepped the deadly steel and tensed the muscles of his right arm before slamming his bicep against the grunt's windpipe. The lariat attack robbed the man of his breath and sent him flying back past his fellow White Fang sister. The grunt growled, tossing her weapon to the side in frustration before swinging her arms apart. Her wolf claws popped out with a 'shink 'and allowed her to wildly swing at the monkey faunus with a dangerous edge.

Sun easily evaded the deadly claws, smirking and even winking at the faunus girl playfully. Growing tired, he quickly stepped back from a downward slash and swung his gun-chucks at both sides of her head. The blow disoriented her, leaving her open to a high kick to the chin that sent her up before he spun on his foot and kicked her away.

Ciel frowned as she was forced to dodge both the attacks of a White Fang grunt's blade and the knocked-out girl faunus. She ducked a wide swing, danced around several poor stab attempts, and used the back of her hand to bat away a swing too quick to normally dodge. The grunt huffed, glaring at the girl as she adjusted her gloves. He frowned, noticing the black gloves weren't normal, the back of them were platted with metal smooth studs. Again, he swung at the girl, unleashing a barrage of swift slashes and stabs that she calmly blocked. Catching the blade in hand, she took the grunt by surprise by snatching the katana from his hand. The hilt of his own blade was the last thing he saw before he could aim the barrel of his gun at the girl.

Catching the gun in hand, Ciel holstered it to the back of her waist and quickly ran in to intercept a slash aimed for Blake's back as she busied herself with three grunts. Hearing the clang of steel, Blake peeked behind herself to find the Atlas student watching her back. They both nodded at another in understanding before pushing back their attackers. They spun around each other with a wide swing of their blades that deflected the striking enemy attacks. Gunfire answered gunfire as the two girls stood back to back shooting down the surrounding enemies.

Dodging a barrage of bullets behind a large Dust crate, Perry grunted in frustration as he watched another few of his men drop like flies. They were just kids for crying out loud! Kids that were trained to fight monsters using crazy weapons, but kids none the less. Catching the eyes of the grunt he had spoken to earlier, he gave the relenting nod for him to bust out the big guns.

Heeding the gesture, the White Fang grunt grinned widely as he loaded the belt of ammunition into his heavy artillery. The barrel of the large machine gun spun wildly, its barrel growing red hot before firing a continuous rain of metal after the hunters. Sun cursed as he found its sights aimed at him.

"Someone's overcompensating for something! You know size doesn't matter, bud!?" Sun shouted as he evaded the rapid-fire shells. He gritted his teeth as a few grazed him.

"Shut up! And in this fight, size does matter! You're just jealous because mine's bigger!" the grunt shouted angrily, sweating as his body fought the strain of the gun's kick.

In the gunfire, one of the crates had been busted open and spilled several colored Dust crystals onto the ground. Thinking quick, Sun snatched a few before flipping over several bullets. Recalling his lessons in Dust Studies, he charged them full of aura and flung them after the machine gun totting grunt. Several elemental explosions blew up around grunt, clouding his vision. With a mighty swing of his gun he cleared away the smoke clouding his vision before he found a red staff swinging for his face. He stumbled back with a shout and then found himself struck several times before a spinning upward strike knocked him back. A powerful gust of dust blinded him before a hard knuckle to his temple knocked him out.

Turning back to the girls, Sun was forced to throw up his hands to block a downward slash with his bracers. But luckily for him a kusaragi blade took out the grunt from behind. He waved thanks to Blake for the save and went back to cleaning up the docks of the Fang.

More and more of his brothers and sisters were taken out by the hunters, only causing Perry to further lose his patience. This was why he didn't want to be left in charge of the newbies, they sucked. Thankfully he had few experienced fighters on standby. Craning his neck over the corner of his safe spot, he caught sight of another two grunts knocked out with ease. He rolled his eyes as he reached into his vest for a silver cylinder with burning orange lines running across it. It looked like he was going to have to break out his own big guns and to do that he needed a distraction. Sad to say he was actually happy to bring out his new modified toy. Turning toward one of the grunts firing at the three hunters, he gave him a command, "Keep them occupied for as long as you can. I going to bring out 'That'." he grinned widely.

The White Fang grunt nodded and watched his superior on the mission toss the object at the enemy. Blake, Sun, and Ciel caught sight of the cylinder and went on edge. From the little trinket, an orange smoke was released to cloud the ground around them. Blake was the first to take notice of the odd scent the smoke contained.

"Everyone, get away from the smoke!" She shouted in alarm. Sun and Ciel didn't question it and jumped back. But all it took was a one bullet striking the ground of the orange smoke a second before they could completely escape to reveal the danger the smoke presented.

An explosive wave knocked them back as the smoke was ignited and unleashed a carpet of flames. Their auras took the brunt of the damage as they landed on their feet and tried to clear their heads of the ringing in their ears, coughing as smoke entered their lungs.

"Dust?! How the hell were they able to add Fire Dust to smoke?!" Sun coughed as he tried to get a view of the enemy through the veil of black smoke around them.

"Save your dumb questions for later!" Ciel grunted before reaching into one of her pouches. Finding what she was looking for, she added her own aura into the object and slammed it onto the ground. The Wind Dust shattered with a brilliant gleam, unleashing a powerful burst of whipping wind to clear the toxic smoke. With the distraction out of the way she found more White Fang members surrounding them with their weapons drawn. She held back a frustrated sigh. Well they certainly made up for their lack of strength with numbers.

Reaching for more Dust, she flung the fire infused crystals at the grunts on her side, blowing them back with the explosive flame bursts. The elemental attack gave Blake the opening she needed to charge into their ranks, drawing her sword and bladed sheath to cut who she could down. She was careful not to land any lethal wounds in her attacks as two went down before three blades fell from above. She crossed her blades, blocking the attacks with a clang. She struggled to hold her defense but found the three White Fang's swords throwing down her blades and cutting her apart. The sword wielding grunts grinned in victory, only to be robbed as the dead girl faded away like a shadow. An aura infused hilt slammed into the back of the head of the middle grunt before the other two followed him to unconsciousness.

But in Blake's distraction, another grunt ran behind her with a forward stab. A Lightning Dust crystal met with his chest, stopping him dead as his body was electrocuted.

"Bitch, do you know who I am!?" Sun shouted, backhanding one of the grunts that tried to sneak up on him repeatedly, "I'm Sun-MotherFucking-Wukong! And you will taste my mighty pimp hand! And you will give it a Five-God-Damn-Star rating!"

"Sun, stop playing with your enemy and take this seriously!" Blake shouted back in annoyance as she swung Gambol Shroud around in its kusaragi form.

"Aww, but they make it too easy!"

"Don't make me get Ciel!"

Sun turned his head to said dark skinned girl just in time to watch her confront four charging White Fang grunts clearly bigger than her. In both her hands, she held one Lightning and one Fire Dust before she slammed them together in front of her. The collision of elements created a powerful reaction from her wildly sparking palms, unleashing a human sized orange orb of blue sparking energy. It fired off like a cannon, carving a trail of destruction in its path and taking out whatever poor soul it found its path. It ended in a mighty explosion, sending lightning sparks flying around its collisions. She turned her cold dark blue eyes to meet Sun, the look she was sending him causing his tail to curl around his waist in fear.

He dropped the dizzy grunt to the ground and threw his hands up with a nervous smile, "I-I'll behave!" That was one scary chick. She certainly knew her way around Dust.

Ciel rolled her eyes as she dusted off her hands of the Dust.

Taking a small breather, Blake rested her hands on her knees as she surveyed the area. She blinked, surprised to find all the enemies incapacitated.

"I think that last attack took care of most of them." she observed as she sheathed her katana.

Sun whistled at the damage, "Damn, those guys were a bunch of pushovers. I would have expected more from the White Fang. Aren't they scary terrorists or something?"

"I believe what we were dealing with were trainees. I know that members are trained rigorously to stand a chance against huntsman. This is actually insulting." Blake said amusingly. If Adam had seen the poor excuse of a fight, he would have had their heads rolling before they could protest. Which was sadly too close to the truth to really be funny.

"I don't have a problem with that, though I guess I'm a bit bummed out that they went down so easily." Sun relented with a crack of his neck. At least it was a good work out. His eyes suddenly fell on Ciel, growing curious as he found her talking to her fancy watch. "Watch ya doing, Ciel?"

Ending her call, Ciel answered, "I was contacting the authorities close by of the situation. You didn't think we would be able to take them all down ourselves, did you?" she asked with a raised brow.

"I mean, yes?"

"I know that the White Fang grunts seemed easy, but I don't believe that we're done with them just yet. We still have Roman Torchwick to deal with after all."

Remembering the master thief, Blake's worry was reborn as she scanned the area, "Where are we? Jaune should be close by since we're still at the docks. We can't leave him behind with Roman." she said in frustration. She gripped her recovering stomach, remembering the last blow from his cane.

He could have killed her, she had seen that in those mischievous green eyes. Jaune wasn't safe fighting a man like that.

"We'll find him before the authorities arrive. I'm sure he can hold his own until we arrive to lend a hand." Ciel reassured her, "We should expect some helpful company in less than half an hour. We should hurry and search for his location."

Sun and Blake nodded as they put their weapons down. They were ready to begin their search but found their attentions drawn to the sound of a loud boom. A massive ball of flames from above engulfed one of the Bullheads in the sky, bringing it down to erupt in an explosion. A tower of black smoke lifted from overhead, alerting them to an idea of where their friend might be.

"Let's go!" Blake shouted, making a running start towards the directions of the explosion.

"Stay back!"

Sun tackled Blake to the side suddenly, just in time to save her from having a sharp needle of ice stabbed through her body. The ice spike lodged into one of the nearby crates, shattering upon impact as Sun helped Blake back to her feet. He glared at the origin of the attack, stepping back as a smug laugh entered their ears.

Something odd came into sight, its mechanized short hoofs clopping as frigid mist escaped the machines snout. It walked ten feet high with a metal body armed with small mounted guns and two quad missile launchers welded atop. Its tail swished lazily as it stomped its front hoof aggressively, its ice-cold eyes glaring at the three hunters in training.

"Is that a pig?" Sun muttered unbelievably as said pig released an odd sounding squeal.

From within the mech suit, Perry shook his head with a smirk in the controlled space of his armored toy, "This is not a pig! Don't you see the four tusks? This is a warthog!" he swiveled the warthog's snout to accent the deadly razor sharp tusks, two of them pointing forward and the other two curving upward, "Actually this is a small Atlesian tank that we stole. But since Roman gave it to me, I decided to custom the shit out of it! Now it's a Mechanized Warthog Tank with an Ice Dust Core! I call it, Arctic Warthog!"

". . . .I hate to say it, but that thing is fricken awesome." Sun breathed in awe as he looked over the armored tank warthog. A damn mechanical warthog with machine guns, rockets, and it was powered by Ice Dust? How cool was that?

"Get out of our way." Blake bit out as she made out the sound of more explosions in the location they believed Jaune was fighting.

Perry shook his head with a tsk, grinning as his monitors locked onto the trespassers.

"Sorry not sorry, traitor, but I got orders from Roman to keep you brats occupied. And I've been meaning to test this baby out on some actual competent targets!" The belts of ammunition hooked up to its many guns loaded up audibly as the mechanized beast cracked open its maw to release a cold breath with a glare, "Time for a live combat test! Don't die too quickly, I need as much data gathered as possible if I'm going to convince Adam to fund my future war machines!" he roared excitedly as his beast tank squalled ferociously.

Blake loaded a fresh cartridge into Gambol Shroud as she glared at the menacing machine, "I don't have time to deal with some oversized toy! Get out of my way!" she shouted angrily as she dashed at the warthog themed tank.

Someone was quick to die. Aiming his sights on the speedy cat girl, Perry went to work on testing out his machine's weapon system. Cold blue light lit up one of the missile launchers, firing four sharp tipped missile heads after Blake. Her shadow took her place, swapping places to let her flip over the ice spears and fire several shoots at the steel beast. The Arctic Warthog's body bounced the feeble bullets off, swinging its tusks to swat the girl aiming to slash its snout. She gritted her teeth as the bladed tusks fought to tear her aura and she was sent skidding back on her feet.

"Don't think so little of my pride and joy! It's basically bullet proof!" Perry laughed smugly as the beast lowered its head to the ground. Its four legs folded to reveal its balled joints spinning madly. Its upward tusks straightened, lengthening like javelins before it drove after its targets. Blake, Sun, and Ciel were quick to evade the charging spear rush. Even as it missed, the Arctic Warthog simply spun on its balled joints and fixed its trajectory to continue charging them. Sun bit back a violent curse as he found it ramming his back, gashing the sides of his ribs as its force threw him back.

Ciel ran in to catch Sun's flying form, grunting as her back hit a container of Dust. She frowned at the sight of blood running down Sun's sides and his grimacing face. Those tusks weren't just for show.

Forming its legs again, the Arctic Warthog grounded itself before firing its machine guns at the two hunters. Ciel grit her teeth before quickly going to her watch. Fingers flying on the hologram controls, she summoned a blue luminescent energy bubble to swallow them. The heavy gunfire bounced off Ciel's defense, protecting them for the moment. It wouldn't last long though as the bubble began to visibly wane.

"That doesn't look like that will last long!" Sun grimaced with a labored breath. His aura was working as fast as it could to repair the bloody flesh, leaving him useless for the moment.

He wasn't wrong. What Ciel had activated was a nifty little energy shield but its power was limited. And against the rapid machine gun fire it was only a matter of time before they were left with nothing. She could only believe in her own shields endurance for now.

Luckily the chain of bullets ran out, pausing the Arctic Warthog's fire. But from its metal hide more belts of ammunition popped out and worked on loading it back up. Ciel called off her shield to let it recharge and worked quickly to hook Sun's arms over her shoulder and get out of sight. Perry scoffed from within his creation, rotating his sights to follow their backs with a feral grin. As if it was that easy to escape his beast!

"Escape this!"

Cracking open its maw, the Arctic Warthog unleashed a strong breath of chilling mist plowing after the two. Thinking quickly as he peeked back at the chasing danger, Sun shut his eyes and calmed his mind. Clearing his thoughts, he created two golden silhouettes to flow out of his body. With a mental command, he sent them colliding with the cold front in their place, saving them from its effects as they blew up in a cold explosion.

Sun gasped as they found themselves hiding behind some cover. His semblance required concentration and staying still, something unlike him. Activating it while wounded and being carried was a long shot. At least his wound was healed. Just barely, but it was enough for him to carefully stand back on his feet.

"Are you alright?" Ciel asked after taking a moment to peek around the corner for the deadly machine.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. But what are we going to do about Iron Ham over there?" he grunted as he wiped away the sweat running down his forehead. That thing was immune to bullet fire if they were to believe the grunt's boasting. They were going to need some heavy fire power to match it back, "Can't you do that thing you did before with the Dust? Fire a firebolt, or whatever you call it."

"Firebolt? That was a reaction of Lightning and Fire Dust created by their purities counterbalancing each other in a perfect chemical blast, not a magic spell." she said exasperated, "Unless you can find the same counterbalance in Dust, I won't be able to perform that attack again."

"Come on and stop hiding! I don't have all night to test my baby out!"

Stray missiles of ice struck the area around their cover, rocking their shelter as the Arctic Warthog neared. Sun scratched his head in frustration, trying to think of way to fight back. Wait, he blinked as he remembered something important.

"Where's Blake?"

Perry smirked as he activated the infrared vision on his mechanical marvel. So, they thought they could hide behind boxes? Ha! This wasn't some video game. Revving the engine, Perry prepared to charge at the hunters with another javelin rush. Full speed ahead, his beast squealed as it drove to skewer its prey.

Burning bright red crystals slammed into the Arctic Warthog's left side, the explosive flames force created on impact messing with its course and sending it driving past Sun and Ciel's cover to the far right. Perry cursed foully, finding his path veering into a crate full of Dust filled with holes from his earlier gunfire.

Multiple elemental reactions created a colorful cloud from the explosion of Dust and machine colliding, engulfing the Arctic Warthog in fires, ice, lightning, wind, and earth forces. Sun whistled at the sight, marveling at the pretty colors. Hearing a thud behind his safe spot he swiveled his head until he found Blake's yellow eyes looking back at him with the same old stoic expression she always had.

"Blake! There you are, where you been?" he asked, wondering where she had gone when they had dodged. "I almost thought you left us?" he said with a playful quivering lip and wide eyes.

Blake rolled her eyes at the blond monkey faunus as she walked over, "I may be worried about Jaune, but I'm not heartless enough to leave you two to fight something like that by yourselves." she said with a small smile. Reaching them, she quickly handed them a handful of Fire Dust into their hands as she explained, "I was searching through the various shipments of Dust to combat the machine. If what Perry said is true, then Fire Dust should help in damaging its body." Ice was weak to fire after all, that was a no brainier.

"Perry?"

"That's the name of the man attacking us. I faintly remember him from my time in the White Fang. He's not much of a fighter but he was always in charge of stocking up the weapons and repairing them." To think that the scrawny man wearing glasses would grow up to become such a threat.

"These are fine quality Fire Dust." Ciel said, impressed that Blake could find them in the many laying around the battle ground. With her watch, she was able to scan the magical minerals and deduce their purity. It was how she had been able to perform the fusion of Fire and Lightning.

"I've robbed enough Dust to tell such differences with some careful inspection." Blake said sheepishly as she looked away. It was handy skill she had picked up as her time as a terrorist.

"If we augment our weapons with these Dust, we should be able to damage it and put it down."

Sun didn't need to be told twice. With a grin, he quickly loaded the red Dust into his gun-chucks and watched as they were bathed in orange-red wisps. Blake did the same, her black katana shroud in flames as Ciel shuffled her share around.

A bellowing release of cold mist dispersed Dust reactions around the Arctic Warthog, clearing its vision as it spun around to face the readied hunters. From within his control space, Perry was sweating as the inside began to heat up. His systems were reading a 20% in damage taken by the little elemental light show. At least he knew that his baby could take even a hit like that and still stand. The Arctic Warthog snorted, its belt of bullets jingling as it shook off the ice, sparks, and embers on its hide.

"You're all going to pay for that! It's about time I stop playing around with the controls and take you out. Otherwise Roman's going to have a bone to pick with me."

"Why are you even working for a man like that anyway!?" Blake shouted in frustration, finding it hard to understand why her kind would work with such a person. He treated them like trash, as slaves!

"It's a joint operation as he says. He can be an ass, but he's not as bad as he seems if you're on his good side. At least we won't be surprised if he stabs us in the back, traitor!" he spat angrily. Flipping the switch on his controls, the Arctic Warthog's quad launchers began to twist until they faced opposite of their earlier position. The launchers then spread apart from another as they clicked, releasing from their barrels bellowing cold winds to lightly raise it up in the air.

"I thought that thing was a tank! Now it can fly?! Bullshit!" Sun shouted incredulously as Perry laughed smugly at their reactions.

"Time for Phase 2! Launching Program Beta: La! Let's see you if you can stand up to this!"

Tired of talking, Blake fell into a fighting stance as she raised her blade. Now wasn't the time to be asking any questions. She had a friend in need of help after all. And she was done letting her ties to the White Fang hold her back.

"Let's go!"

* * *

"Haaaa!"

"Too slow, kid! Come on! Where's all that energy and bravado gone? Do you need to do one of those funny poses to get into it?"

Breathing heavily as sweat ran down his chin, a small spiky red haired boy did his best to glare at the orange haired man dressed in a loose samurai robe. Though with the fat of his pudgy face due to his age it was a difficult expression to create. His glare was more of a huffy pout, even with his favorite white Grimm mask hiding his eyes.

Roman chuckled at the sight. The red-haired boy wore a white haori jacket over his bandaged chest, black loose fitting hakama, and wick sandals. In his slightly trembling hands he held a wooden sword chipped on its edge by the many swings on practice dummies. And other then the white Grimm mask on his face, what stood out most about the boy was the red horns on his head.

"I think it's about time we took a break, Addy-boy. Your body's ten right now, even with eight lifetimes of experience under your belt it doesn't mean nothing if you don't have the body to handle it yet."

'Addy' growled at the fond nickname, going as far as aiming his practice sword for Roman's chest as he spat, "Shut your trap, old man! My name's Adam, Adam Taurus! And you'll do well to remember the fear and power behind that name!"

Roman scoffed amusingly as he tapped the angry child's head with Melodic Cudgel playfully, "I'm shaking in my boots, truly I am." he said flatly as the younger Player swatted his weapon to the side, "And didn't you die in the last playthrough to a Creeper of all things? Oh, how the mighty die so young."

The master thief was only further amused as the small boy's arms flailed wildly in attempts to hit him. True, Adam was a powerful Player with the Strength boosting effects of his Title, Body, but he was still too green and arrogant to pose a real threat. He did show promise, he would admit that. Batting away the weak smacks, Roman ruffled the boy's hair as he began to pant. Little Addy was still reeling from their sparring.

Huffing, Adam spun away from the older Player with an embarrassed blush on his face. The bastard didn't need to remind him of that. It was savage blow to his pride remembering how he had been sent back to his Reset point or Save point, or whatever he called it. The memory of his previous life suddenly caused him to grit his teeth in frustration.

A girl with cute cat ears, ebony hair as dark and elegant as the night sky, and stoic yellow eyes full of surprising warmth came to mind. And his failure in protecting her.

". . .What happened to Blake after I died?"

Roman quirked a brow at the low, soft question from the wrathful Taurus boy. He tapped his chin in thought, recalling the last life they had shared.

"From what I remember, the kitty cat had stayed by her friends' side until the bitter end. Sadly, The Final Boss was too powerful for them to take on this time and Remnant was plunged into darkness again. If it makes you feel better, she died fighting with your blade in hand despite your differences."

A brief smile made its way to Adam's face hearing that. The idiot, even when she hated him, she couldn't completely let go of him. An angry scowl replaced that small happiness.

That was the fifth-time Blake had died since he had been gifted with The Gamer's powers. In the eight lifetimes he had come by, she had only lived in three. And every time she had left him, abandoning him to fight on his own for a dream that they had once shared.

"That girl needs to understand that she's not safe without me. She'll suffer in every world if I'm not there to protect her!" he hissed, clenching his fists with a pop.

Here they go again. Roman sighed as he felt another tirade of vengeance and drama coming on along with 'Flames of Revolution'. The kid really knew how to make things dramatic. Well if he was going to be training with him, then there was going to be none of that crap.

Bonking the kid's head again, Roman stopped Adam from another speech, "Yeah, yeah, you are vengeance incarnate and the world will bath in the flames of the oppressed that it should have seen coming. Calm down, Red Avenger before you bust a vein." he sighed tiredly as the kid held his bumped head with a glare, "Why don't you try another style of playthrough instead of the path of 'darkness' you've stuck with since the beginning? Blakey would surely follow you if you followed the just path."

"A Just path isn't what the world will understand or learn from. All those corrupt human figure heads will understand, or deserve, is bloodshed. Humanity and Faunus kind will never come together as long as those monsters hiding behind the kingdoms stay in power." Adam said firmly with resolve. "Even if the world sees me as some villain, a terrorist, a madman bent on destruction, I will not sway in my path. I will consume this corrupt reality, these twisted worlds manipulated by monsters, by the flames of my revolution and usher in a new world from its ashes. One where the generations of both species have learned from the mistakes of their forefathers and come together as one." he said softly.

He wasn't an idiot. Adam knew the road he walked, strewn with dead bodies and the pain of innocents was wrong and evil. But he believed one thing, that the world could learn from its pasts and create a better future. He would not let history repeat itself over and over again. So he would create a nightmarish past/present for the future generation to learn from. A darker past led to a brighter future.

"And I'll do whatever it takes to accomplish that. Even sacrifice the one I love for it."

"Is that what you'll be using that Risk-Free Wish for if you beat The Game?" Roman asked curiously as the boy turned back to him, "To Resurrect your little Blake in that world you create? For a bad ass swordsman, you're pretty romantic." he said dryly as Adam grew embarrassed.

"Shut it, old man! I just want her to live in a world where humans and faunus can get along, just as she always dreamed. Then she can live happily. . .with me." he said shyly, much to his annoyance. It was the damn younger body his soul was residing it, it was full of hormones and emotions unlike him. The sooner he grew up, the better. He was not a child, damn it!

"Right." Roman drawled lazily with a skeptic look. The kid seemed to still not fully comprehend the way the world worked. Oh well, he would leave the boy to his fantasies. He was there to train the boy. Raising his cane as if it was a rapier, he urged Adam back to their earlier training.

"Come on, if you got enough strength to dream, then you got enough to continue fighting. Remember, you're the one who came to me, begging me to teach you how to fight and control your powers as The Body. I don't want to easily put you down when next we fight. Don't forget, you're not the only one aiming for the Ultimate Wish."

Nodding, Adam returned to his earlier stance. He only had this playthrough to learn all he could from Roman. He wasn't going to waste it. Despite how much the old man got on his nerves, he couldn't deny his skill. Frowning, he crossed his wooden blade with Roman's, blocking the others strike as a thought occurred to him.

"That reminds me, what do you wish for? Why are you fighting as The Soul?"

Roman easily deflected three rapids strikes and frowned lightly.

"I. . .would rather not say. What I wish for is personal, kid. Something I can't get back any other way." he said solemnly. Roman shook off the emotion, sidestepping a Power Strike stab for his sternum before going for a downward slash.

"Now, let's stop talking and play! This is as good as time as any to level up my Samurai Class, so show me some bark!"

Adam said no more. This was the first time he had heard such a tone in Roman's voice. Whatever it was, the cheery thief with a smug smirk on his face valued it deeply. But that would still not affect his own wish. A world of piece with the one he loved. They would just have to see whose ambition was stronger. For now though, they would continue training before they continued their mission to recruit Roman's favorite little assistant into his care. Adam shivered at the thought of having to temporarily work with Neo, the silent ice cream loving sociopath's company was never something he could get used to. It would just be until he grew strong enough to form the White Fang in his image again and take it from that bastard Sian Kahn's hands.

With Roman's help, he was sure to grow strong enough to make his dream a reality that even the gods of The Game could not deny.

Roman Torchwick. Despite how annoying he could be, he was the one human he could trust.

* * *

Blinding red lines crossed over the training bots in the White Fang's training room of their temporary hideout. They fell apart with the sound of a blade clicking back to its home as Adam appeared behind the training dummies in a blood red blur. He scoffed as the EXP appeared in his HUD. Only 87,000 Experience? He had thought he had the training session set to MAX Difficulty. Was that all he was capable of earning at Lvl57? What he wouldn't do for another Event, he was only three levels away from hitting the current level cap.

With a bored sigh, he tapped his ear to continue his call over earpiece with one of his men stationed in Vale.

"So, we're down to how many men?"

 _"We're running things with twenty men from our original forty. Our operation has hit a road bump in the form of four hunters in training. Perry has sent what men we have left to continue securing the Dust while Roman himself deals with one of the huntsman. It won't be long until the authorities arrive to the scene, so we're wrapping up with what cargo we have."_

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. It was such an easy mission. But even fresh recruits couldn't complete it sometimes. It was good experience for them. Now if only they could learn to dodge!

"Just continue with what you're doing. I'm sure whatever you have secured will be more than enough. Just make sure not to lead the enemy to us. Abandon any who drag you down." he said sternly.

 _"What of Roman? He's still engaged with a huntsman in training."_

Deciding he had enough training his blade for the day, Adam left the room and headed for the upper level of the warehouse to prep things for their return. He scowled at the mention of said stylish man, gripping the hilt of his favorite weapon tightly.

"That man can take care of himself. Forget about him and do your job. He's just another human even if he's useful."

That's right. Roman Torchwick. Just another filthy human to be slaughtered for his perfect world.

* * *

 **Docks.**

 **Jaune Vs. Roman.**

Jaune gritted his teeth as he was flung back from another powerful jab to his chest, the strength behind the cane hitting his core felt like an iron slug. For a man who didn't show much in the terms of muscles, Roman was proving to be a real heavy hitter. Catching himself in midair, Jaune skidded back on the ground and raised his shield in front of himself, just in time to block the three flashing flares following him. An explosive boom echoed into the night, creating a veil of smoke as he took a labored breath. Now wasn't the time to be finding a small break though. His eyes spun past the smoke for the stylish man, wary of the mischievous man's next move.

Something shot through the air, the sound picking up in Jaune's ears. He moved his shield up just in case it was another volley of flares but found a hook catching onto his defense. With one tug, his shield was robbed of him before the veil of smoke was banished by several emerald green arcs of wind.

" _ **Reflect!**_ "

" ** _Banish!_** "

Jaune cursed as his magic reflection shield withered away the moment it was formed. Leaving him open for the deadly spell of wind edges. He raised up his arms in a guard, knowing he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Lacerating lines cut up his combat vest, splattering red onto the ground as he endured the blades with wide pain filled eyes.

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**_

 _ **3,323HP/17,600HP.**_

Whistling a jaunty tune, Roman walked over to the bleeding blond boy. In his left hand, he held Crocea Mor's shield, shift back into its sheath form. Giving it a once over, he flung the ancestral shield back to its owner, the force of the toss nicking Jaune's cheek as it dug itself by the metal container behind him.

"Sheesh, is that all you got, Mr. Hero? I would have thought you would have posed a little challenge even with our level's matching each other now. Don't tell me that you can't even keep up with a handicap in place?" Roman smirked smugly.

Jaune's anger was only growing stronger with the minute. Once the fight had begun, Roman had shared with him one of the powers under his control thanks to the Quirk associated with his Title as Soul. Level Sync, a Status changing ability that forcefully matched another Player's Stats with The Soul. Currently speaking, Jaune was fighting Roman with the same stats as his own. At least that's what Roman had said. But there was no way that was true. A simple jab from his cane was capable of knocking out a thousand points from his health!

"How is this a handicap!" he glared back with a labored breath. Roman tapped his chin, nodding his head in understanding.

"Well it's not a handicap to you, it's a handicap to me. If I hadn't raised your capabilities to a level to my own, then this fight would have been boring, like swatting a very persistent fly. Then again, Level Sync only matches our stats by our natural growth rate and I've been taking Stat Boosters. My growth rate is also permanently boosted after a Raid in Shade, so I guess we aren't technically matched in strength." he shrugged the matter off, not finding much reason to be upset. "The point is that you should at least pose some threat now. But all you've been doing is playing defense. Come on, where did all that anger from earlier go? Do I need to kill a few more NPC's to get your blood pumping?" he said with dark amused chuckle.

Struggling to stand on his feet, Jaune didn't say another word as he reached into his Inventory. The downside to his stats being jacked way the hell up was that his healing items were ineffective. They could heal a good amount when his HP was at 8,000, but now he would have to take several Large Potions to get a good chuck recovered. Thankfully his bond with Nurse Sprig had evolved his Perk, Fairies Grace, into a new form. Blood Faith, a Perk that increased healing items effects by 15% and allowed him to buy quality health items from Nurse Spriggan herself along with the ability to stop bleeding when his health was in the red every so often. With an Everybody Loves Grape Fruit Soda in one hand and an Ether in the other, Jaune synthesized a more effective potion by slamming the bubbles containing them together.

 ** _Everybody Loves Grape Soda MAX, Synthesized!_** **+2,000EXP!**

Without a second thought, Jaune downed the tasty beverage. A good 7,000HP was recovered and his MP was fully restored. He wiped off the excess fizz from his mouth with his sleeve, his glare never leaving the orange haired thief. Ripping out his sheath from the container, he went on the attack.

" ** _Sonic Line!_** "

Phasing out of sight with his speed, Jaune reappeared swinging his blade from behind Roman's back. He clicked his sword back into place and waited for his ability to kick in. Roman tsked, Melodic Cudgel's long cane held before his chest just as an unseen paper thin slash attacked him. He blocked it effortlessly and spun back for the knight, only to find the boy back on the attack again. Jaune swung his sword in several wild directive slashes, each one blocked by the easy-going Player as they fell into a blitz of attacking and defending. A downward slash was bounced back, leaving Jaune to run with a forward stab that Roman slapped away with the back of his hand before swinging the back of his other hand to block a shield swing. Jaune frowned, noticing the man's cane absent before he looked up. Melodic Cudgel's barrel burned bright, firing a flare down at his form. He thought quickly, chanting a quick Firebolt to collide with the projectile that blew up above them. He spun back to Roman, finding the man performing several rapier-like strikes with his cane now back in hand. Jaune was back on the defensive as he used his own blade and shield to block the furious barrage. Each missed block ended in him suffering a thousand HP depleting jab.

Growing bored, Roman kicked Jaune back a few feet. He clawed his right hand over the length of his cane, coating it with his own orange aura. With a grin, he swept his weapon widely in front of him, lashing out a large area spreading a wave of energy to crash after Jaune. The knight knelt, hiding behind the cover of his large shield just as the energy wave hit him. His hair flew back as he still wound up suffering a loss of 2,000 in HP with the buffer his shield gave.

" _ **Magnum Flare!**_ "

Standing quickly on his feet, Jaune narrowly evaded the firing of the hellish bullet by a hair's margin. It flew towards the docks waters, growing unstable and erupting into a mini sun of licking flames.

"Show me something interesting already!" Roman laughed joyfully before firing another round of flares.

Carefully dodging the projectiles, Jaune sprinted towards Roman with his sword gripped in both hands. He roared as he slashed a Power Strike to Roman's side to no avail as the thief merely moved his cane to block. Roman leaned over to the younger Player, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You know, I would have thought more from you, Jaune. Despite your rocky beginnings, you've always held potential to be a real pain in my ass. Why, I remember the version of you that went all dark avenger and left your team in Mistral to follow Raven. That son of a bitch proved to be a real challenge with cold, calculative strikes. I think he even used a modified shield that could transform his sword into a samurai blade, never understood how." he mused in thought. Pushing back the kid, Roman fired the hook of his cane to snag his tattered vest and swing him around wildly like a wrecking ball, all while fondly recalling his many lives against the knight, "Sad I couldn't see how far that kid could go, that version of you killed me. Cut my head right off if I remember correctly." he laughed.

The world spun madly around Jaune as Roman bashed him all over the area. His head rung as he was smacked into a crane and spun above the experienced Player's body. If this kept up much longer, Jaune would be losing more than HP, he would be losing his lunch! Face green, Jaune used the connection between them to his advantage, "Hedge fang!" Spinning madly in a ball with his glowing blade extended, Jaune reeled himself toward Roman before sawing into the man with his sawing sword.

 _ **Roman Torchwick, Soul of The Gamer.**_

 _ **67,989HP/69,600HP.**_

Roman looked over his slowly dwindling HP in the face of the sawing human knight. Not bad, he supposed before shrugging. But still not good enough.

" _ **Power Strike.**_ "

Foot glowing with his magical energy, Roman kicked the human saw up from under it. Jaune was sent up into the air, still in rotation before his ability ended. He landed back on his feet, holding his spinning head in his hands as five stars circled him. Roman chuckled at the Confuse status, most likely a side effect of the ability.

" ** _Vertigo Rush!_** "

Pink purple lines of energy sprang up around Jaune suddenly. With a snap of Roman's finger, the magical energy twisted around Jaune's body and expanded in width to wrap around him like a whirlpool. He gritted his teeth as his skull felt as if was being split in two by a rusty ax, his vision only growing worse as he felt his stomach churn. Weakly, he threw his right hand to his face and struggled to chant through clenched teeth.

" ** _F-Fairies Peck!_** "

A soothing pink red cool glow enveloped his palm, almost like a light kiss, treating the worsened Confusion status. He gasped as he turned his attention back to Roman, finding the man loading a yellow crystal into his cane with a grin. Hearing the click of a trigger, Jaune went on the defensive and raised his shield as a large cannonball of sparking yellow lightning barreled after him. His body was then engulfed in a golden aura before he charged straight at the electrocuting ball of sparks.

" ** _Chariot Bash!_** " Colliding with the cannonball, Jaune plowed right through it with no damage and then rammed into Roman with the force of a chariot wagon. Roman actually frowned as he was sent skidding back on his feet by the powerful blow.

'Huh, that actually stung.'

Jaune didn't stop there as he activated Gale Speed to appear in front of Roman in the blink of an eye. With his upped Speed courtesy of Roman's Level Sync, Jaune was able to quickly perform a cross slash onto Roman's chest, creating a white X to stamp on his body. And with a primal roar he stabbed his sword into the brilliant sigil, " _ **Piercing Light!**_ " The sound of glass followed the enormous eruption of luminescent light escaping from the broken letter, drilling Roman with a tremendous force in the form of a torrent of spear piercing light magic. Rippling rings of force could be seen in the wake of the spell engulfing the master thief in its wake and carrying his body off into the waters of the dock.

Piercing Light was safely the most powerful spell in Jaune's disposal. But it came at a great cost of MP and even drained him of his own stamina. Watching the spell detonate and further swallow Roman in its brilliant light, Jaune thought it would be good as time as any for a small breather. Sweat rolled down his dirty face as he gasped from the exertion. Standing was proving to be difficult as his legs trembled.

It would be arrogant to believe that an attack like that would take out Roman. Out of all the Players, Ren had said the first to have attained these powers was the strongest by leaps and bounds. And he had a feeling Roman wasn't even considering the idea of even unleashing a fraction of his power. He was toying with him, the attitude he was displaying during their fight was proof enough of that. Roman was playing with him, going as far as forcefully boosting his stats on somewhat even ground so he could last longer. Only someone out of their mind would do something so reckless.

Winning would be impossible. But at the moment Jaune could care less about his odds. All he cared about was making Roman pay.

"I'll be, that one really packed a punch!"

Clearing away the deadly light, Roman stunned Jaune as he appeared suffering little visible damage other than some small bruises on his face. He was even going against physics as he stood nonchalantly on the docking bay's water.

 _ **Roman Torchwick, Soul of The Gamer.**_

 _ **59,100HP/69,600HP.**_

"You've got to love the Skill, _**Miracle Step**_. It lets you go against natural physics and walk on surfaces normally unwalkable. It's like you're a god!" Roman laughed as he tapped the surface of the ocean water. He gave Jaune an impressed grin. The knight did some good damage with that last attack combo. Even as his body was trying to get use to the boost in power, the kid was holding his own. What a joy!

"Is that is all a game to you!?" Jaune shouted in frustration.

Roman looked back at the blond knight with a funny expression, "I mean, yes? This is a game after all. Surely you understand that, Jauney-boy. Even Ren and Adam understood the reality of their existence in the first few months with The Gamer within their bodies. Don't tell me that still hasn't gone through that thick skull of yours?" he said in disbelief.

"What's gotten through my head is that you're deranged! Who else would kill an airship of people like they were swatting a fly? This may be a game to you, but these are living beings with hopes and dreams that you're killing!"

"NPC's." Roman calmly clarified with a raised finger, "Completely different matter, kid. These 'people' that you speak about are simply your average Non-Playable Character's, serving little purpose other than filling empty space. And it's not like they'll die, they're immortal!" he smirked as he gestured to the city behind him with his arm, "Heaven, Hell, a plane of nothingness, they don't have to worry about such things. Because they'll come back to life all honky dory to make the same mistakes again and again. Graced with the blessing to live their lives over and over again without any idea that they're just little puppets programmed for the entertainment of some gods."

"This is a Game, and we are the only important characters in this reality. All others are just EXP free for the taking."

The anger in Jaune's being was struggling not to boil over as his face was twisted in a furious snarl at the orange haired man. That way of thinking was poisonous. And he had taught Ren and Adam the way of the world? It was no wonder they were so twisted. Ren's uncaring and ruthless attitude was all due to Roman then, he was the reason why he had lost hope as he began to lose faith in making a difference. Add in the countless Resets, deaths, and Roman's line of thinking, and Jaune could now clearly understand Ren's reasons for being so stoic and cold.

The anger, it was too much to handle. All Jaune could really see was red as he started to get lost in adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"If this is a game, then I guess I got to start treating this boss battle seriously. I know from experience that talking to you about how the people around us aren't NPC's won't get me anywhere. So, I'm just going to have to settle with taking out my aggression on you!" Jaune spat as his body released a dark shadowy aura to bind around his body.

Roman liked the sound of that. He spread his arms apart, welcoming the challenge as he grinned.

"That's the spirit! Forget everything else and just enjoy yourself! This is our world now, so let's have some fun!"

" _ **Shadows bound by Duty. Do not shy away from the Light. Free yourselves and run rampant by my Blade!**_ " Erupting in a pillar of dark energy, the shadows twisted wildly around Jaune as he activated his Trump card. Through the pillar, six ebony blades pierced out from within before tearing the energy off from Jaune's body, revealing his new form. He wore a white dress shirt under a black vest with a hood over his head, white dress pants with two belts holding ebony throwing knives, black ribbons wrapping up his arm and black gloves, and darkish purple socks with heeled buckle boots. Blake's symbol was centered on his back in the middle of his grandfather's arc's, giving it a flaming detail.

Three throwing knives were held between Jaune's knuckles like claws, replacing Crocea Mors. Opening his eyes, he crossed his knives over his chest as the dark energy lingered from his body like smoke. His shadow suddenly came to life, standing behind him with glowing yellow eyes before receding into its proper place as Jaune ended his chant.

" _ **KnightShade!**_ "

Roman whistled at the new form. So, the kid was capable of altering his abilities, skills, and stats with a form. Just like Ren and Adam. Lucky bastards, he wasn't able to do such a thing, unless you counted his Class system. Readying his cane, he stepped back on the ground of the docks with a sense of excitement. This was proving to be more fun than he had thought.

"Now, let's see how well you do in your new getup!" Roman smirked as he vanished from sight. Appearing behind the blond knight, he swung his cane for his head intent on bashing open his skull. Jaune briefly glanced back at him, his blue eyes stoically watching the cane come for his head. He evaded it, ducking beneath it easily before spinning on his feet to slash his six knives at Roman's feet. Seeing that, Roman jumped over the blades and spun his body to slam his cane downward. Jaune sidestepped at the last second and retaliated with a side swing of his knives that Roman blocked. The two quickly fell into a blitz, trading blows back and forth with no real damage dealt as they countered another in a flurry of steel clangs.

" _ **Barrier!**_ " Pushing back Jaune's clawed swing, Roman summoned his emerald bubble to shield him from the wild slashes. It wasn't his strongest defensive spell, but why bust out his heavy hitters and spoil the fun?

Growing bored with defending, Roman shattered his Barrier and deflected a downward slash before following with swiping his hand at the stumbling knight. Several playing cards flew out of his sleeve, grazing Jaune as his senses warned him to dodge at all cost. Small nicks opened along his new combat gear, cutting up his vest as small drips of blood escaped from the razor-sharp cards.

"Let's play a game, shall we?" Roman said with a devilish smirk before snapping his fingers. Jaune moved to dodge whatever attack he was going to throw at him, only to pause as his body locked up on the spot. He clenched his teeth as suddenly four playing cards flew around him, enlarging to block his view of the dangerous man.

"The game's simple, kid. Four cards with the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack will flash before your eyes. Seeing as you present yourself as a knight, you will have to pick out the Knight as the cards shuffle around you. Win, and sadly I take damage, but lose, well you'll just have to see for yourself." he chuckled as Jaune watched the cards slowly spinning around him flip over to reveal the characters. Unfortunately, he couldn't fight and break out of the trick, it was the same as Ren's Reaction Commands. For now, he would have to play along.

Keeping his eye on the Jack, the cards flashed and flipped back over to hide their characters before shuffling madly around Jaune in a disorienting spin. He struggled to follow along with his card, fighting the dizziness. The cards came to a stop. His arm was given its will to move and now he had to choose which of the four cards was his.

He lifted his hand to the large card on his right, confidant in his decision. Roman's eyes were lit with glee.

" _ **Gambler's Folly.**_ "

The card spun around to reveal the Knight to Jaune's relief. That is until the face of the Knight grinned madly at him and morphed into the King to gloat.

"What!?" Jaune shouted in anger before all the cards spun around to face him. They imitated the King's mad grin, even the spade formed its own expression as the Jack, King, and Queen raised their spears. From all four directions, elegant golden spears shot out from the cards, stabbing through Jaune to splatter his blood onto the characters. One of the spears had the luck to pierce his left lung, filling Jaune's throat and nasal cavities with red leaking out of his mouth and nose.

With another snap of his fingers Roman called off the game and winced playfully at the bloody mess. With the cards gone, only the spears remained to run through the blond boy. It didn't look like he would survive the attack.

"Tough luck, kid. But it seems you didn't keep your eyes on the birdy." he said with a pitying shake of his head. What a letdown. He frowned though. Something wasn't right, the kid's HP bar was still intact even as a pool of red poured out of his heavily gouged body. Jaune's agonized blue eyes stared back at him, trembling with pain before smirking.

" _ **Ebony Crossing!**_ "

The dying Jaune faded away like a shadow, catching Roman by surprise before copies of the blond appeared surrounding his Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. They gripped one throwing blade in reverse, burning with dark purple energy before yelling in sync as they dashed. No sound followed as the vanished, reappearing a second later at opposite ends in swinging positions. Roman moved to blow every single one of the clones away before finding himself grunting in surprise. A large ebony X formed from the points of the clones, the sigil creating a deep cutting force that froze his body still. The clones turned back to glare at Roman's surprised expression, three of the copies glitching before drifting back to the one Jaune raising his bandaged arm at the man. From his bindings, several sharp tipped wires shot out to stab into Roman's body as the knight raised said hand to his face. A small ember of angry orange-red fire grew on his thumb before he took a deep breath.

" ** _Dragon's Blaze!_** " Roaring flames crawled along the wires seated into Roman from Jaune's bellowing breath. For a moment, he could have sworn he could make out the illusion of a snarling dragon within in the flames before his vision was consumed by the blaze. "I'm not done yet!" Jaune shouted before dropping the ninja wires. Reaching into his inventory he took out two Dust crystals to wield in each hand. Both were of fire and the perfect purity to match another. Time to use Russel's Skill for once. " ** _Burn, Grand Firebolt!_** " Slamming together the two crystals with an audible shattering crack, Jaune fired a body sized ball of licking flames with the speed of a lightning bolt.

The blaze consuming Roman erupted into a grand bonfire of roaring flames striking everything in sight. Jaune squinted his eyes as the detonation blew back a wall of air to smack into him and try to push him back.

Never had he ever been so thankful for his natural ability to dodge. KnightShade's activation bar could only fill up with every perfect dodge or evasion he performed. The closer the attacks came to landing, the more points he earned in KnightShade. And it was the best form for further avoiding attacks. His natural Evasion was 100%, but in exchange for a decrease in Attack and Wisdom his Evasion was increased by 25% along with a bump in his Speed. That wasn't even the best part of it though, it came with a Shadow Stock, a supply of Shadow Clones he could use to avoid critical and devastating blows.

And then there was Russel's Skill, Dual Dust Cast. With it Jaune was able to cast spells with Dust as conduits along with two different elements. Something amazing had happen though. With more power in the form of the Dust crystals fueling it, Firebolt had evolved into a stronger version of its spell. Its incantation had simply grown to a small verse rather than a simple word and had come at a heftier MP cost.

But even a combo like that wouldn't be enough to stop Roman in his place. A pillar of tearing winds blew out from the center of the roaring blaze, blowing away the flames to reveal Roman patting down his slightly sooty white coat. He looked irritated, not happy with the damage his stylish clothing had suffered.

"Fire, fire, fire, is that the only elemental spell at your disposal, you pyromaniac? Though I guess it does suit your character." he sighed while taking out a cigar. He used the lingering flames close by to light his favorite addiction and took a deep breath.

"Take me seriously!" Jaune yelled in frustration before tearing off several blades from his waist to fling at Roman.

Roman rolled his eyes as he blocked the throwing knives without a care.

"I'm trying, trust me I am. But you're making what is supposed to be a fun fight melodramatic. What did I ever do to you to deserve such anger? So, I killed a few NPC's. Who cares? It's not like those enemy grunts even mattered to you."

"They had families, friends, people who cared about them! Doesn't that mean a damn thing to you!?" Jaune roared as more knives materialized on his waist. He launched off the spot in a sprint with one knife held in reverse, clad in magical energy. " _ **Power Strike!**_ "

Several soaring bladed cards flew to intercept the blond, but with his increased Evasion he was able to swerve past them and spin on his foot to swing at Roman's side. Again, Roman simply blocked the attack with his cane as he leaned over to his fellow Player.

"Why would that mean a thing? They're just filler, there to fill the space. The only important NPC's would be those little friends of yours and even then, I could kill them with no real consequences to The Story. Except for Adam." Roman scoffed lightly, "Kill Blake a few times and the boy never forgives you. I don't see what the big deal is, he killed her more times than I could count out of sorrow. You'd think he'd be nicer to the man who showed him how the world worked."

"Then it's no wonder he's as twisted and cruel as you!" Jaune spat seething before pushing back from his attack. He threw his left hand up, the knives between his knuckles growing darker before morphing into balls as dark as the night. Slamming the balls down, a carpet of bellowing black smoke erupted to cloud their visions. Roman coughed suddenly as the smoke entered his lungs, replacing his nicotine air with a new toxin.

" _ **Ebony Veil!**_ "

Sight clouded, Roman tried to blow back the annoying smoke with another wind spell. A glint in the veil though warned him to raise his cane in front of him, just in time to block a rushing stab from Jaune. He kicked the boy back but found himself blocking another rushing stab from his left. Then his right, and then his back. Again, and again the knight ran in with a raid of quick slashes, stabs, and swings, leaving Roman to block each one. The little rush of attacks was growing on Roman's nerve. Aiming his cane into the veil, he shot a flare but before it could reach a good distance from him, he spun on his foot and caught the firework shell by the hook of his cane. The flare grew a red-hot tint before Roman swung it around in a spin, unleashing a wide ring of flaring energy to clear away the smoke and send the blond clones flying out with shouts in the dispersing wind.

The clones fell away into black wisps as only one Jaune stood back on his feet. Roman fired another flare to catch with his cane, this time swinging the caught projectile in a downward slash. Another shock wave lashed out in the form of a flaring arc. Jaune met it back with an Air Slash, detonating the two in a ringing boom.

Through the smoke, several playing cards cut through and dug into Jaune's body before he could make a move to dodge. He flinched as they dug deeper, staining with his blood before an odd whine escaped them.

"Let's see them cards! _**Boom!**_ "

Jaune's health dropped into the red as the cards stabbed into his body ticked and erupted with an explosive force, kicking his smoking body into a crate. His vest and gentleman's shirt were ruined by baseball sized holes, burnt as the visible skin was badly burned and bleeding. He fought back a cry and reached into his inventory, pulling out a golden crystal vial. Chugging back the item, he sighed in content as the flavor of mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets, and gravy paired with a cold glass of Everybody Loves Grape Soda washed over his tongue. The wounds over his body were healed in an instant as if by magic, leaving him in his tattered new gear as he stood back on his feet with a stat boost by the Ambrosia.

Jaune didn't say another word as he swung his arms apart, clenching the throwing knives in his knuckles tightly before they were enveloped in crimson energy. The blades lengthened, shaping into elegant claw like blades as long as his forearms that sparked with black-red static.

"Oh, someone's busting out something dangerous. That actually looks like it might hurt." Roman teased with a chuckle before flipping his cane over. He held it by its barrel, resting it on his shoulders as he gestured for Jaune to follow through with his attack as he smirked smugly.

" _ **Reaper's Grin.**_ "

The hook of Roman's Melodic Cudgel twinkled with an orange light before it gushed with his aura overflowing him. For a second, the energy ran wild around him, striking at everything in sight before freezing still like ice. The energy twitched then gathered back around his cane to form an orange scythe of aura. What could be mistaken as a grin could be seen along the surface of the energy blade along with a single azure beady eye open wide with insanity.

Roman frowned, noticing the timer on his HUD throbbing like a vein as the minutes ticked on.

"Well, it looks like our time is almost up, Jauney-boy. And as much as I would love to continue this game of ours, I got an airship to catch, Dust to steal, a sexy pseudo flame witch to appease, and some rewards to collect. Time is Lien after all."

Jaune panted, swallowing back a dry lump as he clenched his new knives with trembling fury. He didn't drop his glare, refusing to back down.

"We're not done yet. Not until I make you pay for what you've done!" he shouted angrily.

Past the pain and anger, Jaune was thinking. Roman was underestimating him, the man's high level and countless years of experience giving him the edge and confidence to look down at him. And that was what Jaune was going to use to deal a blow not only to his body, but to his pride.

With his free hand, Roman used it to gesture a mouthing off as he rolled his eyes, "Yadda, yadda, yadda. You never do change, do you, kid? You've said the same thing in just about every Reset I've fought you in. Haven't you wet your blade yet?" he said with narrowed eyes.

Jaune's body stiffened, his eyes clouding with guilt as he openly clenched his teeth in frustration. That told Roman plenty. He actually blinked in surprise, stunned at what he had just learned.

"Call me an uncle and slap me with a bass, you actually killed someone?" he said in earnest disbelief, "That doesn't usually happen until things go downhill after The Fall. And you dare call me out as a monster for killing a few measly NPC's? Someone's a hypocrite~!" he sang joyfully with a wagging finger.

"Shut up! It's not my fault! It's Adam's for leading me into the kill!"

"Say what you want, but you're still the one to die that war born blade of yours in blood. Don't make excuses, kid." Roman glared darkly as he spun around his new scythe cane, readying it to fight, "Be honest with yourself and accept that you're just like us. Embrace your role as a Gamer and let go of your sickening naivety."

"I'm not like you." Jaune softly spat.

Roman smiled with melancholy, "You will be."

The blood colored sparks reacted to Jaune's emotions, growing unstable as Jaune clenched his teeth. He was done talking to a madman, he was letting his claws do the rest of the talking from here.

" ** _Vial Edge: Para!_** "

He dashed forward with his large claws intent on tearing through the mirthful Player. Roman met him head on, swinging rapidly around with his scythe cane to slash at the blond. Jaune jumped above the spin slash, blocked the rising swing with both his claws and then pushed back the blade. The knife claws in his right hand sparked madly as he swung a left chop into Roman's side. The red sparks crawled along Roman's aura, sending a pricking sensation along his skin. Jaune threw a clawed uppercut his way that Roman quickly blocked with the handle of his weapon. Pushing him back, Roman gripped his weapon with both hands before heaving a wide swing. A strong gust of wind followed his swing, pushing Jaune back on his feet as a lashing wave of orange energy followed. Bringing his claws to his chest, he parted them to slash a three lined X to tear away the wave. Roman appeared in his sights behind the torn wave, his scythe raised high above with a grin. Jaune swung his claws above his head, blocking the downward strike as he fought to stay the death blade.

"That's the spirit!" Roman laughed as he pressed his scythe down harder against the claws. The ground under Jaune cracked audibly as he felt his knee's tremble under the force.

"Get lost in the adrenaline and play to your hearts content!"

"SHUT UP!" Jaune roared before gathering all of his strength to throw back Roman's scythe. The action left the older Player wide open, giving Jaune the perfect opportunity to strike. His eyes narrowed dangerously before he turned into a blur. A tear opened on Roman's shoulder, spreading more red sparks as more unseen tears appeared over his body. His eye could only catch the faint after image of Jaune dashing past him like a ghost, slicing open his skin with those damned claws.

" _ **Hyper Blade!**_ "

 _'A simple Barrier should be more than enough to cease this.'_ With the ability in mind, Roman snapped his fingers. At least he would if he could. His green eye glanced back at his right arm, finding it unable to move a twitch as the sparks crawled over his entire body. He gritted his teeth as a large red slash sliced open his coat before looking over his Status.

 _ **Roman Torchwick, Soul of The Gamer.**_

 _ **53,200/69,600HP[Paralyzed].**_

 _'Clever brat.'_ Roman couldn't fight back a smirk as another myriad of slashes hit him from the speedy knight. Those sparks weren't just for show.

Three deep gouging slashes opened along Roman's left ribs as Jaune ended Hyper Blade with a stabbing rush. The energy in his knives withered, leaving him with his knives. He panted tiredly as sweat rolled down his face, slouching as he tried to regain his breath.

KnightShade didn't have long now, it was only a minute away from ending and leaving him without the boost in Speed and Evasion. And the Ambrosia was going to be hitting him with its drop-in stats as well. As great as that item was it wasn't perfect. Turning his head back to the paralyzed trickster, Jaune didn't waste another second on his breath as he drew out a Fire Dust crystal from his inventory.

Even with his body locked up, Roman still had the power to swivel his head to meet Jaune face to face, "So, what now? You going to put an end to me again?"

Jaune shook his head tiredly with a solemn look, "I told you, I'm not like you. I may have killed, but I won't let that become an excuse to ever do it again. And just because some past version of myself has done it, doesn't mean I will follow the same mistakes again."

"Mistake?" Roman chuckled deeply from the core of his being before grinning darkly at the blond knight, "If only you knew of your own mistakes. You are no different than me, boy. It will be only a matter of time before you come to understand that." he said knowingly.

"Then I'll just prove you wrong." Grabbing another Fire Dust in hand, Jaune readied himself to fire another Grand Firebolt to silence Roman. His body was enveloped by a golden aura as he recited a Spell he had recently learned courtesy of his bond with Yang, " _ **Revolt!**_ "

 _ **Critical Hit Rate Up!**_

Roman sighed at Jaune's belief. The kid was truly a green horn. That must have been nice, they always said that ignorance was bliss. It was why all the NPC's could live their lives normally even as the times darkened. But Jaune was a Player now, blessed with the gifts of a Gamer, he no longer needed to act like an NPC. It was time he shattered that naivety.

" ** _Salvation._** "

The ailment preventing Roman from moving muscle was suddenly lifted as the illusion of golden holy bells chimed above his head, showering him in a luminescent green and gold energy. His wounds were completely restored, going as far as fixing up his ripped coat as his body was completely refreshed. Even his stamina had recovered as if he had just woken from a well-rested nap. He cracked his neck with a content sigh, stretching out his arms before turning his eyes back to the knight slamming together his Dust.

" _ **Wonder Steal.**_ " The crystallized flames dulled in Jaune's hands as his mind went blank, the power within drifting out of his body to carry over to Roman's awaiting hand. The power transformed into a card that dissolved into Roman's hand, " _ **Burn, Grand Firebolt!**_ " Clapping his palms together, a ball of flames the size of his body shot off after Jaune. The effect of Wonder Steal prevented Jaune from evading, leaving him to be engulfed in his own spell's scalding fires. He bit back a scream as his memory returned before tearing away the flames with his knives. He flinched, several patches of his skin burning brightly with flickers of fire.

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**_

 _ **15,500HP/18,600HP[Burn].**_

558 points of Jaune's health was dropped as his burn flared up. At least he wasn't Paralyzed. Grand Firebolt had a high chance of either inflicting Burn or Paralysis.

"All that damage you've succeeded to inflict and you're back to square one. Ain't that a kicker?" Roman said amusingly into Jaune's ears. The knight's eyes widened in shock, the image of Roman standing in his sight blurring in an after image as he felt his presence from behind. Jaune quickly spun around with his knives ready to block, only to prove too slow as Roman's wicked scythe blade slashed across his chest, mirroring his death scar. Red sprayed onto Roman's white coat from the heavy wound, annoying him as he called off Death Grin and fired a flare into Jaune's chest.

He just had it repaired too.

Forcing himself to stand his ground as he skidded back, Jaune ignored the wound as his Status added Bleeding along to his Burn to glare defiantly at the orange haired trickster.

 **-1,302HP!**

"Looks like you won't last too long with those wounds, kid. You should really heal before you die on me." Roman suggested with a smirk.

Jaune growled, but knew he was right. Reaching into his inventory, he grabbed the last Ambrosia in his stock to drink.

Roman's smirk widened.

 _ **"Steal!"**_

A golden hand of light suddenly shot out of Roman's by a chain, snatching the Ambrosia from Jaune's hand before he could tip it over his lips. It reeled back to Roman, dropping off the high-quality item in his palm. Well, wasn't that a rare treat? Just where did the kid get a high-quality healing item from at his level? Hell, buying it from Husk when he had it in stock cost a hefty 40,000Lien. Which wasn't much to a man such as himself, but still. _'Eh, I could use a drink.'_ he shrugged before drinking the tasty rich liquid.

Jaune grimaced as his Burn and Bleeding dropped his health again. Damn it, he didn't have anything else to heal his ailments, only items to recover his HP. With nothing else, he reached for an Ether and an Everybody Loves Grape Soda to synthesize.

Roman wagged his finger with a tsk, his cane's sights locked on his target, "Sorry, but we're done playing evenly. _**Revolt! Sure-Kill Shot!"**_

A drilling flare fired from his cane, piercing Jaune's chest. The pain was agonizing, enough to make him drop his items before completing the fusion as he gripped the gushing hole.

 _ **'Critical Hit! Bleeding: Severe.'**_

Breathing became difficult as blood seeped out of Jaune's gritting teeth. He nearly fell to his knees as the pain became too much to bare. But he had suffered worse than this. Even as he stumbled to stand straight, he pushed on to attack. But KnightShade's time limit ran out on him at that moment, leaving him back in his Cross-Eye gear. Roman couldn't help but grin as he deflected Jaune's attack and jabbed his cane into his wounded chest with no problem. No more Evasion boost.

Jaune coughed up a mix of spit and blood, but glared back at the twisted man. His free hand latched onto Roman's cane, gripping it tightly as he shouted, " _ **Spark!**_ " Lightning magic ran through his arm, crawling along Roman's weapon to shock him, lighting him up like a Christmas decoration.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Roman said in frustration through the lightning. He had thought his last attack would be enough to at least bring the kid to his knees. Raising his fist, Roman dropped a hammer fist over Jaune's head, ending the spell and sending him stumbling back.

"Time's up, kid. Our little fun has outlived its novelty and I'm kinda growing bored here. Seems you still need a few more lifetimes before you can stand at my level. Guess it's too much to believe you could break my arm this early in your playthrough." he mused.

Ringing in his head aside, an idea suddenly struck Jaune as he held his head. It was true, it would be impossible to actually heavily wound Roman. That last spell seemed to be able to heal him back to 100% without any drawbacks like Ambrosia. Hell, Roman didn't even need to drink his healing item, he did it because he could. Roman could steal his items, his abilities, and he had a feeling he wasn't even scratching at the capabilities of his Quirk. If Roman had a Semblance as well, then there was no question that Jaune wouldn't stand a chance.

Roman was out of Jaune's league even when the man had upped his own Stats close to the trickster's own. But if there was one thing Jaune was good at it was strategizing. And he now had a plan in mind.

"You're lucky that I didn't have any idea that I would be fighting a monster like you, otherwise I would have equipped my trump card to break that arm of yours." Jaune grunted with a confident smirk on his face. That was enough to peak Roman's curiosity.

"Trump card? Do you seriously believe that one little Ability would be enough to actually harm me so?"

Jaune nodded, biting back a groan as his burns and wounds dropped his health again, "I know for a fact that if I had it equipped with my Strength increased as it is, I would be able to wipe that smug smirk right off your face!" he shouted furiously.

"Really now?" Roman drawled lazily. The kid had such an ability on hand? That was hard to believe. But Roman knew Jaune, his endless cycle of life and death had taught him much from his confrontations with the aspiring hero. Even more so during the few worlds where he was able to snag the kid as his own henchman. And that conviction in his voice was no bluff, it was the honest truth. An Arc's word.

But such truth meant nothing to Roman. He could change such an outcome to his favor with a snap of a finger. Jaune needed to understand that. The thought of turning the tables on the knight as such brought a smile to Roman's face.

"Well, I'd be a horrible bastard if I didn't at least let you try. And I'd like to think of myself as a gentleman. So, how about you show me that little trump card of yours in action?" Roman chuckled, going as far as sending his weapon away and spreading his arms wide in a sign of go ahead.

Jaune smirked, "You sure about that?" he grunted as more blood seeped out onto the ground to spread the puddle of red below him wider, "Because you'll regret it."

 _'No, kid. It'll be you who regrets it.'_

Seeing Roman only grin openly at him in response, Jaune fixed his stance as he took out his scroll. He had only once chance at this, and it would only work if Roman did exactly as he planned. Finding the ability in question, Jaune swapped out one of his abilities for SP space before going into his Skills. For his plan to work perfectly, he needed some insurance to survive. With everything in place, Jaune sent his scroll away along with Crocea Mors. For what he had planned, there was no need for his weapon.

He clenched his right fist, ignoring his HP dropping closer to the red. Just a little longer. An otherworldly golden gauntlet suddenly materialized on his right arm, clanging as three steel prongs popped out from his arm as a lustrous golden aura coated it. Roman eyed the piece of armor with interest. That was a new Ability he was sure he had never seen before in his many, many, lives. He'd give the kid one thing, it looked intimidating. Jaune reared his fist back, releasing a shock wave to erupt around him just from the action before he dashed after Roman with a roaring shout.

" _ **Shatter Armament!**_ "

Roman grinned in victory.

" _ **Steal Wonder!**_ "

Just spaces away from delivering a devastating blow, the golden gauntlet around Jaune's arm vanished and left him dazed with a blank mind. Grabbing hold of the Ability card as it whisked towards him, Roman mirrored the same stance Jaune had taken as the ability registered into his own.

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**_

 _ **7,602HP/15,500HP[Burn].**_

Luckily for the kid, his Bleed Status had healed. Too bad he wasn't going to last long after this next hit. Time to see what he was packing!

The golden otherworldly gauntlet formed over Roman's right arm, coating in its rich aura. The three steel prongs shot out of his arm, growing red with heat as he reared it back in the face of the blank expressionless knight. It was game over.

" _ **Shatter Armament!**_ "

The very air twisted around Roman's fist as he shot it for Jaune's face. All Jaune could do was watch blankly.

Even as a notification popped up in his HUD.

 ** _'Activate Skill, Auto-Block: Critical.'_**

Automatically, Jaune swung his right forearm in front of himself before Crocea Mors sheath materialized in the face of the colliding fist. Its shield sprang open with a click, just in time to block Shatter Armament's blow. A resounding booming clang erupted from the drilling lustrous fist, creating cracks of red energy to spread from the center of Crocea Mors shield to spread over it. Roman scoffed as he added more pressure to the attack. From the looks of the shield in Jaune's arm, it wasn't going to last long. Which was good, he never liked the damn thing. It always stretched out his fights with the kid.

Suddenly Roman's attention was brought to the three steel prongs on his arm, hissing loudly before they stabbed deep into his skin. He found himself snarling, grinding his teeth as the steel dug into the bones of his forearm and shattered them like glass. In sync to the action, Crocea Mors shield was shattered as well, its metal shards flying past Jaune as his mind cleared.

With no resistance, Shatter Armament was clear to attack. Jaune swiftly raised both his arms up on instinct, blocking his own ability. The insane force behind was too much though, blowing off the sleeves of his vest and sending him flying off his feet to smack into the side of a freighter's hull. He gasped in pain, falling back to the ground before automatically recovering to land on his feet.

For moment, his mind was all over the place, jarred after recovering from a blank mind and blocking a devastating blow in less than a minute. But he shook it away and turned his squinting eyes back to his opponent. Jaune couldn't help it when he found Roman tightly gripping his right arm as three gaping holes leaked blood out of his shattered arm. He grinned.

"I told you, you'd regret it." Jaune laughed hoarsely, "Can your Salvation cure a shattered humerus bone?"

" _ **Level Sync, Off.**_ "

 **-30,000Lien!**

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**_

 _ **7,602HP/15,500HP**_ _**7,602HP/8,000HP.**_

Jaune suddenly felt his body grow heavier and weaker as his HUD displayed his HP returning to normal. He was back to his natural Stats. He frowned as he glanced at Roman, growing on edge as the man's body blurred.

" _ **God's Strike!**_ "

Hearing the shout come from behind, Jaune spun around quickly to block, only to curse and realize that Crocea Mors had been sacrificed. Roman's fist sunk into his gut with a whistle like chime, twisting the skin underneath his vest like a drill. Jaune's very breath was robbed to leave his lungs dry.

Roman's shadowed green eyes stared into Jaune's own, haunting him with their hollowness. With trembling vision, the blond knight found his eyes staring down at the fist nearly gutting him. He found the shattered arm, lightly trembling as it dug further into his being and a golden aura illusion of a great being standing behind the trickster.

"Die."

It was like an explosion had gone off. Roman's fist dug into his gut one last time before it shot him away like a roaring missile from his knuckles. The world sped past Jaune's vision in a blur before he found his body shattering past some kind of wall and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Roman frowned deeply as he watched the knight disappear like a shooting star through the cracked hole in the barrier that separated them from the world. It wasn't long until he heard the kid's body crash into something, stopping his flight as he faintly made out an explosion. The pain in his arm brought him back to what really mattered. He lifted the broken appendage up despite the agonizing pain and sighed.

"I suppose I deserve that for being cocky. Neo's going to be laughing her ass off when she sees this." he grunted before The Game's barrier shattered from above. The glinting shards raining harmlessly over him signaled that their match was over as he reviewed his rewards for the win.

 **+21,700EXP! +9,000Lien!**

That was it? He had been hoping for a rare item at least for all his trouble. With a grumble, Roman reached into his inventory for some supplies to treat his broken arm as he followed after the direction he sent Jaune flying.

He wasn't leaving this mission without repaying the favor.

* * *

 **"Systems down to 37%! Main guns are jammed, left missile launchers are damaged, and ID Engine is running at 44% capacity! Suggested course of action: Book it!"**

"Shut up! I know perfectly well how fucked we are, La!"

Multiple explosions rocked Perry from within his Arctic Warthog's control space as he shouted at the left screen of his monitors. An animated girl with mint green curls and red eyes pouted back at him with a glare, dressed in a female White Fang's gear. She crossed her arms over her small chest in a huff and turned away from him.

 **"Meanie."**

Perry growled at the program, "Now's not the time! Send whatever reserved power into the ID Engine and focus on keeping us running as long as possible!" Another explosion shook him from within, sending the damaged body of his mechanical warthog skidding on its feet, "And where are those reinforcements I called for!?"

 **"No idea, probably ignoring a jerk like you."**

Steadying his machine on its legs, Perry decided to ignore his computerized assistant and focus back to the three hunters charging at him with flaming weapons. He should have seen this coming with all the Dust laying around. The Arctic Warthog's maw creaked open with some difficulty, revealing a turret from the tanks original design to fire a shell case of ice.

Blake reared her blade back and swung a flaming arc to meet the cold shell head on, slicing the attack clean in half. A cold explosion clouded the mechanical beast's sights, leaving it to swivel its head around in search of its targets. Something broke through the chilling fog in front of it. Perry grinned, commanding the Arctic Warthog to stab its two surviving chipped tusks into the body. A flaming clone modeled after Sun waved back at the Arctic Warthog as its metal tusks stabbed through it, detonating it in a plume of flames. Two more appeared at its side as it shook away the fire and shoulder rushed into it, blowing up and sending it flying. Catching itself back on its hoofs it readied itself to fire another shell. Ciel wasn't having that as she channeled her aura into her Lightning Dust and fired several bolts of lightning at its frame. Scorch marks burned its metal as it struggled to move another step under the barrage. With a roar, it unleashed a blanket of ice to block the bolts. Its tusks straightened, lengthening to pierce the wall it created and shatter it in a charge.

"Blake, Now!" Ciel shouted as she braced herself for the rushing spear thrust. From above the Arctic Warthog, Blake appeared with Gambol Shroud swinging for its head. Its kusaragi form tied around its tusks, tightening as she landed on its back and reared it back before it could stab through Ciel. The metal groaned but stopped in its tracks as it was lifted slightly up.

"WHAT!" Perry yelled in shock at the turn of events. How was that possible? His precious war machine wasn't a bull! He tried to shake the cat girl off, throwing her body around as his warthog bucked wildly.

"I can't hold on much longer!" Blake shouted over the bucking, doing her best to hold onto it and stop it from attacking.

Ciel could see that. It was a longshot for their plan to be working this well. Turning her eyes back, she looked on as Sun sat down in a meditation form. He needed to be calm and resolved, shutting out the entire world for his Semblance to work right. In his clapped hands, he held a large red crystal, enhancing his Semblance as the clones he created were born with fire properties. A total of ten clones stood beside him now with another two forming a second later. Sweat was running down his face, his concentration waning in the fighting. Blake's shout and body hitting the ground was too much to bear as he finished off with fourteen clones. He gasped from the strain, standing back up to glare at the squealing weapon setting its sights on him.

Perry was sick of these kids. He had spent Oum knows how much Lien on customizing his Arctic Warthog, only for three brats to break his heart and joy! Oh, he'd be damned if he let that slide.

"La, send every ounce of power in the ID engine into firing chamber. We're wiping them off the face of Remnant!"

His green haired animated program saluted to his command and proceeded to send everything the Ice Dust engine was still capable of to the chamber. The Arctic Warthog's body released a stream of cold mist from its vents as it dug its hooves into the ground. Settled in, it opened its mouth widely, stretching its face as the silver turret within fully revealed itself. It shined, gathering a large ball of ice cold energy at the front of its barrel as its frame shook.

Falling back beside Sun and Ciel, Blake looked on at the loading turret with worry.

"Think you can block that?" she asked Ciel, only for the dark skinned Atlesian to shake her head negatively.

"My energy shield doesn't have the power nor strength to block whatever he's charging. We have only one choice."

Sun smirked despite the weariness, his aura clones mimicking his stance as the fell in line behind him.

"Take him out in one blow. Or blows. It's time for this bastard's pig to be cooked and what better fire for the cookout then a sun's flames?"

The two girls rolled their eyes at him, but nodded their heads with smirks. They had been holding out since the battle began and they now had the enemy in a corner. It was time they ended this fight and moved on to their friend.

Perry bared with the strain within his weapon as the temperature inside rose to boiling points. He had only one shot left at this and he wouldn't let it miss. If they tried to dodge he would simply spin his mechanical warthog around for a wide spread. In the end, they were going to die, no question about it. He grinned ferally as the meter for his charging attack reached 90%.

"You think a small gang of clones can stop me? Then come at me! I'll erase you all in the roar of an Ice Age howl!" he laughed boisterously.

Sun smacked his fists together as his clones mirrored him, "You heard him boys! Let's roast some cold metal ham!"

Running forward, Sun commanded his copies to follow as they rushed the mechanical beast. Perry laughed at the futile attempt as his weapon finished charging. It was too late!

In the swarm of Suns, Ciel and Blake sprinted past them with their sights on the loading turret. They suddenly slid on their feet and reached it before kicking their feet below it with all their strength. The Arctic Warthog fired, unleashing a beam of white-blue ice above the hunters' heads from its new angle.

It was on that night the people of Vale wandering the streets or looking out their window witnessed an odd sight. A streak of light crossed the sky, blinking as fast as it came. Some would say that they swore they saw snow fall onto the docks of the city a second later.

Perry was dumbstruck. How? How could he fucking miss!? His monitors glitched as the power within was drained, leaving behind the image of more than a dozen golden yellow clones ramming into his mechanical beast. He chuckled weakly as he slouched in his seat, feeling tired as sweat ran down his body.

"We're fucked, aren't we, La?"

 **"Yup! Well, you are. And they didn't even take you out to dinner either."** La giggled before its image turned to static.

Striking all sides of the machine, Sun detonated his clones as he swung his staff over the Arctic Warthog's battered head. An eruption of red hot fire swallowed it whole as he jumped back from the roaring pyre. He stood by with Ciel and Blake to watch the bonfire's flames spike and poke the sky before dying down, leaving behind the smoking wreckage of the once tank's skeleton. A heavily platted oval shaped case stood in the middle of the flaming wreckage, creaking before falling apart to leave Perry knocked out in his pilot's seat.

It was over. Sun couldn't help but laugh in relief as he fell back with a thud. It was finally over!

"Holy shit, that was awesome! It was like a boss battle! Man, am I happy that I ignored Neptune on not sneaking my way here. Because this is the most fun I've had in a long time!" he grinned stupidly.

Ciel sighed at the monkey faunus attitude. She could hardly say that it was fun. All her training would have never prepared her for fighting a tank shaped warthog with ice elemental attacks. Maybe if she had her weapon on her things would have been different.

"We should start moving. No doubt he has more comrades nearby already heading our way." she said firmly before turning to Blake, "Mr. Arc shouldn't be too far from the sounds of fighting close by. And the authorities should be here by now. So, let's proceed on our way to his side." she smiled.

Blake nodded back with her own smile as she sheathed her blade. It was time for her to save him.

"What the hell am I seeing? It looks like someone started a party without me! You can't start a party without a Yang!"

"Yang?" Blake frowned in confusion as she heard the sound of many rushing footsteps arriving on the scene. She spun her head around, surprised to find not only her team but team JNPR. And was that the raven-haired girl from team HRTH?

Ruby smiled happily as she found her beloved teammate ahead. She didn't waste another second being away from here as her body turned into roses and sped after the girl. She tackled Blake to the ground with a big old hug as the girl shouted in surprise.

"BLAKE!"

Blake groaned, feeling the small girl crush her waist, "Ruby, please, stop." she whimpered. She had suffered a few blows from the robot warthog and her body was sore.

Ruby shook her head furiously with a pout and a glare, "No! Now shut up and grit your teeth! You'll take this and you'll like it!"

"She's my partner, you know? Shouldn't I be the one killing her with love?" Yang chuckled as she grabbed onto the back of Ruby's cape. She smiled warmly at Blake as the girl stood up with a cough, happy that she appeared fine. "So, mind explaining why we're seeing a bunch of weirdos in masks knocked out everywhere we look? And are those airships?"

"It's a long story." Blake said tiredly with a smile.

"Right, I bet it is." Yang said distractedly. Her eyes were more focused on the top of her partner's head, "Am I seeing things, or are those kitty ears?"

"Oh! Kitty!" Nora squealed in glee. She quickly ran over to Blake and awed at the adorable cat ears twitching at their mention.

Blake gave the hyperactive girl a flat stare, swatting away Nora's hands from petting her ears. This was the kind of attention she didn't want.

"Well, doesn't that explain a lot? I always found it a bit odd that you were so enthralled with tuna."

The polite yet cold sophisticated voice made Blake flinch. After living with her for the past few months, she recognized Weiss's voice anywhere. Past Yang, Blake could see Weiss walk over with an unreadable expression. It looked like she had nowhere to run to anymore. And that was fine, it was time she stopped running anyways.

"Weiss, I-"

"Zip it!" Weiss immediately cut the cat girl off with a zipping motion of her mouth, "Do you know how long you've been gone? Two days, 48 long hours! Do you know how worried we've been? The least you could have done is sent us a message that you were alright! And what exactly have you been up to? Fighting White Fang members in the middle of the night with two strangers," she shouted, gesturing to the awkwardly grinning Sun and calm faced Ciel with a small glare, "without your team like some vigilante? What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

Blake shrunk under Weiss's glare, sweating nervously before the heiress's famous no-nonsense glare. She didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry?" she laughed nervously.

Weiss's glare dropped further, "Sorry is not going to cut it. Once we all go back home, you are going to have to explain everything, from what happened today to what happened in the past, to us all. And we will listen to what you have to say before coming to any cemented conclusions." she said softly with a small smile, easing Blake's fears, "As your friend, it's only right to hear your side of the story."

"And I will tell you everything, I promise." Blake said happily before frowning as she remembered one last thing they had to do, "But first, we have to find Jaune."

Hearing her partner's name, Pyrrha immediately rushed over, "Jaune? Where is he? We haven't seen him since Friday." she said with worry as she scanned the area for her beloved mop of blond.

"I would also wish to know of his location." Tsuki said coldly as her eyes narrowed, "For some reason, I can't sense him. I was sure he would be here."

"Don't worry, he's nearby. But he's fighting a dangerous criminal and we have to-"

Something whistled in the air loud enough to catch Blake's attention as her ears registered an object flying towards them at unbelievable speeds. Before they could move out of the way, the object flew past them and crashed into a crate full of Dust with a resounding metallic boom. The force of the crash was enough to create a strong gust of wind to blow past them.

"What the hell was that?!" Sun shouted over as the gust settled. He turned his eyes to the object and grew silent in shock.

"Jaune?"

Several gasps of horror greeted Jaune as he struggled to get out of the crate. His vision was blurred, only seeing fuzzy shapes as he stumbled out with various Dust falling off his heavily wounded body. A twisted spiral grove marred his bloody stomach, courtesy of Roman's God Strike.

 _'Thank you, Yang for Dragon's Scales! If it wasn't for that, I'd be dead!'_ A Perk that granted him survival of a lethal blow with at least 1HP. What a godsend and granted a Strength boost. Little good that would do him now.

 _ **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**_

 _ **1HP/8,000HP[Burn].**_

Jaune grinned a bloody grin in victory. His thoughts weren't clear after that blow, but he knew for a fact he was still alive. A strong ache nearly dropped him to the ground as he coughed up a large amount of blood to the ground. He was barely hanging on to a thread, he was lucky his health hadn't fallen into the negative.

"Jaune!"

 _'Huh, that's funny. I could have sworn I heard Pyrrha. He must have hit me even harder than I thought.'_ Was his mind playing tricks with him again? He squinted, his poor vision making out an odd red blob running towards him. It reminded him of his partner, enough to make him smile dizzily as he lost the feeling in his legs and fell forward.

Pyrrha quickly caught Jaune in her arms as his head fell on her shoulder. Blood seeped out of his smile, wetting her bare skin as his eyes fought to stay open. She was horrified at the sight, her mind going back to the day she had seen him in a similar state during the FoF. She hugged him tightly as she sniffed back tears.

"Jaune, what happened to you?!" she cried.

Ren moved to their side quickly as he scanned over Jaune's status. He scowled at what he was seeing and immediately went into his inventory. _'How is he still alive? A blow like that should have killed him.'_ he thought in disbelief, recognizing the mark of God's Strike before forcing Jaune's mouth open. He tipped the vial in hand down his lips, glad to see Jaune had enough strength to swallow it back.

Pyrrha looked back at Ren with question, her green eyes filled with tears. It struck a nerve in his heart to see her like that.

"Don't worry, he should be fine now. Look." he smiled, gesturing back to Jaune. The heavy wounds were mending as the potion worked its magic, dragging him out of the red into the green. Noticing the burns crawling over his skin, Ren laid his hand over his leader's back as a soft, cool light glowed on his palm. " _ **Refresh.**_ " The burns were healed, saving Jaune from suffering any longer.

Jaune blinked as his vision cleared. It became easier to breathe suddenly as he took a deep breath. Holy crap, what just happened? And what smelled fruity with a hint of steel? Turning his head, he was surprised to find Pyrrha staring back at him with teary eyes. He was further confused when he spun his head around and found his team and team RWBY staring at him with worry. And was that Tsuki? He dared ask why.

"Oh, thank you, Ren!" Pyrrha cried in joy as she hugged her leader to the chest.

"Still wounded here!"

"Jaune!"

"Aw, come on!"

Ren shook his head in amusement as he watched Ruby join in and tackle both Jaune and Pyrrha to the ground. And it wasn't long until Nora joined, dog piling the three with a whee. Why? Because she felt like it. 'I might need another potion if this keeps up.' He wasn't sure if it was possible to die from a hug, but he was curious to find out.

Getting the girls to release him, Jaune nodded his thanks back to Ren, "Thanks for the save, Ren. I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold on for another minute like that." he chuckled weakly before grimacing as he held his stomach.

"Don't go straining yourself. It was only enough to bring you out of the red and stand on your feet. Your body's feeling the damage and exhaustion and that's something I can't heal at my level." Ren explained as his leader flexed his hands, "I'm honestly surprised you're alive."

Jaune understood the hidden meaning. Ren knew all about his fight with Roman having warned him beforehand. And he could see why. Roman was a monster, completely different than even Adam.

"What happened to you?" Weiss couldn't help but ask as they all gathered around Jaune. She gazed over his beaten state with scrutiny, inwardly frowning at the wounds he was still covered in, "What's going on in general? You and Blake vanish into thin air for two days, and we now find you in the middle of some warzone again."

"It's a long story." Jaune said tiredly, mirroring Blake's exact words as he looked past his friends to the danger ahead. He narrowed his eyes as his HUD displayed an incoming enemy. "And we don't exactly have time for stories right now."

" _ **Annihilate. To ash and wind, expire in the flames, Ignidyne!**_ "

From the backs of the Beacon students, a large torrent of streaming flames chased after them. The face of a devilish smirk could be seen within the fire, growing giddy as it reached it targets.

Jaune and Ren glanced back at another, nodding in understanding before they threw their palms up in the air in sync.

" _ **Reflect!**_ "

Above their heads a dome of magical reflective pixels formed around them just in time to block the hellish flames. Unlike the other times they had used their spell, the dome had grown wider and bolder in color. Their eyes fell to Ciel, finding the girl erecting her own barrier with her watch to strengthen their defense. They didn't question it and focused back on holding their spell.

The flames fought to break through, cracking the surface of Reflect's upgrade as the heat passed through to sting their skins. But their combined strength proved too much. The fire spell was swallowed by the magic of the shield, encasing it in its power before sending it back to its owner like a firing cannon.

Roman didn't pay the glowing giant ball of flames any heed. He simply threw out his palm just as Ignidyne hit him. The flames twisted, absorbing into his palm with a vacuum like sound before leaving nothing behind.

" _ **CC: 3D18R1A9I14N 6F9I18R5E!**_ "

 **-30,000Lien.**

"Well, wasn't that a bit of a surprise. I was sure that attack would have been enough to break through. Seems you boys had some help in that regard." Roman chuckled as he continued to walk calmly to the large group of hunters. He frowned, counting and recognizing every last huntsman and huntress in their little party but one. Cold, blood red eyes glared back at him, flashing back memories of a similar stare in his many lives.

"Roman Torchwick?" Ruby said in surprise, recognizing the well-dressed orange haired man after her last run in with him, "What's he doing here?"

"I should be asking you that, Little Red. Isn't it past your bedtime? Don't tell me someone forgot to feed the little girl her bedtime cookies and milk?" he mocked with a teasing grin as the girl glared back at him with a red face, "What? Do you need old Roman to read you a bedtime story before you can go to sleep?"

"I don't need someone to read me a bedtime story, I can do that myself!" she shouted back with frustration before her silvers found red dripping down his bandaged arm. On closer look, it seemed to be mangled.

Roman noticed the little's reaper's eyes pointing out his handicap and chuckled amusingly, "You can thank that little knight of yours for this. Despite that goofy expression, he can be pretty savage."

Jaune grinned back mockingly at the master thief with a grimace, "You did that to yourself."

"Someone's awfully mouthy now that he got a good hit in. Don't worry though." he said with a dark grin as he lifted his cane for another fight, "I'll be sure to repay the favor, tenfold."

"I have no idea what going on." Yang said flatly as she punched her fists together, activating Ember Celica from its sleep before glaring back at the well-dressed man with a challenging smirk, "But I'm guessing you're the reason my buddy here's fucked up. And I can't let something like that go without an asswhooping!"

"You hurt my beloved." Tsuki uttered coldly as she reached for her elegant bow. She notched an arrow while cracking her neck, "I cannot forgive that. I'll have your head mounted in my dorm in payment for his spilled blood." she said menacingly.

Ruby nodded her head as she readied Crescent Mors as the rest of their party followed along for a fight.

"Whatever you're doing here, we're going to stop you. So, don't think you'll get away again!"

Roman sighed. His time here was up, his timer was telling him to end the mission or risk facing consequences. Did he have time to play games with the kids?

 _'Eh. I got nothing else to do. I'm crippled with one arm, facing eleven hunters in training, and two of them are fellow Gamers.'_

The timer buzzed, signaling he had failed to escape in time with the goods and was now left to face a large group of enemies. He couldn't help but grin widely.

 _'Sounds like fun.'_

He just needed to do one little thing though.

Roman's body vanished, putting both Jaune and Ren on alert. Their eyes spun to the center of their group and found the older Player standing in the middle as if he was always there. Roman didn't pay them any attention, his eyes completely focused on the seafoam green eyes staring back at him in surprise. He gave Nora's forehead a gentle little tap.

" _ **Dormi**_."

Nora's eyes grew heavy as lead, her body feeling light as air as she overtaken by some unknown force lulling her to sleep. She couldn't fight back and fell forward onto Roman with a light snore. He caught the bubbly girl in his arms without a word and blurred in their sights to appear again near a large stack of crates. He propped her against one and spun back to the meet the angered eyes of the girl's team and friends.

"What? It's only smart to knock out your heavy hitter. I've got only one arm on me, it's not exactly fair unless we're all on even ground." he said amusingly.

"You bitch! What did you do to Nora!?" Yang shouted in anger before running after the man. She flung her fists back, firing a shotgun shell from her gauntlets to boost her speed and run in with a right hook the smirking man's face. Her hook was blocked by Roman's hand catching her fist with little effort. She growled at the action before throwing her other fist only to have it caught as well. Roman chuckled at the expression on the fiery girl's face before surprising her with a savage headbutt to her face. She stumbled back, leaving her open for a cane swing aimed at her face that nearly sent her falling. But she gritted her teeth, her lilac eyes flashing angry red before charging in with a roar and a shotgun boost.

Roman sidestepped Yang and laughed before aiming his cane's sights for her back. He leaned his head to the right suddenly, frowning as a light scratch marred his cheek. A red arrow with black feathered tails pierced the ground a few feet away from him, warning him of a new comer. Three rapid fired arrows shot after him that he deflected with a spin of his cane. Turning to the attacker, he found the ominous raven haired girl notching another arrow. He aimed to take her out but found her body blinking out of sight with a blood red effect. Above his head, Tsuki appeared falling and fired her bow as its arrowhead sparked.

" _ **Reflect!**_ " Forming his magical barrier, Roman watched as the elemental arrow was fired back to its owner with a teasing grin. Tsuki evaded her arrow encased in odd energy easily and flipped in her descent. She clicked a button along her bow, the action causing it to straighten and hid away the bowstring within as its ends sharpened and formed a doubled ended spear. Diving after the criminal, she drove her spearhead onto the dome, causing a rush of sparking energy to flow past her as she fought to shatter it.

 _'Now that is a scary chick.'_ Roman thought to himself as the girl's passive eyes met his own as she fought to pierce through. Did she have a creepy Grimm like mask on her? Because he was calling bullshit.

With Roman keeping his attention on the mystery girl, he had forgotten about Yang. And she wasn't happy. With a roar, she evoked her semblance and charged up with a furious scowl. Rearing her fist back, she dashed in and smashed her fist onto the barrier with a shotgun shell added in for oomph. The combined fronts from the busty girls was enough to break Roman's Reflect, leaving him to open for an attack.

Or so they thought.

Yang and Tsuki dove in to strike, but found both their wrists caught in Roman's grip. He chuckled at their looks of shock and spun on his foot, twirling them around in a whirlwind swing. The force of which was enough to create a gust of wind that resembled a twister. He let go of them after building momentum, sending them flying away with no way of recovering. His two palms sparked madly, bouncing emerald sparks as he aimed them at the girls in their flight.

" _ **Plunge, Shatter earth's body, Odin's Twin Fury!**_ "

A spearhead of emerald lightning harmlessly pierced out of his palms and fired after the girls, piercing their bodies before they could fall to the ground. With thuds, they hit the ground and found themselves unable to move as the spears stayed in their bodies, leaving them to writhe in agony as they were lit up with lightning.

 _'Well, that hurt.'_ Roman moved to take a look at his shattered arm, ignoring the painful spasms as he flexed the bloody fingers. Worth it though.

"YANG!" Seeing her older sister get hurt caused Ruby to dash in. With a riding shot of her scythe, she appeared in front of Roman for a wide swing of her death weapon.

"You're too slow, Little Red." Roman taunted with a wagging finger before moving his cane to a position that had the inside of the hook touching his knuckle. Before Ruby could swing, he gave the trigger a little tap, firing a flare behind him and sending his cane shooting into the girl's stomach like a bullet. He then grabbed the barrel before she could even register the pain with a gasp and prepared to fire a matching lightning spear to match her older sister with his free hand.

Weiss wasn't having any of that as she dashed in with a rapier strike to his back. Roman tsked, deciding to swing his cane upward to uppercut Ruby's chin while following with a flare and turned his spell to the Schnee heiress. Weiss evaded the lightning spear and retaliated with a flurry of stabs. Roman mirrored the white girl, deflecting her own stabs with his own. Spinning the chamber of her rapier, Weiss loaded it with a cold magical energy before swinging one of Roman's strikes to the side and kicking him back. She didn't waste the free second and stabbed her rapier down, unleashing a rush of spiked ice to chase after the man.

Roman fired a flare in the face of the stabbing ice, spun on his foot, and caught the flare with the hook of Melodic Cudgel before swinging it in a horizontal arc. A whipping lash of whistling energy shattered the ice, continuing on its path. Weiss was hit, the whip breaking through her aura and cutting her down as she fell back.

"Come on, you all make this too easy!" Roman laughed before moving his cane to block a downward slash from a black katana. He grinned at Blake's furious yellow eyes, "I only have one arm! Can't you land a good hit on a cripple?"

"How about I take a crack at it!?"

With his gun-chucks swinging madly, Sun appeared from behind Blake and fired at the master thief. Roman pushed back the faunus girl and swung his cane at the bullets, catching them in his hook and fired another lashing whip at the spiky blond monkey. Sun evaded the whip with a high jump and spun in his descent to bash his staff onto Roman's skull. Blake followed along, crossing her blades across her chest and swung them apart to fire a purple cross to cut him up.

Roman's broken arm trembled as it moved up and caught the staff in his hand while he blocked the cross slash with his weapon. The strain of the effort audibly cracked a bone but he showed no signs of feeling the pain as he brought Sun down and threw him at Blake. He then reared his cane back like a sword and blurred out of sight, appearing running through them with a wide swing while they were still airborne. He sheathed his cane in an imaginary sheath, clicking as a thin orange light crossed the two hunters. Blood shot out of their mouth as they fell with drawing slashes over their bodies.

"Well, it seems you're all still too inexperienced to be of much of a challenge, even when ganging up on me." Roman sighed with boredom. Scanning their statuses, he found most of them drawing close to the red with Yang and the girl named Tsuki down to mid-health with Severe Paralysis. Curiously, he spun his eyes to his original opponent and found Jaune's blue eyes glaring at with fury he had rarely seen. From the looks of it the only reason he hadn't run after him to cut him down was his partner's hand holding him back.

"Pyrrha, let me go." Jaune hissed furiously as his wounded body trembled with rage. That bastard! He couldn't stand by and let Roman hurt his friends when he could still fight!

Pyrrha shook her head firmly, frowning as she met Jaune's glaring eyes. Seeing such an expression took her back a bit, but she knew better for him.

"No, not when your body has just recovered half of its aura. It doesn't even look like you can stand on your own feet." she said sternly before looking back to the dark-skinned girl beside her. Pyrrha had no idea who she was, let alone her name, but she couldn't just leave her partner by himself as he was.

"I'm sorry, but can you watch over Jaune for me? I don't want him fighting in his condition."

Ciel nodded her head in understanding as the red-haired girl handed Jaune over her shoulder to lean on.

"Leave it to me. But what are you going to do?" she asked as she casually smacked Jaune's head as he tried to leave her.

Pyrrha turned her eyes to Roman, green eyes meeting green as she answered.

"I'm going to stop that madman from further hurting our friends. He's powerful, within only a few short minutes he was able to incapacitate our comrades with ease. I feel I might be the only one right now who can stop him." she said honestly as she commanded Akou and Milo into her hands.

That wasn't pride, or arrogance talking. She hated to admit it, but she was just stronger than everyone else. It was a simple fact.

"You're right, but that doesn't mean you should fight alone."

Stepping beside Pyrrha, Ren offered his hand as he rested his palm on her shoulder. She looked back at him with surprise as he gave her a small smile.

"They're our friends, so let's fight to protect them. Together."

The hand on her shoulder felt reassuring to Pyrrha. In all honestly, she never liked fighting alone. But she had friends now, who were willing to fight beside her despite how talented and skilled she was. She couldn't fight the warm smile on her face.

"Then let's do our best." Pyrrha said with a gentle expression before steeling her emotions and glaring back at Roman with a firm resolve, "And take this criminal down!"

 _'The Girl Destined for Ruin, and The Mind, working together as one.'_ Now Roman's excitement was peaked. He was starting to look forward to the fight with high hopes, _'What a combination! I think I might have to bust some of my mid-tier abilities and spells to actually take them down.'_ And here he thought Ren had taken his advice and given up on playing The Game. No doubt his renewed energy was the doing of Jaune, the kid had a way of inspiring even the most difficult people.

With Ren's Reactions and experience, plus Pyrrha's natural combat prowess and impressive mastery over her semblance, they posed a challenge at even their current levels. Now this was going to be a challenge!

Unfortunately for Roman, all fun had to come to an end. And that end came in the form reality blaring its sirens.

"Freeze! Roman Torchwick, stand down and put your hands behind your back! We have authority to shoot if you do not comply!"

The sound of a large number of footsteps cut Roman's fun then and there as the entire Vale Police Force stormed the docks, armed with heavy armor and weaponry as they raised a circle of riot shields to trap him. From the crowd of police, a red-haired woman wearing the standard uniform pushed through with a mic in hand.

"Game's over, Fancy Pants. You ain't got nowhere to run." Ann smirked smugly as she aimed her own standard gun at the wanted criminal.

Roman groaned in frustration at the new company. But he was just starting to get into the fight! Spoilsports. Guess this was part of the consequences for running past his scheduled deadline.

"Now, you say I don't have anywhere to go, but I care to disagree." he said smoothly as he turned away from Pyrrha and Ren to meet the police force with a confident grin, "You're just a gaggle of cops, and I've fought children stronger than twenty of you."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Most of our men wouldn't cut it to pass as hunters. But that's why I got me a secret weapon!" Ann grinned back before a familiar orange haired girl stepped up beside her.

Penny waved her hand at Roman as he stiffened, "Salutations, Roman Torchwick! By order of the Vale City Police, and several commanding forces in Remnant and even Mr. Ironwood's orders, I hereby place you under arrest!" she said with bubbly grin as her backpack opened to levitate several swords behind her. Her eyes suddenly narrowed, her pupils growing a small red tint as she took notice of Ruby and her new friends laying around with wounds of varying degrees around the man. Her blades glinted dangerously before the tips folded and revealed slitted barrels glowing with green plasma energy.

"I'm more than willing to use force if you refuse and even encourage such an action."

 _'Yeah, no. I think I'm done here.'_ Roman thought with a drawl. He was a high level, hitting the current level cap before even Adam, but he wasn't dumb enough to take on that many opponents while including Ironwood's little puppet. The girl was actually stronger than Pyrrha and could beat her if it wasn't for the whole metal thing. Add in Ren, Jaune, and the rest of the hunters once they recovered and he would have a hard time winning. And that wasn't a gamble he wanted to take right now.

Besides, he had his fun. Roman glanced back to Jaune, finding the blond's tired blue eyes still glaring at him with a glare. He may not have gotten the Dust he needed, but he got something even better out of it. Besides, he had little back up plan just in case he failed Cinder's mission. What mattered was not getting caught.

So, with a begrudging sigh, Roman threw his arms apart as Melodic Cudgel warped into his inventory in a show of surrender.

"I said hands behind your back." Ann said sternly before Roman gave the red-haired woman a mischievous grin. She frowned, following the line of his palm before finding a dirty, mess of blond hair in her sights. Her heart clenched as sparks bounced around the criminal's hands.

"Sorry to cut and run, but this man has got to skedaddle. But before I go, some payback."

Quicker than any of them could react, a spear of lightning shot of Roman's palm with its aim set on Jaune. On instinct, Jaune threw Ciel to the side so she wouldn't get caught in the attack before moving to dodge. He flinched deeply as his legs wobbled, nearly toppling him over as he was left to watch the spear come closer. He shut his eyes in frustration and prepared to weather the attack.

 _ **'Critical Hit!'**_

From thin air, Ren suddenly appeared right in front of Jaune, surprising everyone as he seemed to fade into the scene, his body gaining its color as a faint gray dye drained. Ren grit his teeth as he got in the way of the spell, piercing his chest before he clapped his hands onto its handles before it could exit out and harm his leader. His body lit up in a beacon of lightning, horribly burning his skin as he tried to suppress a shout of pain as his eyes went wide in agony. Eventually the voltage running through his system died down, leaving him slumping forward as smoke bellowed from his body. Faintly, he could hear people shouting his name, bringing a weak smile to his face before he fell back and his consciousness left him.

 _'Why did I get in the way? I don't even remember moving my feet. Oh well, it looks like I wouldn't have stood much a chance anyway. At my level, I'm nowhere close to keeping up with Roman yet.'_

With a groan, Jaune quickly caught his friend as he fell back. He checked his HP with a quick scan and sighed with relief before slumping back against the cool surface of a Schnee Dust crate.

 _ **Lie Ren, Mind of The Gamer.**_

 _ **6,100HP/9,600HP [Severe Paralysis/Bleeding/K.O].**_

The pain of the shocking spear must have been too much for Ren to handle. Jaune smiled at his friend before feeling his eyes grow heavy again. He snarled in frustration as his muscles tensed, panting in heavy breaths as clenched his fist.

 _'Not now! I can't lose consciousness when Roman's still here! I have to fight! I have to-'_

A sharp chop to the back of Jaune's head cut off his thoughts as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He gasped weakly before falling into Ciel's arms as she dropped her knife hand.

"You're in too much pain and too little energy to be fighting anymore. You'll only be hurting yourself more." Ciel said softly as she eased both boys down. She went on the defensive as she turned eyes back to Roman, his grin still in place as an army of guns aimed for him.

Ann bit back a curse as she lost control of her emotions. The second Roman aimed to harm Jaune, she pulled the trigger of her gun and watched the bullet cut through the air and dig through Roman's skull. The master thief made no motion of feeling the bullet break through his skull, frozen deathly still before the hole in his forehead cracked. Everyone watching by witnessed Roman's body audibly crack before shattering into shards of glass.

"What just happened?" Ann said breathlessly as the orange haired man disappeared with the glass breaking illusion.

"He's a fucking wizard! I told you they existed!"

"Not now, Rob! Get your shit together and take in what White Fang remain! And somebody treat the wounded kids already!" Ann commanded loudly as the many heavily armed cops scrambled into action. She didn't waste a second either as she sprinted over to Jaune. She scowled as she stopped in front of the knocked-out blond as his partner hovered over him and the raven-haired boy next to him.

"Are they alright?"

Pyrrha spun her head back and found the officer from earlier standing behind her. It took her a second to process what was asked but nodded weakly as she bit her lip.

"Jaune thankfully appears fine other than exhaustion and some wounds that are still healing, his aura's already working on fixing him up. But Ren seems to be more wounded." she said worriedly as she added more pressure to the spear wound still bleeding, "He's losing blood and it appears he's suffering from paralysis."

"Don't worry, I'll have some medics look over them once an ambulance arrives. Until then, keep pressure on the wound. Do any of you know first aid?" she asked them before getting a nod from the dark-skinned girl besides them. "Good. Start by treating this guy, both of you. I'll treat the wounds on Blondie in the meantime."

"What about the others?" Pyrrha asked as she turned her eyes for the rest of their friends.

"I already have some of my own guys doing what they can to treat them until more help arrives. They'll be fine, so don't worry." Ann smiled reassuringly before moving over to Jaune. She moved back a lock of her hair as she found herself staring at his sleeping face, lost in memory.

 _'Ann, I'm sorry.'_

Jaune's bloody, heavily bruised, sobbing face popped to mind. She smiled sadly as she gently caressed the bullet scar created from the man she had seen as a father. It had only been two months since she had last seen him in a similar state for crying out loud. Not the reunion she had been hoping for.

 _'You damn idiot, you don't look anything different since then.'_ He was still the same stumbling blond boy with a heroic heart. Always getting into trouble for someone's sake. And ignoring his wellbeing for what he believed in.

The sound of sirens drawing closer signaled Ann that their help was close by. With some effort, she lifted Jaune up and supported him on her shoulder as she walked over to the parked ambulances.

Breaking through the crowd of officers, medics, and even news reporters who caught wind of the activity, Officer Church found Annabel with a familiar mess of blond hair. He sighed, feeling a headache coming on. Why was it that whenever something went wrong in Vale, Jaune could be found in the mess? Filled with questions, he made his way over to the red-haired girl handing Jaune over to a medic.

"Dare I ask what happened?"

Spinning her head back in surprise, Ann grimaced as she came face to face with the man currently watching over her well-being. He narrowed his eyes at the young woman as he tapped his foot impatiently.

"And do you want to tell me why you're here? You're a trainee, well, intern more like it. The moment trouble like this goes down, I expect you to return to the station while we do our work. And where's Penny? I can't even begin to tell you how much trouble we'd get if we lost one of Ironwood's students."

"She's close by. One of her friends was hurt during the attack and she's currently with her as we speak. Look." Pointing her finger past Church, she gestured to the odd orange curled girl hovering over Ruby as the small girl came too. Ann then crossed her arms with annoyance as she looked away, "And I was close by when the commotion began. Plus no one else was nearby when you sent out all these men to investigate. Someone had to take charge."

"Yeah, but not you. I can already hear the rant the Chief's going to go on when he finds out about this. You're lucky he even let you work at the front desk." Church groaned as he rubbed his head. Chief Rola wasn't Annabel's biggest fan. If it was up to him, she would have been locked up for her crimes. The only reason she was working at the station was a favor the chief owed Church after Annabel had expressed how she started to want to make up for all her crimes. She was supposed to be helping with paperwork, not leading an ambush.

But what was done was done. What mattered now was taking what White Fang members they could into custody. He could get the story out of the grunts one way or the other. One thing was for sure, Barbie was going to have a field day as interrogator.

"I'm not happy with what went down, but we can deal with that after figuring out what exactly happened tonight. And why our old friend Jaune over here is out in this mess." he sighed as he gestured to the blond knight currently being strapped onto a gurney.

Ann nodded her head with reluctance. She had a feeling she was going to be in a world of trouble for taking charge like that. But she'd be damned if she just stood by and watched. Turning back to Jaune, she bit her lip as they loaded him up into the back of the ambulance and shut the doors.

 _'I guess now's not the time for a reunion. What rotten luck.'_ Ann thought sadly before a loud ruckus caught her attention.

Church must have heard it too as he frowned and ran over to the source of the noise. Ann followed closely, stopping along with the senior officer as group of officers stood in the way of a warehouse. The officers stood frozen after opening the large doors of the warehouse, losing their voices at what they were seeing.

"What's going on here? Why are you all just standing ther-" Moving past the silent officers, Church found his own voice dying as he got a good look at the inside of the warehouse.

Bodies of the White Fang laid around, mangled and strewn around like rag dolls. Limbs could be seen lobbed off like some animal had gone rabid. Blood spattered the floor and even heads chopped off laid about with frozen expressions, their mask shattered to bits. The stench of rotten flesh hit his senses, breaking him out of his stupor along with the rest of his brothers in uniform. It wasn't a surprise to hear a few of them retching.

"What the fuck happened here?" Ann whispered deathly still, her own eyes not believing the sight. She'd witnessed some messed up things in her life, but this was just grotesque.

Church didn't answer, choosing to fight back his own sickness as he walked into the slaughter grounds. Past the horribly disfigured bodies, he found deep slashes and even marks of fire about. A few embers remained on some of the dead, crackling lightly in dark shades of black-red. What an odd color for fire. Just looking around at all the carnage and destruction told him one thing.

Whoever did it wasn't human.

"Seal the doors, NOW." Church commanded fiercely as he turned away from the drying bloodbath and walked out to the open. The officers standing by didn't need to be told twice as they moved to shut the large doors and set up the yellow tape. Reaching into his pocket, he twisted the cap off his flask and took a large swig of the strong liquor.

 _'My night's not getting any shorter. And the Chief's not going to be able to keep his dry streak going any longer once he sees this.'_ Too bad, the Chief was three weeks sober too. It looked like they were going to need to hide the strong liquor again.

Following along Church, Ann was silent as the police activity around them drowned out all noise. She didn't understand what was currently happening, only that Jaune was once again at the center of another mess. It was looking like their reunion was only getting pushed back further and further.

* * *

 _ **'You're Level has risen by 1! A new Ability has been Unlocked! DeathMill, Unlocked! A File has surfaced! File004: DeathKnight, Recovered!'**_

In the empty streets of Vale, a lone boy walked the sidewalk as blood trailed the edges of his tattered dark cloak. His face couldn't be seen, only the faint white tips of his messy silver-white hair as he kept his red eyes ahead.

A baseball sized wisp of azure flames floated beside him, grinning toothily with satisfaction.

"Wow, that was killer! The way you tore into them and slaughtered every last one of those grunts even as they dealt some heavy damage to you! For a Lvl5, you were a beast! I can't even get goosebumps, but I think I've got them. Look! My flames are ridged!" Will said gleefully.

"Lvl10."

Will's beady red eyes blinked as the cloaked boy spoke, "Eh?"

"Lvl10, I'm no longer a Lvl5. The EXP boost from killing those grunts made sure of that."

"Good point. At least you listened to me about the benefits of killing your enemy. If you want to level up fast, then you need to aim for that boost! Don't be like that coward Jaune-"

"I AM NOT A COWARD!" The boy roared furiously as he glared hatefully at the ball of godly flames.

The Will didn't pay the boy no mind, staring back at the seething red eyes flatly, "We've been over this, I can't call you Jaune, or Heart. That spots taken. At least for now." it chided as the boy scoffed and turned away, "You're just going to have to settle for something else in the meantime."

The cloaked, white haired boy with red eyes bit back shout of frustration as he clenched his fists. He didn't care what the so called 'god' said, his name was Jaune, Jaune Arc. And no one could tell him different.

"Call me what you want, but I'll always be Jaune. And once I've grown stronger and mastered this power, I'll be sure to take that name back." he said bitterly.

Glad to have come to an understanding, Will danced around happily as it already had a name in mind. And the perfect Title for his newest little Gamer.

"Don't worry, as The Will of The Gamer, your Will will overwrite all those in your way. So, just trust in me and I'll help you regain your rightful place as The Heart," Will said soothingly before breaking out into a face splitting wide grin.

"Blanc."

* * *

 **The Night ends with questions. A once bright color, dulled by death and bitterness to a white shade follows his Will of vengeance. The battle is over, and Jaune now awaits one final hurdle as the semester ends.**

" **Ya damn punk! Born with natural talent from a family of warriors, it's easy for you to shine like a bigshot! It's people like you I hate the most!"**

 **Their is only one true star, one hero to the story. A battle of stars awaits. Jealously can be an ugly sin.**

 **You know what that means, right? Yup, Multiplayer is finally coming to an end. Well, Volume 1 is. We have a free event coming up, the last one. No more DLC's either, not until Volume 2. It's time for me to wrap this up with one last huzzah! Chapter 27 will be the last chapter to the story of Volume 1. Let's see if we can hit 900 reviews!**

 **As for the final Lost Fairy Tale for this volume, I have news on that on the final chapter. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten it. It's a very special one. Along with news on that, we will also have news on The Journal. So, keep your eyes peeled for that.**

 **Sorry for the long chapter, I can't help myself sometimes. Hope you enjoyed it. We should have the next chapter up in two weeks, that's just how long it takes nowadays. I wonder why? . . .Okay, so maybe I do need to go to rehab.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	26. A Ways to Go

**Look who's back? NeoShadows! Here despite the new scar running over his lip to his nose. Stitches be a bitch.**

 **Sorry for the delay, again. This chapter that I thought would only be 20k+ turned out to go on further then I had originally thought. You all know my crippling over writing affliction. So, I decided to split it in half! That's right, not only do I have one chapter, but I got a second one ready to go for next week! Ain't that nice? Which means I am currently now working on the last chapter of the Volume. One last bang before we go on break!**

 **And on another note, this also took longer to finish do to having to go to the hospital two weeks ago. Let's just say I learned a lesson I won't forget and leave it at that. Now I got scar from the top left of my lip reaching to my nose. The damn thing was split and hanging!**

 **But enough of my newest scar, lets get some reviews out of the way!**

 **Remval Von Enili: Oh, that's a secret. It's a unique power granted to him because of what he is. And that's only scratching the surface of what The Will of The Gamer can do. I'm going to have fun with this.**

 **Ssjzohan: I love that girl to death, best waifu in my opinion. I can't believe I'm admitting that. Eh, its the internet. I haven't got to play NG+ just yet. Got to finish up writing before I can divulge in that game again.**

 **Benthino: Ah, Roman. He was my favorite to write. And his reasons are well hidden along with his past. I've drizzled hints here and there. Let's see who can find them first. Oh, don't think we're done with DLC just yet. No, I got something special in store that I can't reveal just yet. Just you wait, it's a big one.**

 **That Guy: Yup, its confirmed. It's secretly been written and halfway done with its first chapter. Wait till it comes out later this summer, my friend. Oh, and I love what you wrote about the titles. Can't confirm anything though, but it's insightful. But Roman's reasons are hidden. And it does have to do with Freedom in a way.**

 **EiNyx: Eh, I've never been much for a white knight either. I've always like the morally gray characters that knew both right and wrong. You mustn't forget that this is still Jaune's first life. Do you think everyone else was just dropped into The Game as they are now? Don't worry, you'll see some character progression. We've only just begun. After all, the more white a person is, the more you can see the stains on them.**

 **Saint Danielle: Eh, we'll eventually get others to notice. Slowly, but surely. For the moment, it's up to the fans to spread the message of this story! Because I have no idea how to do that. Oh, just you wait. Eventually you'll see bits of their past lives in The Game that made them what they are. As for the Gamer Files idea, it's not a bad idea. Something to mull over another. And you'll get some insight on Helios this chapter before the final chapter of the Arc. He definitely has his reasons that go beyond pride and arrogance.**

 **Azalmega: Criticism is simply insight. Got carried away on the fight with the mechanical ice boar, which honestly wasn't needed other then for fun and some interaction. As for Roman's character, boy was he fun to write. He represents what typical Gamers are, in it for the fun and caring very little for the Story. All he wants to do is play his way. And remember, Roman is the one who has been around the longest, so of course he would come prepared to deal with just about every situation. He's a thief, he doesn't play fair and is a master of trump cards. And Roman's not exactly evil, or good. He simply cares about himself and his own fun. Of course I wouldn't be done with Ann, she's one of my favorite characters that I created. And your critisms are welcomed, they help out as writer. I ain't a professional you know? As for the multi type thing, eh, I can only try.**

 **Keyblademaster65: Long comment indeed. Kinda hard to follow with the improper sentence structure, but I got the jest of it. Jaune's character is flawed, that's a no brainier. I can't say if he's going to stay with the same mentality, due to spoilers. But trust me, I know what I'm doing. Gotta trust your shadow. As for his view of black and white with The Game, what would you expect out of him? It's his first life. Even the other Gamers had similar views before The Game eventually got to them. And the melodrama is something I can't say much on right now. I write out the story as I see it in my head, so I don't really know what else to change if it feels right. But I do got my Beta to help point out things that seem too cliché or don't fit, so don't worry. Your criticism is welcomed, so don't worry.**

 **TouchMyFluffy: Originally, Ch.27 was going to be the finale chapter of this volume. But now its been moved up to 28 which I'm currently working on. After that, I have a surprise in store that won't be revealed for a few weeks after the final chapter of the volume. Then I will go on hiatus with Multiplayer until Volume 5 of RWBY is released, which I'm hoping is around October again. But I will have another story or two published after my two month break on writing. I'm happy you loved the story. Hope to keep you around.**

 **L337 M4n: RWBY Chibi. Well, some bits I suppose. It's actually what inspired Jaune's chibi character of the friends he's unlocked on his scroll. As for DLC, I got something planned.**

 **PhantomStranger: Good to have ya back. I had hinted towards Roman being the last of the four Players, so it wasn't too surprising for most. And even with his countless lifetimes of experience, we've learned that doesn't exactly make him out as invincible. Arrogance can be a weakness too. And losing Crocea Mors shield was a nasty punch. But it leaves a chance at evolution. I already got the new design in mind, but I like the names you created. Just might use them for future weapons if the opportunity arises. I still haven't updated what DLC's are canon, have I? Gonna need to fix that some time. Oh, and you'll learn more about Tsuki this chapter and the next.**

 **SonicFanFlame: I promise Fucking nothing!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. I've been on pills the last week though to deal with the stitched lip, so I might have believed so. God damn purple dragon, you'll think you'll catch it every fucking time, but it just giggles and eggs you on! And here I thought only Heroin Hero could make me see that fucker. This is what I get for listening to that Gamestop employee's video game suggestions. I just wanted to play Guitar Hero and reach Superstardom, damn it!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 26: A Ways to Go.**

With a groan and a grimace, Roman once again broke his right arm before his aura coated his arm. With his bones carefully fixed back to their proper place his aura could finally resume fixing his arm. Too bad it would be a slow process right now. Laying back in the back seat of the airship, he glanced out the window to the police activity scrambling to find his whereabouts from below. They wouldn't find any sign of him now, he had an illusion hiding them away as they made their escape into the night sky.

 _ **'Dust or Bust, Failed! The Time limit has been overstepped, causing an automatic failure! Robberies in Vale will now become more difficult even at night! Cinder's trust in you has fallen! No rewards will be granted upon failure of the mission.'**_

Roman swiped the unseen message away with a grunt. That's right, he almost forgot about the penalties for the mission he was on. How long had it been since he failed Dust or Bust? It was an easy mission especially at his current level. Fighting Jaune had taken up so much of his attention that he had forgot about securing the pay load of Dust. Well at least he had one airship of the natural magic in cargo. From the seat next to him, the empty space glistened before shattering like glass to reveal the pink and brown-haired girl responsible for his escape.

"You done good, Neo, you done good." he chuckled as he patted the small girl's head. Neo gave him a thumb's up and a grin before reaching out her open hand. Knowing what she wanted, Roman dropped the girl's favorite treat, a cone of neopolitan ice cream, into her hand from his Inventory. It paid to keep a large supply of the frozen custard on hand when working with his favorite little assistant.

Neo took the treat with glee and immediately began licking the cone as Roman turned his attention to the pilot of their aircraft.

"So, how did the test drive go, Perry?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

Perry grumbled under his breath as he rubbed the bruises over his face. It was only thanks to Neo that he had escaped capture when all eyes fell on Roman. The second he was awoken with several slaps to the face he had gone to get an airship ready with her help.

"My beautiful Arctic Warthog was blow to smithereens! All that time, effort, Lien, down the drain! All because of some no-good brats." Perry wallowed in the despair of his war machine's demise. And he just bought an awesome design for the paint job he had in mind!

"Eh, you shouldn't worry too much about it. We can always snag us some more Atlesian tech when we want." Roman said nonchalantly as he waved off the faunus's troubles.

"But I even lost my guiding program, La! She was my everything!"

 _'Not this again.'_ The dog boy had a weird obsession for his virtual assistants. Roman was sure Neo had a word for them, Waifu if he remembered right. Perry was always an odd one. But he was smart and knew how to make a dangerous weapon.

"Forget about your pretend wifey and focus on getting us out of here. We only have a few crates of Dust on us, but it's better than nothing."

Perry nodded as he decided to lament another time. It was pretty late and after today's events he could use a long nap. He could always work on programming another assistant some other time. Oh! Maybe he could have her with pink swirls this time?

A yawn escaped Roman's mouth as he settled back into his seat. It had been a while since he felt this tired after a mission. Even though he hadn't used even a quarter of his full power, the fight with Jaune had actually drained him a bit. Despite Jaune's lack of experience, he had proved himself capable of lasting longer than he had thought.

 _'Jaune Arc, The Heart. Is he the reason for the odd Perk?'_ Bringing up his Menu screen, Roman searched for the Perk that had suddenly popped up and locked itself to his status.

 _ **'Star Stillness. A unique Perk granted to all four Players in the game. From now on, all Players are permanently locked with The Gamer's abilities and powers till one reaches the True End. Killing another Player is now impossible in PVP. It will now activate an automated revival upon death. Only in Special Events can Players kill one another. Death outside these means still count in Game Over. Have fun!'**_

Roman didn't use Perks. His Quirk revolved around exploiting the mechanics of the world in his favor as Cheats. This was the first time he had ever received a Perk. Now with Star Stillness in place, all four of the current Players were locked with The Gamer until they reached the True End. Why? Why now of all times did The Game decided to lock them with The Gamer? It didn't make any sense.

Thinking about it now wouldn't do him much good. He still had a broken arm to take care of. By now, he was used to pain of all kinds, so he wasn't suffering much. It still hurt, but he could ignore it during his fight. And sadly, he didn't level up his Medic Class enough to evolve it into Surgeon to fix his arm back like that. After all this was over with he was going to have to take some time to level that class up.

With one last glance back at the docks, Roman shut his eyes for a small moment of rest.

The Game was changing. It had been a long time since such a thing happened. But nothing would change. Life was a game. And he would continue to play it his way. Why try ending his immortal life for a stupid wish?

For a split second, Roman's mind went hazy. It was like a static image was playing, too corrupted to properly process what he was seeing. He could make out what sounded like two voices call out to him before the image died away as quickly as it came. He paid it no mind, chalking it up to his weariness.

* * *

 ** _A Day later._**

The first thing to hit Jaune's senses when he finally awoke to the familiar sight of the hospital ceiling was the dry, ashy taste in his mouth. Then came the soreness of his entire body aching.

"W-What happened?" Jaune groaned weakly as he sat up from his hospital bed. For some reason, his head was killing him, like he had just woken up from a hangover. Funny, he didn't even know what that felt like but it was the first thing to come to mind. A sharp pain suddenly hit his stomach, causing him to groan and bend over as he held his abdomen. Pulling up his hospital gown, he found the area of his stomach bandaged up, no doubt due to the colossal blow courtesy of Roman.

 _'Roman!'_ Spinning his head around in alarm, Jaune tried to locate the deadly trickster only to groan as his body once again ached.

"Don't strain yourself, there's nothing to worry about right now. The Event's over and Roman's escaped."

Turning his head over to the side, Jaune was surprised to find Ren laying back in a hospital bed as well. Unlike Jaune though, Ren wasn't wearing a gown, instead he was left bare chested with bandages wrapped around the upper area of his chest. The silent Player had his eyes shut, trying to enjoy the rare moment of solace and peace before his leader decided to join him.

"Please don't say something cliché like 'Ren, what's going on?' or 'Ren! Are you alright?'. My head's already killing me as it is, I don't feel like dealing with your crap right now." Ren said a grunt.

Jaune opened his mouth to protest, before rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. That was exactly what he was going to say. Sometimes it sucked having a friend who literally knew everything about you down to a T. Who would have thought Ren had some snark in him? Taking another look around the hospital room they shared, Jaune finally noticed that the clock above had yet to move any of its hands. It looked like Ren had called a Pause the moment he noticed he was waking up.

"Then can you tell me what happened after the docks? How long have we been sleeping?" Jaune asked as he fell back to his bed.

Fully opening his own eyes with a sigh, Ren sat up carefully as he answered his leader's question, "I don't exactly know the details of what happened after I was KO'd by Roman's attack. I woke up in the early morning and the nurses were quick to make me lay back down and get more rest. It's only been three hours since then."

Hearing that, Jaune did take notice that the frozen clock read 8:13 a.m.

"Besides, shouldn't you know what went down? You were still standing last I saw." he said curiously before Jaune laughed weakly.

"When I saw you go down, the last of my patience went out and I was ready to charge in, sword blazing. But Ciel must have not liked that seeing as everything went dark with a karate chop to the neck. Did you know that actually works?"

Ren smacked his forehead at that, "Yes, Jaune, we've already been over this once. Not everything you see in movies is fake." he said tiredly before deciding to follow his friend and lay back. His chest was still sore, so he really shouldn't be sitting up right now, "And to answer your second question, it's Tuesday. Since last Sunday night, we've been sleeping for an entire day and missed out on school. I can't remember the last time I ever missed a day of school this early in the game." he grumbled to himself.

Well, that answered both of his questions. But it still wasn't enough to settle Jaune down as he thought back to the night's events.

"What about the others? Are. . .are they okay?" Jaune said softly, almost too afraid to even ask.

Ren stiffened, looking down at his hands as he thought back to their fight with Roman.

"I don't know. I tried asking the nurse about the rest, but she said she had no idea to their conditions. I don't even know if they're in room across from us being treated for their wounds. For all we know, Roman could have killed one of them before leaving."

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Jaune shouted angrily as he banged the railing of his bed with his fist. The metal bent horribly with a groan as his breathing became ragged, his blue eyes shaking with anxiety as he tried to calm down. The very thought of one of their friends killed because they weren't strong enough to protect them tore at his heart. How could Ren say something so calmly?

Ren didn't pay the outburst any mind, sighing tiredly as he shook his head.

"Don't go losing your cool again. It's a possibility, but not a strong one. Roman does whatever he wants, he doesn't believe in rules and literally plays The Game as a game. If he wanted to kill any of us, he would have done so. But he knows the drawbacks to killing any of us. If he killed Weiss, the SDC and all of Atlas would hunt him down, if he killed Blake, Adam would turn on him and focus this world on making him suffer, if he killed Ruby, he would have to worry about her father and uncle coming for him, same as Yang." Ren explained as he thought back to the risks that came to hurting those particular NPC's, "Roman loves fighting, but he isn't like Adam in wanting that much of a challenge. I'm positive that they're alright and not as wounded as us." At least he hoped.

Jaune didn't like the answer. He didn't want to sit around until they could finally be told what happened to their friends, it would kill him. Reaching for his scroll, he quickly opened up the Bonds menu and sighed in relief. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha, Nora, and Tsuki were still alive. Unfortunately, he hadn't unlocked Sun, Ciel, or Penny's friendships yet, so he had no way of knowing their status. He could only trust that they made it out of the mess just fine. Out of curiosity, he opened each girl's status to check up on them.

 _ **'Ruby Rose. Friendship: Lvl 9. Affection: Locked. Status: Bored, worried, wishing for class to be over with. Soul Link: Locked.'**_ A small chibi Ruby sat in class along with a small version of Weiss, resting her head on the desk as she listened to another one of Professor Port's lectures in boredom. A small little thought cloud hovered over her head, revealing worried thoughts of Jaune and even Yang. Seeing that, Jaune scrolled over for Yang's status to see how she was doing.

 _ **'Yang Xiao Long. Friendship: Lvl 9. Affection. Locked. Status: Bored, aggravated, hungry, and frustrated. She really wants to punch a certain someone. Soul Link: Locked.'**_

Jaune didn't know what to say as he watched chibi Yang butt heads with a chibi version of Tsuki, both in hospital gowns as they slapped each other like children. Well, she seemed alright. But that only meant that she was still being treated for her own wounds like the two of them. Suddenly, Tsuki's eyes turned away from Yang as she back handed the girl out of her bed and stared back at his own. The chibi raven didn't say anything, choosing instead to take out a whiteboard slab and write something down with a sharpie. Finished with what she wanted to say, she turned the cardboard over to reveal her message with little emotion.

 _ **'Let's bang.'**_

 _'There's something seriously wrong with that girl.'_ Jaune thought with a slacked jaw. Was that what Tsuki was really thinking right now? What the hell did he do to gain that sort of attention from someone as cool and beautiful as her? This was The Game's doing, it just had to be.

"Do I want to know what's up with your face right now?" Ren asked as it looked like the color in Jaune's face drained.

"Just. . .more of The Game's crap is all." Jaune replied back with some strain. He gripped his white blanket in frustration as some bitterness seeped out of his voice.

Ren knew that tone all too well, "It seems a lot more went down during your two-day absence."

Jaune nodded back stiffly, "Yeah, a lot more than I was prepared for. It looks like I got more than a wound from my past haunting me since I was brought back." he said tiredly, his eyes growing dark as he remembered what he left behind, "Did you know that my dad's in a coma, constantly waking and falling back into a deep sleep from a severe injury that his aura can't heal completely?"

Hearing that, Ren was taken back by surprise. He knew of the father of the Arc household, having met the powerful man in his many lifetimes. To hear that Alexander Arc was in such a condition was shocking.

"When did this happen?" he couldn't help but ask before Jaune let out a weak chuckle and met his eyes with a bitter smile.

"Don't know. Apparently, during the whole process of granting my soul The Gamer's Heart, parts of my earlier memories were lost. Looking back even my first day in Beacon is kind of hazy. Isn't that a pleasant surprise?" he said dryly.

"That doesn't make any sense. Something such as memory loss has never happened to any of the past Players in The Game."

"Well, I guess I'm a special case. It shouldn't be much of a surprise when I think about it. Since waking up in the Emerald Forest after dying to the White Fang Lieutenant, my powers and body haven't been right. I've been 'patched' or nerfed as Husk says twice now. And let's not forget about my old buddy here." Jaune gestured to his chest where his death scar laid with weariness, "I have the scar of that day which shouldn't be possible if what you were saying is right. Compared to you, Adam, and Roman, I'm the odd man out."

 _'But why?'_ When Ren looked back to all the problems Jaune faced as a Player, he realized that what Jaune was saying was right; Jaune was the odd one out. No one who had attained The Gamer had ever had to deal with any of Jaune's problems. Did it have to do with the way Jaune's soul had gained The Gamer?

"When an NPC is given the powers of The Gamer, they gain it because they willingly gave up their souls to The Will for various reasons. Then one of two things happen. One, The Will plants the soul of the NPC with The Gamer in the next Reset and waits for the power to manifest itself during an event. And two, The Will steals the soul of the NPC when it dies after giving them its soul and overwrites the NPC's soul in the reset while granting it The Gamer." Ren began to explain as he crossed his arms in thought, "The first method is the simplest way to grant The Gamer. But the second method is to give the Player some experience if they're lacking any. I know Adam was born with The Gamer, but I guess you could say that my method wasn't normal. Apparently, I missed my chance to sprout my powers of The Gamer and had The Will and Remnant turn back time to the event I should have gained them. That's actually when I met Roman."

"You recalled your previous life, so you fall under the second method. But I can't see any reason why you would have your level set back to 1, your abilities and bits of Player information missing, or your lack of memories along with your scar. Up until now I never thought such things were possible." Ren said with his own frustration. Up until now, The Game was simple and had little errors. So, why were things not making any sense now?

Despite how the errors had been eating away at his thoughts, Jaune shrugged his shoulders. He knew there wasn't anything he could do to restore his memories right now or fix what was wrong with his body. He already knew that sulking about it wouldn't get him anywhere good, just into a deeper hole.

"Well thinking about it won't do me much. If anything, it only further drives me to end Will's game. That little bastard is the reason why I'm in this mess to begin with." Jaune bit out with a growl. He could already picture the flame ball grinning widely with glee at his frustration.

"True, it is The Will's fault for your shoddy programming seeing as it's in charge of the Players functions and potential. But you have yourself to blame for becoming a Player." Ren chuckled before grimacing lightly as the action strained his chest.

"What did I do?" Jaune asked with a frown.

Staring back up at the ceiling, Ren became wistful as he recalled how he had gained The Gamer, "I don't exactly know what I did to give up my soul to The Will in the past life before being born with The Gamer, but I know I promised myself that I would never let what happened to my home happen to anyone else. I was done being afraid, of being weak, and charged into a village suffering the same tragedy as my home's downfall. That act of bravery bore my Title as The Mind and I accepted it."

 _'Just a bit more! I DON'T CARE IF THIS POWER COMES WITH A PRICE! I'LL GIVE YOU MY SOUL, JUST LET ME PROTECT WEISS A LITTLE LONGER! SO, PLEASE STAY!'_

Jaune's eyes went distant as he gazed down at his hand. So, this was the price he had to pay for the power that allowed him to protect Weiss that day? It was The Will who had heard his plea and collected the debt, which in turn revived him with The Gamer's Heart. Did that mean if he didn't sacrifice his life to save her, he wouldn't have had to live this cursed life?

"Do you regret it? The price you paid for that power?"

Jaune made a noise of surprise as he was brought out of his thoughts. He turned his eyes back to Ren, finding the raven-haired boy staring intently at him. The question came back to mind as he went back to staring at his hand. The image of his own blood painted over his skin, the feeling of his breath dying with each passing second, the sensation of his intestines, stomach, and lungs being sawed by furious metal chained teeth, and the fear as his heart slowed came back at that moment. He shut his eyes to rid the memory of that painful time of his final moments.

Icy blue eyes suddenly stared back at him, the life in those orbs easing his anxiety and doubts.

"No, I don't. Not as long as Weiss could live with the rest of her friends and family. What's going on with my body, and my memories, sucks. It really sucks." his voice trembled as his heart clenched, but he fought his tears as he looked back at Ren firmly with a small smile, "But I would never take back what I did that day. For one moment, I was a hero and I saved a life. If this is the price I have to pay for saving her life, then I just have to grit my teeth and bare it!" he said strongly.

Jaune's answer brought a smirk to Ren's lips. Typical Jaune answer. But not a one he could really hate. That was the one thing he could say he liked about his leader. As cliché as the blond knight could be, his heart was always in the right place and he never went back on his actions.

"Good to hear. Because we still have a long way to go in this game. I can't have you sulking during this playthrough." Ren chuckled.

"Yeah, we can't have two Ren's here. Pretty sure Nora would go nuts with glee at that." Jaune replied flatly. Ren gave the blond a small glare for the jab.

"Seeing as that drama's done with, is there anything else you might want to know before I call off the Pause? I'd like to get the morning over with and I'm actually hungry after going the day without food." Some breakfast sounded really good right now, even if it was hospital brand.

"A lot actually." Jaune chuckled weakly. There was still the subject of Roman he wanted to talk about after all. But Jaune was in the same boat as Ren, tired, exhausted, and more importantly, hungry. Matters such as that could wait for now. "But for now, we can save all that for another time. I just want to relax after all the excitement."

Glad that Jaune wasn't pushing for anything, Ren ended the Pause. The world's flow resumed, bringing with it the life of the monitors reading their vitals and the soft tick of the clock above their heads. A faint feminine yell of frustration reached their ears which was quickly followed by the sounds of breaking objects.

"Guess Yang's feeling better." Jaune said dully, recognizing the familiar shout of fury before another crashing sound reached his ears. From what he could put together from her status, she was sharing a room with Tsuki. What was it about the dark-haired girl that rubbed Yang the wrong way?

"Is it wrong that some part of me wishes they were still knocked out?"

Opening the door to Jaune and Ren's hospital room, the familiar bubblegum pink ponytail of Ms. Sprig met the two with an exhausted sigh. As always dark bags could be seen around her eyes from lack of sleep. She fought a yawn as she greeted the two boys with a lazy wave.

"Good morning, Mr. Lie. It's good to see you finally awake. Seems your aura did most of our work for us, it doesn't appear like that wound has left any lasting damage." Ms. Sprig said with a small smile. Walking over to the raven-haired boy, she began to inspect the area of the electrical stab wound. "Tell me, do you feel any pain when I put pressure here?"

Ren shook his head with a small grunt, "No, just some soreness and stiffness."

"Well your aura has mended the gaping hole in your chest just fine. You're lucky the guy who did this to you didn't aim the attack a few inches to the right or we would have had a pierced lung to work on. Even your aura can't fix that without some help." she said with some mirth before writing down her findings on her clipboard.

 _'If Roman wanted me dead, I wouldn't be here at all.'_ Roman knew more powerful and deadly spells that could kill with one hit alone, he was lucky the trickster was simply playing around.

Finished with her report, Ms. Sprig gave Ren a gentle pat on the back before turning for the door, "Your body will be a bit sluggish for the rest of the day, sadly there's no medicine to fix that other than some coffee maybe. But other than that, you should be fine to leave as soon as tonight after a few little check-ups. And I'll be sure to let your team know that it's fine to come by and visit once school's over with. It's actually about time I head back to campus, the Headmaster only wanted me to make sure his students were being taken care of properly by one of his own on staff."

Jaune blinked, not knowing what to do as it became clear that the pink haired nurse was ignoring him. He coughed into his fist, hoping to get her to turn her attention to him.

"Uh, Ms. Sprig? You didn't check on me." he said sheepishly.

Ms. Sprig turned her blue eyes back to Ren, her eyes dull as she blatantly ignored the blond, "I'm sorry, but did you hear something? I could have sworn I heard the sound of dry drift wood."

"What would that even sound like?!"

"There it is again. I must really have my ears checked on. Such a sound is quite annoying."

Jaune hung his head with a sigh.

 _'Just. . .try and take care of yourself from now on.'_

For some reason those words he had heard from the unmotivated nurse came to mind. Jaune bit his lip as he held his healing stomach, bandaged after nearly gutted through by a colossal blow. Idly, his eyes glanced back at the nurse's hands, clenched tightly with specks of dried blood on her gloves.

Those hands had been bloodied again.

"I'm sorry!"

Hand pausing before it could turn the knob, Ms. Sprig glanced back to the blond boy whose face was shadowed as he looked down in shame. His brow was furrowed deeply as he sucked in a breath and stared back at her with shame and a weak chuckle.

"You patched me up again, didn't you? It seems that whenever I'm hurt, you're always the one to come running in to fix me up. Even when it's some bruises or something as simple as feeling ill, you're always there to make me feel better. You even go as far as listening to my troubles when you're treating me. And all that you've ever asked of me is to take better care of myself, only to keep hurting myself to degrees such as this." he said with guilt, recalling all the times Ms. Sprig had healed him.

From his first day in Beacon when she treated him from Professor Pitho's ice balls, to his fight with Cardin, to training with Yang, and saving his life after his fight with Holt and Adam, she had been there for him. Even if Nurse Sprig acted like she didn't care and liked to groan about her duty, it was obvious to at least himself that she cared greatly for her patients. But to see someone she had treated constantly coming back wounded like him must have been vexing. It was like he was just throwing all that goodwill away.

Once again, she had bloodied her hands treating his wounds. She must have finally lost her patience with him seeing a wound as grievous as his fight with the FoF. And she had every right for growing fed up at his injuries. The bandages in his hand were nearly torn through by his grip.

Ms. Sprig was a kind person despite her attitude. Jaune didn't want to disappoint someone who had spent so much time and effort in bringing him back from his weakest.

"I know you don't like seeing idiots like me hurting themselves while playing hero. If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you hate those kinds of people. Heroes who throw away their lives and never think about the people they leave behind. But it's because of those people that I'm willing to put me life on the line like that!" Jaune said fiercely with conviction, surprising the pink haired nurse as her eyes went wide.

"I can't lie to you and say that this will be the last time you'll see me like this. Hell, I'm pretty sure there will be more times I come close to death doing something stupid in the future. So, all I can promise is to grit my teeth through whatever pain I'm in until you can fix me up again. Because I refuse to die a hero!"

 _'Not again. I won't die leaving behind the people I care about again!'_

Ms. Sprig continued to glance at Jaune, her face blank as he looked at her with those stubborn blue eyes of his. Finally, she moved, walking over to his bedside without saying a thing before moving his hand away from his abdomen. Her callous fingers ran over the bandages, moving them away to inspect the healing tissue with scrutiny.

". . .Does it hurt?"

With a strained smile, Jaune shook his head, "No, not really."

"Don't lie, you idiot." she scoffed before pulling back her hand and fixing Jaune's bandages back into place, "Your organs were bruised heavily by whatever attack nearly ran you through. A bit more force and you'd have to fake your death instead of pain. Aura is great in healing open wounds, but things such as internal bleeding, broken bones, and damaged organs are lot more complex to mend. I've treated what I could with the help of the medical staff, but you'll still be sore and sensitive around your abdomen for a couple of days. Don't strain yourself when you're out, and that also means that you're barred from combat related activities as well." she said with a small glare as she stood back to stand over the blond's bedside with her hands on her waist.

"I've already sent the Headmaster a note from the head doctor in the hospital along with my own excusing you from practice. So, don't think you can ignore the doctor's orders."

Jaune nodded nervously as he scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, I'll be sure to listen. I don't want to go seeing you too soon."

"Right." Ms. Sprig drawled before turning to Ren, "You're his teammate, correct? Make sure your leader actually listens. I can't be nagging him every waking second of the day."

"I'll do my best in making sure he takes it easy." Ren answered with a mirthful chuckle.

Trusting the raven, the pink haired nurse turned back for the door while speaking, "The doctor has prescribed some medicine to ease the pain, enough for a week which is enough for your wound to heal. You're also free to leave tonight along with Mr. Lie. So, you can go back to playing the dumb hero again, it's what you're good at. And don't worry about food, someone's already heading over to deliver breakfast."

Once again, Ms. Sprig found herself pausing at the door. She couldn't help but laugh. She was always doing that with the blond boy before she could leave. How cliché.

"I can only heal so much. I'm not a miracle worker, you know? So, please don't go going back on your word, okay?" she said softly before leaving the room.

 _ **'Artemis Spriggan's Friendship has risen by 1! A Special Gift has been rewarded! Would you like to Download it now?'**_

Shrugging his shoulders, Jaune tapped yes on the screen and proceeded to download the gift. Ren watched as a decorative treasure box softly fell onto Jaune's lap from digital code before the blond tapped it open.

 _ **'You Received Regen Ring!'**_

 _ **'Regen Ring [Accessory]: A silver metal ring with a healthy luminescent red band of energy running along the ring. Allows HP regeneration even in battle but at a small rate. The energy within beats like a rhythmic heart.'**_

The new Accessory suddenly caused Jaune to smack his head like an idiot, "Aww, man! I completely forgot about equipping Accessories before fighting Roman! I could have really used the extra boost when I had a chance." he groaned. Not wanting to make the mistake again, Jaune immediately went to equipping the newest item on his person. It was very useful gift; no way was he forgetting to equip it.

Ren wasn't going to dignify his fellow Player with a response. Instead he decided to go back to getting some rest before their food arrived. His stomach was growling with the need to feed.

* * *

Grunting as he moved his heavy feet step by step, Jaune made his way to the room Yang and Tsuki were currently resting at. At the moment, he could only move about with crutches due to a combination of exhaustion and pain, not to mention he was stuck in his hospital gown until he went home. Ren had decided to stay back, using the rare chance to rest up and catch up on some light reading from a book in his Inventory. Finding the busty huntresses hospital room wasn't too difficult, even if Ms. Sprig hadn't stopped by again with the doctor on staff to hand him their room number. He could make out their squabbling from his own room. Though now it seemed like they had finally calmed down as he found their room without any more noise bouncing off the door.

Jaune's memory after Roman's God Strike was hazy. At the time, he could only make out blurred images and distorted voices until Ren had brought him out of the red and stabilized his HP. Once he had shaken away death, he could clearly remember standing by helplessly as his friends fought the monstrous trickster, watching as they were each easily dealt with. Yang and Tsuki though had suffered the worst of Roman's brunt of attacks, that he could remember clearly. It was because of him that they were held up in the hospital, wounded facing an enemy that was leagues above them all together.

The least he could do now was check up on them. Give them some company to stave off the boredom. He might as well, seeing as breakfast hadn't arrived yet.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune raised his knuckle to the door and gave it a few raps to let them know they had a visitor. It wasn't long until someone had answered the door and pair of fox eyes greeted him back with confusion.

"Jaune? Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Rue, Tsuki's teammate smiled, instantly recognizing the blond boy at the door. Without another word, he let the leader of JNPR into the room.

"Rue? You're already visiting Tsuki? Shouldn't you be in school instead?" Jaune asked as he entered the room. As soon as he stepped in, three sets of eyes spun back to him. One of lilac purple, blood red, and bright blue.

Rue waved off the concern with a laugh as he went back to Tsuki's bedside, "We're second years, class time is cut back to make room for missions which teach us more than sitting in class. We were all supposed to head out to a Patrol mission yesterday, but seeing as our sweet raven-haired buddy was hurt from some late-night partying, we couldn't head out. So, until she's recovered, we have the next week off!" he said cheerfully.

"You don't have to sound so happy about that." Hera said with a frustrated sigh. She rubbed her head of all the mess as she sagged further into her seat with her stuffed Griffon beside her partner's bedside, "I love free time away from hunters work as much as anyone, but it didn't have to come at the cost of my friend's health." she said bitterly, petting her plushie's head for comfort.

"You worry too much, Hera! The doc's said that Tsuki only had a few second degree burns and a gaping hole near her shoulder. She's fine."

"How is that fine!?"

Walking over to the two girls, Jaune decided to greet them both with a nervous wave and grin. Like Ren, they weren't wearing gowns. Instead their upper bodies were wrapped by bandages with gauze centered around their spear wounds.

"Hey. How are you two doing?" he said weakly.

Yawning tiredly, Yang waved back as she settled back into her bed, "Not too bad after being speared by lightning. That flamboyant bastard with the bowler was actually stronger than he looked. I couldn't move a muscle after the lightning stopped crawling over my skin, so all I could do was watch as the guy beat up everyone else." she said with frustration. Reaching for her food by the bedside, Yang bit down roughly on her toast with a grumble, "Once all the fighting was done and the guy escaped, I was hulled off to the hospital with our edgy friend over here to be treated for the damage. Whoever had the bright idea to stick us together in the same room must not have got the memo that we don't exactly get along." she grumbled through a mouth full of food.

Sipping serenely from her hot cup of tea, Tsuki paid the blonde girl no mind as she focused her attention on the object of her affections, "My wounds mean very little compared to the state I had found you in that night." she said coldly with narrowed eyes.

Jaune shivered under the stare, gulping as even Yang followed along and glared at him. The day had only begun and he was already in hot water. If this was how they were going to act, then he shuddered to think how Pyrrha was going to be once she visited.

"It's not as bad as it looks! Just some flesh wounds and bruising is all." he said nervously.

"Internal bruising, I bet." Rue whispered to Hera's ear.

"You looked like you were going to kick the bucket, again." Yang scoffed, "Wasn't all my training so that you would no longer have your ass handed to you? This is the second time that we find you in some mess that a hunter shouldn't be involved in. For some reason, you and Blakey can't help yourselves but find yourselves in trouble. And look where it gets you? Back in the hospital!"

"You could have died if it wasn't for your teammate bringing you out of the brink of death's doors." Tsuki said stoically, her red eyes growing darker with her silent fury, "You are a strong man, but you let your emotions get in your way. Whatever trouble you found that night, you should have ignored it. Despite your strength, the man we all faced was on a plane of strength I cannot measure. He treated us all like a gluttoned beast full on its meal simply toying with its food out of sheer enjoyment. If he wanted to, he could have killed you without much thought."

"Where were you anyways? You've been gone for two days without a word to your teammates! Blake, I could understand with everything that's been going on with her. But you? Don't tell me you decided to play hero again and tried to stop some crime without letting your friends know again. Shit like that should be left to the cops, not some greenhorn!"

"You're trained to fight monsters, not humans. If you wished to stop such crimes, you should have enrolled in the law enforcement. And leaving your comrades in the dark is not tolerable. A team leader should always speak to his teammates about the situation and never leave them behind. Your actions have caused not only yourself, but your comrades trouble."

Jaune was finding it hard to say something back under the scolding of the two strong huntresses. They were making a lot of good points. All he had been doing lately was causing everyone trouble. He couldn't blame his status as The Gamer on that, he had always been doing that before his death.

Done with her piece of the rant, Yang sighed loudly as she tried her best from pulling at her lovely hair. All this stress was not good for her. She was going to lose a hair like this, and that meant someone was going to die. And she was looking at a certain blue eyed, blond knight for that.

"Seriously, Jaune. Do you even understand how worried we all were?" Yang said softly as she rubbed her shoulder around the area of her wound, "You can't keep doing crap like this and expect us all to greet you with smiles and grins. From the start of your disappearance, I tried to calm everyone down and say that you were out doing guy stuff or whatever. But I had a hunch you were probably getting into some trouble again. Woman's intuition, you know?"

For a kindhearted goofball who didn't know how to properly flirt with girls, Jaune acted selfishly. No matter how strong he may have become since their initiation, he wasn't superman. He couldn't do everything by himself with will and power alone. If they hadn't arrived at the docks when they did, she shuddered to wonder what might have happened to him.

Jaune knew that what he had done was selfish, incredibly selfish. But he had needed some time to himself after the bomb of his father's condition had been dropped. Helping Blake with her problem had been due to his resolve to continue on his path as a huntsman and not give in to The Game's hurdles. Besides, he already knew that they would be on their way and had been hoping to explain everything once the fighting had finished. Sadly, Roman had derailed said plans by turning his sights red with rage. Now was as good as any to try and explain himself.

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone, but I was going through some. . .hardships from home. At the time, I just wanted to be by myself to sort through my feelings. I know that isn't much of an excuse for ignoring everyone who were looking for me, but I wasn't acting like myself at the time." he explained with regret in his eyes.

"That would be because of your memory loss and your father's condition, correct?"

Jaune blinked, stumped as he turned to Tsuki. How the hell did she hit the mark? Seeing his confusion, Yang decided to intervene with a sigh.

"Truth is, Blake already explained everything to us yesterday. Weiss and she had finally hashed out their differences before she decided to let us know about why you had been acting by yourself. Apparently, it was all a coincidence that you both had run off that night."

"But if you knew about all that already, why did ask me about it?" Jaune said with some annoyance. Why make him repeat what they already knew?

"Because I wanted to hear it from your mouth, not hers. That still doesn't excuse going all vigilante. Don't think I didn't scold Blake either, she's in the same boat as you."

"It's like watching a mother scold her son." Rue muttered as he watched the verbal lashing of the leader of team JNPR. Funny how the guy who was praised as one of the strongest huntsman in the first year was being talked down to. His comment earned him a smack from his bedside teammate.

"As much as it pains me to agree with the blonde bimbo, she's right. What you did nearly got you killed. What you're feeling now is only a small payback for all that you've put us through."

"The fuck did she call me!?"

Tsuki caught the pillow thrown her way and swiftly threw it back with enough force to nearly knock Yang off her bed before her attention fell back to the blond knight on crotches. Seeing him in such a state did not please her.

"My wounds mean very little to me, I have suffered worst in my life. But I do not wish to see you in such a state ever again. Don't make me believe that your strength is nothing more than luck. As my chosen, I expect you to live up to your purpose." she said sternly.

"Chosen?" Jaune said slowly as Tsuki suddenly found all eyes turned to her as she nodded simply. Why did that send warning bells off in his head?

"Of course. Though I do believe that you simple folk call it. . .What was it again?" she frowned before reaching for her bedside nightstand. Picking up one of the few books she had her team deliver to her, she quickly skimmed through the pages for what she was looking for. Finding the word she was looking for, she explained the meaning as seriously as she could.

"Baby Daddy."

You could hear a pin hit the floor with how quiet the room had gotten.

"There's something seriously wrong with this chick." Yang gaped in disbelief. How could any right-minded girl say something like that with that kind of expression?

"Yeah, Tsuki's not what you would call a 'normal' girl." Rue chuckled brightly as he patted his confused dark-haired teammates shoulders. It looked as if she didn't understand why they were all looking at her like she was out of her mind. Such naivety was cute, "Believe it or not, she grew up around bandits that praised strength. She's not really adept in the norm as you can tell. When we all first gathered as a team, she had left Beacon grounds to hunt down some game to celebrate and challenged Hera for position of leader. I had to teach the girl how to act remotely normal, even how to cook. Her idea of spice and pizzazz was salt." he said flatly, his expression never losing its smile.

Rue's explanation did little to calm Jaune's beating heart. His face was bright with a blush at the red eyed huntress's words. So, this was what Tsuki's Affection entitled. He should have guessed it was something like that seeing as he hadn't even unlocked her Friendship, just like Ms. Antheia.

"So, you want to marry the guy?" Hera asked her partner, finding it hard to believe what she heard. Jaune was okay, she supposed. But someone like Tsuki could do better with looks like hers.

Surprisingly, Tsuki shook her head negatively, only further confusing those within the room.

"I simply wish to have his offspring for. . .reasons. Of course, I do not wish for that to happen now. I'm willing to wait until Jaune has matured into a strong and powerful huntsman, and for us to graduate. Then I will return to my tribe and give birth. That is all." she explained simply with almost no real emotion.

 _'Yup, something's really wrong with this chick.'_ Yang thought dully.

 _'She's directly confessing to me that she simply wants to have sex with me for a kid. . . . I don't know how the hell to respond to that.'_ Jaune felt a bit of himself die and rejoice at the same time.

"But what if he doesn't want to. . .bed you." Rue struggled to say. Even he was reeling from that.

To that, Tsuki reached for another book and proudly displayed it for them all to see.

" _'How to Make a Man Fall for You'_?" Hera read the title of the book aloud slowly, rubbing her eyes at what she was seeing. "I thought you didn't want to marry him? Why would you try to make him fall in love with you?"

"From what I've learned observing my prey, he is not the type to, how do you say? Hit it and quit it?"

"I think I taste blood. And it has a distinct purple hint to it." Jaune said dully as his spirit tried to escape his body. That only confirmed the odd feeling of someone always watching him the last few months since meeting the girl.

"So, in order to obtain my goal, I have begun reading up on how to ensnare him into my bedside when the time is right. Jaune is a virtuous man, so he would only have intercourse with me if he has feelings for me. After that, it would be his choice if he wishes to join my tribe. He can run off with another woman if he so pleases, as long as I bear a strong child."

"And if that doesn't work out? He can fall in love with another girl you know?" Rue said with a waning smile.

Tsuki gave the forest green haired boy a stoic stare, "Then I suppose alcohol will do just fine. I've read many stories of men sleeping with woman while in relationships due to intoxication."

"Honey. . .that's a no-no."

"I think you may have killed Jaune." Hera said as she poked at the frozen blond leader. He wasn't showing much of a response after that. His eyes looked kind of glassy. It was honestly surprising to see him still standing. Growing annoyed at the dumb face he was making, Hera snapped her fingers in front of his face.

The sound was enough to snap Jaune out of his blank state. He groaned as he held his aching head, "I think my grandfather just kicked me out of heaven." he said dizzily. Weird how he could actually feel the pain of the boot knocking him out of the golden gates. Wasn't his Gamer's body supposed to be able to handle such strain?

"Ignoring everything we've just heard for now." Yang said with a twitching brow, hoping to steer the conversation back on track, "You're still in trouble. If I remembered correctly, Professor Goodwitch wasn't thrilled about our involvement in the SDC raid. I even heard word that someone from the VPD was going to visit to question you about what went down. We may understand all the trouble you're going through right now, we even forgive you for worrying us," she said gently, easing Jaune's guilt before frowning sternly, "but you you've got a lot of explaining to do later. Things like this can get you expelled."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Jaune smiled. Luckily, he was on good terms with the VPD, so all he had to do was explain the situation. Goodwitch on the other hand was another matter. He winced, just thinking of the punishment she had in mind.

Besides, the bigger hurdle ahead was Pyrrha. She was going to be tricky to deal with. She had already been upset with his venture in the FoF. No telling how angry she was with him now.

 _'Maybe I can promise to buy her that limited edition Jaune-Cena action figure she's had her eyes on?'_

"Alright, I got your drags like you asked for them, your highness!"

The sound of the room door being kicked wide open snapped Jaune out of his plan to find the last member of team HRTH barging in. Helios grumbled under his breath as he held several articles of clothing belonging to Tsuki.

 _'Damn barbarian woman. Doc said she's fine enough to walk, couldn't she get her shit herself?'_ Better to keep those thoughts to himself. For a girl, she could hit like a Goliath. Biting back a foul curse, he turned his yellow eyes back for his teammate, only to widen as he caught eye of blue and yellow. Helios snarled suddenly, dropping the clothing to floor before charging at Jaune.

"YOU!" he barked angrily, grabbing a fistful of Jaune's gown. The crutches in Jaune's arms fell to the floor as he found himself picked up by the angry musician. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, BASTARD!?"

"Helios, what are you doing!" Hera shouted as the rest of them moved to intervene. Yang and Tsuki grunted as they found themselves unable to get up from the pain.

"The hell do you mean, what am I doing?! It's because of this asshole that Tsuki's here in the first place!" he shouted angrily, never taking his furious yellow eyes off the grimacing blond.

Rue sighed at his teammates behavior as he got off his seat. Leave it to Helios to blow up the situation. The redhead was too emotional sometimes.

"Calm down, Helios. You know that what happened to Tsuki wasn't Jaune's fault. Now, let the kid down gently." Rue said soothingly as he patted Helios shoulder comfortingly. Helios gritted his teeth, showing signs that he was fighting his own desire to shove off his friend's advice before reigning in his anger with a scoff. He pushed Jaune back, watching the knight stumble a bit as he tried to gain his balance without his crutches.

"Of course, it's his fault. Look what playing hero got him, fucked up along with the people following after him. Tch, you must think you're some kind of bigshot just because your naturally stronger than most." Helios said scathingly with a glare.

"Naturally stronger?" Jaune grunted as his wound acted up.

"The blood of warriors runs through your veins, right? It makes sense how a scrawny, simple minded, idiot like you can fight like he's always been fighting. Power like that is probably the reason why he thought he could go out at night and stop a bunch of terrorist." Helios anger was only growing the longer he talked. Arrogant, the damn first year was showing him up and taking the spotlight for himself. And of course, Jaune would, someone who was naturally talented and born into a family of warriors would want to play hero so they would praise his name.

A name that was already well known.

Fighting back the pain in her shoulders, Yang grew confused at a certain something Helios had said, "Blood of warriors? What are you talking about?" she asked.

Jaune was in the same boat. He already knew that his family came from a long line of warriors, dating all the way back to the first Arc to take the blade during the Great War. But how did Helios of all people know that? The Arc name was no longer famous, just another bloodline of warriors that had fought in the war along with others. The only way to discover that would be to research into the families that had fought in the great battle and trace his name back to him.

Seeing the confusion on Jaune's face only further drove his anger to rise. He didn't know?

"You don't even know of your own lineage, do you?" Helios chuckled bitterly, "Of the stories relating to your name? Or of Genos?" he said seething.

 _'Ma, I want to read this one! Please, please~!"_

 _'Helios, you've already read The Tale of The Lone Knight dozens of times already? Don't you want to read a new one?'_

 _'No! It's my favorite and it's Ma's favorite too! That makes it even better!'_

A warm, loving chuckle from Helios's memories tickled his ear, the sound cracking his knuckles as he fought a snarl of rage.

 _'Fine, one more before bed. Genos was always my favorite hero. I'm just happy you feel the same.'_

Jaune frowned deeply. Genos? For some reason, the name sounded familiar.

"It's easy for you to grab the spotlight, huh?"

Turning back to Helios, Jaune was taken back as something odd appeared in his vision.

Helios's aura was out in the open but no one seemed to notice as if they were blind to it. But something wasn't right about the sight. At the center of the musician's heart, a black speck wriggled violently, sending chills down Jaune's spine. A beady red light stared back at him from the center of the small toxic mass, seeming to notice the knight's eyes on it as it blinked. As soon as it appeared it vanished.

Shoulders shacking with barely controlled anger, Helios glared back at Jaune with wide eyes of hate. Seeing such a strong emotion on the huntsman took Jaune back. The two of them never really interacted in school, they never even had the opportunity to fight another in class. So, how could Helios produce such an emotion without ever really knowing anything about him?

"All the first years, even the second and third years, talk about the upstarts already making names for themselves. Fighting the Friends of Faunus, taking control of the outbreak of Grimm during the first-year field trip as it begun, and even stopping the White Fang in one of their operations. But in all the chatter, your name always comes up!" he shouted furiously, swinging his arms just inches away from connecting with Jaune. "Arc, Arc, Arc! That's all I ever hear! They make you out as some kind of bigshot, a hero in the making! And it pisses me off!"

 _'Did you hear? Apparently, the White Fang was in Vale last night! They were probably planting some kind of bomb, but I heard that some hunters from school stopped them.'_

 _'Yeah, wasn't it that Arc kid's team that stopped them? Didn't he also help evacuate all the first-year teams during the sudden spike of Grimm in Forever Falls? I heard he held a large mob of them off by himself! Sheesh, first years these days.'_

 _'He also helped stop the Friend of Faunus a few months ago. Man, that Arc kid's already making names! Talk about a hero.'_

 _'The Rookie Hero, has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?'_

 _'I could have sworn I heard about the Arc name before in some old textbook on the war. Guess he's just destined to be a warrior.'_

Naturally born with talent. From a bloodline of heroes going as far back as the greatest war on Remnant. Someone who could shine without even trying. People who were born with such natural skill and power. . .like Jaune. . .he. . .

"It's people like you, I hate the most!" Helios shouted in frustration, breathing heavily as his emotions took over his common sense. He didn't care that they were staring at him with worry and slight fear, he was high on his own rage.

"Unlike the rest of us who have to work to the bone to get where we are, you can just pick up a sword and instinctively know how to swing it after a few tries! You were just a sub-par huntsman when you first started, one I could wipe the floor with a single swing of my axe, but now your known as one of the strongest first years in only a few months! Because it's all in your blood, because you were born to be a damned hero from the start!"

Jaune found himself scowling at all that Helios was saying. Was that what it looked like to others? That he was just naturally talented because of his name? The Arc name wasn't even that well known, you'd have to be a scholar like Professor Oobleck to recognize it. If only they knew of the cost he had paid for the strength he now attained.

"Helios, it's not lik-"

"DON'T GET COCKY!" Helios interrupted loudly. He got right in Jaune's face, glaring deeply into the knight's blue eyes with shadows gathered under his face, "This school doesn't need a hero like you, one that would put the people around him in danger because he wanted to show off how strong he was. I swear, your name will remain forgotten and the people will cheer the true star of the show! The world will know of the Lyre name." he said firmly with conviction.

 _'My dream was to become a hero too. Just like the ones in the story books we've read. I wanted the world to remember the Lyre name as the name of a hero, not another aristocrat. I wish. . .I got to live out that dream.'_

A woman with light pink hair and fading yellow eyes came to mind, laying back in a wooden chair with a weak constitution. An old weathered book filled to the brim with tales of heroes of old was held deathly tight in her arms just as she gave him a weak, but happy smile.

That was right. No matter what, he would make the world know the Lyre name, the name of a hero!

Swiftly turning his back to Jaune, Helios made his way for the door. He didn't need to say anymore, he was already close to throwing a fist. He already made a fool of himself by losing his temper, it was better that he left now before his anger consumed him. He had enough of a clear mind to know when to stop. Besides, he made his piece and revealed his intention. It was more than enough.

Idly, Helios gazed down to the floor, finding the clothing he had brought his injured teammate. Without a word, he gently picked them back, fixed them and brought them over to Tsuki. His team starred at him, showing their own signs of worry.

"I'm heading back. I need some time to cool off." Helios grunted before heading for the door. Swinging it open he took a single step out before glancing back at the blue eyes watching his back. His yellow eyes narrowed, finding himself growing furious again at what he saw within those eyes.

Worry. Concern. The damn blond, looking at him as if he was weak. In need of help.

That wasn't Helios. He wasn't a weak boy who didn't know how to fight anymore. He didn't need help.

"One day, I'll take you down in front of everyone and prove to them who the real star is. They'll cheer my name in victory, not yours. So, enjoy the limelight while it lasts, Arc."

The door shut behind Helios with a click. Leaving the room silent. After a short bout of silence, Hera was the first one to talk.

"I'm sorry about Helios, Jaune." Hera sighed, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly for her teammates behavior. "He's normally not so hot headed like that. It's just that lately he's been going through some. . .issues."

Rue nodded to that, smiling in apology to the blond boy, "Yeah, my old music buddy may act like an asshole, but he's actually a big old softie inside. But when it comes to his ideals of being a hero, he gets really passionate. He's obsessed with becoming a rising star in Beacon, for others to know his name. I guess he just sees you as a rival of some sort." he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Really? Sounds more like he wants to beat the ever-loving shit out of Vomit-boy." Yang said flatly. Helios did say he hated Jaune. Cardin was a rival, the strong leader of team CRDL had said it before during a match between the two. He even acted like one. But Helios was different. What he showed was something beyond rivalry.

Life was never easy for Jaune. He understood that by now. There were bound to be a few people who hated the sight of him. He just never heard it spoken verbally like that before.

"It's alright, I'm sure he has his reasons." Jaune said with a faint smile. The things Helios had been saying, about natural talent and being destined as a great warrior, they were still plaguing him. None of that was true. But telling the red ponytailed rocker that wouldn't solve the problem. That kind of anger wasn't easily erased.

Right now, it was better to leave the matter alone. His body wasn't ready to deal with more trouble. Reaching down for his crutches, he decided now was as good as time to head back to his hospital room. Breakfast was probably already on its way and a warm meal, even if it was hospital cooked, would do him some good.

"Well, I better head back to my room. Ren's probably bored laying there with no one to talk." he chuckled. Knowing Ren, he was probably reading a book from his Inventory. It must have been nice being able to gain Stats, Skills, and Abilities just by reading a book.

"As much as I don't want to be left with ebony titties over here," Yang gestured her thumb to Tsuki, earning a cold glare back in response, "You should head back to bed. Out of all of us, you were the one most heavily wounded. I think Pyrrha and Nora were the only ones to go unscathed."

 _'Something I'm thankful for.'_ Jaune inwardly sighed with relief. It made him hate Roman less. Just a little bit.

"I'll see you guys later. Sorry for making things awkward." Jaune apologized, thanking Rue as the polite older boy held the door for him.

"Oh, stop feeling sorry! I swear, you white knight types are so emotional." Rue laughed, waving away Jaune's apology.

"Wait."

Jaune stopped as he stood outside the door, turning his head back to meet Tsuki's red gaze. He gulped, feeling even more nervous after everything the stoic girl had said.

"Y-Yeah?" he stuttered nervously, cursing himself for the action.

"You owe me."

"I... owe you?"

Tsuki nodded firmly, crossing her arms over her bandaged breast. The action caused her chest to jiggle slightly, making it hard for Jaune to keep his eyes from straying. Sometimes he wondered if girls like her and Yang did that on purpose.

"Saturday, eight o'clock, at Vale. Dress nicely and don't be late." she said threateningly before turning back to her books. She made it clear she wasn't hearing word on the matter anymore.

Jaune gawked at the raven-haired girl before sighing in defeat. Well, it looked like he had a date. With a girl who saw him as her future baby daddy. There was something wrong with her, no doubt about it. But she had gotten hurt trying to look for him, he owed it to her for a night out. Maybe he could understand her better while he was at it.

Waving good-bye to the room, Jaune headed out. He was hungry, so he could at least resolve that matter.

* * *

Hours had passed since Jaune and Ren had decided to take another nap seeing as breakfast was taking longer than promised. With how tired and weak they were feeling as their auras worked on damage control, it didn't take long before they were out cold and drifting through their dreams.

"RENNY, JAUNE-JAUNE!"

While it lasted.

Jaune's eyes shot wide open as he was woken up by a human cannonball dropping onto his already damaged stomach. He croaked under the force, his face turning blue as he found a set of arms wrapping around his neck and choking him with their embrace. Why did his bed have to be the closest one to the door?

Hearing the all too familiar cry, Ren woke up to the sight of Nora hugging the last dredge of life out of Jaune while bawling her eyes out. He gulped fearfully as her crying paused, her watery seafoam green eyes spinning back to his with a sniffle. He shook his head, hoping to stop her from acting on her emotions.

"RENNY~!"

 _'Oum damn it.'_

Closing the door behind her with a soft click, Pyrrha stepped into the room to the sight of her team leader's body twitching as the color slowly returned to his face and to Nora turning her wrath of love to Ren. The quiet raven's eyes pleaded for release from the deathly grip of her hugs to no avail. Pyrrha couldn't but giggle at the scene.

"Alright, Nora, I think they're already in enough pain at the moment. The doctor did say to take it easy on them after all." Pyrrha said with mirth as she stepped in between the beds of her wounded teammates. Reluctantly, Nora eased up on her hug before stepping back from her partner. Ren fell back to his bed with a gasp, gulping down all the air his lungs could take.

Nora wiped the tears from her face with a small sniffle, feeling guilty for bringing them more pain. She was just so happy to see them awake again after that night. The sight of them bandaged up, unable to open their eyes under the medicine healing them, gripped her heart in a vice.

"I'm sorry!" Nora apologized with a cry, her body trembling as she surprised the two boys with a bow. Such a gesture was completely out of character from the silly, cheerful Valkyrie they knew.

"It's because of me that you're both in here! I didn't take Jaune's disappearance seriously, and I couldn't even stay awake to protect the rest of you during our fight with Roman! If I had simply gone out to find Jaune sooner, if I had simply fought Roman's weird trick, you both wouldn't be here right now! And, and, and-"

Ren gestured his hand for Nora to calm down as Jaune sighed. Both boys felt bad for their bubbly teammates sobbing babbling, knowing that none of what happened that night was her fault.

"It's alright, Nora. Don't blame yourself for something that you couldn't control." Jaune laughed lightly as he got off his bed. He grimaced at the action, but forwent the discomfort to lay his hand gently on top of the sniffing orange haired girl's head. Ren followed along, ruffling his best friends locks as she paused her crying to stare confusingly at the two calmly smiling boys. Weren't they angry, upset? She wasn't there when they needed her, she'd been sleeping while some bad guy had been beating their friends around. Shouldn't they be blaming it all on her?

Jaune scratched his cheek with a small blush as he also found Pyrrha's eyes on him. She wasn't showing it, but she was angry with him after ignoring her for so long. Now was as good as time as any to start apologizing for worrying them all.

"If anyone's at fault, it's me. I was going through some personal troubles that I probably should have went to my team for instead of running away to deal with it myself. I got you all caught up in something because I wasn't communicating with you guys. I guess I still have a lot of things to learn as a leader, huh?" he said softly.

"And you wouldn't have been able to fight Roman's tricks. The man is wanted across Remnant for his crimes. Even someone as strong as you would have trouble keeping up with him." Ren chuckled as Nora's big green eyes stared back at him with guilt, "If anything, I'm glad he only put you to sleep. He could have done worse." A lot worse.

Walking up to her teammates, Pyrrha smiled at the two boys trying to cheer up Nora. Personally, she was feeling guilty herself as well. Out of everyone that night, only herself, Nora, and the girl named Ciel had come out of the mess with no scratches. But she understood she couldn't have done anything at the moment, sadly. She was just happy that everyone made it out with no lethal wounds. Even Jaune's wounds hadn't been too serious thanks to his aura still being intact.

Nora on the other hand had been feeling guilty since waking up after being brought to the hospital and discovering the conditions of her friends. She blamed it on herself. She was the powerhouse, the one on their team who could take just about any foe with her crazy strength. And she hadn't been there to protect her friends when they needed her. The poor bubbly girl hadn't been much of herself since then.

It wasn't Nora's fault. They had been facing a foe leagues above them. Even Pyrrha found herself with doubts on whether she could have taken Roman on. As much as they all tried to reassure her it wasn't her fault, she wouldn't listen to them. The only ones who had any chance of relieving her of her guilt would be her two friends standing before her with smiles.

"See, Nora? They don't hate you, nor blame you for their conditions. I don't think they could ever bring themselves to do such a thing. So, don't you feel silly thinking so?" Pyrrha giggled.

Tears paused their trickling. Nora stared at three people in front of her, feeling slightly stunned. For a second, her mind went back to her childhood, a haze of lost memories that only cleared the day she had stumbled onto Kuroyuri and met her bestest friend in the world. Alone, she had been alone for so long. With no one to care for her or remember her. All she could ever make out before then was a hazy image of two adult figures, their visage corrupted like static before fading away.

Once again, tears fell out of her eyes, this time accompanied by a big smile.

Now, she had a new family. One that wouldn't abandon her, or hate her for being herself. It had grown from Ren, to Jaune and Pyrrha, and even team RWBY and so much more. She wasn't alone anymore.

"Oh no, I know that look in her eyes." Ren said nervously as Nora's body began to tremble with emotions. His body wasn't ready! It was still sore!

Jaune slowly eased back from the bubbly hammer girl with a nervous grin. No amount of godly powers granted by the gods to withstand fatal blows could ease what would follow next.

Pyrrha blinked at her teammates expressions. Why did they look so worried for? Weren't they happy that Nora was out of her depression? Why would they-

"My spine!"

"My third vertebra!"

"My EVERYTHING!"

With no more delay, Nora suddenly took her whole team in for a big bone crushing hug as she wailed again in happiness. She didn't seem to notice her team's faces of distress or the color being drained from them as their life was slowly smothered, instead too blinded by her happiness as she increased the intensity of her affection. Something snapped.

But that was family for you. Putting up with another and their strange habits and signs of affection because you loved another. Even if it got a little out of hand at times.

* * *

"So, you're all not mad?" Jaune said in disbelief.

Having somehow survived that love that was Nora and her monster hugs, things had calmed down enough for them all to talk about what had went down the night of the docks. Team RWBY had stopped by after grabbing Yang seeing as she was now free to leave and had stuck around as Jaune went on to explain his situation. As Yang had explained, they already knew of his condition thanks to Blake. Still, he would have thought that Pyrrha would at least scold him again as she did after the FoF event.

"I wouldn't say that." Pyrrha sighed as she drummed her fingers against her arms. She understood why he had run off like he did. Losing your memories was something serious, it should have been picked up on by the doctors when they had been working on him before. It must have been terrifying. Especially with the bit he had just shared.

"I'm still upset that you had run off like that, but after hearing about your father's condition, it only cements how grave the situation must have been for you." she said sadly.

Ruby nodded her head alongside the champion girl. Faintly she recalled an old memory. Well, not so old. From the first day she had arrived at Beacon and met the stumbling knight with a nervous smile and fake confidence.

 _'It's. . .a gift. Something my father had given me before leaving home to fight. A weapon from my great, great, great grandfather who fought in the war. It's all I really have left of him.'_

A sullen air had replaced Jaune's confidence when she had asked about his weapon. Jaune seemed to struggle as he talked about Crocea Mors, talking with a sad yet happy tone. She had wondered what he meant by it being the last he left of him. At first, she had thought he was talking about his great, great, great grandfather. Now she understood its true meaning. Crocea Mors was all he had left of his father before he was bedridden.

Speaking of Crocea Mors, Ruby reached for the back of her waist. Carefully she placed a leather brown pouch on Jaune's lap. Whatever was within made a clanging metal sound.

"I'm sorry, but that was all that was left of it." Ruby said solemnly. Jaune frowned in confusion before reaching into the pouch. His finger met the cold shard remains of a metal object. His breath hitched.

Fully parting open the pouch, Jaune shifted through the shards until he picked up a large piece to gaze at. The white shard was designed with a partial yellow crescent, "Crocea Mors." Jaune said with a sad wistful tone.

 _ **'You've received Shards of Crocea Mors[Sheath]!'**_

His ancestor's shield, once a brilliant white with two crescent arcs that held his sword as a sheath, was now a pile of shattered metal. It had taken a fatal hit for him while fighting Roman, saving him from falling into the Critical threshold that would had him Reset back to his Reset point. Funny, he had always thought that it was indestructible, made out of some mystical material that could repel any force. The shard in his hand was cold and dull, only now making him realize how warm it had felt in his hand.

 _'It's a hand-me-done from my great, great, great grandfather.'_

"At least you made it out of the fight in once piece." Blake said weakly.

 _'Yeah, just at the price of my family's shield. What a way to treat the weapon that's saved my butt countless times since I first stepped foot onto Beacon.'_

"Don't worry, Jaune! With my help, we can use what's leftover of your shield to make it all new!" Ruby said cheerfully. That got Jaune's attention as he looked back at the young dark red-haired reaper.

"You mean, you can fix it?" he said in disbelief.

Ruby nodded confidently with a grin, "Of course I can! Maybe. You're talking to a girl who made a high caliber sniper rifle scythe for crying out loud! Though as simple as your shield was, we might not be able to completely bring it back to its glory. I think I know just the guy who can help us with reforging it to something similar. We're going to need the materials and some advice from him anyways."

Faintly the person who Ruby was alluding to came to mind. Well, he did say he would be willing to teach Jaune a thing or two. Maybe he could find him later after he was back on his feet.

In her typical Yang fashion, Yang broke the tension in the room while patting Jaune's back with a wide grin, "Let's put a pin on that for now! We're all back on our feet, this calls for celebration! I say, we go out for a party after the night we've had. My legs are feeling numb and nothing gets the blood pumping back like some dancing!"

"Yeah, no." Weiss immediately shot down with a scowl, "Don't think that our little escapades went without punishment. Ms. Goodwitch has basically grounded us all to our rooms for the next five days. We are not to step foot off of Beacon until the end of the school week. Consider such a punishment a blessing seeing as our repercussions could have been worse." she said tersely.

"It's only thanks to the police chief that we weren't charged for destruction of property, vigilantism, and disturbance of the peace." Blake added on. Being an ex-What Fang agent didn't help, but because of the Headmaster she was safe.

"But I want to celebrate!" Yang whined with a pout. She needed to drink irresponsibly after the night she had. She took a bullet for crying out loud! Sure, it was actually a lightning spear, but they both hurt the same, just with an added electrocuting kick. In fact, that gave her even more of a reason to drink.

"Well, we can always celebrate when our suspensions over. It's only four days, even you can hold out for that long." Blake chuckled as she met her blonde partner's grumbling face.

"Have you met me?"

"I'm just happy that all this drama is finally over with." Weiss sighed in relief, "Between Blake and I's issues with our past, Jaune and his problems at home and his loss of memory, and not to mention our drawing end of semester exam, I'm completely drained. At least we can go back to being regular old students again." She was done with the trouble they had been involved with lately. What first years fought White Fang agents and radical humanizers before their second term?

The mention of said exams brought a wave of groaning from the usual suspects.

"Way to bring me down, Weiss." Yang moaned as she flopped back to one of the extra beds, "The last thing I want to hear about now is tests."

"Well it's coming, so once you're done healing it's studying for you and your sister."

"Hey! I do good!"

"Anyone who responds with 'I do good' is doomed to fail at life."

"Weiss is correct." Pyrrha nodded as she patted Jaune's hair as he became dejected. Like them, he wasn't all that prepared it seemed. That's what happens when you spend most of your days playing video games. "We don't want to fall behind on our studies after making it this far."

 _'Or in my case, get expelled for entering with false transcripts.'_ Stupid stubborn pride. If he had just kept his mouth shut on the matter of his transcripts to Ozpin, then Jaune would only have to worry about the exam itself and a bad grade. If he failed whatever tests the Headmaster had in store, he wouldn't just be smacked with a bad grade, he'd wind up on the next bullhead out of school. 'It shouldn't be too hard, right? I'm stronger than I ever was before dying on my second semester. I should be able to pass an exam testing my skills. How hard could it be?'

Somehow Jaune forgot about the simple little fact that his life was no longer normal.

"But the exams are still another month away." Blake said to the relief of those dreading the exams, "It wouldn't hurt to celebrate once our punishment has been lifted. I even heard that Vale's holding a special festival in town on Saturday."

Pyrrha perked up visibly at the mention of that with a joyful smile, "Akai Shukuten!"

"Akky-wha?" Jaune, Ruby, and Yang muttered in confusion.

"Akai Shukuten, otherwise known as The Red Celebration." Ren decided to elaborate with a sigh, "In the months after The Great War, the city of Mistral held its first celebration since the ban on arts was lifted with a festival that brought back their favorite color, Red. They would decorate the outside of homes with red lanterns, dye pastries red, and wear kimonos in various shades of red. The festivities grew so large at the time that eventually the entirety of Anima joined in. Since then, around this time of year before the coming winter the continent celebrates with Akai Shukuten, it's like their own form of New Years."

"Correct!" Pyrrha said happily before turning to Ren in surprise, "Though, I'm surprised you knew of such an event. Not even the classes in Beacon have gone over it."

"That's because I was born in Anima. Safe to say, it's also a favorite holiday of mine." Ren said with a wistful smile. "It looks like Vale wants to join in the fun seeing as students from the continent are visiting for the tournament."

The cloud of haze that once corrupted his memories had been lifted thanks to Jaune, allowing him to fondly recall the happy times he once shared with his family. It had been a long time since he could smile fondly at the holiday.

"Well there you have it peeps! Once our lockup time is done with, we're celebrating Akai-whatever!" Yang cheered with gusto. Any reason to party and have fun was alright with her. It was instrumental to her health.

Jaune shrugged. Fine with him, he could use some fun after the weeks' events. And no sooner did Yang announce their plans did The Game do the same.

 _ **'The Red Festival Event has been announced! A special celebration has come to Vale thanks to the people of Anima visiting for the tournament, bringing with them good times and a whole lot of red! The event is not mandatory, but will provide chances of earning special gifts not found on Sanus! An EXP Boost in Friendship and Affection will be provided with those you go out with that are Anima born, so remember to seek them out for some one-on-one time! Enjoy the colors of Red! You'll grow all too acquainted with it in the coming time.'**_

Ignoring The Will's usual negative at the end of a normally cheery text, Jaune was happy to see the benefits to the event. He could always use some new Abilities, Skills, and Items. And it gave him even more reason to hang out with his friends. _'Anima born, huh? Guess I should hang out with Pyrrha on Saturday.'_ Pyrrha's Friendship and Affection were tied at Lvl 9 since last month. Leveling her up took a lot of time now just as anyone else who's Lvls were close to Lvl 8. He'd be stupid to turn away an opportunity to gain another level.

"Then its settled. At the end of the school week, we'll all go out to the Akai Shukuten. One last little bit of fun before we begin studying for the end of the semester exams." Jaune announced with a grin.

"I have no problems with that." Blake smiled before appearing sheepish, "Though we should expect some company. Since the docks, Sun's been pestering me to hang out with me and he's been waiting for you to come to. He said he wanted to say something to you as well." she said with a bit of confusion.

"And Penny!" Ruby smiled, "She wanted to meet you after that night, but had some business to take care of with her partner, Ciel. I bet when they come back, they can come along too!" As weird and quirky as Penny could be, she wasn't bad at all. She reminded Ruby of herself in a way. And no harm in adding another friend to her growing circle.

"As long as we all start taking studying seriously once it's over with, I suppose we can go." Weiss relented. She herself though was trying to hide a small smile. Hey, even she couldn't say no to spending the day out with her friends.

Nodding along, Pyrrha pushed herself up her seat and smiled warmly at Jaune and Ren, "Since our plans have been set, we should all be going now. We'll stop by again later in the day to pick you two up and head back to our dorms. So, rest up until then. You both need to recover your strength before you can attend class again."

As happy as Jaune was that their plans were set, he couldn't help but frown, "Wait, aren't you going to scold me or anything for how I treated you during all that mess?"

Pyrrha shook her head, her eyes shut with an all too nice perky smile, "Nope! We can save that for Saturday morning! You and I are going to have a long talk about your behavior and you'll also be buying me whatever I like while we stroll through the festival, no complaints!"

 _'Well, I guess I don't need to ask her out now.'_ Jaune thought sheepishly, gulping under the underlining hostility from his partner. Couldn't say no to that.

Done with their visits, the girls of RWBY and JNPR said their good-byes before leaving the room. With them gone, Jaune released a heavy sigh. He was honestly expecting this hospital visit to be a repeat of his aftermath against Holt. It was nice that it was just a normal visit this time. No drama was good.

But at the thought of the Black and White Event, Jaune blinked as he recalled something important.

"Did we ever clear The Blake and White Event?" Jaune asked Ren with a confused frown. He never got a notification that they ever failed or passed. Then again, he had been knocked out before the night was even finished.

Ren was in the same boat as he shrugged, not really caring about the matter. Knowing Jaune, the knight had said some words and helped Blake gain some courage to talk to her teammate about her past. It wasn't that difficult a mission other than some trouble from a certain orange haired Player.

"Check your Menu and open up the Missions setting. It should tell you all you need to know." he suggested as he did the same. Due to their link working together as a team, they shared status on certain missions. The Black and White Event was one Ren had found himself participating once Jaune had accepted it. Maybe he got some rewards for simply sharing the mission?

 _ **'Black and White Event, Complete! For supporting Blake, you have been rewarded 2,300L! You've been rewarded an Igni Symbol! You've received Strength Boost! Blake's Friendship and Affection has Leveled up! Sun Wukong's Friendship has been Unlocked! Penny Polendina's Friendship has been Unlocked!'**_

 **+47,000EXP!**

Jaune whistled at the list of rewards. It was nice to know all his pain and troubles could at least be rewarded. And he even unlocked Sun and Penny's friendship earlier than before.

 _ **'Black and White Event, Complete! For Supporting Weiss, you have been rewarded 2,300L! You've been rewarded an Ability Book, Sky Sickles! You've received Speed Boost! A new Reaction has been Unlocked! Tranquil Tundra [Weiss], Unlocked! You've received Glacial Spear!'**_

 **+47,000EXP!**

Ren was speechless as he read over his own share of rewards. He actually wasn't expecting anything for the mission seeing as he didn't do anything at all. But then he recalled his conversation with Weiss. Seemed his words had really helped her come to her own terms. Funny, this was the first time he had ever done anything to help her out.

For some reason, Ren found himself smiling.

A sharp knock to their door brought the two Players out of their loot gazing as they turned for the door. One of the nurses watching over them poked her head in with a sheepish smile as she greeted the two.

"Sorry for interrupting you two boys, but breakfast is coming! Hope you like scrambled eggs, ham, and hash browns~!" she sang cheerfully before her face broke out in realization, "Oh! And I almost forgot. Mr. Arc, you have a visitor from the Vale Police force here to see you, something about talking about what happened in the docks. She said that she would personally deliver your food as well! She said she was an old friend of yours too." she giggled before shutting the door.

Jaune found himself frowning in confusion. An old friend from the VCP? A female one too? Suddenly he found himself gulping nervously for some odd reason. Why did his heart just skip a beat?

A faint image came back to him from the night of the event. Of a familiar voice that he had almost forgotten since he had last seen her. The voice of an old friend tickled his conscience and a familiar touch ghosted his skin.

It couldn't be, could it?

Footsteps could be heard drawing closer to the door of Jaune and Ren's shared room. The closer they drew, the faster Jaune's heartbeat thumped. He watched anxiously as the handle of the door twitched, slowly turning over as the door creaked open.

"Wassup?"

Whatever anxiety and hope Jaune had been feeling had cruelly died as the door swung open with a kick, revealing a familiar set of honey brown eyes. The woman's strawberry blonde hair fell over her shoulders and her police uniform was dirtied with crumbs and food stains courtesy of the platter of breakfast she was delivering by trolley. A third of a toasted bread slice was stuffed in her mouth as she saluted the blonde knight.

Barbie Mattel winked at Jaune, gulping the food in her mouth in one motion before licking her lips with a sadistic glint in her eyes.

"Hi~!"

Ren felt a shiver run down his back at the sight of the woman. Something about her screamed 'Run away'. Looking to Jaune for answers on the identity of the police officer, Ren found his leader's face frozen like statue, his eyes empty yet still displaying horror. A second later, his ears perked up as the sound of snapping leather cracked the air and a lustful giggle escaped the woman's lips.

 _'. . .Is she aware that her pants have fallen?'_

Whatever peace they had been hoping for had been beaten and thrown out the window with a noose around its neck. The hospital room was filled with feminine screams and moans of delight a second later.

* * *

Whoever thought leaving Barbie of all people to question an already wounded Jaune was a good idea, clearly wasn't thinking for his sake. With a groan, Jaune pressed the ice pack against his forehead a little firmer as he glared back at the sheepish strawberry blonde officer sitting at the end of his bed. Did she have to eat his breakfast too? It was bad enough she had whipped him with her belt again.

"Sorry, Jaune! I just couldn't help myself, it's been so long since I last heard your girlish screams of pain and fear. Oh, how I've missed them." Barbie moaned, biting her lip as Jaune backed further against his bed.

Jaune's glare did not leave with an apology like that, gaining an annoyed twitch as he thumbed towards his friend's bedside, "Me, I can understand with your weird ass fetish. But did you have to drag Ren into your sadists swings?" he muttered in annoyance as he gestured to Ren's knocked out form. Not that his friend could fool him. Jaune knew that a small whipping like that wouldn't be enough to knock him out cold. He was just playing dead to avoid whatever the sadistic officer wanted out of Jaune.

Lazy bastard.

Thanks to aura, Barbie's light belt whipping had been healed in a matter of seconds. He could take whatever the girl could dish out, which was bad seeing as she understood that. And here he had thought he had finally escaped her odd sense of fun. And pleasure.

Sighing as the last of the bruises faded away like that, Jaune went back to the sadistic woman still munching on the leftovers of what would have been his breakfast, "So, I'm guessing you're here about what happened at the docks Sunday night?" he asked, getting a nod from Barbie.

"Pretty much. As one of the lead interrogators at the precinct, they sent me over to get the details!"

"They didn't have to do that! You guys already know that you don't have to interrogate me like some criminal and send someone like you over!"

"But then I wouldn't have my fun."

"And I wouldn't have more bruises to deal with." Seriously, he was sure he had enough hijinks for quite a while. "All you had to do is ask. I really don't have any reason not to cooperate with you guys this time. I can tell you all that you need to know." Jaune said with an easy smile.

Barbie pouted, drawing a circle onto his bed sheets as she mumbled disappointingly, "Really? Because I was hoping you would put up a fight. I was so close!" she whined.

"Close to what!?" What the hell was she close to? And why was she blushing. Never mind that, "I just want to get this over with, Barbs. The sooner I tell you what I know, the sooner I can reorder my breakfast." His stomach growled to that.

"Fine, spoilsport." Barbie grumbled before taking out a notepad and pen for documentation. She did have a job to do after all.

Recounting the night in question, Jaune was careful not to say anything involving The Game. His talk with Roman had also been tweaked to not mention anything sensitive that would get him under The Game's lightning striking radar. At the end, he had said all he could as Barbie finished jotting down the last thing he could remember.

"The last thing I remember was getting ready to charge after Roman before my friend Ciel had knocked me out." Jaune sheepishly smiled as he rubbed his neck from the phantom pain. For a small stature girl, she could hit.

Barbie snickered, "You really are bullheaded. Even when you're fucked up and bloody, you just can't help yourself but run into the action. Just like the FoF." she said lowly with a pained look.

She remembered seeing the funny screaming boy's condition as he was escorted to the nearest hospital. How he was alive after losing that much blood and suffering that many deep wounds was a miracle. She had actually been worried that he wouldn't make it. It was no wonder Annabel had been on pins and needles since he had arrived at the hospital again. Jaune always seemed to find himself in these high-risk situations.

Well he was alright from the looks of it. The little red-haired secretary was going to be happy to hear that.

Done with her part, Barbie added in her own notes as she put away her notebook.

"That's all I needed to hear really. The Chief only wanted to know why you of all people were there. He was pretty sure you were done playing undercover after your last venture."

Jaune shrugged. With how his life was now, he was bound to be dragged into these sorts of events against his will. All to make him out as a hero to save the world. Just like in the many rpg's he had played before his death.

With a crack of her back as she stood up from her seat, Barbie made her way towards the door.

"Wait, you're done already?" Jaune stopped her with a confused frown. He was pretty sure she was going to take off her belt again and put him through the ringer.

Glancing back at her fellow blond, Barbie nodded cheerfully, "Yup! I got to get back to station, I still got five more perps to interrogate." she giggled sadistically with a growing blush on her cheeks, "Again, all I needed was your word on why you were there. The police trust you after all, we would never believe that you were involved in anything suspicious. Which sucks for me, I wanted to lay into you like the bad boy you are." she pouted with puffed cheeks.

"Don't be so disappointed." Jaune deadpanned.

Barbie stuck her tongue out in response, "I'll just have to etch what girlish screams I got out of you into my memory. Hopefully they'll be enough to satisfy me."

Ready to step out the door, Barbie was suddenly stopped by Jaune.

"Wait! There's still something I want to ask you." Jaune said urgently as the officer turned back to him in confusion.

"What's up? I can't hang around all day, sadly. I got assholes in need of a whipping!"

Those poor bastards, "That night, as I was knocked out, I could faintly recall being conscious for a few minutes before I was out. And in that blurry time, I could have sworn I heard a familiar voice." he said with a grimace as he held his head.

A blurry image came back to him, of someone standing over him and gently grazing his bullet scar over his forehead. From what he could make out, the person had red hair. And that was it. His memory of that night ended there before he woke up.

"Do you know who that was?" Jaune couldn't help but ask. The identity of that person was nagging at him for some reason. Like he had met them before. As weird as it sounded, their touch was familiar.

Barbie tapped her lips in thought, shrugging in the end as she threw up her arms, "Nah, sorry Jaune. Don't know who was there that night. I had my own hands busy in that mess. For now, it's just going to have to be a mystery." she said with a weak smile.

Jaune frowned at the woman before turning his head to the left side of the room where the door was. His eyes softened, smiling sadly in the end as he closed his eyes and sighed.

You couldn't hide from someone with a map HUD. It wasn't as detailed as Ren's, but it was more than enough.

"I guess that's just how it's going to be. I'll just have to wait for that person to spoil the mystery when she's ready." he grinned, his eyes still shut as Barbie faltered for a moment.

"Jaune. . .ac-"

"You better hurry back, Barbs. I know you're just itching to start your interrogations."

Nodding back, Barbie decided it would be best if she just went on her way. She was running late at this point.

"Hope to see ya again, Jaune."

"Yeah, see ya later."

Shutting the door behind her, Barbie sighed before turning her eyes to right of the door.

"You could have said 'Hi', Ann."

Resting against the wall, Annabel gave the bubbly sadist an irritated glare. She crossed her arms over her chest and let a heavy breath go as she kicked off the wall. Like her newest friend, she was dressed in her officer wear.

"Now's. . .not a good time. He needs time to recover, not time to catch up with a street rat. Besides, I still haven't redeemed myself just yet." she said stoically with a sad hint to her green eyes. She turned for the halls and began making her way out as Barbie fell beside her in step.

Barbie blew a raspberry to that as she threw her arms behind her waist, "Sounds like pointless drama to me. Even I can tell that you really miss the kid." she smirked knowingly.

Ann scoffed, refusing to dignify her friend with eye contact, "Shut up. He's got better friends to talk to than me. Besides, I still haven't grown enough as a person to talk to him as a real friend. Not yet."

The time wasn't right. When Ann met Jaune again, she wanted him to be unable to recognize her. To see her as a new person. So that they could start over again. Smiling, Ann was at least happy to know that Jaune was alright. The knucklehead could get his ass beat up as many times as he liked. Just as long as he continued to get back up.

"Next time I see him, it won't be in the middle of some crime, in the hospital, or when he's covered in blood. We'll see each other again on my terms, and no one else's."

Until that day, she was just going to have to work harder as a person to make up for all her crimes. Because she had found a new reason to live with the life she had once cursed. To live for the few people that still cared for a rat like her.

Back in the hospital room, Jaune stopped his hand from messaging a new order of breakfast as his scroll vibrated. Looking at its contents, he smiled fondly as he chuckled.

 _ **'Annabel Wargray's Friendship has risen! Friendship Lvl2! A new Skill has been unlocked! Kindle, Unlocked!'**_

What a troublesome girl.

* * *

 **Let's celebrate one last time. Color has returned to our lives, so why not enjoy a day out in a sea of festive red?**

 **A fire is brimming after all. Even Stars can collapse on themselves and destroy everything in sight. Just what kind of Hero do you want to be?**

 **Cheers can be so intoxicating.**

 **Don't worry, Chapter 27 is definitely complete! I'll be sending it over to my Beta after making sure I've added anything I've missed. Expect it next Monday night. Hopefully I'll be done with the end to this volume by then. It's a big one, that's for sure.**

 **The Journal for Multiplayer has been worked on in my spare time. I'll be working on the Forum for it on this sight when I'm done with this Volume, so expect that before Volume 2 of Multiplayer is out. And I got a special announcement for fans of Lost Fairy Tale's DLC!**

 **Chapter 29 will be a DLC centered piece within the world of Fey! For good reason. There's more to the silly old book then meets the eye. I won't say much on what will go on, but expect some familiar faces showing up again. That special chapter will be released a month after the final chapter of volume 1, so expect that before this story goes quiet for a while.**

 **People, we're nearly at a thousand reviews! Can't believe I'm actually close to a number like that. This story has only been up for year. And it's all thanks to you. So keep doing what you're doing, and I'll be sure to do the same!**

 **Remember, Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	27. Colors

**NeoShadows here with a new chapter for your greedy pleasure!**

 **As promised, I have a new chapter ready to go out today! Told you it was done. But sadly that only means one thing folks. My next update will be the last update on Multiplayer! You know, other than the Bonus Chapter based on The Lost Fairy Tale's DLC.**

 **Already I've been busy writing out Ch.28, going up to 7K+, I think? And I will warn you that 28 will be a long one, I'm guessing around 25K+ over. Possibly even 30K+. It's time to close up this Volume with a show! QUICK! Someone start prepping the speakers, because we're about ready to rock the night!**

 **I got more to tell you, even a little surprise. But first, Reviews!**

 **Ssjzohan: Yeah, I need a break to get back to the things I love. Hell, I got an anime and video game list made up for the two months I'm done uploading. Who knows? I might just get some more inspiration for my stories. But don't worry, I'll be back.**

 **DragonManMax: Someone's been watching too much Game of Thrones. I don't even read or watch it and I know about the Red Wedding. Thank South Park for that.**

 **AzureMegacyber: DLC's will return in the next Volume, so don't worry. And hey, you'll all be getting a chapter focused on the Fey world as a bonus. Oh, you'll love this chapter if you've taken a shining to Tsuki. As for the next list of OC's, you'll be getting them in the next day or two. Been focusing on the story, but I'll make it up for you. I can't wait to see what you've been up to. I also can't wait for you next chapter of The Game Show of Jaune Arc's Dating Life, Raven's chapter was one of my favorite. You know you can also use one of my OC for it too if you want. It be funny to see if anyone reading your fic recognizes them. Oh, and I'll definitely be adding Barbie to the list.**

 **Randytphan: I'll have a forum that will be a Journal for all that information in the coming months. I'd add it in to the story, but that would be padding the word count, something most Gamer stories do. Though I'm surprised that people have been wanting all the extra stuff to the story. Who'd a thought?**

 **That Guy: Blue balling is what I do! But this next one you can thank my Beta, A Fan1204 for. He helped make it better and spice it up. But toying with emotions is part of what I do, it really is.**

 **Amusebeard: And I can only thank you for the review and continue to do my best to deliver!**

 **Benthino: A Titanfall mech would be a crazy Perk to unlock. And I'll continue to serve my devoted fans what they crave for their patience!**

 **TichePotato: . . . .I put in What Fang, didn't I? Boo. Boo, I say! Which is censor for Fuck.**

 **Azalmega: You know I got something delicious in stores, friend! One more fun Event before the action begins and we go out with a bang! And yes, reading comments from my fans does make me feel better. It's better medicine then the meds they gave me.**

 **TheNakedFlame: I know Jaune can get angry, Volume 4 did very well showing that he can get frustrated despite how goofy and kind he can be. Which did give me a thought for a story, especially once Raven was introduced. When he was talking with Helios, he was exhausted both mentally and physically from that night, so when he tried to argue and talk with the rocker he didn't have the energy to, especially when Helios cut him off and left. But we will be seeing more of that, don't you worry. Sometimes being nice won't always work.**

 **Curioustomjerry: Don't respond to guest reviews, but I'd thought I'd answer yours. I've already thought up of Crocea Mors shield design in advance, something I like to think is original compared to other ideas that have been written. Something simple yet unique. Though I do love the Charge Blade in MH, it's my favorite, second to main, The Switch Ax!**

 **Alright, that's enough reviews for now. Not that many compared to most of my chapters, but they usually build up after two weeks, so I can understand. Now, lets get to scrolling!**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. But one day, I'll have something of my own! If I ever complete the several drafts of my own original story. Just have to cut back on all the naughty naughty fun. Hmm. Maybe I should just say fuck it and write porn? The author of Ninja's of Love seems to be doing well. I want a catgirl #1 fan, damn it!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 27: Colors.**

 _[Four Days Later, Akai Shukuten.]_

Time had flown by for the students of Beacon as the school week came to an end. Much to the relief of teams RWBY and JNPR. Their punishment was up and they were now allowed to visit Vale once again, just in time to celebrate Anima's most popular holiday.

Jaune clutched the edges of a trashcan as he emptied his stomach. A gurgled moan slipped out his lips as he fell back against the metal container, his energy sapped from his usual bout of motion sickness. This was why he wished he could learn some kind of teleportation spell. There was nothing worse in this world than transportation in his opinion.

A gentle hand caressed his shoulders as he tried to settle his churning stomach, easing his sickness as he gave them a thankful smile.

Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle at Jaune's state. He really couldn't handle any form of transportation. Poor goofball.

The night before, Pyrrha had been kept up all night with the thought of going out with Jaune. What little sleep she got was more than enough as the digital clock by her nightstand hit five. She was up before the rest of her teammates, getting herself ready with a shower, fixing up her hair, and dressing up in her kimono. A quick word to her parent's back in Mistral and they had sent over her dress for the festival which still seemed to fit her perfectly. Something she was thankful for as she noticed Jaune's eyes wander over her.

Pyrrha wore a vibrant red kimono decorated with autumn leaves, fitting her shape just right along with two dark red chopstick like hairpins holding her ponytail together. A stray lock of twirled hair fell beside the left side of her face and her green mascara seemed to pop out even more than usual. Jaune couldn't help but gulp at his partner's appearance. It was a side of her he hadn't seen much of, the only time he had ever seen her so breathtaking was during the dance in his first life.

"Cat got your tongue?" Pyrrha teased with a grin.

Fighting the blush on his face, Jaune laughed nervously as she helped him back on his feet. Just like he promised, he was taking Pyrrha out to make up for ignoring her. Which was fine with him, it had been a while since he had some alone time with his partner. Sometimes he felt that the bond he still held onto from his first life was the problem. Back then they had always been around one another as she trained him to stand on his own two feet in a fight. He was already accustomed to her and knew plenty about her, so he didn't feel the need to spend as much time with her as he did before.

Not today though. He was going to make sure Pyrrha enjoyed herself for putting up with his crap in not just one life, but two.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Jaune asked as he looked around the bustling streets of Vale. Literally everything was decorated with red in some sort of way. Red lanterns, ribbons, even lights, you named it. And like Pyrrha, many of the people walking around were dressed in kimonos. Even Jaune had gotten into the festive mood and had Coco design him one out of reddish orange with a blue sash.

Pyrrha tapped her lips in thought, "Well, it is morning and we've yet to eat anything. How about we go out and see what kind of traditional Anima food they have around?" she suggested with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan then." Jaune grinned, his nose already picking up on the many foods selling at the vendors. It had been a long time since he had some food from Anima, not since his last family trip to Shion years ago.

Following his nose for a good spot to stop by, Jaune quickly found a vendor selling one of his favorite treats. Roasting over a grilling fire, he spotted wooden sticks stabbing through deep red dumplings seasoned with yellow sizzling sprinkles. Handing over the necessary Lien for the treats, Jaune was handed two sets of stick dumplings before handing Pyrrha her share.

"Hope you like Red Firecrackers."

Grabbing hold of the treat, Pyrrha immediately bit down on the top smoking dumpling. She almost squealed in delight as she savored the meaty and spicy flavor. "I used to get these with my father back home. Even while following my strict diet while modeling for my agent, I would always sneak one of these in out of habit." she said happily between bites.

"Right, I almost forgot about the fact you modeled." Jaune chuckled as he ripped the meat buns off in one bite. The feeling of the spice crackling in his mouth took him back for second, he almost forgot just how hot they were, "That had to be pretty cool. You were Ms. Pumpkin Pete for year if I remember right."

"I suppose it was. I got a lifetime of Pumpkin Pete's cereal for it as well." Though she wasn't sure she would ever have need for that much cereal. It was good, but it was horrible for your health like all sugary cereal. "I would do all sorts of modeling jobs like that during my free time. And while it was fun at times, it was all too much work. I would honestly drift off into my own thoughts while I was modeling. Half the time I didn't even know what I was modeling for." she said with a guilty laugh.

 _'Well, that would explain the body pillows on the net.'_ Jaune thought dully. He had always wondered how Pyrrha had ever agreed to that. At least it was popular? Pyrrha Niko's body pillows were all sold out when he had checked.

Alongside another, the two continued their conversation as they wandered around the many attractions of the festival. With a pocket full of Lien from his latest completed Event, Jaune paid for all the fun as they played the childish games set up around the streets. It was one of the few times Jaune had ever seen Pyrrha so carefree. Even as she lost a simple little game trying to catch a small koi fish with a weak net, she continued to smile. Seeing her like that, so happy and serene tugged at his heart.

Pyrrha was happy in this life with her partner, leader, and best friend standing by her side. Unlike the one he had abandoned in his original time. He didn't regret giving up his life to save Weiss, but he still found himself with guilt at those he had left behind. To this day, he was afraid of asking Ren what had happened to them in detail when he had died. Ren saying that they were all right and fine was more than enough for Jaune.

At least he could do better here. In this life, he would stay alive and make sure that Pyrrha didn't lose that smile of hers. It was the least he could do.

In their wandering, Jaune's eyes suddenly picked up on something. Walking over to one of the vendors selling Anima made merchandise, he found a set of armored armlets for sell. His right eye formed a crosshair, scanning the details of the different types of jewelry for sell until he found one that caught his attention.

 _ **'Warrior's Mark[Accessory]: An armlet bearing the mark of the warriors of Anima. Boosts Strength and boosts the capabilities of Semblance when HP is in the red. A golden armlet designed in a ferocious twisting dragon, bearing a warrior's pride in its maw.**_

 _ **1,000Lien.'**_

"I'll take this one!" Jaune grinned as he handed over the colorful cards to the vendor. The man nodded his head gratefully before passing along the accessory to the blond boy. With it in hand, Jaune passed it on to Pyrrha, surprising the girl as she looked it over. "Here, a little gift for all the trouble I've caused you so far." he smiled brightly.

Pyrrha smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Jaune. You really didn't have to do that." she said softly before smirking at the boy, "But that still doesn't make up for all your trouble. You're lucky I'm a patient woman."

"I know you are, trust me." Jaune said sheepishly as they moved on, "I'm pretty sure anyone would have been fed up with my crap. But you've been nothing but kind and patient with me since day one."

"We're partners and best friends, Jaune. And while I don't have much experience in that matter, I know that friends stay by one another no matter what. I just. . .wished that you would talk to us whenever you're having problems."

"Pyrrha, it's nothing against you guys." Jaune sighed, "I just always think that if I can't do things on my own, then what good am I? It's a bad habit I haven't been able to kick from back when I was weak." he frowned.

"Then I suppose it's a habit we'll have to break." Pyrrha huffed before turning around to stare at her partner. She was close to his face, enough to make him feel nervous and blush as she looked at him stubbornly, "Jaune, I wouldn't care if you were weak. And neither would anyone else. You didn't become our friend because you were strong or confidant, you became our friend because you were you. A lovable goof who was true to his heart and cared enough to help even strangers. The only bad thing I could say about you is that you believe you're strong enough to take on everything by yourself." she scowled, "Asking for help is not a weakness, it's a blessing. One many people aren't lucky to have in times of need. I'm sure that if you had simply asked for our help in the beginning, when you were working undercover with the police, then this wouldn't have had to happen to you."

Gently, Pyrrha's hand combed back the hair over Jaune's forehead and caressed the faded bullet wound on his temple. Her eyes were somber, recalling the nasty effect it had left. Because of that scar, his memories were ruined. He lost cherished memories he might not ever recover. All because he wanted to save a stranger and a friend in need. She really did have an idiot for a leader.

But it was that kindness that she had found herself fallen for.

"Friends help another, no matter what. We're your sword and shield too. You just have to have the strength and courage to use us." she said warmly, tilting her head with a gentle smile.

 _'. . .Pyrrha.'_ Jaune found his breath taken away in the face of his best friend's words. He found himself gulping, his hands going sweaty as he stared at her beautiful smile. Never before in a million years would he had thought he would find himself standing with a girl like Pyrrha like this. It was almost as if he was in a dream.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he was starting to see the whole picture. Too bad Jaune could be a slow learner at times. Romance was not his best subject.

Grabbing a hold of Pyrrha's caressing hand, Jaune smiled fondly back at his red haired best friend. It was around this moment that Pyrrha had realized how close they were and found herself blushing lightly, growing nervous at Jaune boldness. Was she dreaming again?

"I can't lie to you and say that I'll have the strength to ask for your help right away, but I can promise you that I won't leave you guys in the dark again. We're a team and we fight together. And when I'm feeling down, or troubled, I know that you will be the first one I turn to. We're best friends, teammates, and you of all people mean the world to me." he grinned widely.

The words Jaune had said didn't really mean to sound romantic, at least not to him. Who knows? Maybe some part of him was starting to fall for his partner. How could he not? She had been with him through his beginnings and his worst, always with a smile. In a way, she reminded him of his mother.

But to Pyrrha, a girl who didn't have much interactions with boys, it was more than enough to shut her down. Her blush had gone nova, turning a deep red as her eyes went impossibly wide with surprise. Her heart beat was running on overdrive and Jaune could swear that her face was steaming. She didn't make a move as her brain turned off and she fainted.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted in panic as he caught the knocked out invincible girl. He yelped as her skin felt hot to the touch. What the hell did he do? Grunting, he settled her body on his back before his eyes found the empty wooden stick in her hands. "I guess those dumplings were too spicy. You were eating them awfully quickly." he couldn't help but chuckle as he threw away the stick.

No amount of Wisdom or Intelligence could compete with the level of Jaune's obliviousness.

Fixing Pyrrha over his back, Jaune continued their stroll with the girl's head resting over his shoulder. Faintly he could make out Pyrrha mumbling, growing curious as he made out his name. What could she be dreaming off? He shrugged, deciding to let her be and wait for her to regain consciousness. They still had the rest of the morning to hang out after all.

 _ **'Pyrrha Niko's Affection has leveled up! Pyrrha Niko's Affection has hit the Level Cap for Act 1! Affection Lvl10MX! A Special Reward has been Unlocked! You've Received a Gift! Champion's Aura, Unlocked!'**_

[Page Break]

It didn't take too long for Pyrrha to wake back up from her little nap. After apologizing and fighting in vein to cool down her burning blush, the two continued their morning stroll for games and tasty exotic food. By the time it reached close to twelve in the morning, the two had found themselves sitting back on a bench as they watched the many people in the streets enjoying the holiday. It was there that Nora and Ren had found their teammates resting.

Grinning, Nora ran up to her friends while dragging along Ren behind her. From the looks of it she had been stuffing herself with all the food around her. Crumbs could be seen on her pink kimono along with sweets stuffed in her waist's sash. It was no wonder she was vibrating in place with all the sugar she must have eaten.

"Hey, guys! What ya doing? Shouldn't you be up and about, playing some more games or eating till your stomach erupts? I know that's what I'm doing." she mumbled happily, biting down on another sweet in her hand.

Ren sighed as he discretely swapped out another sugary candy in Nora's possession with sugar free. The only reason she was still alive at this point was thanks to his Semblance, Fade. He had progressed it to the point he could remove the presence of not just himself, but objects. It made it a lot easier to switch out her sweets when she had enough.

"We're just taking a break. Not all of us have bottomless energy." Jaune groaned as he stretched his back. Seriously, did she ever get tired?

"Boo, why can't you take after me? It's no fun when my entire team can't keep up with me." Nora pouted as Jaune chuckled.

"Pretty sure if I took after you, I'd be dead. That, or I would be seeing a doctor about my blood turning into sugary syrup."

"Oh! That sounds sooooo cool!"

"Nora, even you would die."

"I sense a challenge."

The line of conversation wasn't going to end well. Bopping Nora lightly on her head, Ren gave his childhood friend flat glare, "You are not transfusing your blood with syrup. Otherwise I'm done making you pancakes." he threatened with a smirk.

Nora gasped in betrayal, "You wouldn't! . . .You would." she grumbled. She turned away from the raven in a huff and bit down savagely onto a cotton candy she was saving.

Knowing he won, Ren turned back to Jaune with a tired chuckle, "It's been a challenge keeping Nora this tame. It's been a long time since she had any Anima sweets since we left for Beacon, so she can't really help herself but gorge. Though I'm no less guilty." he smirked as he unrolled a green foiled treat before popping the creamy orange candy into his mouth, "Even I can't resist my home's candy."

"You must have had your hands full then." Pyrrha giggled, watching as Nora continued her feasting. With a relaxed sigh, the red-haired girl stood back up and patted Ren's shoulder softly, "How about I take her off your hands for a while? We still have plenty of time left before we meet up with team RWBY for the last event of the night, so how about you and Jaune have some boy time?" she smiled with a wink, "Even you two need some time away from woman."

"Ain't that the truth." Nora mumbled, recalling all the times she caught Ren fixing his hair in the mirror, "Ain't it a little worrying that those two care more for their hair than us? Next thing you know, we'll be catching them stealing our makeup."

Both boys felt annoyance at the comment as Pyrrha giggled.

"Are you sure? Nora can be a handful." Ren warned lightly as Pyrrha nodded her head.

"We'll be fine. It's not the first time we've gone out together. Now, go and enjoy yourselves. We'll all meet up again around nine with the others. Just don't go starting any trouble you two." Pyrrha jokingly warned.

Nora snickered at that, "As if those two even know how to have fun."

Waving goodbye to Jaune and Ren, Pyrrha and Nora left to do their own thing, leaving the boys to their own devices. Falling back to the bench with relief, Ren took the moment to relax now that he was free. Nora really knew how to tire a guy out. No matter how many lives he lived, he would never get used to that kind of strain.

"So, what should we do?" Jaune asked now that they were alone. Honestly, he wasn't the most informed on what guys did when they hung out. Until he met Ren, Jaune had only hung out with girls. It wasn't even until this lifetime that he actually hung out with other guys like Cardin's team. There were a few moments with Sun and Neptune, but then he died.

Ren shrugged as he leaned back, "Relax? Quite honestly, there really isn't anything I would like to do. I would rather be back at our dorm, sleeping the day away." he said with a dreamy smile. Just thinking about his sweet, loving bed was making him drowsy.

"You really don't think of anything but sleep." Jaune said flatly with shake of his head.

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"Come on, Ren. We can't just sit around like a couple of logs all day. There's got to be something for a couple of guys like us to do." Jaune urged his lazy friend. For god's sake, he himself was starting to feel his eyes grow heavy as he fought a yawn. Dear god, Ren's lazy energy was contagious.

What did Jaune expect out of Ren? All Ren ever wanted was relaxation and sleep, something The Game would never let him have with it always urging him into action. And he could only ignore The Will's annoying game messages for so long. What he was doing right now, laying back on a nice warm bench with the wind gently kissing his face with a pocket full of sweets from his home continent was better than anything anyone could think of.

With that in mind, Ren pulled out a lemon-lime sucker and shoved it into Jaune's mouth just as he was about to speak again.

"Just shut up for once and relax. Times like this. . .won't last forever." Ren said wistfully as he popped a peach flavored lollipop into his own mouth.

Jaune sputtered for a second before relenting. True, his own life had been full of too much excitement and action to last him one lifetime. Maybe Ren was on to something? Doing nothing wasn't so bad here and there.

Following his fellow Player, Jaune laid back and savored the sweet as the two relaxed before the sea of colorful folks enjoying the festivities. It was nice.

For about two minutes.

"Ooooh~? Why, I know that lustrous mane of midnight cascading hair anywhere! And that mop of silky gold, you just can't find such a simple yet wondrous hair on a man anywhere!"

The purr of a feminine voice snapped Jaune and Ren's eyes wide open before they felt themselves entrapped by two strong arms. _'Why can't I have one day, ONE day without any kind of hijinks involved?'_ Ren's eye twitched.

Behind the two boys stood a woman with curly sandy blonde hair, pale white skin with a beauty mark on her left cheek, lime green eyes, and small chest. Like everyone else celebrating she was dressed in a simple red kimono only with hair grooming supplies stashed in her sash and curls. She grinned widely at the two as her hands entangled themselves in their hair, fondly caressing their locks.

Jaune groaned, recognizing the woman immediately, "Ms. Canela, can you stop messing with our hair? I just had it done."

"Not by me you haven't." chided the hairdresser with a pout. A small glare met two boys as she stopped indulging her habit and walked around them to stand before them with a pout.

"Why, I haven't seen neither of you two at my salon for nearly a month! Que horrible! You won't even call me by name. Have you forgotten me and found another hairdresser?" the sandy haired woman's voice trembled with faux tears.

"Sorry, Arena." the two boys apologized monotonously. Suddenly they both blinked before turning their heads to another in confusion.

"How do you know Arena?" Jaune asked with a frown.

"She's. . ." Ren struggled to say before hanging his head in shame, "My hair stylist. I've been seeing her since coming to Beacon for all my hair care needs. How else do you think I can keep my hair so silky smooth and luxurious while on a team with Nora?" he scoffed with a flip of his hair. Narrowing his eyes, he turned his suspicion to his leader, "The real question is, how do you know her?"

Jaune chuckled guiltfully, "Well, I'm on the same boat as you. I've just gotten so accustomed to my hair being done thanks to my sisters that I usually stop by Arena's salon for a touchup. Plus, I might also stop by here and then for some. . .spa time." he said embarrassingly as he hung his own head.

Ren stared blankly at his leader and his rather feminine dealings before sighing, "Me too."

In their defense, what did others expect when they were always surrounded with woman? It didn't help that they could effortlessly pull off crossdressing and be mistaken as actual girls. Habits like that sadly rubbed off.

Arena tapped her foot impatiently as the two boys ignored her, "Oye, it's not nice to ignore a woman! I just wanted to say hello to two of my cherished guests, yet you boys won't even give me the time of day. I feel used." she grumbled.

"Sorry, Arena! You just caught us while we were unwinding is all." Jaune apologized sheepishly.

"That doesn't excuse you." she huffed before turning her head up at the boys, "Nor does it explain why you boys haven't stopped by for a trim. I mean, look at you two!" she gestured incredulously to their hairs to state their point.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Jaune asked subconsciously.

"It hasn't been conditioned properly! And look at those split ends! Just the sight of your unkempt hair makes me feel queasy." she said with a green face of disgust. "I can't stand the sights of such smooth, silky hair comparable to a woman's fine due any longer! I, need to make you beautiful~!" she sang heavenly as her hands made odd gestures towards the boys.

Jaune sweated nervously as he was edged back into his seat, "I know I haven't been keeping up with my hair for a while, but I don't need a trim now! We can reschedule!"

"I just want to lay back and take a nap in the sun!" Ren couldn't help but cry as the exotic woman grabbed him by the scruff of his kimono. She dragged him along with his leader, mumbling all sorts of treatments she was going to be treating the boys with a sunny grin on her face.

Struggle all they could, they were unfortunately helpless before a woman.

* * *

"It's a what?"

Blake had seen a lot of things in her time working under the White Fang. Different cities, towns, people, cultures, and ways of life. She was sure that there wasn't much left in the world to take her by surprise. She was a stoic person, showing as little emotion as possible. And she was fine with that. She was never one for showing too much.

But even a hardened warrior like herself found it hard not to gape as she stood inside the oddest establishment she had ever seen. It wasn't anything too out of the ordinary really. It was a restaurant cafe designed to appear rather upper class with some of the gaudiest furniture and decorations she had ever seen. The food appeared top notch and while Blake wasn't the fondest of coffee, even she found herself enraptured by some of the aroma's drifting by her. Despite how rich the décor was, the cafe had this warm and friendly atmosphere to it, completely opposite of what she had expected from such a place. But all that wasn't what caused her to drop her jaw.

In front of her eyes, greeting her along with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and oddly enough, Ciel, was one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen. The man was dressed as your stereotypical butler, with wavy brown hair looking as fine as silk, gentle, compassionate green eyes, sharp features, and smooth skin with a dazzling smile. For a second Blake had flinched before those pearly white teeth. And to add to the picture, there was four other men with handsome features behind him, bowing politely to the girls with poise.

"Welcome, sweet mistresses, to Vale's Dreamy Cafe Lounge!" they all greeted politely in sync with dazzling smiles and grins, "Pleasure to serve you!"

"There's no way those teeth are real." Blake blurted out flatly, causing some of the waiters to stumble with blushes. They were as real as Weiss' busty chest.

For some reason, Weiss felt the urge to pull on Blake's ribbon hiding her ears. And a sudden shame.

Yang rolled her eyes as she stood in front of her little party of girls. This was why Blake needed this. The girl had to unwind and stop being skeptical. No one liked a party pooper.

"Who cares? What matters is that these fine gentlemen are here to serve our every need." Yang grinned as she got closer to the waiter leading the others. Her leering lilac eyes made the man uncomfortable as he became self-conscious of his rather fine appearance. Something about the girl made him feel like he was being eyed by a prowling lion. Even the way the chesty girl licked her lips made him gulp.

Once again, Blake questioned the reasoning for her being here. It was all Yang's idea of a girl's day out before meeting the rest of their friends at the city square. Why they thought it was a good idea to let Yang make their afternoon plans, they didn't know. Honestly, they should have seen this coming. They had only themselves to blame.

"This place does look really fancy for our tastes. Do you really think we'll be able to pay for this?" Ruby asked doubtfully as she scanned the place. She was a schoolgirl without a job, she didn't have enough Lien to pay for something fancy that didn't even taste good. Her dad's allowance only allowed for the essentials in life, like ammunition, weapon parts, and cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.

To that, Yang reached into her blazing yellow kimono and pulled out a slip of paper, "Don't worry, Rubes! I got some quality coupons!" she said brightly as she waved said coupons around like a fan. Handing over the slip of paper, the head waiter nodded his head after inspecting them over with a skeptical eye. The busty girl was right, they were top quality for a group meal and first-class service for each one of them. How did such a... unique girl acquire them? The man didn't think much on it as he snapped his finger, signaling his coworkers to get back to work. You couldn't fake coupons to their establishment that well anyway.

"What kind of service do they offer anyways?" Weiss said warily as they were led away. This was Yang they were talking about, whatever she had planned was never bound to be morally good.

Hearing Weiss' question, one of the waiters answered with a winning smile, "Why, we offer top notch customer service to our female patrons! Each one of you will be seated to your private room and offered services by one of our hosts who will cater to your every need! Your selected host will take your order, cook your order, offer you drinks, listen to your troubles with an open ear, even massage those tired and weary shoulders for you if you so please! We are at your beck and call. So, don't be afraid to ask whatever you like." he said softly with dreamy eyes.

Too bad for him, that the girls he was talking to weren't their typical guests. His smile wavered as he noticed that their guests didn't show signs of being smitten with him. Not even a blush! Hell, the girl in the black kimono wearing a black bow and the dark-skinned girl in a purple kimono simply gave him the driest stares he had ever seen.

Talk about a tough crowd.

"Do you guys serve cookies and milk?" Ruby asked with a pout. Because if not, she was running out of here.

"We offer whatever your heart desires! If it's cookies you wish, then consider it granted." the waiter said smoothly with a bright, heartwarming grin.

Ruby wasn't affected, but she did smile happily. If they could satisfy her cookie habit, then she was fine.

Deflating slightly at the lack of expected responses from the ladies, the host held back a sigh as they arrived towards their destination. They stopped in the middle of a velvet colored hallway with multiple doors lining the walls to their own private rooms. A frown marred his features as he noticed the lack of available rooms before nodding his head at the number he found available.

"I'm sorry, my sweets. But it seems we are running short on rooms. We only have four available, so would it be any trouble if two of you paired up? We promise that we'll make up for it with our top-notch service!" he suggested with proud grin.

Yang shrugged as she turned to her friends, "What do ya say? You guys okay with that?"

Blake nodded stiffly, "I suppose so. Who is going to pair up?" she said stoically, not truly caring one way or the other.

Ciel merely shrugged at the question, also not truly caring. "I have no problem being alone for this. Though I do still find it strange that you invited me on this excursion to begin with."

"Well, we wanted to thank you and Penny for helping us out with the White Fang. I thought it would nice to get to know you too." Ruby explained sheepishly. They had been hoping to invite Penny along as well, but the odd orange haired girl was absent. Ciel said that she had some business to take care of before they could meet again. But since Ciel was available, they had thought it would be nice to extend the invitation to her as well.

"I think I'll just take this time to bond with my little sis. I wouldn't like her being left alone with some punk anyways." she said under her breath before narrowing her eyes at the pretty boy.

"Then I suppose that settles that." Weiss sighed as she looked over her nails. At least they acted the part of a host. It had been some time since she was treated with such class. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

Happy with their resolution, the waiter began to lead them towards their own rooms. Weiss was the first one to be dropped off before Yang and Ruby. With only Blake and Ciel left, the waiter led them to their separate rooms. Blake watched with an uncaring eye as Ciel went into her room before she entered her own. Swinging it open, she was led into a finely furnished room with a velvet booth circling the room and a short table lined with several drinks and snacks that also served as a heating stove. Urging her to sit, the waiter handed her a menu before turning to the door.

"Please, look over the menu for a bit while I get you your server for the hour. With your friend's coupon, everything is 50% off, so don't be afraid to spoil yourself with whatever you're feeling!" he said with a bright smile.

Blake nodded, not paying the man any attention as she read over the menu. The man's shoulders dropped, moping as he shut the door behind him. He was going to have to talk to the boss about some tough customers.

Sighing in relief as the waiter left, Blake decided to go over the menu, if Yang was going to force her to do this for an hour she may as well see if there was anything to get out of it. Her eyes wandered over the menu and her attention mostly focused on the services they seemed to offer. With a raised eyebrow, she read one of the many services. They offered a foot massage? How bold.

The handle to their room twisted and Blake set aside the menu with an annoyed scowl. Inwardly, Blake prepared herself to shoot down whatever pretty boy walked into serve her. As if she was so weak to fall for their tricks. She was an ex-White Fang agent and a trained huntress who could slay Grimm after Grimm with no sweat. Not some ditzy girl with a weak heart.

Blue eyes and an all too familiar bright grin greeted Blake as her host walked in with a tray cart of food and cooking utensils. He was dressed as the other waiters and had blond hair, normally unkempt but now wavy and smooth as he winked at her with a wider, charming grin.

"Pleasure to serve you, mistress! Name's Jaune, Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue! And yours to command this afternoon." he said smoothly with a charming wink.

Jaune blinked in surprise, rubbing his eyes before he gaped openly at Blake, who had taken to staring at him with wide eyes. Trembling like a leaf, he pointed his finger at the catgirl as he shouted, "B-Blake!? What are you doing here!?"

"I… should be the one asking you that." Blake said slowly as her brain tried to process the unfolding events. "Do… you work here?" She hated the quiver in her voice but she couldn't help it. Of all the people she expected to see, Jaune wasn't even on the list.

Getting over his initial shock, Jaune shook his head as his shoulders slumped and his head dropped in shame, "No, no I do not. Trust me, this is the last thing I would ever work as." he mumbled.

"Then what are you doing here?" Blake asked, still very confused to find Jaune of all people here. He wasn't much of a lady's man and it wasn't exactly from a lack of trying. He was just kind of a dork by default.

Raising his head to meet Blake's yellow eyes, Jaune gave her a deadpanned stare, "Let's just say that Ren and I don't know how to say no to a woman and leave it at that. And I curse my good-natured mouth with every fiber of my being." he said dully before sighing at his current position.

It was just supposed to be a simple haircut! But even then Jaune and Ren were not spared of The Game's mechanics as a Quest option popped up as Arena was talking over her scroll with a friend who ran said lounge. The second the Shade woman had voiced her concerns; their HUD's had displayed a mission detailing the rewards and Lien they would earn. And how could Jaune say no to a woman with a quivering lip and batting eyes!? Now they were both working as hosts for a friend of their hair stylists seeing as the guy in charge was suddenly short on two guys.

A job was a job though. Turning back for the trolley cart, Jaune went ahead and begun setting up the supplies to start cooking.

Trying his best to shift the discussion away from his weak will in the face of females, Jaune gave Blake his best smile and gestured toward his makeshift kitchen. "So, what are you feeling like today? Our special of the day is Takoyaki, that's fried batter balls with minced octopus or any kind of seafood with seasoning and other delicious treats."

Blake's ear perked up at that, her hidden feline appendages wiggling in excitement, "I'll have Takoyaki with lots of octopus!" she said happily in a rare moment of giddy joy before her face flared up with embarrassment at her outburst.

Jaune just chuckled and tried to wave off her embarrassment as he went to work. He was more than familiar enough her sea food loving tendencies to be surprised by that. Removing everything from the table, the surface began to heat up as the blond began to prepare the exotic meal. A twelve two rowed metal pan was set onto the heating metal that Jaune soon filled with batter and various ingredients. Octopus, red ginger, green onions, tenkatsu, and even bits of shrimp that were only causing the beast that was Blake's stomach to growl louder. And with two sliver-like needles in hand she watched the knight begin to roll the batter balls, the food starting to waft a rich aroma within the small room.

"I hate to be that guy, but do I really have to act like a pretty boy and flirt with you shamelessly?" Jaune asked nervously as he cooked.

Tearing her eyes away from the appetizing sight of sizzling battered seafood balls, Blake grew curious.

"Is that what you've been doing? Catering to woman's needs all day like some playboy? And no, you can relax and act as you always do." she asked stoically. The idea of Jaune trying to be a suave player almost broke her calm demeanor. She could only picture him fumbling around with a nervous smile as he tried and failed to please different patrons. It was almost enough to make her laugh, almost.

"Pretty much. Ren and I have been stuck here for two hours, treating girls like they were royalty. I mean, it's not that bad." Jaune shrugged, keeping his eyes focused on his task. Fun fact, certain activities like cooking usually dropped him into a mini game. That's were his Talents came in to play. Currently, his HUD was displaying a Score Meter and timers on each Takoyaki ball to roll around.

"I lived with seven sisters, so it's pretty much the same. And my mother and father always taught me to treat woman with respect. Add in some false charisma and confidence, and I've surprisingly been doing well. You know, other than some handsy girls here and there." he coughed into his fist with a small blush. Civilian girls were completely different than the girls on campus, that was for sure.

 _'I suppose I can see that.'_ Blake thought with a growing blush as she watched Jaune cook with a peaceful expression. He had come a long way from the stumbling blond with terrible pick-up lines. The past three months he had shown remarkable growth, attracting a lot of attention from the people around him. She swore she could hear other students whispering his name here and there. There was just something about him that attracted attention.

Unfortunately, it was often the bad kind.

"How are you feeling by the way?" Blake asked softly as her eyes fell on Jaune's once nearly punctured abdomen.

Catching Blake's eyes, Jaune smiled reassuringly as he squirted cooking oil over the seafood balls, "I'm feeling just fine. After a few visits by Ms. Sprig, she's said that I've healed completely with no lasting scars. Compared to the last time I was taken into the hospital, it wasn't that bad." he said before frowning lightly.

Roman could have done worse. He pretty much wounded everyone in his line of sight for fun. Except Pyrrha who was only saved from his tricks when he was cornered and forced to run away. Jaune's frown only grew deeper as a thought struck him.

 _'So, why wasn't Nora hurt? All he did was knock her out with a spell. Why didn't he do that to everyone else?'_

Throwing such thoughts out of his mind, Jaune went back to cooking before noticing that the Takoyaki was finished. Fixing a small serving basket in hand, he brought the day's special to the lone huntress and took a seat beside her.

"Now enough questions, I'm here to spoil you like a proper gentleman!" he said with a toothy grin.

"Jaune, I'm not going to make you wait on me like some-" Blake's protesting was quickly silenced by a hot, steamy ball of battered octopus popping into her mouth. The second it made contact with her tongue, she melted into her seat as she chewed the savory meal with a delightful moan. Her ears wouldn't stop wiggling as she clapped her cheeks in delight.

"Sorry, my ebony-haired beauty, but I have a job to do." Jaune said unapologetically.

Swallowing, Blake grew mortified with her behavior as the bliss ended. That wasn't like her! She wasn't so easily-

"Say 'ahhh'!"

Pride flew out the window as Blake happily opened her mouth, savoring the incredible fishy ball with another moan. When it came to fish, she had no control over her emotions.

Chuckling at Blake's happy demeanor, Jaune grinned knowingly, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. I know you Blake, enough to know when you're about to go on another blame game. Trust me, you're not the only veteran player." he said with a sad smile as he continued to feed her.

"You've been avoiding me ever since I came back to the dorms, making up excuses to stay away from me. Knowing you, you're blaming yourself for what happened at the docks. Just like the Friends of Faunus. For a stoic, silent, porn reading ninja cat girl, you're pretty easy to read."

His smile was wiped completely off his face as he felt his annoyance seep back into him. He had tried to approach Blake multiple times since the docks. The entire reason any of them had gone there was to help Blake deal with her problem surrounding the White Fang. He had lost consciousness towards the end of the fight and he had no idea if she had gotten what she needed from it. Hearsay and a completed quest status wasn't good enough for him, he wanted to know from her how she was doing over all of it.

And in return he had received flimsy excuses and a friend too afraid to talk to him face to face. He had seen her hide from him went he went to talk to her, it was all but impossible not to with his HUD. The few times he had caught her off guard was met with a poorly conceived excuse that had her fleeing just as fast. At first, he thought he had done something wrong to earn her ire but that couldn't have been the case. Blake was never one to back away from someone that upset her, she was a surprisingly vocal person when it came to things she was passionate or upset over, the White Fang being a prime example.

No, instead he had realized why she was hiding from him. The concerned glances when she thought he wasn't looking gave it away. She was blaming herself and running away, just like she always did. He had thought he had helped her get past that part of herself but apparently bad habits die hard. He should have expected that to be completely honest, he was the same way. He was quick to place the blame for everything on himself, finding fault even if in realty there was none to give.

It was why he found himself at ease around her and why her company never seemed forced. In his first life, he had never realized just how similar the two of them were in that regard, too preoccupied with his own failings and weaknesses to ever concern himself with her, only ever truly finding time for his own team and Ruby.

It was also why it hurt to have her avoid him the way she had. They were never close in his past life but now Blake had become one of his closest friends. With everything they had been through so far how could they not? The Friends of Faunus event had truly brought them together in a way that he had never expected from the raven-haired beauty. He knew that she felt the same in many respects, if she didn't she would never feel as guilty as she obviously did.

So, she blamed herself for everything that happened and was too afraid to face him because she thought he may hold it against her. It was a stupid thought, he would never even entertain the idea, let alone blame her for what happened. But the reasoning fit Blake to a T. That was why he had stopped pushing to talk to her until she was ready. He knew her well enough that she would eventually seek him out. But if they were already here, maybe now would be as good as time as any.

Blake glared at Jaune with a mouthful of Takoyaki. The porn reading jab was unnecessary. How many times did she have to explain the artistic vision that was Ninja's of Love? With an audible gulp, Blake sighed.

"This time it was my fault. If I hadn't gone to the docks to prove that the White Fang wasn't involved, then none of you would have gotten hurt. I let my anger cloud my judgment, and you all paid the price." she said with guilt. "Yang suffered a punctured shoulder, Weiss suffered lacerations, Ruby suffered second degree burns and nearly had her jaw cracked, Ren nearly had his lung pierced, and Sun and Tsuki who had nothing to do with our teams suffered their own wounds. And you nearly died, again." she said in frustration as she bit down on her lip.

"That's not completely true." Jaune struggled to say as he found himself pouring her a drink. She was technically correct. None of them would have been there if it wasn't for her own agenda but that didn't mean any of them blamed her for it, he certainly didn't. Judging by the look at her pretty face however, she didn't believe his already shaky words.

"Roman did mess me up pretty badly, but I wasn't hanging on by a thread. And everyone is back on their feet. No one blames you for what happened. In case you forgot, this is also part of our job as huntsman and huntresses; to stop trouble wherever it comes up." Dipping a Takoyaki ball into tarter sauce, Jaune jammed it into Blake's mouth just as she opened it. She gave him an annoyed glare that he laughed at, "I think you're the only one who's' still hung up about the mess. Move on, Blake. We don't like seeing our friend beating herself up. You're no fun like that."

"When have I ever been fun?" Blake mumbled, withholding a guilty moan. He just had to be a good cook, "And how can you be okay with what happened? Why can't you just blame me for being a burden like a normal person!" she nearly shouted in frustration.

"Who ever said I was normal?" Jaune scoffed lightly, "I don't think anyone on our teams can be considered that. Friends don't blame one another, they pick each other up and forgive them. It seems you still have a lot to learn about that if you don't understand that simple fact. And they called me dumb." he smirked.

It looked like all those books were just for show.

Struggling to find something to say back, Blake eventually gave up and resented herself to being fed with a grumpy huff. Why was it so hard for her to make them see reason? If she was still with Adam, he would be blaming her for getting them into trouble. Any normal human or faunus would do the same thing! How were they any different?

 _'GIVE THEM SOME CREDIT!'_

Blake's yellow eyes widened as a familiar voice came to mind. For some reason, she couldn't help but smile fondly. Didn't she have a similar conversation before with someone more brash and hardheaded? If. . .if people like Jaune and Cardin could understand that, why couldn't she? Shutting her eyes, Blake found the weight she had been carrying on her shoulders lifting as she sighed.

She had almost forgotten a very important fact. They were friends. And that was all that needed to be said. What a simple answer, it was so corny.

 _ **'Blake Belladonna's Friendship has risen! A Perk has been Unlocked! Fool's Shadow, Unlocked!'**_

A soft smile came to rest of Jaune's face as he regarded the more at ease Faunus girl. It looked like she finally understood where not only himself but all their friends were coming from. But it didn't stop the nagging feeling that gnawed at the back of his mind. He had thought he had gotten through to Blake before and yet this still happened. He needed to drill this into her head, he didn't want to have this conversation with her again. He didn't want to feel the same hurt he felt when she had avoided him again.

He gently let himself fall beside the catgirl and rested on the soft cushions. Her eyes were still shut as he reached out and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, his hand resting on the side of her head as he carefully pulled her head into his chest. Her reaction was predictable and surprising at the same time. He instantly felt her body stiffen at his touch, her face going scarlet as her wide amber eyes stared up at him. But at the same time, she didn't fight his touch nor pull away as he drew her in close.

He placed her head over his heart and couldn't help but feel his own body flush at the contact but he pushed forward, this was more important that his silly nerves. Despite his thoughts his body betrayed him as his heart started to beat a mile a minute and he became painfully aware of just how soft Blake was, how wonderfully she smelled and how great it felt to have her against his body.

Fighting those thoughts back into the darkest recess of his mind, he tried to focus on what he was trying to do. Blake's eyes were still on him, waiting for him to say something. He saw the confusion in them as well as nervousness that he couldn't quite place. Steeling his nerves, he tried to hide his own embarrassment.

"Jaune, what are you-

"Do you feel that Blake? Can you hear it?" He interrupted her with a soft voice.

The girl continued to look at him with confusion but seemed to consider his words as she closed her eyes again and listened. After a few moments they fluttered open, those piercing amber orbs locked on his ocean blue. "Your heart?"

His smile widened, a genuine one opposed to the awkward one he had been wearing earlier. "Yeah. My heart. It proves that I'm still alive. That I'm still here and despite everything that's happened, I'm fine. But do you what else it does?"

Her eyes stayed locked on his but she didn't remove her head from his chest, she stayed pressed against it chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart having almost a calming effect on her. Her silence was more than enough for him to continue. "It tells me what I need to do. It tells me who is important to me and who I need to protect."

He stopped, if only to find the proper way to say what he needed to. "You blamed yourself for what happened to everyone, convinced that the only reason we got hurt was because of you. What you fail to see is that we made those decisions on our own. You're free to do the things you want but so are we. I can't speak for anyone else but despite everything that was going on there was nothing I would have rather done than to come with you into that fray."

He didn't take his eyes off hers and he could see a bit of the fight she was so well known for shining through. "But you nearly died. I don't want to be responsible for my friends getting hurt. I know you won't blame me but I don't want to see anyone else hurt because of me."

"The real pain is when you try to do things on your own and leave us behind. Promise me Blake. No matter how dangerous it is, please come to your friends for help. If not me then at least your team. Promise me Blake, you mean too much to me to see you get hurt if we could help."

He gazed into his now wide cat-like eyes as they stared back into his. It was more than his words that made her throat clench, it was the raw emotion in his own ocean blue eyes. Jaune was always an honest person, someone that wore his emotions on his sleeve. Now more than ever Blake could read the naked concern in them. She saw something else in them as well that made her heart speed up.

"Please Blake…" His voice was soft, a barely audible whisper as he drew closer to her. She could feel his hot breath wash over her face as he waited for her answer. It was a simple thing but it sent shivers across her body. Her hand moved on its own as it came to rest on his chest, her own eyes dimming slightly as she lost herself in his blue orbs.

"I promise."

It came out as a breathless whisper but she knew he had heard her. His eyes shone with a joy she hadn't seen in him for quite some time. He was still so close that she could feel his every breath and movement. Her heart hammered in her chest as her eyes wandered a little lower and her mind betrayed her as treacherous thoughts raced through her mind.

Was he…could she actually…did she want to…? Her mind pushed images into the forefront of her mind that did nothing to relieve the pounding of her heart before she finally gave in and slowly her eyes fluttered shut. With whatever courage she had left she began to lean in and…

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Blake stopped abruptly, her ears picking up a very loud and furious yell, _'Yang?'_

The sound of walls breaking apart by a thunderous boom broke Jaune out of his daze as he turned away from Blake as they suddenly found the left side of their room smashed through by an unknown object. Said object was drilled into the right wall, their flight losing just enough velocity from its previous buffers to leave them groaning as they slid down to the floor. Jaune recognized the man despite the multiple bumps over his bruising face and frowned.

"Dio? What the hell happened to you?" he gawked as the fancy dressed man with a once smooth, chiseled jaw and well combed blond hair gurgled a response. With how beat up Dio was, it didn't come to a surprise to Jaune when the host passed out a second later. Out of curiosity, Jaune turned towards the rather large hole created by his fellow host, only to come eye to eye with a set of confused pink and icy blue eyes.

Ren, who had been serving his own guest, found Jaune's gaze on him, catching the lazy huntsman mid-foot massage. Jaune grew annoyed as he noticed his friend had Weiss's naked petite foot in hand while the girl enjoyed a parfait.

"You bastard."

Ren merely raised an eyebrow as if to ask 'and you have room to talk?

Making a mental note to get back at his friend, Jaune continued his line of sight through the hole on Ren's end. And that's where he found a fuming Yang Xiao Long cracking her knuckles with blistering red eyes as she stood protectively over a very confused Ruby innocently munching cookies. Jaune nodded in thought, putting two and two together.

"I take it Dio got too close." he said dryly.

Yang growled, her eyes glaring at the knocked-out host with no regrets, "That little snobbish prick thought he was slick. He thought he could distract me with some drinks and sweet talk while he scooted closer to Ruby. Then he made the mistake of touching her face with that damn arrogant smirk of his. Who's smirking now, HUH!?" she shouted at the knocked-out host.

"I have no idea what's going on." Ruby added in simply as she helped herself to another cookie.

Tempering her rage, Yang finally took notice of her friends past the walls she had busted in. A Cheshire grin made its way to her face as she zoned in on Jaune.

"Damn, Jaune, I didn't think you were that kind of guy. And with my own partner no less?" Yang questioned behind a snicker.

The color in Jaune's face died as he found himself turning back to Blake. At some point during their conversation she had ended up in his lap and both his hands were around the small of her back while hers were placed on his chest as she was half laying on him. All in all, it looked like the two were in some romantic embrace

Jaune gaped with a red velvet face at the multiple sets of eyes that were now solely focused on them. Some were surprised, others amused, one completely checked out. Those were nothing compared to the last pair he focused on. The icy blue orbs were absolutely frigid as the small girl shook with rage.

"YOU PERVERT!"

Darkness thy old friend, say hello to Jaune.

With the thud of another knocked out blond, Ren cleaned his hands of the massage oil as Weiss fumed while canceling her glyph. The basketball sized hunk of ice she had summoned over Jaune's head rolled between Blake's legs as Jaune mumbled in his unconsciousness.

 _'This is another reason I don't like to play the hero, because of situations like this.'_ Ren thought to himself wisely as he began to drag his leader away from the mess. Cliché shit like this wasn't something Ren wanted in his life. For a second, Ren glanced back to the knocked-out host, Dio, before shrugging his shoulders and leaving the girls to the scene.

Someone had to take the blame and it was Dio's fault. Ain't no way Ren was paying for any of this.

 _'Just one more hour to go. Just one more, and then you're free to go.'_ Ren chanted to himself. The 10,000 Lien in reward money and Special Jasmine Hair Conditioner was worth it.

Now where could he dump a knocked out blond dork?

 _ **'Congratulations! Blake Belladonna's Affection has risen!'**_

* * *

The day was slowly edging closer to night as the red festivities began to light up their red lanterns for a source of light for the drawing darkness. The sight of so many lanterns guiding the way for the people wandering the streets was breathtaking. And with their arrival, music began to play courtesy of the local musicians playing melodies of the neighboring continent. It was the sound of music that welcomed Jaune and alerted him to his next stop. Or date.

 _'I'm about to go on a date with a girl who's only interested in having my kid... What the hell am I supposed to expect out of this?'_ Jaune sighed in exasperation as he walked over to the meeting spot Tsuki had texted him.

It would have been much simpler if the mysterious, cold, stern raven-haired girl had a crush on him! But no, she had to straight up tell him that she only wanted him so she could give birth in the future. At least she didn't want to jump his bones right now. That was good, right?

Jaune slouched as he pulled at his hair in frustration. Why the hell couldn't his life be normal? Who came up with this kind of crap!? It was like some crappy romance novel! Blake would have loved this.

Pulling himself together, the blond knight began to think of what to do. Obviously, he was going to have to explain how her plans weren't going to work out. Because as much as his libido was literally kicking him in the groin in hopes of stopping him, Jaune needed to let Tsuki down. Not because she wasn't attractive, the older girl was beautiful and her red eyes were drawing. Not to mention said girl's bust rivaled Yang along with her slim figure. But the thing was he hardly knew anything about her.

 _'I mean, why me? What did she see that would make her want to have my kid? And more importantly of all, why does she want my kid?'_ There was just too many questions in the air. The only real reason Jaune had agreed to this was because he was actually hoping to get to know her. He had Tsuki's Affection unlocked without doing a thing, but her Friendship was still locked up. What exactly did that mean?

The next chance he had, he was reading his Gamer's Manual. Some new pages had been unlocked after Husk's last patch that he hadn't gone over yet. It was about time he understood his Title as Heart a little better.

"Hello, dear."

The cold, soft voice belonging to Tsuki brought Jaune out of his thoughts as he turned his eyes up from the ground to meet the older student's red eyes.

Like all the woman in the streets, Tsuki was dressed in her kimono, a scarlet red designed with twirling black feathers. Her kimono accented her figure, putting most of the girls around her to shame. And the killing blow was dealt with how snug it fit her upper body. Jaune did his best not to let his eyes stray for Tsuki's chest moving with every step she walked closer. Instead he met her eyes and noticed how she had done her hair in curls along with two red flowers tied to the side of her head.

"You can just call me Jaune, Tsuki." Jaune said nervously as she stopped in front of him.

Tsuki frowned at that before taking out of one her self-help books, "But it says that one should greet the object of their affections with romantic honorifics." she explained while pointing out the passage in her book.

"But we aren't even dating."

"That is irrelevant."

Jaune sighed as he scratched his head. Tsuki was the stubborn type it seemed, "Let's put a pin on that, what do you want to do? There's plenty of activities on the streets to enjoy." he suggested as he scanned the place for a place to start their... date, "You're from Anima, right? What did you do back home with your family?"

Tsuki tapped her lips, her features blank in thought before shrugging, "I wouldn't know. I don't believe I've celebrated this festival. My tribe found such things foolish and a waste of time. And I must agree," she said boredly as she found all the tacky red pointless, "I find little reason to celebrate when there is much to do with my time. Such as train, study, and keeping track of my latest prey."

Jaune felt a twitch in his right eye as he noticed the raven girl stare at him intensely. He was not some animal with a target on its ass, god damn it.

"Your tribe sounds... fun. But what about your parents? Didn't they encourage you to celebrate?"

"My parents are a distant memory, I am an orphan."

Jaune winced in apology, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to-"

Tsuki cut him off with a frown, "It's no issue. I was orphaned at a young age and only know that I had a mother and no father to speak of, so I have no feelings for the matter. A Grimm attack on my original home had wiped the residence out, including my mother, and I was found by a tribe of nomadic... individuals." she said with a slight cough before continuing on as if she was talking about the weather, "The chief took me in out of pity and raised me as another member of her people. I owe her everything, and plan to pay her back however I can." she said fiercely.

The emotion in Tsuki's voice was new to Jaune. Tsuki wasn't the most emotional of people he had met, only ever showing cold glances. Hearing that kind of emotion in the silent girl's voice was a little relieving.

"Still, I'm sorry to hear that. At least you were raised by a new family." he said positively.

Tsuki tilted her head to the side at the word, "Family? I suppose you could call them that." she said in sudden realization as her eyes widened in some sort of epiphany.

Why did Jaune now feel a sense of pity? Dear god, he had to restrain himself from hugging the poor girl!

With a new firm resolve as he fought tears, Jaune took Tsuki's wrist in hand and pulled her along. Tsuki showed some surprise as the knight led her on into the streets.

"Where are we going?"

"To show you how to have some fun! If you've never had the chance to celebrate Akai Shukuten, then we're going to have to show you how it's done!" Jaune said excitedly. Time to bring some life into the odd huntresses.

Tsuki didn't seem to care but was eager to get closer to the blond boy. If it would make him happy and more interested in her, then she was all for it. This was what people did on dates, wasn't it? How fascinating.

Their first stop, some festival games!

"Tsuki, for the love of god, put down the notched arrow!"

Ebony Devil, Tsuki's personal weapon was currently in its bow form and aimed for the head of the sweating game vendor behind the safety of his booth. Several tin flat ducks on a moving belt mechanism quacked mockingly as they swam back and forth in river rows and a score board above the cowering man. Toys and stuffed animals were hung around the sides of the booth and toy guns for the game could be seen in disarray. Said girl was glaring coldly at the vendor, her red eyes promising pain and misery.

"This cheat is playing you. A few of those majestic creatures are made of heavy material, making it impossible to knock them down and achieve a respectable score to earn a worthy prize. And I will not let him get away with cheating my beloved." she said with an icy silent fury.

"You think ducks are majestic?" Jaune couldn't help but point out with a raised brow before going back to the matter at hand, "And you don't have to kill the guy! Where the hell were you hiding your weapon anyway?"

"Would you like to find out?"

"Now is not the time." Jaune struggled to say before turning for the vendor. He gave the man an apologetic smile as he scratched his cheek, "Sorry for my friend, she doesn't mean any harm."

The vendor doubted that. Point being that Tsuki hadn't dropped her glare and even lit the arrow head with fire with a snap of her finger. With a trembling grin, the vendor quickly grabbed the closest prize by him and shoved it into the blond boy's chest.

"It's all right! Really! Besides, you won! Now take your girlfriend and go, please!" he nearly cried.

Jaune opened his mouth, but shrugged his shoulders and took the prize. Tsuki wasn't wrong, games like this were always rigged. At least they got something out of it. Happy with the prize, Jaune turned around to hand it over to Tsuki, only to stare flatly at the cold girl smirking smugly in some sort of victory.

"He believes us boyfriend and girlfriend, then my plans are going smoothly." She could already picture the strong child she would bear. She was hoping they would have her hair and Jaune's blue eyes.

"No, they are not." What the hell was going on inside Tsuki's head? Putting that aside, Jaune handed the girl the large stuffed animal, a yellow plush duck. And for the first time since he had met the red eyed huntress, a look of joy passed through Tsuki's eyes. She hugged the duck tightly, the action causing the stuffed animal to quack.

"Because of that, I will allow you naming privileges of our child." she said softly with awe.

This was going to be a loooooong date. Onto the next activity!

"For the love of god, please stop. It's already dead!"

Tsuki huffed as she listened to Jaune and lowered her leg from another ax kick to the scrap of a beaten machine. The people around the two edged away from the girl as what was once a Love Tester released a dying beep. Smoke bellowed from its metal corpse.

Pointing at her defeated object of rage, Tsuki grumbled, "That thing dares to say that we are not compatible. Clearly it is in the way of my hunt, so I had to deal with it accordingly."

"It's a machine, it meant no harm." Jaune tried to explain, sweating as the girl only narrowed her eyes at him, "It doesn't mean that we're not compatible! It just means you have more to work towards." he said nervously.

For a second, Tsuki stared intensely at the object of her pseudo affection before nodding in understanding.

"Yes, I suppose the machine was correct. I have much to do before you see me romantically enough to bed me. Seems I went a little overboard." she said with a frown.

"Just a little bit." Jaune chuckled before a noise from the machine caught his attention. Leaning down towards the love tester's broken frame he found a slip of paper slowly dispensing from it. It was designed with hearts and a chibi picture of Tsuki who looked back at him with a flat but smug expression.

 _ **'You've received an Affection Ticket!**_

 _ **Affection Ticket [Special Gift]: A wondrous ticket rarely rewarded. Increases one Stat by 2, rewards a unique Skill or Ability, or unlocks an exotic Weapon or Item based on the NPC the ticket was rewarded by. Increases the Affection EXP of said NPC by 50% when used.'**_

Jaune whistled at what he was reading. Now that was a rare item. Too bad it came at the cost of a poor love machine. _'Your death was not in vain, Love Tester 2000.'_ He thought with tears falling from his face.

"I think we should go now." Pocketing the rare item, Jaune dragged the blinking ravenette by the wrist as he heard several rushing footsteps and angered voices heading for their location. He was not wasting his Lien on another busted piece of hardware.

It didn't take much to lose the security watching over the festival in the sea of people. Sighing in relief as Jaune checked his HUD for the red dots representing the pursuers to fade, he turned his eyes for something else they could do. Something Tsuki wouldn't destroy. Curiously, he spotted a row of vendors selling several items that caught his interest.

He eyed the jewelry, pieces of armor, small armed weapons, ammunition, clothing, and souvenirs. Eventually he stopped at a small clothing stand and grinned as his fingers picked up a finely knitted ribbon. It was dark red and felt smooth as silk designed with a silver medal engraved with a fierce crow and black thorns crossing over the ribbon.

 _ **'Never Charm [Accessory]: A special ribbon knitted after a bringer of misfortune. Lowers the less used Stat of the wearer by 5 but increases the highest Stat by 5 and increases the wearer's Critical Hit Ratio by 15%. An accessory for one who wishes for a challenge. It gives off an eerie energy, promising misery if not used properly.**_

 _ **2,100 Lien.'**_

Jaune inspected the accessory, thinking carefully over it before nodding with a positive grin. Something like this would be a nice gift for a girl like Tsuki. She seemed like the kind of girl who would love a challenge. Handing over the Lien, Jaune thanked the vendor for the item before turning back to a puzzled Tsuki. She stared at the ribbon in confusion as Jaune gestured for her to take it.

"What is this?" she asked as she gazed curiously at the ribbon.

"A gift. Honestly speaking, I feel guilty for what happened on Sunday." Jaune frowned sadly as his eyes fell on her shoulder. Tsuki had suffered a lightning spear through her shoulder for god's sakes! She didn't have to be there that night, but she had gone looking for him either way. Even it was for her own strange reasons, she had gone out of her way for him. And she had suffered for it.

Tsuki was strange. Definitely one of the oddest girls Jaune had ever met. And her goal of having his child was embarrassing. But he would never want her to get hurt because of him.

"You didn't have to look for me. We barely know each other. But you did and you got hurt. That enough has proved to me that you're someone I want to be friends with." he said hopefully as the girl continued to stare at him. She didn't seem to understand what he was saying.

"You do know that such a thing is not necessary, right? I've already agreed to having relations with you in the future, so you do not need to get closer like most men." It was a waste in her opinion. That was how relationships started, with the man drawing the woman in with friendship to romance her in the future.

Jaune sighed, chuckling as he patted the oblivious raven huntress' head.

"I just want to be friends is all. There's no ulterior motive behind it. I already know you like me, you've made that painfully clear." he said flatly before smiling gently, "But I've seen that you're more than just a cold face that values strength above all else. You can be kind and gentle, I've seen those glimpses here and there. And I know there is a lot more to you than meets the eye."

"I know I'm not much to look at. And I still have a long way to go as both a huntsman and a leader. Not to mention I'm a bit of a dork who still sleeps in a onesie. But I'm hoping you can see me as a friend, because I know I already consider you one."

For the longest time, Tsuki seemed to just stare at Jaune as if he was some math problem she couldn't solve. Under those red eyes, Jaune grew nervous as he scratched his neck. Nodding in some decision she had come to, Tsuki turned back to the vendor's ware and searched through the items before finding what she was looking for. With her own Lien in hand, she thanked the vendor politely before gesturing Jaune to open his hand. Wondering what she was up to, Jaune laid out his palm.

 _ **'Lucky Amulet (Power) [Accessory]: One of many good luck charms scattered throughout Remnant! The red color represents Strength and Passion. Increases Strength by 5 and increases the amount of Lien rewarded by Quests! It also wards off weaker Grimm when equipped. Equipable only to Swords. A special charm made from unique eastern gold coins and red tassels, beloved by the people of Anima for fortune. It jingles with a rich tune.'**_

Now it was Jaune's turn to be confused. Why would she give this to him? It was a nice gift, no doubt about it. But why?

Grabbing Jaune by the wrist, Tsuki turned away from the street of vendors and dragged him along. Her stomach was growling and it was time to hunt for a filling meal.

"Uh, Tsuki? Why did you give me this?" Jaune couldn't help but ask as he followed along. Stopping in front of a food stand, he got no answer as the girl bought a stick of grilled fish for herself and him. With the food in hand, she continued to drag him around until she caught eye of an open patio for them to rest at.

As she bit into her crispy fish treat, Tsuki noticed that Jaune was still waiting for her to explain. She should have known he wouldn't just accept it and now question her actions. With a grudging sigh, she decided to explain.

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't have many friends. All I've ever had was my tribe, the only family I've ever known. It wasn't until I arrived at Beacon that I actually came to make friends with strangers." she said wistfully with a small lift of her lips, "Against my better wishes, I've become rather fond of them. Even Helios. But I've sworn to myself that they would be the only exceptions. I am not here to make friends; my mission does not allow me to do so." she said sternly.

"Mission?" Jaune frowned as Tsuki nodded stiffly.

"It is not something I wish to discuss. It's a very sensitive matter." One that the chief would skin her alive if known to anyone else but herself. Even mentioning it was going too far, "They alone are enough. The less friends, the better in the long run. But I suppose, if we are to make this work between us someday, a healthy relationship as friends would be the best route to take. I wouldn't want our child to see you as some stranger." she said with a chuckle.

"Right." Jaune said stiffly. That was a question for another day. Still though, that didn't explain why she had bought him the good luck charm.

Sensing that, Tsuki smiled gently as she reached into her kimono. A beaten, worn out, and aged amulet of the same design dangled between them from Tsuki's hand.

"If we are to be friends, I thought it would nice to commemorate the occasion. Now wherever you go, you will have a memento of myself with you. Just as I have a memento of my mother with me."

"Your mother? I thought you didn't remember anything about your parents?"

Tsuki shook her head, her eyes melancholic as she gazed at the time worn trinket, "I have some faint recollections before she had perished. I do not recall much, but I know she was very fond of good luck charms, believing them to grand luck to even the most unfortunate soul. She even said a silly old crow could live a happy life if they had some faith." That was always an odd saying that still stuck to Tsuki. She never understood what it meant, "She was a bright and happy person, and loved to make friends with passing strangers. In a way, you remind me of her." she said fondly with a pleasant smile.

"Is that why you chose me as your... chosen?" Jaune struggled to say as his face broke out into a blush.

"No, but it certainly cements my decision, I suppose." Tsuki shrugged as she chomped down on her meal and mumbled with food in her mouth, "My first impression of you was not well. I remember my team going out to check on the first years arriving to campus when I spotted you right off the bat. Throwing up into a trashcan with a weak exterior. I could already assume that you were a fish out of water from such a simple observation."

Jaune slouched in his seat in dejection. Yeah, that wasn't his most fond memory of his first day at Beacon. It was hard to fake confidence when the students around him had already seen him as Vomit boy. Had to thank Yang for that one.

"But as time passed, I noticed this unnatural growth you've displayed." Tsuki frowned as she recalled how Jaune had went from a sub-par huntsman to one of the strongest first years in a matter of two months, "The unconfident, weak willed, somber, and nervous glint in your eyes just vanished. You became strong, stronger than most would in such a short time. It's almost as if you became a whole other person. And after the events of the Friends of Faunus, where the entire school body had learned of what you and your team had accomplished, I had finally found my chosen." she said proudly as she her eyes shut smugly.

"Me?" Jaune said uncertainly, pointing a finger to his baffled face.

Tsuki nodded firmly, her eyes showing her firm belief, "I have my own personal mission, one that involves bearing a strong child in the future. And after searching for two years, I have finally found the individual who fills the parameters I've been interested in. So, do not disappoint me and continue to grow stronger. I will have nothing less than a powerful friend/chosen!" she said sternly with a strong voice.

 _ **'Congratulations! Tsuki Yumi's Friendship has been Unlocked! A new Ability has been Unlocked! Target, Unlocked!'**_

 _'Well, at least I finally unlocked Tsuki's friendship. That's good, right?'_ Wasn't he on this date to convince her to drop the whole 'chosen' matter? Jaune was pretty sure he had only made her beliefs stronger. With a tired sigh, Jaune decided to just leave it be for now. Surely this wouldn't last long, right? In the end, he made another friend. And so did she.

"I still don't get you, but I guess I can learn to understand you now that we're friends." Jaune smiled. A soft growl made him realize he hadn't taken a bite from his grilled fish yet. Food was calling, so he bit down on his meal and decided to just sit back. He closed his eyes, taking in the crunchy texture before the soft white fish meat inside melted in his mouth. You just couldn't beat the simple things in life. The sound of scrapping metal caught his attention, causing him to open one of his eyes to find Tsuki dragging her seat next to his. He didn't give her any mind, instead going back to relaxing as the raven-haired girl joined along to gaze at the festive scenery.

For a date, it wasn't so bad. It was actually enjoyable.

 _'So, this is what people do during festivals?'_ Tsuki scoffed lightly, but still found herself with a small smile as she enjoyed the ambiance. And the friend close by.

 _'Maybe. . .such times are not so worthless.'_

 _ **'Tsuki's Affection has risen! Affection Lvl 3!'**_

* * *

The date with Tsuki ended rather positively as Jaune waved good-bye to the second-year student. They had finished their meal and had gone out for some ice cream to finish off their time together. And while Tsuki had lamented how she wished to continue her plans to enrapture his heart, she had an early day ahead of her and her team. Tomorrow team HRTH would go out on an Extermination mission with a professional huntsman to deal with a high level of Griffon Grimm plaguing a village.

For now, Tsuki believed what progress she had made tonight would be sufficient. With her prized stuffed duck quacking under her arm and her new ribbon tied into her hair, the older huntress waved back to the blond knight with a satisfied smirk on her face before turning back for the street back to Beacon.

She still had a mission to accomplish by year's end. She couldn't afford to let down her chief or her people after all that they had done for her. But, she supposed, she could have a little fun while she was here. It certainly couldn't hurt.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as Tsuki disappeared from his line of sight. His shoulders slouched as he turned his back to meet up with the rest of his friends. Man, who knew going out on a date could be so draining? ...That was a date, right? Kind of hard to tell when the girl you're out with has already expressed interest in you for the wrong reasons. _'I don't think I can ever live that down. My heart just can't live down a declaration like that!'_ And his 'sword' wasn't helping! When such a sexy, mysterious, silent, and cold girl out right confesses to wanting to bang, it just couldn't stay quiet!

Fighting off the rather risqué images his brain was sending him about the cold raven-haired huntress, Jaune opened up his Scroll and activated The Game Menu. He was free for the moment; might as well download the Gift he had received from Pyrrha's Max Affection. The world ignored the blond as he raised his scroll into the air, downloading the contents of his gift in front of him in the form of a treasure box. And with a tap of Crocea Mors, a bubble of luminescent light flew towards his scroll before displaying its contents with a musical ding.

 _ **'You've received Ingot of Victory!**_

 _ **Ingot of Victory [Material]: A solid ingot of gold metal, stamped with the symbol of a popular celebrity champion. A rare material with a variety of uses. Can be sold for a very high price. It shines with a brilliant gleam, promising victory to whoever is capable of unlocking its full potential.'**_

On Jaune's screen, a metal brick of gold was displayed with a design of Pyrrha's gold tiara. From his experience in games, Jaune could automatically tell that the ingot was a very rare item, one he couldn't just sell for Lien. Something that valuable was worth more than money, it had a hidden purpose. One he could vaguely guess. Good thing he knew just the guy to help him determine its true value.

"Hey, Jaune! Over here!"

Breaking away from his thoughts, Jaune spun his head around for the sound of a familiar voice shouting his name. In the crowds of people wandering the streets, Jaune could make out a familiar spiky mop of blond hair. Sun Wukong grinned widely back at him, catching his own blue eyes. Just like everyone else, the monkey faunus was dressed in a kimono. Jaune found himself grinning back as he caught the color his newest friend was wearing as Sun ran over to him.

"Dude, twinsies!" Sun laughed as he gestured to their reddish orange kimono.

"Guess great minds think alike." Jaune smiled as the blond faunus brought his arm over his shoulder in a one-armed hug.

"Course! Guys like us can make even orange look cool and classy!" Sun smirked before patting Jaune's shoulder, "Anyways, it's good to finally see you again! Last time I saw you, you were a bloody, bruised, mess. I couldn't even check up on ya, you know, seeing as I was bleeding on the ground myself." he said with a strained smile.

Jaune grimaced, remembering that Sun had also been hurt by Roman that night. Like Blake, he had suffered multiple lacerations in the blink of an eye. Jaune didn't have the chance to see how Sun had been doing since that day. With his in-school suspension, he couldn't go out to Vale to find the monkey faunus to check on his condition.

With a pained sigh, Jaune was ready to apologize to Sun for dragging him into the mess, only for the sunny blond to smack the back of his head. Jaune grunted before aiming a glare at the flat eyed blond faunus.

"Don't give me that look. You brought that onto yourself." Sun scoffed before grinding his knuckle playfully into his newest friend's skull as Jaune yelped. Sun couldn't help but laugh, "You looked just like Blake! Let me guess, you were going to apologize to me for dragging me along? Man, you two are so alike, it's scary. Tell me," he said suddenly serious, stopping his playing to hold Jaune still and stare him in the eye, "Do you like fish and smutty novels?"

"What the hell's that look for?" Jaune said in annoyance. If Sun was going to look serious, then he better say something that fit the damn mood. How the hell did he even know about Blake's obsession for porn?

Letting Jaune go, Sun shrugged as he threw up his arms behind his back and walked alongside his friend.

"Well you two do act alike in that regard. Apologizing for things you had no control over. I would have thought better from a fellow blond. Where's that dumb, sunny smile of yours?" Sun grumbled as his tail poked the side of Jaune's forehead.

Smacking the appendage away, Jaune relented to Sun with a deep sigh. Didn't he just say the same thing to Blake a few hours ago? What a hypocrite he was turning out to be.

"It's habit." Jaune said softly as he scratched his forehead, "When you've made as many mistakes as I have, you tend to repeat the same old apology over and over again. Kinda hard to smile the troubles away when you're still haunted by your demons." he smiled solemnly. Jaune's eyes fell to his hands, trembling as red once again painted over the skin.

Still, the guilt was there. How could you smile honestly when you were responsible for the ruined fates of others?

Again, Jaune found Sun's tail jabbing his forehead. For some reason, the faunus boy wouldn't let up and kept jabbing his tail repeatedly. Growing annoyed, Jaune spun his head to shout at Sun to stop his horsing around.

A stupidly wide grin accented by the banana stretching Sun's face met Jaune as his shout died in his throat. Sun's eyes were widened comically as he stuck his tongue out between the fruit and blew a raspberry. The shout had lost its energy and found itself transforming into a small chuckle, growing stronger by the second before Jaune found himself laughing out loud in a roar. He held his sides in pain, his laughter only growing louder as Sun poked his nose with his tail.

What the hell kind of expression was that?!

With Jaune nearly rolling onto the ground in laughter, Sun bit down into the whole banana and proceeded to chew his favorite fruit with a satisfied expression. The good old Wukong Special, never failed to work its magic! Calming his laughing, Jaune wiped his eyes of tears as he turned back to Sun to find the spiky blond smiling softly at him.

"That's much better. You know, I could never stand to see people looking so down. There's just something about sadness that rubs me the wrong way." Sun said strongly as he looked up to the night sky fondly, "People are much more honest when their smiling and laughing. And I want to do whatever I can to bring people out of whatever funk they're in so they can smile. That's my answer!" he said proudly while thumping his chest. Jaune grew confused. Answer? Answer to what?

Seeing Jaune's confusion, Sun explained as he helped him up on his feet.

"Remember when you asked me why are we here? I said it was so I could travel the world and junk. But that's not all." It was so much more when Sun thought about it. A reason he had already known, but never really had the words to explain them. But his little visit to Vale had helped to put his reasons down in clear words, "I became a huntsman to protect people from the Grimm and to help them smile again. My parents named me Sun for a reason, so I could brighten everyone's moods! I want to show everyone I meet and protect that they can still smile despite how crappy things can be. That's why I'm here, to brighten peoples' day and make them happy!"

"You want to make people happy?" Jaune said slowly as Sun began to lead him along through the streets, "Couldn't you just do that without becoming a huntsman?"

Sun shook his head with a wider grin, "Nah, I figure I can only do it as a huntsman. Wherever we go, despair and sorrow is bound to be waiting. That's what Grimm are attracted to after all. And I want to fix that." he said seriously as he lost his smile, "Times can be shitty, we all got our problems, and there are things that we can never take back, but I figure if I can show everyone that they still got a bit of happiness in them, to show they that they're still capable of smiling, then I can do so much more than kill the Grimm. I can help them out of their negativity and show some positivity, maybe enough to keep them safe from the Grimm."

That was… actually a good reason to be a huntsman. Bringing laughs, smiles, and joy to others being plagued by the creatures of Grimm. Way better than his own original reason for wanting to be a huntsman. But like Sun, Jaune had his own reason for being here, other than wanting to be a warrior like his ancestors before him.

"What about you? Did you find your reason for being here in all that mess?" Sun asked curiously. Jaune had been depressed when he had first met him, going on about how he wasn't sure he could stay in Beacon any longer. Hopefully the blond knight had found a reason.

Jaune nodded firmly but before he could explain it he made out the sound of someone calling his name.

"Jaune! Over here!"

"Hurry up, Vomit boy! The dance is about to start!"

"Stop dillydallying and hurry up! I expected you to at least be punctual!"

"Hurry, Jaune-Jaune! I want to bust some moves!"

Both of the boys found their vision drawn to the shouting girls of team RWBY, Ciel and JNPR. The red lanterns that decorated the festival seemed to illuminate them in a way that made them stand out in a way that made him incapable of looking at anything else, and truth be told he wouldn't want to.

Sun gave Jaune a sideways glance before he turned back to the group of friends shouting their names, the same lopsided smile that was on Jaune's face was now resting on his own. "You were sayin' something?"

The sight of all of his friends waving at him, as if to draw him towards them, it made smile even wider. "I always had a reason to keep fighting. I just needed to be reminded of it."

And he had. In their own way, they all had reminded him of what he was fighting for. He would never forget that, ever.

* * *

 **WAIT! Now, before we get to the ending AN, I got something special for all of ya's. It was going to be a DLC on a certain scene my beta edited, but I was running out of time to write up something new. So, instead, I'll be giving you a teaser for the last chapter of Volume 1. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 28 Teaser: A Tune for Discord.**

The old village of Rapina was as old as the kingdom of Vale. It was a village that was born near the old ravens that they were well known for. It wasn't the most modern or up to date with the latest technology, but it was peaceful village that busied itself with selling the unique metals mined near the old mines found below along with tasty fish native to their home. But like many villages far from the kingdoms it had a very common problem.

Grimm.

Even peaceful towns would suffer to times of despair, especially during times of hardship. And for the village of Rapina, sale of their precious metals had been declining in the past years along with the drop of population of their fish. Causing drops in their small economy and loss of jobs. Enough to rile up the Grimm to seek out the source of negativity. Thankfully the village had access to Huntsman. But with how expensive a top quality huntsman or huntress could be with their own prices, they had decided to hire hunter's in training from one of the greatest schools on Sanus. And Beacon was generous to offer services at affordable prices.

To deal with the sudden spike of Griffon's plaguing the area around the village, a second year team had been hired to deal with the Grimm for a month alongside a trained huntsman that worked with the school. A simple day of fighting monsters wouldn't be enough to ward the dark creatures off after all. Not only would they be riding the village of the Grimm, but their acts of bravery and strength would inspire the people, causing them to slowly gain back their positive energy.

And after a month of fighting, it was starting to work. The Griffon's began to show up less and their numbers fell. Only the occasional Beowolf could be seen prowling around the village's borders. All that was left was the Alpha Griffon, the single Grimm commanding its brothers to attack the village and devour every last one of its people.

Team HRTH had decided that today would be the day they would finish up their mission. Finale's were tomorrow after all. So they had prepared themselves to take on the Alpha in the early morning once they had gone over the game plan with the huntsman teaching them. Unfortunately for Hera, someone on their team had decided they didn't need a plan. Or let alone anyone else but him.

After all, a star could only truly shine when it was by itself.

Above the green fields stretching above the steeps of the ravine by the village of Rapina, a massive tower of fire surged like a spike. The village people looking by the steeps moved back from the raging inferno as it created a bellow of wind to brush past them. With squinting eyes, they watched as the fire began to slowly recede but not before the more observant of them noticed something strange from the cackling flames.

Mixed within the natural red-orange hues, pitch black could be seen like some infected disease.

Below the ravine the flames dispersed like a shower of embers onto the rocky water bed. A large strange intricate circle blinked, fading away along with a blurry silhouette towering over the heavily breathing Helios. His body bellowed black smoke, his skin crawling with burns on every inch as his entire frame trembled in strain. Five elongate thin blades fell to the earth around him, stabbing into the water as he suddenly coughed a wad of blood to flow along the small carpet of water. His blood red guitar dangled by the strap around his neck before the tears on it caused it to fall to the water and stab into the wet rocks by the ax bladed frame.

Despite the pain coursing every patch of skin on his burnt body, Helios couldn't help but smirk as he stared at the massive Griffon staring at him. The Grimm's body was frozen in place, its bone platting covering nearly every vital spot cracked and burned black. No sound was heard from its beak as its body released strings of darkness to flow out of his body before it simply fell onto its stomach and turned to a rising cloud of black smoke.

"Y-You weren't. . .so t-tough. Ya. . bastard." Helios said smugly inbetween panting breaths.

Watching from above with a pair of binoculars, Hera ground her teeth angrily as the rest of the team stood on standby. The arrogant rocker had taken the only form of transport capable of getting them down to the floor of the ravine. Taking the elevators for the miners and fisherman to reach the area would have taken too long, not to mention someone had thought of the idea and temporarily shut them down. How the hell did Helios know to do that? The huntsman working alongside them could be heard cussing loudly as he tried to fix the controls to get down below.

Rue whistled at the impressive display he had just witnessed, "Wow, I had honestly thought he was a goner for second there. Even after unlocking his semblance a month ago, it looked like it still wasn't enough to do any real damage to the Alpha. But then he pulled a miracle out of his butt." he smiled brightly.

And that. . .Thing his partner had summoned. It was so regal, menacing, and overwhelming! Just what was that?

"It was reckless." Tsuki scowled deeply as looked over Helios body with her own pair of binoculars. "Whatever that was, it damaged his body and dropped his aura close to zero. It doesn't even look like he can take another step." she spat venomously, cracking the binoculars in hand from her grip. The faint red she could make out seeping into the water flowing past his boots only further drove her anger to rise.

Pulling out her scroll, Hera checked to see how low Helios's aura had gone.

 **'Helios Lyre.**

 **Aura-3%'**

Tsuki was right. Helios aura was just about gone. And he had already taken a large amount of damage before he performed his little magic trick. He was lucky there hadn't been any Grimm nearby when he had attacked the Alpha. Roughly shutting her scroll, Hera turned away from the scene to see if they had brought power back to the elevators. Someone needed to save her idiot of a teammate.

' _What the hell's wrong with Helios? He's getting worse with every passing day. Even he has to realize that this level of arrogance is unhealthy.'_ Not to mention those flames created by whatever he did sent chills down her spine. Something about them just felt. . .wrong.

Maybe it was time she talked to Headmaster Ozpin about his behavior?

Whatever was going on with the team of hunters went ignored to the villagers watching by as they began to cheer and applaud the red haired rocker standing victoriously before the rising ash of Grimm. For the past month the red haired punk had been shouting his name to them all, demanding that they remembered the name of their hero. At first they thought little of him, just another arrogant huntsman like the rest. But despite the show boating, they had seen the huntsman in training going as far as helping the villagers with their problems. From providing assistance in the mines, gathering food alongside them, even brightening the moods of the children with his guitar playing. By now, they knew the name of the so called hero that had saved them from the scourge of the Grimm.

Intoxicating. That was the only word to describe what Helios was feeling with the sound of so many people applauding him, looking down at him like a hero! To them, he was a brilliant star that even the darkness that was the Grimm couldn't cloud.

For sure, the small village of Rapina would remember the name of Lyre. The name of a hero!

Unseen to the world, a wild pitch black wisp raged like a savage beast at the center of Helios's chest. The warm aura coating his body like a shield began to darken as he couldn't help but laugh out loud in victory. The cheering crowd above seemed to only fuel the vile energy as he felt intoxicated, growing worse as they began to cheer his name.

"Lyre, Lyre, Lyre, Lyre, Lyre!"

' _Tell me, Mr. Lyre. What do you say to helping me with a little test concerning one of your classmates? I'm sure you're familiar with Mr. Arc. Would you like to test your strength against the so called Rookie Hero?'_

Helios grinned widely as his eyes flickered with a red hue. More, more, more! He wanted the whole world to shout his name, the name of a hero! _'This power! With this power, I can finally announce my name to the world! Even that damned Arc brat won't be able to deny who the true star of the show is!_ _Just wait till tomorrow!'_ he laughed uncontrollably despite the pain crawling over his entire body.

There couldn't be two stars on one stage. One had to fade away. At any cost!

' _I'll show you all! The greatness of the Lyre name.'_ The adrenaline pumping through Helios's body began to dwindle, leaving him to suffer the exhaustion and damage. His body fell forward with a thud, splashing water onto his bleeding and burnt body. But he could care less, even as he heard the pitter patter of his leader and the trained huntsman's running footsteps coming for him. He simply smiled tiredly, his blurry yellow eyes staring off into space the Alpha Griffon once stood.

A frail woman with beautiful features, pink silky hair and yellow eyes stared back at him as he lost consciousness. The illusion smiled at him, causing his already poor vision to blur further with tears.

' _Hyperion, Lyre, the name doesn't matter. You are who you chose to be. Never forget that. . .My little Hero.'_

That's right. Lyre was the name of a hero. And he would do whatever it takes to make the world acknowledge that iron clad fact.

* * *

 **Escape your name. But the more you try, the more you'll just breed hate and obsession. Even something as innocent as the wish of being a hero can be twisted horribly.**

 **Don't forget the love of your wish. Otherwise you'll only fuel your own broken dreams. Please, don't lose your way.**

 **Don't fall.**

 **Alright, that's Chapter 27 for ya! So, prepare yourselves for the finale! Volume 1 is coming to end the next we met, sadly. I will be going on break, taking some time off to enjoy myself and plan out things for the future. Guy's got have some rest after all. But don't fret, I will be back for Volume 2! And boy, do we got a wild ride in store.**

 **Course, seeing as this will be the last chapter of the Volume, it will take a while to finish up and touch up. At most, it will probably take up to two weeks to finish. So, please be patient in the mean time. I'll be sure to make all that time payoff with a grand finale! And if you got any questions before we finish up this Volume, let me know in the reviews.**

 **But before we finish up, I got a question for all ya. A curious one now that we've gone so far.**

 **Why have you stuck around this long? I know for a fact this story isn't as great as other authors, Coeur being one of the best on the RWBY sect. And there are plenty of other Gamer fics that please their fans with juicy bits of humor and action along with adding things from other real games and animes. Mine is different, sure, but I know I could do more if had thought things out better. Hell, I still make mistakes in my grammar and sentence structure. The first few chapters are littered with mistakes despite my original editing.**

 **So, why do you like this fic? I'm just a little curious is all now that I'm nearing a thousand reviews. I didn't expect to get that much of a reaction when I first started. And of course you don't have to answer, god knows I have a habit of not reviewing despite loving the chapter of my favorite fics. But I would really like to know what it is that you all love, so I can work to improve on that.**

 **Now, ignoring all that mushy crap I've spouted, I should get back to working on the finale. Can't slack off here. I got fights to write!**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy after all.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	28. A Clockwork Exam

**FINALLY! Dear god, did this son of a bitch take me longer than I expected! The Great NeoShadows can only blame himself. I just had to throw out my medication that my Beta provided me. The words just kept coming without them.**

 **Hello, folks! As promised, albeit late, this is the Final Chapter of Multiplayer Volume 1!**

 **Lies. All lies! Okay, so here's the thing. Turns out that I once again wrote a monster of a chapter, like, 40K+. I had originally thought I could fit everything onto one chapter, but I was only being optimistic. No, for this to end right, it would actually take 2 chapters! Aren't ya bastards lucky? Your favorite story ain't going on break just yet. We got one more chapter and that I promise you on my name, which is after the bloodiest city in Mexico. Chapter 29, which I swear to fucking god, will be the last chapter of the Volume for now and it is done for your information. My Beta, A Fan1204 is currently finishing the edits for the chapter and will send it over for my own sometime this week, hopefully tomorrow.**

 **And I got something to tell all of you concerning the Multiplayer's Journal at the end of the chapter, so look out for that.**

 **Now, for Reviews. Holy shit, I just asked a simple question! And y'all basically brought the story closer to a thousand in two days. I did not see that coming. Now, because of the amount I received, and with this chapter being long already, I can't answer all of them. I've read them, trust me, I've read each one. And I just want to say one thing.**

 **Thank you. Honestly, you're all the reasons why I continue this fic. And to tell you the truth, I've thought about dropping it a few times, only for your reviews to keep me going. I've had my weak moments, but you've all brought me up to keep tapping away. I'll be sure to answer reviews before we close up for a bit next chapter.**

 **So, let's keep going! We're almost to a thousand! Seventy reviews to go and we'll hit a milestone. But first, let's get to scrolling.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: _I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Holy shit! Did you all hear about Arc Systems new game? Crossover with Blazblue, Persona, Under Night Re-Birth, and RWBY?! Ya hear that? That's the sound of fanfic writers going crazy with ideas. Jaune in the Blazblue world, huh? Hmm._**

 _ **. . . .Please ignore me. My minds racing a mile a minute right now and no one wants to get in the way of that. Trust me, I've been hit by an Ice Cream truck, getting run over hurts. And the driver, swear to god, looked like a young Slim Shady.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 28: A Clockwork Exam.**

 _Vale_

The end of semester exams had finally arrived. The looming challenge Jaune had locked himself in all those months ago was today and after preparing himself for whatever the headmaster had in store for him, he was confident he was ready to take on any challenge. He had even set up his alarm clock to wake him up early so he could go into Vale to pick up a very important item he had been working on every chance he had. But despite how early it was, he had found himself with a companion in tow as he walked the streets of Vale for his destination.

With a breakfast bagel full of sausage, bacon, and mistralian cheese in hand, Velvet hummed alongside Jaune with a skip in her step as she accompanied the knight in her school uniform on his errand. Her brown bunny ears wiggled as she took a big bite of her bagel in delight.

"You know for a cute bunny girl, you remind me of a carnivore with all the meat you eat." Jaune fondly commented, earning a pout from the brunette girl.

"Carrots may be my favorite treat, but I just can't say no to greasy meaty food." Velvet grumbled as she took another bite.

Jaune chuckled lightly as he patted Velvet's head playfully. It was nice to hang out with her again. Lately it seemed her team was being called into duty more and more. Just went to show how skilled and popular they were. He faintly recalled fans of team CFVY wearing sunglasses and berets after the leader. Luckily, they were on break for the next month to catch their breath and focus on schoolwork. And with her free time, Velvet had jumped at the chance to hang around her favorite blond knight.

As friends! It wasn't like she had a crush on a first year. No matter what Coco was teasing at with those kissy faces she threw at her. Besides it wasn't uncommon for friends go out in the early morning for food before a big exam. At the thought of what awaited them today, Velvet spun her head curiously to Jaune.

"You think you're ready for your end of the semester exam? For your sake, I hope you studied instead of playing games on your scroll."

Jaune grumbled, "Don't tell me Pyrrha got to you too?" he said in betrayal as the bunny girl shrugged.

"Well you do play a lot of games on there. I don't think I've ever met another person who mumbles about stats, weird attack names, and Friendship levels?" she titled her head in confusion. Sometimes she could make out Jaune's video game mumbling when he was in deep thought over his scroll. What an odd boy.

Nervously, Jaune spun his head around and glanced at the sky for any lightning. Okay, so it looked like he was safe for now. The Game had a nasty habit of smiting Players for revealing the game world to anyone that wasn't a player. Luckily, he hadn't let anything slip, to his knowledge. He almost forgot that most faunus had very sensitive hearing. He was going to have to watch out for that.

"It's nothing! I guess I've just been really obsessed over this new game I downloaded is all!" Jaune laughed awkwardly as the bunny girl gave him a suspicious stare.

"You're not playing one of those dating sims, are you?"

"…No?" That was kind of hard to answer. When Jaune really thought about it, his aspects of The Gamer were built upon things he would see in dating sim games. It was like he was some protagonist in some make-believe world, capable of entrapping the heart of any woman he met. But even that sounded ridiculous to a guy whose life had become a video game.

Holding up her suspicions a bit longer, Velvet eventually dropped her stare and happily returned to her breakfast. She didn't really care what kind of games her friend played, as long as he got proper sleep and remembered his studies.

Going back to the original question at hand, Jaune reassured Velvet with a confident grin, "Don't worry, I'm more than ready for today. I studied with my team on what subjects I was having trouble with the past month, so I know that I'm ready for whatever lays in wait!"

"The way you word it, it sounds more like you're prepared for an ambush."

 _'You're not actually wrong there.'_ Jaune thought dejectedly as his shoulders slumped. Ozpin had given him very little details to what his exam would entail. All Jaune knew was that it would be different than the normal field exams students would take in order to be accepted into Beacon without school approval. A test specifically designed to test him and no one else. For all he knew, there was an ambush of training bots waiting for him back at Beacon. _'Why couldn't it just be as simple as the written exam?'_

Jaune paused, blinking as a random thought struck him.

 _'Wait, do I even have to take the written exam? Huh, this might be less trouble than I thought.'_

But before he could truly begin steeling himself for what awaited him back at Beacon, he needed to pick up an old friend. One he had lost that night a month ago against the first Player in this twisted new reality.

An excited grin grew on Jaune's face as they found themselves standing in front of a weapons shop displaying various unique arms outside on tables and behind the window of the small shop. Above the shop displayed the name in bold steel forged letters that glistened in the sun from the daily maintenance of its owner currently polishing its frame from a tall ladder.

 **'Armed and Ready.'**

With a drawn-out yawn, Professor Kusanagi threw his small cleaning towel over his shoulders before climbing back down. Touching the ground, he stood back and smirked in appreciation of his work before blinking as he noticed two presences behind him. He chuckled as he scratched his red hair and glanced back to find a familiar blue eyed, blond boy grinning back at him.

"Mr. Arc, I see you're up early as I asked. Good, I wanted to go over your new shield in detail before class started. You're not the only one who has to prepare for exams after all." he chuckled deeply as he shoved his bandaged hands into the pockets of his dark kimono. His single visible orange eye twinkled with amusement as he noticed the girl beside the boy.

"Oh, Ms. Scarlatina? Come by to discuss repairs to your weapon, have we? Or is that you're out and about with a special boy of yours?" Kusanagi teased with a smirk, getting a fuming pout from Velvet as she glared.

"Professor, don't make me kick you." she threatened with a crack of her knuckles. You don't mess with this bunny.

Kusanagi threw his hands up in surrender as he shook his head with a laugh, "Let's watch those deadly cannons you call legs, Ms. Scarlatina. Can't a man tease one of his students? Right, Mr. Arc?" the older man smirked as he turned to Jaune for support.

In the month following his last major story event, Jaune had found himself becoming one of Professor Ise Kusanagi's students. The professor had promised Jaune to teach him about forging when they had last met. And with Crocea Mors shield destroyed in his fight with Roman, he had more of a reason to take the teacher up on his offer. After a week had gone by and his wounds had healed completely, the first thing Jaune had done was seek out Kusanagi as the man finished closing up shop. When the red-haired weapon's smith had heard Jaune's situation and his want to restore his families shield, he had whole heartedly agreed to teach him how to forge and even repair his shield.

Since then, Jaune had begun visiting the school's forge every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday after school for lessons. Since he was just an amateur, it had been a struggling progress. But that was one thing Jaune was thankful for The Game, it allowed him to learn and master things that would normally take months or years in a short amount of time with enough focus. And in between learning how to smith and design weapons, he had been discussing the upgrades he had been brainstorming with Ruby for Crocea Mor's shield. At his current Smith Talent level, which he had unlocked once he had been accepted by Kusanagi as his student, he was unable to work on repairing the shield himself. Instead the professor had taken it upon himself to forge it with Jaune and Ruby's notes in hand, as a special gift for his newest student.

Weeks of hard work and sweat were now about to be paid off. The new shield for Crocea Mors had taken time once they had finalized the blueprints for its design and functions, but Professor Kusanagi didn't mind one bit. The flames of molten metal, the scalding heat of steaming hissing forged steel, and the sound of hammering clangs was what dreams were made of!

Like Jaune, the blacksmith professor was equally excited to hand over the new shield. There was only one thing better than creating weapons, and that was uniting two partners of steel and flesh to their next battle.

Patting Velvet's head with a chuckle, Kusanagi gestured his head to Jaune to follow him inside.

"Come on. Your partner's waiting for you, Mr. Arc." Kusanagi said proudly as he opened the door to his shop.

Following his red-haired teacher along with Velvet, Jaune marveled at the many weapons on display in the store. They ranged from small handguns, great swords, knuckle dusters, lances, the works. And knowing how most huntsman and huntresses worked they were bound to have second forms to each one. It was hard to believe that the professor had made each one himself. The man was truly a weapon fanatic, just like Ruby. It was no wonder why he was the little reaper's favorite teacher on campus.

Kusanagi gestured for Jaune to wait in front of the counter before heading for the back. He wanted to make it a surprise.

"So, what kind of modifications did you add to Crocea Mors shield?" Velvet asked curiously as they waited. She had been curious since she had come back and discovered that he was working on its repairs with Ruby.

Jaune grew giddy at the question, "You'll just have to wait and see!" he winked as he tried to contain his excitement, "When I was designing it with Ruby and the professor, I decided to add in a few cool functions to make it much more versatile than defending. If I'm ever without my sword, now I'll be able to fight with just my shield in hand."

A weaponized shield? Velvet wasn't sure she had ever heard of such a thing. It was rare nowadays for someone to even be fighting with the simple sword and shield. And if someone like Ruby had helped design it, she could only wonder what the new shield was capable of.

"From how excited you are about it, I can only wonder what it's capable of." Velvet smiled as Jaune's excitement began to rub off on her. It was always fun to see the new kinds of weapons people could create.

"Then look no further, Ms. Scarlatina! Because the knight's new partner is ready to blind the world with its wonder!"

With a thud on the counter in front of the two students, Professor Kusanagi grinned proudly as he stabbed the sheath form of the new and improved shield for Crocea Mors. Jaune gasped in awe, his eyes big with wonder and joy as he gazed at the new shield.

In its sheath form, the shield stood at 110cm tall. Its white metal had been buffed a brilliant white and it honestly didn't look any different from its original design. The only difference being that the top gold edged lining and what could be made out as the golden arcs gleamed with the new gold metal along with an odd flame like design. Velvet frowned, not really understanding how the new heater shield was any different than before. Until Kusanagi smirked and activated the shield.

With a forceful spring, the shield revealed itself in all its glory. A crawling gold flame lining ran around the edges of the white shield along with what Velvet could guess was an odd flaming animal bite mark at the point of the shield. The two crescents at the center of the shield had also been designed with what looked like fire rising from the symbol. And upon closer look, she noticed that the edges of the shield were sharper, almost like a fine cutting edge. The edges also appeared like they were made of segments.

"Wow, it certainly does look much nicer than before." Velvet commented with awe as she inspected the new shield. But she still didn't understand how it could be used offensively now. Besides its design, it looked like a regular old shield.

Sensing Velvet's doubt, Jaune gave the black smith professor a go-ahead nod. Glad to be given the okay, Kusanagi attached the shield to his arm after putting on a metal gauntlet. The shield snapped onto his gauntlet easily and firmly, displaying the new magnetized function for equipping.

And with another click of a button, Velvet watched the shield spin around until the point of the shield faced the dark-skinned teacher's fist. What looked like the grips to a knuckle duster popped out from the underside, allowing Kusanagi fit his fingers in and grip it tightly. Only then did Velvet notice how the point resembled a pointed blade.

"This is the shield's special ability. Its bladed edge allows the wielder to swing it around and slash at their opponent while still retaining the blocking aspects. Along with that, its stabbing force is quite incredible with an added attachment at the slot of the sheath." Moving the shield around, the professor revealed to the two the small cylinders on each end of the slot for the sheath. Small flames suddenly erupted like jets, surprising Velvet as her ears stood up at the action, "I've added a small engine jet, one of my personal additions to Arc and Rose's original design, for a powerful stabbing punch in heated close encounters. Might as well since it goes with the added elemental affect."

"Added elemental effect?" Velvet mumbled curiously before watching the sharp edges of the shield burn a scalding orange.

"Along with the incredible gold metal Mr. Arc had given me for his weapon, he also handed me an interesting material that allowed the shield to gain a Fire element." Kusanagi said, still impressed at how the blond boy had found such a material.

The materials the professor was alluding to would be the Ingot of Victory and surprisingly, Shards of The Prideful. The latter being practically worthless by The Game's description. Worthless, unless in the hands of a master blacksmith. In Professor Kusanagi's hands, its full potential was fully unlocked as a material to smith a new weapon or armor with a Fire element as a bonus.

Done showing off the new shield, Kusanagi finally handed it over to Jaune's waiting hands. With it in hand, Jaune couldn't help but go teary eyed as he stared at his own reflection given off from the polish of the metal.

"It's good to have you back, buddy." Jaune sniffed with a happy smile. Combat just didn't feel right without the added weight on his waist or arm. It felt like a part of him was ripped off since he had lost it. But now his old friend was back in his arms. Back home.

"I wouldn't say its back entirely." Kusanagi frowned as he crossed his arms. "The remains that you brought me were the foundation of your new partner. It's not the same shield that your great, great, grandfather fought with. What you have now is a new soul, one created by your own design in mind."

"He's right." Velvet nodded as she gazed at the new shield, "I wouldn't call that Crocea Mors, that's the name of your sword. You're going to have to think of a new name for it."

Jaune blinked at what he was hearing before staring back at his shield.

"A new name, huh?" he mumbled as he went into thought. _'I guess they're right. I can't call it Crocea Mors anymore, the two aren't the same. But what am I going to name it?'_

It would have to fit with its new abilities and what it represented. A shield that radiated fire, protected those behind him, and fought back like a blade. It was a shield that defended and attacked, born from the memory of the last time he had found himself without Crocea Mors' blade. Born from a material of a haunting chuckle.

 _'You don't have it, do you?'_

A voice long gone, gruff and smug, tickled Jaune's conscious as he was reminded of that day. And of a rule by a man too far gone in his own justice. A rule of blades, of instinct. He found himself staring the snapping bite marks depicted after a wild animal on his shield in sad fondness.

 _'Even when you've long been gone, you're still haunting me, huh? You gave me something that day, but it's not what you wanted. What you gave me was-'_

"Ignis." Jaune said resolutely, catching the attention of the blacksmith and bunny faunus girl as they turned to see him staring at his shield with a solemn grin, "Ignis Mors."

 _'Fire, a fire to rebel against those who scoff and mock my ideals and ways. And what better way to ward of the beasts biting at my back than fire? A raging will that even The Game and The Will won't be able to snuff out!'_

"Ignis Mors?" Kusanagi said slowly, testing the name out before finding himself nodding, "Yeah, it does have a nice ring to it. It certainly matches the fire element to it."

"I like it. It sounds unique and fierce!" Velvet said brightly as Jaune snapped his newest shield back to its sheath form.

Happy to hear their approval, Jaune stretched out his hand and reached into his Inventory. Summoning Crocea Mors out of his pocket dimension, he gave the age-old sword a nice twirl before lining it up for Ignis Mors. And with a slow scrape of metal, the two weapons became one with a resounding click.

 **'Congratulations! You've received Ignis Mors!**

 **Ignis Mors [Shield/Blade/?]: A pure white shield with gold flame designs and twin arcs stamped on the middle. With its unique design, it can be used to slash at targets like a razor-sharp blade and blast away targets with an explosive jab. Being a unique weapon, it comes with an Ability Tree that explores its full potential. Offers +45 Defense when defending and Fire Elemental Damage. A shied born from the remains of a war born weapon, rekindled by a burning rebellious resolve. It's true wrath and brilliance remains to be sparked.**

 **Form 2: Locked.**

 **Skill Tree:**

 **1\. Point of Eruption[20MP].**

 **2\. Saint's Bonfire [HP Drain].**

 **3\. ?**

 **4\. ?**

 **5\. ?'**

"Welcome to the team then, Ignis." Jaune happily grinned as he patted the two joined partners. With them by his side, he was confident he could take on any challenge. Including Ozpin's waiting exam.

With the matter done with, Kusanagi decided now was the best time to hand over one more gift before beginning his own assignment handed down from his employer. Reaching for the back of his waist, the dark-skinned blacksmith placed a brown clothed item on the counter before sliding it over to the blond knight.

"To commemorate not only your new partner, but acing your last assignment in my class last week, I wanted to give you a little something I know you had your eyes on since we first met." he grinned coolly as he watched Jaune begin to unwrap the cloth before his eyes widened in surprise.

 **'Congratulations! You've received Mamba!**

 **Mamba [Pistol/Hunters Knife]: A black pistol revolver that shifts into a hunter's knife. Offers close range combat and long-distance combat. Its revolver allows for Lightning Ammunition and Explosive Rounds along with the ability to augment the blade based on the Special Ammunition. Grants +7 Attack. Must have a Talent in Firearms-Lvl 3 to Equip.'**

Jaune stared in confusion at the familiar black pistol handgun in his hand.

"You're really giving me this? I though it cost 500Lien?" he said as he marveled over the weapon.

Kusanagi shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner, "Eh, that was while it was on discount. It's actually worth 11,300Lien. I thought I'd save it on the off chance that you took me up on my offer and learned a thing or two in my class. A new student is worth more than cash after all." he said fondly. Reaching under the counter one last time, he then handed Jaune several cases of ammunition on the house to go with his newest weapon, "But I also know you don't have any experience with guns, seeing as your weapon doesn't utilize a firing mechanism of any kind. So, now you have a reason to learn. I warn you though that you shouldn't fight with it just yet. Even for a huntsman, it's dangerous to use a weapon they have no experience with. My advice, ask Ms. Rose for lessons on firing a gun. We have a firing range on campus, so you'll be able to have a nice place to practice."

Dropping the cases of ammo into his Inventory, Jaune thanked his teacher while making a mental note to talk with Ruby the next chance he had. It was about time he learned how to fight with a gun. It offered a great source of long range combat.

"Thanks for everything, Professor Kusanagi. Really." Jaune said gratefully, "You've helped me become a better huntsman these past few weeks. Now I feel like I'm truly catching up with everyone ahead of me." he said wistfully as he stared at his hand.

A hand once too weak to aid anyone and only capable of accepting it. How things had changed.

Waving the thanks away, Kusanagi walked out from his counter and went for the door, "Nothing to thank me for, all that you're capable of is because of you. Now you just have to continue proving yourself to everyone else." he smirked as he opened the door. Urging Velvet ahead, the blacksmith gave Jaune a knowing look as he stood at the front of the doorway.

"I'll give you a minute to get ready. Once you step outside this door, your day will begin."

The sound of the door shutting caused a ripple effect to the world around Jaune. Everything froze still like a captured photo. And from the bottom of his feet, the world bled white until everything was painted and reformed to a familiar setting.

A Moment of Respite.

"Man, do you have a hell of a day ahead of you! What a way to close off the first Act, don't you think?"

Appearing in his usual effects of dark embers, Husk greeted Jaune with a lax wave as he stepped into the safe room.

Jaune greeted the odd godlike being in kind with a small smile. Unlike The Will, Husk wasn't a complete asshole nor was he manipulative. In fact, it seemed like he was cheering the knight on. And despite not meeting the final member of the godly trio, Jaune found himself liking Husk out of all of them. The guy did offer him healing items and abilities to boot.

"I take it by my surroundings that I'm about to step into a Boss fight once I leave this store?" Jaune said knowingly as the brown paper bag headed being nodded happily.

"Pretty much! It's Exam Day after all! Old Ozzy's got a few tests waiting for you once you step outside those doors. So, I thought it would be a good idea to offer you my services before you started the fun!" Husk cheerfully grinned. Oh, today was going to be so much fun!

Not a bad idea. But with how lax things had been since the last event, Jaune was already well stocked on potions for the time being. It didn't mean that he couldn't browse around though.

With a go ahead nod to the merchant god, Jaune's HUD was swapped out for the wares on sale. Nothing much had changed from the first time he had been presented with the item screen, only the price during Husk's sales. Apparently, he hadn't done enough for the merchant to stock up with new items, something Jaune found rather insulting. He fought two terrorist organizations for crying out loud!

 **'Husk Wares and Other Random Junk!**

 **Items: Price:**

 **Small Aura Potions. 500L(x1).**

 **Large Aura Potions. 850L(x1).**

 **Small Mana Drink. 700L(x1).**

 **Large Mana Drink. 950L(x1).**

 **Flash Dust. 600L(x1).**

 **Fire Dust. 500L(x1).**

 **Lighting Dust. 600L(x1).**

 **Recipes:**

 **Fury Burst Recipe. 2,000L.**

 **Refresh Recipe. 2,500L.**

 **Demon's Vein Recipe. 2,300L.**

 **Abilities:**

 **Giga Impact. 2,000L.**

 **Avarus Mors. 77,777L.**

 **Toxic Vent. 1,500L.**

 **Counter Force. 3,700L.**

 **Special Items:**

 **AP Boost. 20,000L.**

 **Health Boost. 15,000L.**

 **21,769Lien. Finish? Yes/No.'**

While Jaune and his team couldn't partake in any missions involving Grimm extermination until their second semester, they were allowed to go on small missions handed out by the teachers. And with Tsuki's Lucky Amulet(Power) equipped to Crocea Mors, the amount of Lien he was rewarded was boosted. Good thing too, anything that involved The Game, such as weapons, abilities, skills, and items were far more expensive than everyday items.

 _'Hmm, I could always buy a new Ability. I'm still not at where I'd hope to be in my Alchemist Talent to use Recipes, and I have enough Stat Boosts on me. Plus, I have enough Potions and Dust to get me through anything major today.'_

After reading over the abilities, Jaune decided to add a physical ability without the use of a weapon to his growing list. Selecting Giga Impact, he handed over the 2,000 Lien to the merchant.

 **'You've received Giga Impact!'**

Husk giggled in delight as he shuffled the colorful cards in hand. The feel, the texture, the SMELL! Ah, there was nothing better in this reality then currency in his opinion. Other than a good story of course.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, Jaune!" Husk grinned as he snapped his fingers, calling off the items on sale while pocketing his money.

With that taken care of, Jaune opened his Menu to fix his Abilities and Skills while he had the chance. He wasn't sure he would be able to change anything once he stepped out. Scrolling through his options while thinking over a balanced set for whatever awaited him, Jaune swapped out a few things before coming to a suitable Ability, Skill, and Perk set for the day.

 **Status:**

 **Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. Lvl: 27.**

 **8,800HP/8,800HP.**

 **215MP/215MP.**

 **AP:60/SP:45.**

 **EXP: 1,397,800E.**

 **EXP to Next Level: 2,087/312,000.**

 **Strength:47(53.8)**

 **Defense:62**

 **Speed:42**

 **Charisma:29**

 **Intelligence:30**

 **Wisdom: 33**

 **Dexterity: 29**

 **Luck:40**

 **Equipment: x1CEC Knight's Hoodie, x1CEC Knight's Gloves, x1CEC Knight's Cargo Jeans, x1CEC Knight's Boots, and x1Regen Ring.**

 **Equipped Weapon: Crocea Mors (Lucky Amulet Equipped.)**

 **Ignis Mors[Shield].**

 **Abilities: Power Strike[2AP], Teres Mors[5AP] Crescent Blade[5AP], Warp Strike[7AP], Target[7AP], Arc Impact[10AP], Giga Impact[10AP], Stalwart Blade[7AP], Hyper Blade[5AP], Lunar Divider[8AP], Sonic Line[8AP].**

 **Skills: Auto-Block, Reload, Angel's Radiance, Scarlet Drive, Kindle, Dual Dust Cast, Air Recovery.**

 **Perks: Iron Roses, Champions Aura, Dragon's Scales, Blood Oath.**

 **Spells: Reflect, Ember, Firebolt, Fairies Peck, Chill, Spark.**

 **Affinities: Fire.**

With a confident nod at his set, Jaune shut his Scroll before turning back for the door out of the Moment of Respite. It was now or never.

"You know, it's only just begun. Once this First Act is over, things will only continue to go downward for you, and your friends."

Stopping before he could reach the exit, Jaune glanced back to the merchant god staring at him blankly with a no-nonsense voice.

Husk tilted his head to the side, his drawn eyes growing bolder with a red hue as he grinned widely.

"You've grown strong, confident, and you seem to have finally eased into your body and reality as a Gamer. But I've seen that before many times, kid. And let me tell you, what you've tasted this far has only been the sprinkles of our marvelous cake!" he chuckled deeply in a high pitch tone, shaking his head in amusement as Jaune's blue eyes narrowed, "I just don't want you growing cocky. There's nothing less fun than a smug Player who thinks they're Godlike. What a boring game that would be."

And just when he was starting to like the odd god. For a second, Jaune had almost forgotten that Husk was in it for the show. They all were.

"You know, since I was resurrected as a Gamer in this game of yours, all I've ever heard from others is that I don't understand what I'm getting into. That I'm just a naive green horn with stupid pacifist beliefs that won't get me far. That I should just embrace my role as a Player and focus on an Ending." Jaune's words were somber as he thought back to the three Players before him.

He spun around to face Husk, his eyes hard as steel as he clenched his fist over his heart.

"But this is the path I've chosen. One that I'm determined to follow despite what the others may say. I know the others would complain about how I do things, but they're my way, not theirs." he said strongly with a raised voice of frustration, his glare growing sharp to accent the blue of his eyes, "I'll continue living my life as if it's the only one I have, not some game I can hit the reset button on. So, you don't have to worry about me growing cocky. Because despite these powers, I'm still the novice huntsman in training fighting to stay on the same level as my friends. If I ever grow arrogant, empathetic, or too laid back, I'll have them to snap me out of it!" he smirked proudly.

Husk's grin grew to split his bagged face. He laughed, nearly falling to his sides as his laughter filled the silent safe room at the knight's response. Oh, how fitting for a boy who wanted to be a hero! Power of Friendship and all that silly cliché stuff! That was The Heart for you though, so naive and passionate.

How he had missed such a Player.

"I just wanted to make sure you understood was all! Honestly, compared to the rest, you're my favorite little Player. Will just wants to see others struggle and pull miracles out of their bloody, mangled asses. Remnant just wants to see Players and NPC's die to her creations, be they the land itself or her Grimm, but Me?" Husk sighed in content as he shoved his hands in his pockets and fished for something, "While I enjoy the adventure, action, and currency of The Game, I find that you little NPC's and Players are far more enjoyable! Will may create the Cores of a simple NPC and fill them with certain characteristics, but they take a life of their own once they're born. We can't control you without tampering into said Cores, which is a giant pain in the ass to do that, even Will refrains from it, but you Players are special! And you, by far, are my favorite." he said fondly before a jumble of ringed data was pulled out from his pockets.

Jaune took a step back, frowning at the immense sense of foreboding the data gave off. To him, it just felt wrong. Just as it did when Husk had helped him into Ren's Core.

"What are you doing?" he asked warily as Husk stepped closer.

"Just giving you a little help is all. Why not?" Husk shrugged as his pleasant drawn on smiley face grew a frown, "Will's been doing things behind our backs for centuries, lining things up for his own goals and fun despite Remnant's and I's say so. Like his latest pet project. So, I'm going to do something for my own amusement."

With the jumbled ball of data in hand, Husk raised it above his head and pointed a single finger up. The rings neatly organized themselves, forming into bands around his arm before an intricate key popped out from his finger like a blade. And like a blade, he stabbed the key into Jaune's heart without a second thought. Jaune's hand flew for his sword, only to grow confused at the lack of pain as Husk turned the key.

Husk chuckled as the sound of a locks timbers clicked, "Take it easy, Jaune. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I've just unlocked your full capability as Heart, just as Ren, Adam, and Roman had eventually done. Usually it takes achieving your first End to mature your Title to its true potential, but like you said, compared to them you're on uneven ground. With this, you'll be able to do a little more as Heart."

A brilliant glow of energy enveloped Jaune's body, coursing his body with a new power as his blue eyes glowed a deep blue. He couldn't help but marvel at the energy running through his body with awe.

"What is this?" he asked softly.

 **'Congratulations! The Heart's Clear Sight has been Unlocked! A new Option has been Unlocked! Dive, Unlocked!'**

"Nothing too special in combat prowess if I were to be honest." Husk began to explain as he stowed away his Key, "Hell, you've recently began showing signs of being capable of it, probably because of the first time I gave you the power against regulation. What you've been granted is The Heart's clear sight. What it is, well, I'll leave it to you to find out. Trust me, you'll see how it works soon." he chuckled ominously.

Shutting his eyes as he felt the new power settle in, Jaune gave the merchant a thankful smile.

"You know, for a god, you aren't so bad. Thanks, Husk."

Husk gave the blond boy a salute. Suddenly, he blinked as a mischievous grin formed before throwing his hand out. Several dark neon green tendrils shot out of his palm and stabbed through Jaune's body, taking the boy by surprise before pulling out a weathered page.

"Almost forgot! That damn smug flameball made some counterfeit copy of Monty's Missing Page. The one detailing Ren's life as a Player, something that not even Monty knew about with his future sight. Nothing I hate more than counterfeits." he said darkly before crushing the false paper in his bandaged hands. The crumbled page ignited, burning up in his fingers before pouring out of his grasp like sand in ash.

"It was a fake?" Jaune said in disbelief. Why would The Will give him a fake page for? Going into thought, he realized something about the copy he was given. The Missing Page of Monty had helped in persuading Ren to give him a chance, to let him play the game they were both trapped in. And the way he had been rewarded the incredibly rare Key Item was through a Hidden Event. Now that he thought about it, Jaune hadn't come across any hidden events since that day, not even when he had tried out an old feature to his Menu, Event Finder.

Did that mean it was all Will's doing? Why?

Husk shrugged as his body began to slowly disperse in dark flames, "Eh, who knows what that thing is ever planning. It is the strongest of us three, seeing as it can directly change the original script to The Game. And with this run being a Remix, he gets a lot more leeway to do things its way. Just watch out for its tricks in the near future. Trust me." he grinned widely with a dark foreboding.

"There's a nasty one in the making."

Feeling the absence of the god, the world's original form returned as the Moment of Respite faded away. Leaving Jaune back to face the door out of Kusanagi's weapon's shop. With a small glance back at the space the odd merchant occupied, Jaune turned the knob of the door and stepped out into the bright flash of sunlight from the morning sun.

The being just couldn't ever leave him on a high note, could he?

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jaune made out the sight of the unseen dome of pixels trapping him within a controlled space. To the people mingling the area, some unknown source compelled them to stay clear by logic made up by The Game. Even Velvet stayed away from the dome, looking confused as she gazed at the back of the calmly smiling blacksmith greeting Jaune. In his bandages hands he held three unique blue plastic swords. One with a longsword blade, a great sword blade taller than himself, and a rapier blade.

"You know, if it was up to me, we would be using the real things. I was really looking forward to seeing you and your new partner in action, but the Headmaster said it wouldn't be a fair test if I used any of my weapons. Something about dealing with a lawsuit, an angry mother, and mountains of paperwork. So instead, we'll have to settle with these." Kusanagi said amusingly as Jaune walked to the center of the street.

"Uhhh, what?" Jaune asked in confusion. He knew he was in for a fight with the appearance of the Moment of Respite, but Professor Kusanagi?

With a knowing gleam in his eyes, the blacksmith explained, "The Headmaster already let me in on your situation a week ago. About you know what? So he's devised some dumb tests to prove your worth. Your own personal Entrance Exam!" he gestured his arms widely to their surroundings with a fired-up grin.

"For your first test, you will be graded on your Endurance against an overwhelming opponent. But to make sure you aren't critically wounded in our battle, we will be using fake swords. They'll be enough seeing as their made of a material that acts as a conduit for our aura. In our hands, they're as fine as blunt edged weapons. So, choose your preferred blade!"

 _'So, it's already begun? You know, when I thought about Ozpin's exam, I had thought it would take place in school. Not the streets.'_ Jaune thought dully as he stared at the plastic weapons Kusanagi presented him with. So, was that a no to the written part? Because he was fine with that. _'Well if I'm going to fight, I might as well go with the blade I'm used to.'_ He was still working on his Greatsword form with Anubis and he'd never fought with a rapier before. Not needing anymore thought on the matter, Jaune reached for the longsword.

 **'You've received Mimic Longsword!'**

 **Mimic Longsword[Toy]: A professionally made longsword for fanatics and kids alike! While its edge is incapable of cutting or doing any real damage, in the hands of a huntsman or huntress, its blade can deal damage by infusing it with aura. Deals damage based on Strength. A toy made for fun of all kinds.'**

Longsword, huh? Kusanagi nodded in appreciation as he chose his own weapon. The kid was more suited for the style than anything else. Hopefully that familiarity would be enough. Nothing worse than a short fight. Throwing the rapier toy to the side, Kusanagi heaved the large Greatsword mimic over his shoulder in a form he was used to. Jaune did the same, repeating the form he had created with the absence of Crocea Mors original shield.

"The test is as follows: You will have 5 minutes to survive a spar against yours truly. If your aura falls to Zero, you lose the first exam. Simple enough for you?" Kusanagi explained as a second later, Jaune's HUD displayed said Timer.

Jaune nodded as he tried to settle his nerves. A test of Endurance against a trained, professional huntsman. Even if they were going to be fighting with toy weapons, this wasn't going to be easy. What the hell was Ozpin thinking when he came with this test? Jaune was pretty sure there were better ways to tests endurance than this.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune tightened his hold over his mimic sword as The Game informed him of his task.

 **'The Clockwork Exam, START!**

 **Test 1 of 3: Steel your Endurance!**

 **Details: Headmaster Ozpin's exam has begun! For your first test, survive a spar against Ise Kusanagi, The Blacksmith Professor of Beacon! Endure his powerful, swift strikes for 5 minutes to pass!**

 **Failure Conditions: HP falls to Zero before 5 minutes are up.**

 **Note: Items, Spells, and Soul Links are disabled.**

 **Optional Objectives:**

 **1\. Drop Kusanagi's HP to 75%.**

 **2\. Stagger enemy 5 times.**

 **3\. Deal 3 Critical Hits.'**

"I'm ready!" Jaune shouted confidently despite his trembling hands.

Professor Kusanagi shut his eyes. A brief smile could be seen on his face before his face became stoic and hard as stone. He narrowed his eyes sternly as he placed his free arm within his kimono's front to his chest as he set his sights on Jaune.

"Good, now" he breathed as his aura flared around his body like a coat, displaying the silver color for all to see as he raised his mimic Greatsword overhead, "PROVE YOUR WORTH!"

 **'WARNING! Boss, Incoming! Ise Kusanagi, The Weathered Arms! Get Ready!'**

 **'Ise Kusanagi, The Weathered Arms.**

 **97,300HP/97,300HP.'**

 **'FIGHT!'**

The first thought to come to Jaune's head once the fight started, _'That's a lot of HP!'_

The second? A tearing blade of silver aura erupting out of the overhead slash from Kusanagi's. It was a like a flash of light, brief but powerful. Jaune grimaced as the aura blade threw him off his feet and chopped off 800HP with one hit. With Sky's Skill, Aerial Recovery working its magic, Jaune was able to automatically fall into a roll and get back on his feet. Just in time to raise his sword over his head to stop a falling slash from Kusanagi's Greatsword. The force of the swing released a cutting pressure even as it was stopped by Jaune's shaking arms, dropping his HP again by 400.

"Running short on breath already?" Kusanagi said stoically as Jaune looked back at him, gasping lightly under the force of the great blade. Splinters of broken earth erupted underneath Jaune's feet as the teacher increased the pressure, much to his chagrin.

Not waiting for a response, Kusanagi kicked his knee up, striking Jaune's abdomen with enough force to raise him up in the air with a grunt. With the knight airborne it allowed the blacksmith to rear his Greatsword back before batting Jaune away with the flat side. An audible thwack rang out as Jaune was sent flying again for the shop. Gasping from the pain and bruise already forming around his stomach, Jaune maneuvered his body to catch himself before he was sent crashing through the windows. But his vision picked up a blur of silver behind him just as his feet touched the ground. Kusanagi's narrowed orange eyes met Jaune's surprised eyes before a spinning rising slash sent him back into the air.

 _'What am I? A JUGGLING BALL!?'_ Jaune thought incredulously. Righting himself again, he quickly eyed the silver blur that was Kusanagi just as he prepared to send him flying again. Not again! _**"Warp Strike!"**_ Aiming for the red-haired professor, Jaune flung his plastic sword like a bullet for his head. Jaune grinned in victory as the man moved his head away at the last second. The blade despite its material embedded itself behind Kusanagi, warping Jaune to the spot. _**"Target!"**_

The tip of Jaune's mimic longsword glinted dangerously as Kusanagi spun around in surprise. In Jaune's sight, multiple cross haired targets dotted the teacher's body before he fired a flurry of wild stabs onto him. Kusanagi flinched under the rain of blows before frowning at the lack of pain.

 _'For all their speed, the attacks aren't doin-'_

 **Critical Hit!**

Kusanagi gasped deeply as one of the stabs hit his chest, unleashing a ripple of seeable gust stabbing through his back. Where did that come from?

 **'Ise Kusanagi, The Weathered Arms.**

 **95,200HP/97,300HP.'**

Rearing his sword back, Jaune continued his assault as the blade glowed a bright white, _**" Power Strike!"**_

Thinking fast as he threw out the surprise attack, Kusanagi moved the flat of his great blade to block the powerful thrust. With a roar, the red-haired blacksmith pushed Jaune back and sent him stumbling with a swift thrust of his blade. It was too fast to dodge, leaving Jaune to counter.

 _ **" Stalwart Blade!"**_ Enduring the staggering thrust through gritted teeth, Jaune countered with a lighting quick slash to Kusanagi's chest. The blade was pulled back, draining the man of strength as Jaune breathed a relieving breath. A small amount of his HP was recovered as he moved back and dodged an earth shattering downward slash. Chunks of gravel flew up in the air that the teacher used to his advantage. His hand reached for a large chunk as he batted a cluster of shattered road after Jaune. It was like the shot of a widespread shotgun. Even as Jaune rolled away, he found a few of the shards drilling into his aura.

 **2:00 Minutes.**

 _'Just a little longer!_ ' Only two minutes to go and he would pass! He just had to keep on his feet and evade while throwing in a few attacks. It wouldn't be possible to achieve all the objectives on his Mission, but that hardly matter. What mattered was standing his ground!

Sucking in a haggard breath, Jaune focused his sights back on his opponent. Kusanagi was charging after him with his Greatsword scrapping a trail of broken asphalt following behind. Instead of aiming to strike, Kusanagi stopped a few spaces away and roared as he performed a rising slash. The asphalt following his blade rose up like an arc, spreading cement bits and dirt like a cloud. Jaune was blinded by the attack, coughing as he swung his sword rapidly to deflect the shrapnel.

"Let's play dirty!"

A clearing wave from the blacksmith revealed him spinning his large blade around like a twirling baton. Gathering momentum, he slashed diagonally as Jaune moved his blade in front of himself to defend. The move proved useless as Jaune felt his body cut through as a tearing edged wave of wind from the Greatsword was released against his own longsword. The windows to the teacher's shop behind him cracked from the monstrous wind as the crowd gathering around the fight were startled by the whipping gale tussling their clothing and hair.

Through grimacing eyes, Jaune went on to move away from the dangerous teacher. Professor Kusanagi was proving to be a man who knew his way around a fight. And that strength! The guy was fighting with an imitation Greatsword! And he could still break the road easily with one downward slash?

A large basketball sized piece of asphalt smashed into the side of Jaune's face before he could move his feet, earning a wave of groans from the audience. Velvet gasped into her hands at Professor Kusanagi's savagery, the asphalt chunk breaking in his hand from the left swing shattering under Jaune's aura. Following the swing, he jabbed his elbow into Jaune's face as he reared his arm back.

A ringing hammered Jaune's hearing as he stumbled back, his vision swimming. That was a low blow! What was this? A street fight?!

No, wait. It was a street fight.

 _'God damn it.'_

Eying the disoriented knight, Kusanagi sighed as a look at his scroll revealed all that he needed to know about the kid's status.

 **'Jaune Arc.**

 **25%Aura.'**

A few more swings, and Jaune would be out of the count. It seemed even when Kusanagi was trying his best to fight at a fair level it was too much. Too bad, the kid held promise. But this was a test and he needed to push him to his limits. Only then could he surpass them as a true huntsman could.

Blood trailed the side of Jaune's head as he finally regained his bearings. For a second he was sure he had blacked out from the blows to his head! Popping his knuckles with a snarl of frustration, he forewent dodging and charged. If dodging didn't work, then how about attacking?

 _ **" Hyper Blade!"**_

Vanishing from sight from the spike of speed, Jaune raided the veteran huntsman with a series of dashing strikes from all corners. To the crowd, it looked like multiple blond-haired knights appeared around Kusanagi in blurs. Kusanagi found himself smirking, impressed as he deflected each strike as he danced around the attacks. So, he could be fast when he wanted to.

 _ **"Target!"**_ Ending the speed raid, Jaune used the distraction of one of his Hyper Blade copies being cut down to slid around Kusanagi and aim for his back. A flurry of plastic steel struck his back, causing no damage until one of the stabs lucked out and sent the man stumbling forward with a pained gasp.

You had to love having a high Luck stat. Target was only capable of dealing damage by Critical Hit, basing landing the oh so important hit on Luck. Landing it twice was truly a stroke of fortune.

Clenching his left fist, red static veins began to crawl up his arm as a coat of white energy covered his skin. Left open by the attack, Kusanagi was unable to dodge the ruthless knuckle ramming into his spine, _**"Giga Impact!"**_ As Jaune's fist dug into the huntsman's back, he twisted the knuckle and unleashed a corkscrew effect that ripped open the man's kimono with a spiral grove as a thunderous release of white, red veined energy exploded out his front.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **937HP/8,800HP.'**

Jaune wanted to scream as the skin of his left arm dyed an angry, blistering red. Giga Impact was a powerful physical move, dealing high damage but at the cost of paying 15% of one's HP in exchange. His aura was already inching to the red. Giga Impact now left him in the danger zone. Was it worth it? The weak grin on his face as he watched Kusanagi hold his chest with a grimace said yes, hell yes.

 _:49 Seconds._

It was almost over. Not even a minute left!

Patting the new ripped open hole in his favorite kimono, Kusanagi turned back to Jaune with an impressed glance. Now that was a hit! Even when he was just about out of Aura, he was still fighting. Now that was Endurance!

Glancing at his Scroll, he realized time was about up. So, why not end it with one last dance? Twirling his Greatsword around his hands, Kusanagi gathered the destructive momentum energy around his blade for one last bullet fast charge.

Jaune knew that in his current state he wouldn't be able to dodge the next swing. He was already worn out from the monstrous blows from a toy of all things! But that was alright. Being in the red wasn't always a bad thing.

 _ **" Activate Skill, Scarlet Drive!"**_

About time he used Velvet's Skill. Funny how he always forgot about it in the heat of battle.

Scarlet energy enveloped Jaune's body, increasing his Evasion to 75% for a short time. More then enough for him. Appearing in a silver blur, Kusanagi swung a cleaving slash across Jaune's chest. With a surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins, Jaune leapt high above the large blade like a rabbit. He twirled around the air, bouncing off the greatsword as it swung up for a reaching scrape. Rolling onto the ground, Jaune found himself expertly dodging the swift slashes releasing whips of stormy winds. He spun around a stab, ducked under a wide spin slash, bounced back from a perfect cross cut, and at the last moment hopped onto the large plastic blade as Kusanagi spun his greatsword around in a whirlwind swing. The audience watching nearby shielded their eyes from the monstrous gale created by the ensuing vortex of wind pushing them back on their feet. Even Velvet with all her training as a huntress found it difficult to stand her ground as her long brunette hair and bunny ears were blown back.

 **:10.**

Jaune grunted as he jumped off the blade and flipped in the air. He landed a good distance away from the blacksmith as he found Kusanagi's eyes sharpen.

 **:09.**

At the moment, Jaune noticed something surprising.

 **:08.**

Kusanagi was only using one arm.

 **:07.**

And he was moving his free arm out of the sleeve of his kimono's waist to grip his mimic greatsword with two hands.

 **:06.**

Silver aura ran up to the blade as he reared it back for a drawing slash, warning Jaune of danger as Kusanagi dragged a deep breath.

 **:05.**

Jaune scowled fiercely as raised his mimic longsword by his side. White wisps of magic energy ebbed from the plastic blade just as Kusanagi's muscles coiled. Scarlet Drive was still active, so he had to time it just right.

 **:04.**

He came this far, he wasn't going to fail!

 **:03.**

 _ **" Crescent Blade!"**_

"BEGONE!"

 **:02.**

The onlookers watched as the twisting gale was suddenly torn to shreds by a single swing of Kusanagi's mimic blade, the pure force of the single swing silencing all noise like the eye of the storm. A gleaming silver blade gashed the blacksmith's door, the force shattering all of his windows to twinkling shards that showered the sidewalk in front. A dead silence fell.

 **:01.**

The sound of a body falling back to the cracked road echoed. A litter of small tears marred Jaune's combat vest along with tiny bleeding scratches on his face as he laid back on the torn apart street. His entire body ached. But despite the pain.

 **:00.**

Jaune grinned widely in victory, his HUD's display telling him all that he needed to know.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **47HP/8,800HP.'**

 **'Congratulations! Steel your Endurance, PASSED!**

 **The first of three exams have been completed! By Enduring the overwhelming Strength of an opponent leagues above you, you've proven your resilience even against impossible odds!**

 **An Objective has been Completed! Land 3 Critical Hits, Complete!**

 **Reward: 27,000Lien(+700Lien)!'**

A single red bead dripped off of Kusanagi's chin. A twelve-inch slash scarred his nose diagonally from the point blank white arc to the face. Thankfully his aura was still intact and soon went on to knit the scarred flesh good as new with no signs of previous damage. Only the slick blood from the knight's blade remained as a reminder of the damage done. He couldn't help but smirk as his ears made out the slow start of clapping hands.

 _'I'll be damned, he actually drew blood. Ain't that a surprise?'_

After watching the breathtaking display of combat prowess, the crowd gathered around them could no longer keep their silence. With a raucous cheer, the people clapped and applauded the fight they had just seen. What a start to the day! It wasn't every day that you could walk outside and see two huntsman spar on the streets. It truly was a spectacle for the normal city folks even if a few of them now had to return home to change out of the torn pieces of clothing. The last attack from the blacksmith really did a number even from a distance. They were lucky that they didn't suffer a scratch.

But Velvet didn't care about the amazing fight she had just witnessed. What she cared about was the blond knight on his back staring at the sky with a weird expression on his face. Her feet moved before she could think, brushing past the crowd of applause, and ran towards Jaune as he tried to get up. Victory could only soften the damage he had taken in his fight so much as he grasped at the side of his gashed head, courtesy of Kusanagi's surprise asphalt bash. Even with the perk of the small amount of HP he could regenerate with his Regen Ring, he still found his aura nearly broken through.

 _'Professor Kusanagi is a beast! If that's what he could do with a well-made toy replica, then I'm scared to see what he could do with a real weapon.'_ The man wasn't a professional huntsman for nothing, that was for sure.

"Jaune!"

With a wince, Jaune fell back to the road floor only for his head to be cushioned by two soft but firm pillows. He was confused, not understanding what was going on until his head craned up to find Velvet's concerned dark brown eyes staring back. It looked like she caught him. With the blond in her arms, Velvet suddenly embraced him tightly. The action caused him to yelp as his wounds flared up.

Velvet blushed in embarrassment as she lightened her hug, "Sorry! I was just worried. You took a hell of a beating." she giggled before frowning. Ignoring his pain, the bunny girl smacked his shoulder, earning another yelp as her eyes narrowed, "Do you mind telling me what that was about? Because when you had said you were going out to pick up your shield, I didn't know that it was code for fighting with our teacher in the streets!" Seriously, what was that about?

The second Velvet had stepped outside, Professor Kusanagi had urged her to move a safe distance away from his shop along with the people walking close by. He didn't say much on why, only that it was important and to just sit back and enjoy the show. Which was hard to do once her teacher who had helped repair her weapon had begun smacking her friend around like a ball.

The footsteps belonging to said teacher drew near before Velvet found Kusanagi kneeling beside them. Kusanagi laughed as he found Velvet's glare adorable. How cute, she was protecting her little knight from him. Which was going a little far. He didn't hurt the kid that badly.

"Don't give me that look, Ms. Scarlatina. I know you're steamed at me for hurting Mr. Arc, but I didn't mean him no real harm." he explained as he went to rummage for something in his kimono. Finding what he was looking for, he quickly handed the small vial of emerald liquid to Jaune to drink. Not needing to know what it was, Jaune gulped it down and breathed a sigh of relief as his injuries were soon mended like magic.

"If you didn't mean him any harm, why were you fighting in the first place?" she pressed on as she helped Jaune back on his feet.

Professor Kusanagi tapped his chin, looking back to Jaune with a raised brow. Jaune understood what his teacher was silently telling him as he nodded and scratched his neck awkwardly. To the common eye, it was odd to see two huntsmen fighting in the streets for no reason. It was crazy. And to Velvet, she only saw her teacher attacking her friend to the point of drawing blood and nearly shattering his aura. After seeing that she was bound to be full of questions and concerns.

Deciding to explain as best he could, Jaune turned to Velvet with an apologetic smile, "It's alright, Velvet. It's all part of my exam for the end of the semester. The Headmaster had it planned out and had already let me in on it. He just didn't say anything about fighting in the streets of Vale as part of the test." he lamented with a pointed glare to his red-haired teacher. Kusanagi shrugged, unapologetic as he mumbled something about spontaneous.

Jaune's answer only raised more questions in place of Velvet's worry, "Exam? This was part of your exam? That doesn't make any sense." she said with some frustration. She knew firsthand what kind of exams they were going to be taking today. The 1st and 2nd year students would take written exams along with a combat exam against one another testing them on their progress. 3rd and 4th years had it different, their exams taking them out of the city and performing special missions that they would be graded on. But this? This wasn't anything like what she knew was to be expected.

"It's complicated." Really complicated. And Jaune had only himself to blame for it since he wanted to prove to himself that he had what it took to be a huntsman. Stretching out his arms as the last of his injuries healed, Jaune spun his head back to Kusanagi, finding the blacksmith grumbling by his store. It didn't look like he was very happy about the state of his shop. _'I should feel bad, but he did just bash my head with a piece of the road.'_

"So, what's next?"

Making a sound of surprise as he was taken out of his thoughts, Kusanagi suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Almost forgot with the annoying thoughts of having to clean up his place. Reaching back into his ripped kimono with a reminder to change soon, he slipped out his scroll before tapping away on the screen. A ding blared from his device, sending its contents to Jaune's scroll as he found a message on screen.

"The Headmaster sent me two files; One if you failed my test, and the second if you passed. They'll tell you what you need to know next." he said with a dragged-out sigh. Surely the Headmaster would understand why he would be late to his class? Kusanagi couldn't just leave it like this! He had a reputation to keep, "My part is done with. I just wish I got to see you try out Ignis Mors. I'll just have to get the details of how you handle it from Ms. Rose later." he mumbled to himself as he turned back to his shop. Now, where did he leave the broom again? Probably next to the chainsaw hatchet.

Waving goodbye to the blacksmith professor, Jaune played the file on his scroll as Velvet leaned in close curiously. Headmaster Ozpin suddenly appeared on the screen, greeting Jaune with a lift of his favorite mug and a gentle smile.

"If you are watching this, Mr. Arc, then that only means that you've successfully completed the first part of your exam. I must say, I am impressed. Mr. Kusanagi is more than just a teacher and blacksmith, he's a weathered warrior that has survived the worst that his home country, Vacou, has to offer. Withstanding him for a few minutes, even if he was fighting with a mimic weapon, says enough about your ability." A sense of pride lit up Ozpin's features on the screen, the sight making Jaune grin as the headmaster continued, "But this is only the first step. You wish to prove your worth in this academy, to be recognized as a legitimate huntsman like your peers, and to prove to yourself that you do belong. If that is your wish, then consider it done. But one must make that wish a reality with their own hands, you cannot wait for it to be fulfilled. Now begins the second act."

On Jaune's HUD, a new timer appeared. Unlike the first one's short time, the new timer displayed a 2hour mark in green.

"As a huntsman, you are expected to journey out to distant lands to help out the people in need whenever possible. And that is what you will be doing. You won't always have the luxury of having a ship take you out to your mission. It is up to you make your way there, no matter the circumstances." The Headmaster smirked vaguely with the sip of his hot coffee.

"I am so confused right now." Velvet stated flatly as her face pressed itself close to Jaune's as they watched the video. If she was confused before, then she was now officially down the rabbit hole.

"Mr. Arc, you have two hours to make it back to Beacon. No ship will be taking you there this time. It doesn't matter what it takes or how, but you must make it back to campus before your time runs out. Do hurry." Ozpin chuckled with mirth as the video ended, "Ms. Goodwitch does not tolerate tardiness."

 **'The Clockwork Exam, START!**

 **Test 2 of 3: No Hands-on Deck!**

 **Details: The second test is here! By the Headmaster's word, no ship will be taking you back to Beacon. It is up to you to find your way back within two hours! A test of your resourcefulness and drive for your mission. Just about anything goes, so be creative!**

 **Optional Objectives:**

 **1\. Clear the Mission within an hour!**

 **2\. Fly your first Bullhead!**

 **3\. Learn to Barter!**

 **a ship!**

 **5\. Use Stealth!**

 **6\. Make it to Beacon without use of transportation!'**

Jaune groaned as he read over the mission details. Now this was going to be a challenge. How exactly did this even prove he was qualified to be a huntsman? He was pretty sure Ozpin was just making things up for his own amusement. But a mission was a mission. Dragging his hand across his face with a groan, Jaune tapped away on his scroll in search of a way to Beacon using his Map of the area. There had to be more than one way back to Beacon that didn't require a ship. His timer was already on the move, so he better move and think before he was out of time.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on, Jaune?" Velvet asked as she followed him in his haste. She wasn't leaving him to whatever he was going through by himself.

Jaune laughed awkwardly. Well, Ozpin didn't say he couldn't have any help from a friend. Might as well tell Velvet about it. There really was no reason to hide it any longer.

"Well, it's a funny story."

* * *

10 o'clock rolled around as the students in the halls left their morning classes for their next exam. Today was the day most had been dreading. Many were adept in fighting monsters and such, but the bane of all students would always be exams. Having survived their first exam of the day, they drudged their feet to their next class with hopes of passing. School was still school after all, even if it was one to educate in fighting the beasts that plagued their world.

But to one student in the sea of huntsman in training, the written papers that awaited him meant nothing. Nothing but scrap paper compared to the real test that awaited. A smug grin stretched across his face, straining the multiple bandages over his wounds. With some difficultly he popped his knuckles despite the simple action bringing him pain in anticipation.

To Helios Lyre there was only one test that mattered today. A test of brightness.

Behind the red-haired musicians back, a set of blue concerned eyes watched his every step as the rest of their team followed. Underneath Helios Beacon uniform, Hera could see all the hidden trauma he had suffered during their last mission. The many burns, lacerations, bruises, and sprained ribs he had endured were still healing. But unlike the many times he had been wounded, his aura was struggling to heal the smallest of scratches. As if something was disrupting his aura from its job.

Helios could act smug and cool all he wanted, but as his leader she knew better.

"You should have stayed back at the nurse's office. You aren't fit to be doing anything right now."

Pausing midstep, Helios's yellow eyes glanced back at his short leader staring back at him with a dead serious scowl. He scoffed, ignoring her as he turned back to head to their next class.

Hera's scowl grew deeper, "Ms. Sprig said that you should stay back and rest. Your aura hasn't fully recovered, your wounds haven't healed! If you continue forgoing some proper rest, then you'll only be hurting yourself!" she shouted angrily, losing her temper.

"I'm fine, ya damn shortstack." Helios glowered only for his leader to shake her head with worry.

"You haven't been fine for months. Something's wrong with you and it's been affecting your attitude. What you did yesterday, fighting the Alpha by yourself is completely out of character! Even though you make fun of my height and look down on me, you've never once went against one of my orders! So, you're not fine!"

Rue nodded, his usually sunny smile dimmed with a straight line, "Your behavior has taken a dive. Compared to the guy I found in the Emerald Forest in my first year, you're a completely different person."

"And? What's wrong with that?" Helios snapped, fully turning back to his team with annoyance, "That idiot didn't know how to fight or defend himself. I actually think this is an improvement to that weakling." he said smugly, his eyes roaming to Tsuki's cold red eyes with mirth, "Don't you agree, Tsuki?

Closing her eyes as she massaged her temple, Tsuki shook her head negatively.

"True, you're stronger by leaps and bounds compared to that weak worm you use to be. You've finally garnered my respect as a warrior as well. But this?" she gestured her hand to his form, bandaged up, bruised, and filled with an unhealthy arrogance and raged with disappointment, "This is not strength. And it's certainly not an improvement to what you once were. I could honestly say that the boy who didn't know how to fight had more respect from me then you do now." she said coldly with narrowed eyes.

The comment earned a snarl from the musician huntsman as his muscles bulged with his spike of anger. To him, that was a low blow. If there was something he hated more than the object of his deep-seated anger, it was the inexperienced brat he had once been.

"Care to say that again, Ebony Tits?" he hissed furiously as a red-hot burn glowed on his back. The many eyes from the students watching the scene play out stepped back. To the more insightful eyes, they made out the orange red burn peeking out his back as some kind of stamp or symbol.

Rue quickly stepped in between his teammates as Tsuki made a step closer to their friend. He smiled gently at the two, hoping to defuse the tension.

"Let's calm down now. No need to be throwing a fist fight in school. After all," he smiled grimly to his partner, "You're already in hot water as it is."

Helios spat to the side as the burn on his back cooled down. As much as he didn't want to agree, his partner was right. Ms. Goodwitch was already on his ass for disobeying orders from not only his leader but the huntsman watching over them. She had warned him of extreme punishment the next time he crossed the line like that. Apparently, his attitude would not be tolerated.

Today he couldn't go around causing too much trouble. Not when he had something to look forward to. Not when he had yet to shine to the entire school.

"Whatever. I'm telling you I'm fine. In fact," he grinned widely as he clawed his fingers over his heart with pride seeping out of his voice, "I've never felt better. Hell, I'm pretty sure that I could take over as leader of our little team, don't ya think, Hera? After all, you don't want the title." he laughed mockingly.

Hera flinched at his words before steeling her gaze.

"I may not want to be leader, but I would rather be in charge instead of some smug idiot!"

"Well, we'll see how long you'll be in charge after today." he laughed loudly as he spun back to continue on his way.

"Soon, you'll all see who the true star of the show is. Who the real hero is!"

Hera growled in frustration and moved to follow after him to smack some sense into her teammate. But Rue's gentle hand stopped her as he held her shoulder back. She looked back at him to see his face with concern.

"What are you doing? We can't just let him go on like this! If he keeps this up, he won't just get hurt, he'll be expelled!" she shouted in anger as the wavy forest green haired boy sadly sighed.

"Hera, we all know that Helios is not in a good place right now. He hasn't been since he came back from Atlas during summer break. But the more we try to force him to see reason, the more riled up he gets. I think the best course of action, for this moment, is to leave him be." he frowned as he watched his partner mix in with the rest of the students heading to their next class, "Once we're done with our exams, we should have a long talk with the headmaster and deputy headmistress about his attitude. Something's clearly not right with him."

"He's right." Tsuki sighed, her eyes showing some hints of concern as she thought back to his current condition, "Helios's aura has been out of sync. His emotions are hindering its capabilities in the field. If this continues, he won't be able to even heal the simplest scratch."

Hearing her teammates words of advice, Hera grudgingly relented as her shoulders slumped. She looked on with a conflicted and concerned eyes through the crowd of students where her teammate had run off. Something clearly was on his mind, driving him into a dark place that was clouding his judgement. Helios may like to show off and gloat, but what he was displaying was on an unhealthy level. And he wouldn't even talk to them, his teammates, and friends about his problem.

With a tired breath, Hera continued on her way to her next class. She could only hope that the teachers could help them with Helios' condition.

Because if he continued like this, she was afraid he would Fall.

* * *

Finding a way back to Beacon, which was actually miles away from the city upon closer inspection had proven to be one hell of a challenge for one Jaune Arc. After realizing that he couldn't climb his way to the school, mostly due to the fact that a ravine and a large body of water separated them from the city in the first place, he had begun running around in search of a way back. He couldn't do it on foot, he couldn't take a bullhead or small ship, and he was pretty sure none of his Abilities or Skills could help him back in less than two hours. Compared to his test of Endurance with Professor Kusanagi, his test of Drive was looking impossible.

At least it was until Velvet had chimed in with an idea of her own. From what she gathered, they were unable to take a ship to Beacon because of the Headmaster forbidding any of the pilots in the shipyard from taking them. But that wasn't to say they couldn't persuade any of them from taking them. In her many missions away from Beacon, Velvet had learned that sometimes you had to barter with people for their services. Her team didn't always have a ship to take them where they needed to go once they arrived at whatever village they were hired by, so they often times had to be creative on transportation. And one of those ways involved bartering.

"Take it or leave it."

"But come on! I'm willing to give you a thousand Lien! Don't you think that sounds better than an old book?"

"No, it does not. Not when said book is limited edition variant that can't be found anywhere else. Trust me, I've tried."

In the loading bay of Vale's airship docks, Jaune Arc could be seen pulling at his hair in frustration and tears running down his face. The pilot in front of the knight didn't seem to care about his disposition, giving the boy a flat stare as he gestured his open hand to the two students. Jaune's frustration only grew as he noticed the timer on his HUD tick down by the second, drawing closer to an hour before he failed his mission. He gritted his teeth openly, his fingers straining as they held one of his most precious treasures.

Velvet face palmed, dragging her hand down her face as she watched her secret crush struggle to hand over a lousy comic. How long had they been at a stalemate for? Five minutes?

"Jaune, just give him the comic. I'm pretty sure your exam is more valuable than some silly old picture book." she said flatly, earning a dramatic gasp from both Jaune and the pilot.

"No she didn't!"

"Yes she did!"

Velvet felt a twitch in her eye. Clearly, they weren't going to get anywhere at this rate. It was a good thing she had decided to tag along in Jaune's exam. The goof would be here until dawn. Snatching the comic from Jaune's hand, Velvet quickly handed it over to the pilot's greedy hands. The pilot was star struck, basking in glory over the ultra-rare copy of X-ray and Vav as he raised in the air like some trophy.

"My prayers have been answered at last!" The pilot cried as Jaune looked on with a grimace and teary eyes.

"B-But that was my Limited-Edition Variant copy of X-Ray and Vav #15! The one where they first meet Mogar! It's a collector's item!" he wailed like a child before Velvet's usually gentle hand smacked some sense into him. Sometimes he forgot for all her sweetness, their laid an aggressive hair beneath her docile appearance. He looked back to his bunny eared friend with a look of betrayal.

"Why?"

"Because I would rather have you sob over some book then have you expelled." Velvet said unapologetically. During their time brainstorming over an idea on how to make it back to Beacon without a provided airship, Jaune had let Velvet in on his little secret. When she had first heard his story, she found it hard to believe. Jaune was a skilled huntsman, why would he ever need to sneak his way into Beacon? Sure, he didn't start off as skilled as them, but he proved to be a quick learner and was skilled in combat. Surely, he could have passed the entrance exam if he wanted to.

But due to reasons he had missed his chance and thought the only way he could be accepted was to fake some transcripts, robbing someone else of their place in the school. And because of that, Jaune felt he needed to prove himself. He wanted to be recognized as a huntsman as the rest of his friends. So, he had gone to the Headmaster, knowing he was risking expulsion for revealing his fake transcripts, and asked to be tested to gain entry into his school.

Velvet sighed, shaking her head at the story she had heard. None of this would be happening if Jaune simply continued with the lie. He could be taking the exams normally like the rest of them, but his pride simply wouldn't let him. Now he was taking some odd exam to test what he was truly capable of. One made by Ozpin. The coffee obsessed headmaster of Beacon who spoke like a cryptic fortune teller. This exam was never bound to be normal from the start.

Patting the crestfallen knight's shoulder gently, Velvet turned back to the pilot carefully placing the valuable comic into a metal suitcase by his small ship. Someone was prepared.

"So, now that you have your price, will you take us back to Beacon?" she asked curiously.

The pilot quirked a brow at the girl, his eyes narrowing as they zoned in on her ears. Right, he almost forgot about the...thing.

"I'd be more than happy to take the kid back. The Headmaster of Beacon had asked all us flyboys not to allow the kid a ride for some reason. But I'm willing to look the other way for this baby." he grinned widely as he patted his briefcase before sneering at Velvet, "But you? Heh, you must be dreaming if you think I'll let some animal sit in my ship. I don't need you shedding on the seats." he spat.

Velvet stepped back at the man's words, flinching as her ears dropped. The comment hit a nerve. Her eyes narrowed, her fists balling up as the pilot suddenly grinned lecherously at her. She could see his eyes roaming over her body behind his dark shades.

"But, I guess I can overlook that too. Only if you're willing to pay your own fare. How about it?" he chuckled as he took a step closer to the angry bunny girl, "I've heard you bunny girls have a taste for a certain type of carrot humans carry around with them. Why don't you come al-"

 _ **" Power Strike!"**_

Whatever the man was going to say was suddenly cut off by a glowing white knuckle to the left side of his face. The force of the punch spun him around as everything went black in his mind. With a groan, the pilot fell back into sweet unconsciousness. The briefcase holding his treasured comic flew up in the air and fell back into Jaune's awaiting hands. The knight blinked, staring at his fist in puzzlement.

 _'Huh. My fist has a mind of its own. Punched the guy before I even thought about doing it. Nice going, fist.'_ Jaune smiled brightly as patted the raging fist. For a racist, the guy didn't seem to mind exploiting Velvet for his own sick needs. What an asshole. At least he now had his comic back. A win-win if there ever was one.

As happy, and flattered as Velvet was for Jaune's gesture, the bunny girl found a problem with their situation.

"Jaune, how are we supposed to get back to Beacon now?" Velvet couldn't help but ask as she prodded the pilots knocked out head. She had half a mind to rain down a fury of kicks for what he was suggesting. But a concussion would have to suffice.

Realizing what he had done, Jaune began to panic. His situation only grew worse as he found the few pilots around the ship bay point at him and begin to speak into their walkie talkies. That didn't sound good. Thinking quickly on his feet, Jaune spun his head back to Velvet with a sheepish laugh.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to fly a ship, would you?"

"Depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Whether a flight simulator counts for flying experience."

Debating whether or not if such a thing did count, Jaune's ears suddenly noticed a large ruckus and an angry uproar. Curiously, he turned his eyes to the left, spotting the large metal hull most of the pilots and navigators worked in before finding several of them pointing their fingers accusingly at him and Velvet. He gulped, taking notice of a small group of Vale's city police talking with one red faced captain.

"There they are, officers! They're mugging one of our pilots! And the blond one must have a briefcase of Lien from our broken safe! Get them!"

Out of curiosity, Jaune clicked open the briefcase the pilot had safely placed his comic in. Jaune's jaw dropped in disbelief as he found an insane amount of Lien cards below the comic book.

 **+200,000Lien!**

 _'...Is my semblance bad luck? Because I call bullshit!'_ Taking a deep calming breath, Jaune shut the case and began to think. They were completely innocent! If they simply explained the situation to the police then everything would be resolved. After all, he did have the trust of the VPD with his Title equipped. So, there was no need to worry!

With that in mind, Jaune was ready to wave over the officers running for them. A few of them even recognized him as they caught eye of the blond. One went as far as speeding up as an excited grin spread across their face.

It was at this moment that Jaune's face fell, paled, and shuddered as Barbie Mattel licked her lips hungrily and reached for her belt. And he realized that there was no talking his way out of the situation he found himself in.

"We got to go. NOW." Jaune laughed nervously before dragging the confused bunny girl into the small ship's cockpit. He quickly sat himself down and buckled himself in as Velvet sat in the pilot's seat nervously.

"I wouldn't say that me flying is a good idea." Velvet warned as she began flipping switches. Funny, all the controls were like Remnant's Fly Simulator. Fox wasn't lying when he said it was like flying a real ship.

Jaune absently listened to the warning, his eyes staring out the window to find Barbie sitting on the chest of the knocked-out pilot waking up. He winced as the strawberry blonde began raining down a flurry of backhands across his wailing face. The pilot's trembling arm pointed back at him within the ship, turning Barbie's panting, drooling, red blushed face to meet his eyes. She smacked her lips with a sunny grin.

"I can honestly say, that I'm willing to take the chance of us dying in a fiery plane crash." he said dully before snatching his precious comic out of the silver case and tossing the stolen cash out the window. Anything was better than whatever Barbie was thinking in that sadistic little head of hers.

Velvet knew there was no talking to Jaune at this point. Not when he was making a face like that. And she could kind of understand as she looked back at one of the officers staring back at Jaune like meat. Her animal senses were warning her of one hell of a predator and telling her to book it. Finishing the last of the preparations, Velvet put her feet to the ignition to start flying the small ship into the air. Her dark brown eyes wandered around the controls, brightening up as she found the radio. Maybe some music would help ease her nerves.

 _"Fuck the police coming straight from the underground!~"_

Jaune slowly turned his head to Velvet, his eyes lifeless as the radio's speakers could be heard outside. The older huntress looked the same, as if the life had been drained from her paling face as the music continued playing loudly for all of Remnant to hear.

 _"For a punk motherfucker with a badge and a gun!~"_

"... Why?" he stressed out in a whisper as their plane took off into the skies. They just had to leave the police with a song from Cold Cube. He wasn't winning any more points from them, that was for sure.

 **'Congratulations! You've Unlocked Barbie Mattel's Friendship! A new Perk has been Unlocked! Lawful, Unlocked!'**

Okay, he was calling bullshit!

"It was an accident!" Velvet apologized as Jaune stared at his scroll in slack jawed disbelief, "How was I supposed to know that the radio would play a song like that!?"

Making a note to check out the newest Perk later, Jaune slumped into his seat as they flew towards Beacon. And at the moment, his body suddenly reminded him of his little problem with transportation. Face turning green, Jaune began to moan in pain as his stomach churned. He should have skipped out on breakfast. Cheeks bulging with restraint, he sadly lost the fight with his most dreaded enemy. Motion Sickness.

"Are you alright-EWWW! JAUNE, NOT ON THE CONTROLS!"

"I think I'm dying."

It was going to be a long ride back to Beacon.

* * *

"Pencils down, everyone! Time is up and I would now request every last one of you to pass down your exams to the person in front of you. Once all exam papers have been handed in by the students in the bottom row, you may all take a few minutes to unwind before the end of class!"

With a battle worn moan, Ruby's head smacked onto the wooden desk in front of her. It was over. She had done all she was capable of with Professor Oobleck's exam. Her poor Beowolf pencil was whittled down to a nub, no longer fit for written combat. It was in god's hands now.

"Oh, quit the dramatics. I'm sure you did... slightly above average." Weiss rolled her eyes at her partner's state. She was sure Ruby had done well, enough to pass. After all, she had someone such as Weiss tutoring her for the exams. Having someone as intelligent and diligent as her ought to have been enough to get her a decent grade.

"Weiss. . .I can't feel my fingers. My poor trigger finger feels numb." Ruby cried with a moan. How was she going to shoot Grimm now?

"At least you're here for your exam. Unlike a certain someone we know." Weiss frowned as her eyes glanced at the empty seat beside Pyrrha.

Ruby raised her head up, following Weiss's line of sight before frowning as well. Jaune was still missing. For the last three classes, they hadn't seen any sign of the leader of JNPR. It was starting to worry her. Mostly due to the fact that whenever said blond leader was missing, things weren't right. He just seemed to attract trouble. Funny considering he wasn't one for attention.

"Where do you think he is?" Ruby asked Weiss as her partner began to carefully put away her writing supplies and notes. The heiress quirked a brow as if to say, 'why ask me?' before going into thought.

"I honestly don't know where that goof could be. Surely, he understands how important today is? We've been studying since last month in preparations for the exams. And as unsophisticated as he may be, I didn't peg him as the type to ditch something so important."

Leaning back in her seat, Yang added her own two cents in as she caught their conversation.

"I'm sure he's fine." Yang waved off, noticing Ruby start to grow uneasy. "I mean, if Pyrrha's not worried, why should we?" To prove her point, she gestured her thumb to the red-haired girl having a pleasant conversation with Nora down the third row. Pyrrha didn't look worried, she was smiling as if nothing was wrong. And the invincible girl was always the first one to start worrying about her precious teammate.

"Then why isn't he here?" Weiss asked suspiciously as she tried to make sense of the matter.

Yang shrugged, "Like I would know. Jaune and I are good pals, but I don't know what he does all the time. Maybe we should ask our resident bookworm?" she grinned mischievously as her eyes leered over to her book reading cat girl partner. Blake glanced back at Yang with annoyance amid her reading of her novel in hand.

"How would I know?" Blake asked stoically, her question only feeding Yang's grin.

"As if you have to ask. We all know you've been really chummy with Jaune since the FoF incident. And let's not forget about last month's little venture."

"You mean when you knocked out that host's teeth. Didn't you get a bill for his cosmetic surgery?"

Yes, she did. But like hell Yang was paying for some smooth punk's medical bills. They had nothing on her! And it was completely his fault. But back to the matter at hand, "I'm talking about when we all found you straddling a certain leader's lap with your face awfully close to his own. And let's not forget that guilty blush on your face!"

Said blush returned as Blake hid her face behind her book. She had been hoping that they would have forgotten about that. It was a moment of weakness! Her emotions were going haywire and Jaune was so close, and his eyes were so blue and gentle, and then his hands found her waist, and-

With a frustrated growl, Blake shut her book and crossed her arms. Ever since that damn night on the rooftop when she tried to apologize to Jaune for the FoF incident, she couldn't seem to think straight about him. It was like he was in her head. And Yang's teasing certainly wasn't helping.

"I keep telling you, it was a misunderstanding. You just caught us at a weird time is all. And what about Weiss?" Blake said accusingly with a pensive stare at the bewildered Schnee heiress, "She's the one who knocked him out with her glyph like she had caught him cheating."

"Don't try to divert the attention to me! Besides, I don't have hidden feeling for him!" Weiss shouted, gasping as she clamped her mouth shut. The students around them curiously gazed back at them at Weiss's loud declaration before turning back to their own conversations.

Yang snickered as she waved Weiss away, "Weiss is Weiss. She doesn't know what she wants." Thought it was only a matter of time before the snobbish princess realized that. And what a fun day that was going to be!

"Well you don't know what you're talking about." Blake huffed as she turned away from her friend, "Besides, even I don't know where Jaune is. Last I saw him was yesterday as he was checking out a book I recommended him."

"Was it smut?"

"It was not smut!"

"It was smut."

Fighting the urge to smack some sense into her partner's ignorant head about the matters of well written adult romance, Blake decided to turn their attention on the only person they knew who kept track of their resident blond knight. "Why don't you ask Tsuki?" she said, gesturing to the blood eyed raven girl reading her own book in peace from a few rows above of them. How Blake envied her. "If anyone knows where he might be, it would be her."

"She does seem to know where he is all the time." Ruby agreed. It was kind of weird.

"Not happening." Yang immediately replied with a scowl, "I ain't asking Cow Tits jack shit. That stalker is the last person I would ask for help."

"And that person has ears, you loud mouthed bimbo." Dog paging her passage, Tsuki turned to face the members of team RWBY. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she caught Yang's gaze, "I would have thought better of you then to speak so loudly. Seems that big mouth of yours is good for more than one thing." she smirked.

"You wanna go!" Yang shouted as she raised her fist threateningly, "Cause I'll throw down! Best believe Yang Xiao Long ain't afraid of breaking in that smug pretty face of yours!"

Weiss sighed as held Yang back from bolting off her seat to start a fight, "Calm down, you brute. We don't need you getting detention over some silly spat." Going back to Tsuki, Weiss decided to go with Blake's suggestion now that they had the girl's attention, "You wouldn't know where Jaune is by any chance, would you? We haven't seen him since yesterday."

"My dear was heading out to Vale the last I caught sight of him this morning." Tsuki answered back simply. They weren't exactly wrong to believe she knew his whereabouts. No matter the prey, Tsuki always kept her tabs on her target. "I also noticed that he was being accompanied by Velvet as well. As for why he's not here, I wouldn't know either." she shrugged as she turned back to her book.

"If you really want to know, you should ask his team. They of all people would know him best."

"I could have said that." Yang grumbled as she turned away from the odd girl. Team JNPR ought to know why their leaders was absent. But at least they knew Jaune wasn't alone. He had Velvet with him, for whatever reason. The little info did make her grow curious. Did that mean Velvet wasn't in school too?

"She's right." Ruby nodded as she got off her seat. Her eyes zoned in on Ren sitting by himself as he gathered his things. The rest of team JNPR must have already left to get ready for Combat Class. He probably knew why Jaune wasn't around.

"Ruby."

Ready to go down to ask the silent pink eyed huntsman, Ruby was suddenly stopped by Tsuki's voice calling out to her. Curiously, she turned around to find the girl with a serious expression on her face.

"When you see Jaune again tell him to be careful of Helios." she warned sternly as the rest of the all girl's team's attention fell on her.

"Why?" Ruby frowned.

Tsuki shook her head, sighing as she got up and walked down. She stopped beside the little reaper, her eyes conflicted and even worried as she spoke.

"Helios... is not in a good place right now." she struggled to say, her expression darkening as she thought back to his change in attitude, "He's become very unstable these past few months. And I'm afraid that he's only a few steps away from doing something he'll regret."

"Then why tell Jaune to be careful?" Weiss asked warily. She knew that Helios wasn't Jaune's biggest fan, especially with how their first meeting had gone. But the loudmouthed musician never displayed any signs of bringing anyone any harm.

"Because there are actually very few things that anger Helios despite his appearance and speech. And for some reason, Jaune is a matter that infuriates him beyond reason." Having said her warning, Tsuki continued down the aisle of seats for the door.

The sooner they were done with their exams, the sooner they could get Helios the help he needed. Before it was too late.

Watching the older student leave for their next exam, Ruby couldn't help but feel a tension in the air.

Just when things were back to normal.

* * *

Arriving to Beacon had only taken ten minutes at best by ship. With the view of the school grounds and the docking platform coming into sight, Velvet had breathed a sigh of relief before their little hijacked aircraft touched ground. Her nerves had been frayed since taking the wheel, but luckily for her she seemed to have gotten used to working the controls. She was beginning to wonder if her Mimic Semblance could be used outside of combat.

Making a note to explain the situation to Ms. Goodwitch on why there was a stolen ship on Beacon grounds and why there would be police looking for them about a stolen case of Lien, Velvet helped Jaune out of the ship as gently as she could. He still wasn't feeling too well as he gurgled a thank you once they stepped onto Beacon grounds. But now that they were home, back in school, she thanked god that their little adventure was over with.

Well, it was over. For about ten minutes before they made it to the main hall auditorium. Once they stepped foot inside, the door behind them was shut as the darkened auditorium room was illuminated by a beacon of light in the middle of the large room. And what she had seen made her question the line of thinking of their headmaster.

 **'The Clockwork Exam, START!**

 **Test 3 of 3: Havoc Quiz!**

 **Details: Your Exam is almost over! Before the final test of your worth, your Intelligence will be judged! A good huntsman has a sharp mind to match their blade, or they risk dying to their own stupidity! You will be tested on the knowledge you've gained these past months by a programmed android, questioning you on several subjects you've studied. Be careful, the android will do more than question you, it will be attacking as the exam begins. The level of aggression and combat ability of the bot will depend on each answer, growing more hostile and powerful with each incorrect answer. Pass your exam with a score of 2,500 or more, and defeat the android without your aura falling to zero!**

 **Optional Objectives:**

 **1\. Clear the Exam with a Perfect Score!**

 **2\. Disable the Warden's Destruction Cannon!**

 **3\. Defeat the Warden!**

 **4\. Pass the exam with HP above 50%.'**

That was the message The Game had sent Jaune when he had made it back to Beacon and cleared his second exam. Knowing that he was going to have to fight in his next test, he had gone over the items and abilities he had available for whatever waited for him. And he had gone over a few subjects with Velvet after she had leaned in to hear Ozpin's video message on his scroll. This time he was ready to ace his next exam, no matter what waited for him!

"Multiple Choice: Dust!"

Jaune's brow twitched as he evaded a stream of bullets chasing after him. Ignis Mors flew up from his waist, unfolding as he grounded himself in place to endure the gunfire from his opponent. With a heavy breath, his mind prepared itself for whatever question he was going to face.

Standing in the middle of the auditorium hall at ten feet in height, a bulk platted training android ceased its firing as the mounted turrets on its shoulders paused. The bot's head was designed after a Atlesian's Knights with a monitor visor displaying a burning X, heavily armored chest with exhaust valves poking outs its back, sharp metal fingers and bulky arms and feet. The X on its visor spun wildly like a wheel as steam blew out of its back.

"Dust is naturally available in four common elements. Fire, Wind, Earth and-"

The android's bulky arm parted, revealing concealed cannon barrels charging with a deadly hum. From above the ceiling, four screens were lowered down behind the machine, displaying four different answers to the answer. Done charging, it aimed one of the barrels in the face of the panting blond knight fixing his shield over his arm.

"You have 30 seconds to answer or face a Remedial Lesson." it said dangerously in its metallic tone.

Jaune's eyes flitted between the options above, thanking god for the brief moment of respite. It had been almost half an hour since the third exam began. And with not being able to use Items, Spells, or his Soul Links this boss battle was proving to be difficult. It wasn't only a test of his mind, but his skill. And adding the questions into the mix only made it more challenging.

 **'A. Lightning.**

 **B. Ice.**

 **C. Water.**

 **D. Gravity.'**

Jaune licked his dry lips, his eyes zoning in on B. Seemed about right. He vaguely recalled a lesson on the subject while in Professor Pithos class.

"The answer's B, Ice!" he grinned confidently.

A loud buzzer dropped his grin, causing his eyes to widen in panic as the android's visor grew an angry red.

"Incorrect. The correct answer is C. Water."

"Oh. . .fuck."

"Beginning Remedial Lesson: Hyper Destroyer!"

Jaune gritted his teeth as the cannon barrels locked onto him. Well, that was a failure. Now he had to survive one of its big attacks. From its barrels, the mechanical being shot off several large rounds of plasma fire into the air. Jaune activated Gale Speed, going with the wind as he blurred in its sights and avoided the shower of crashing sparking orbs. It was like fighting the Atlesian Spider all over again. In his dodging, Jaune fired his own projectiles with Air Slash, chipping away at the boss's health with what little damage he could inflict. The area around them was raining with broken tiles as the plasma rounds tore apart the floor with every missed shot, filling the air with the sounds of explosions as it fired wildly.

 _ **'Atlesian Warden, Prototype-I.**_

 _ **3,040HP/21,000HP.'**_

Gale Speed withered away, leaving Jaune skidding in front of the Warden with a tired gasp. Ignis Mors shield was raised up in front of his body as he knelt behind it, fully guarding him as the giant android focused all its firepower onto its target. The newly born shield did well against the heavy fire, soaking in a lot of the damage with its added 45 in defense when blocking. Sparks flew past Jaune, stinging his face as he endured the bombardment ringing against his shield and held his ground. He just had to hang on a little longer and the boss would stop its attack.

Firing one last volley of plasma, the Warden shifted its cannons back into hands. It curled its fists, falling into a running start as it reared its fist back. Seeing the attack coming, Jaune rolled out of the way as it slammed its fists down for a mighty blow. The impact shattered the ground, throwing up more broken tiles as Jaune ran around it. With its back in sight, Jaune brought his own fist back as his shield spun around to face its sharp point with his knuckles. The small jets on the shield's sheath roared, releasing a stream of erupting flames that picked the blond off his feet and sent him flying for the Warden's exposed back.

 _ **" Point of Eruption!"**_ With a roaring shout, Jaune drove his shield's point into the Warden's spine with the force of an explosion. The gold lining burned red hot, melting the metal of its back as it stumbled forward from the powerful impact. Picking up the boy on its radar, it swung its arm around to pry Jaune off. But Jaune moved quickly and stabbed Crocea Mors into its back before flipping over the crushing fingers and leaving his sword behind. Flying overhead from his flip, Jaune clenched his fists tightly and fell back for the Warden's head. The android turned its head up, finding the diving blond before aiming its turrets and firing after him. Jaune grinned, blinking out of sight before the bullets struck.

 _ **" Warp Strike!"**_ Teleporting back to his age-old sword, Jaune then brought his fist back again before punching the pommel with the added effect of Giga Impact. A corkscrew energy blew out the Warden's chest like a spear, staggering it again as Jaune jumped back to the ground as he ripped his blade out. He stumbled back, catching himself back on his feet as he held his damaged arm close to his chest with a wincing glare at the boss.

 _ **'Atlesian Warden, Prototype-I.**_

 _ **2,150HP/15,000HP.'**_

 _'It's health is less than half now. Which means I just need to keep it up and stay on my guard. I just have to answer the next two or three questions correctly to finish it off, otherwise it's going to go off on another Remedial Lesson and raise its Defense again.'_ Not only did the Warden become highly aggressive, but Jaune found that when it was in its Remedial Phase, its defense was raised incredibly high. Attacking it with any of his big hitters was pointless, so he had to wait out the wild assault before he could do real damage. Luckily for Jaune though, answering the questions correctly dropped the boss's defense and attack for a short while.

Steadying its feet, the Warden spun its damaged upper body around to lock its sights back on the knight. It aimed its hand at Jaune, detaching it with the force of a cannon shot to snatch him in its hold. Jaune moved quickly, timing his next move just right so he could jump over the large grappling hand. Ignis Mors was enveloped in a bright light as Jaune swung its bladed edge at the retracting cord attached the robotic appendage, severing its link as the hand fell back to the ground with an echoing thud. Jaune couldn't help but grin in victory as he landed back on his feet and stared at the sparking twitching fingers of the Warden. Hah! Maybe now it would a bit easier to deal with.

Unfortunately, the small moment of victory was shattered by the Warden's remaining hand, curled up in a fist as it decked Jaune's body. He had literally spun his head at the sound of another cannon and couldn't even widen his eyes in surprise before the metal fist crashed into him and sent him flying towards the far end of the auditorium walls. But before his body could meet the walls, an unseen force stopped his flight as he slid down the invisible forcefield with a groan.

Velvet winced from outside the forcefield. That really looked like it hurt.

"Good thing we had the forcefield installed, it's bad enough that poor Glynda's going to have to work her magic to fix the potholes created from the little fight, we don't need her patching up the walls as well."

"How did you get her to agree to this? I can't even get her to stop bugging me about my open lab coat, let alone my sweets! And that riding crop of hers makes her harder to deal with."

"Mr. Pithos, Glynda and I have known each other for years. She knows that whatever I do has reason behind it and hardly questions it. Even if said doings include borrowing one of General Ironwood's prototypes to pit against a student in the main auditorium hall during class hours. It's all about trust."

"... You have dirt on her, don't you?"

"Never underestimate the value of a photo, Mr. Pithos. And always bring fresh film to Halloween parties."

"Who still uses film?"

As another boom shook the auditorium, Velvet found her attention drawn away from the fight for the moment to the two professors standing by her. Her stare was flat, finding it hard to believe that the two men were the smartest huntsman in their school. Especially when they were both watching the fight with candy in their mouths like children watching their favorite tv show. Feeling someone staring at them, Ozpin's dark brown eyes found Velvet as he bit down on his lollipop.

"Yes, Ms. Scarlatina? Is there something I may help you with?" he asked as he chewed his treat, courtesy of Professor Pithos.

It was really hard to take the man seriously like this, "What is the point of all this, Headmaster?" Velvet asked with slight frustration, wincing again as Jaune ate a face full of plasma, "I understand Jaune faked his way in and now has to take an entrance exam, but don't you think this is a little ridiculous?"

"What's ridiculous about this?" Pithos asked curiously amid Jaune's dodging of a barrage of attacks. "I think it's fun. And entertaining."

"On what date did General Lagoon send his troops to invade General Fowl's military stronghold!

"Uhhhh, the fifth of May?"

"Incorrect! Proceeding with Remedial Lesson: Hyper Cutter!"

"GIVE ME A BREAK!"

Professor Pithos snickered, watching as Jaune did his best to evade the one-armed android's laser bladed cannon hand, "See? It pays to pay attention in class. Never know when what your learning could save your life." he said wisely as he shoved a handful of gummy worms in his mouth.

"This is literally something out of a video game." Velvet said dryly as she tried to make the men see reason. What she was watching was something out of Fox's video game collection. She could have sworn she had seen something like this while he was playing on their tv, "It's nothing like the normal entrance exams we had all taken. I'm just saying that this is a little over the top."

Hearing the bunny eared girl's concerns, the Headmaster nodded in understanding as he washed the taste of sweets from his mouth with a sip of his dark coffee. Sighing in content, he smiled reassuringly as he turned his eyes back to the unfolding exam.

"You are correct, Ms. Scarlatina. This is no normal exam, not when compared to the one you and your friends have taken years ago. And honestly, I never felt the need for such a thing in the first place. Mr. Arc is a fine huntsman, having grown leaps and bounds since he first stepped foot into my school. He has surely earned his place in my academy, especially with all that he's done for my students and the people of Vale." he said fondly, referring to the good the knight had done during the FoF event and the White Fang. His face fell into a stern frown though, "But that does not forgive what he's done either. Mr. Arc cheated his way in, robbed a huntsman of their place, one they had worked years for with sweat, blood, and tears. And he knows this. That is why he had revealed to me his secret, because of the guilt he felt. And to make up for it, he wished to prove that he rightfully deserves his spot in Beacon."

"So, you created this odd exam to test his worth?" Velvet was still confused. She understood the need for it, but this was just too complex. And odd.

"Correct. As you already know, Mr. Arc is strong. Stronger than most huntsman in training despite his... quirkily demeanor."

"Lemon Head's a goof." Professor Pithos blurted out bluntly, "For a guy who's regarded as one of the strongest in his year, he doesn't act like it. The kid still falls asleep in my class and can't seem to keep his eyes off his scroll. The kid's got a gaming addiction, I swear. And he's got the worst pick-up lines I've ever heard." he chuckled. It was always fun to watch the blond fumbled about when paired with the Schnee heiress. The reactions he witnessed out of those two always made his day.

Chuckling himself at the observation, Ozpin continued, "Because of how strong he already is, testing Mr. Arc at the level of the original course would be for naught. Knowing that, and what he is already capable of, I decided to create an exam that would test the four most promising aspects I've observed of the boy. His Endurance, his Drive, his Intelligence, and his Strength. And I believe this has shown me his capabilities as a huntsman at his level. And much more." he said quietly, his eyes following Jaune's every movement between dodging the Warden's laser blade.

"But isn't he failing at the Intelligence part of the exam?" Velvet said flatly, observing the score Jaune had been racking up as he was being quizzed. His score was 2,200. About average for a guy like him they had explained. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't impressive.

Professor Pithos shrugged, "True, he's not the brightest crystal in the Dust shop, not in matters concerning books. But he's got another form of intelligence on that blond head of his. Just look."

Following the sweet loving man's words, Velvet began to pay close attention to Jaune's moves. She watched as he ran around the giant machine's gunfire, picking up the pace as he became a blur in her vision. The Warden grew restless and raised its foot high in the air. It stomped the ground, shaking Jaune's footing and ending his evasion. Aiming its arm at the stunned blond, it fired it off by the cable attaching the appendage. Jaune smirked, dodging it at the last second before chopping the steel cable off with an added oomph of Crescent Blade. The Warden reeled back the sparking steel line, the damage it had suffered overheating its core within its chest. With the built up of heat and steam, it was left no choice but to part its chest platting to cool it off.

"While fighting the bot, Lemon Head's been watching for its weakness. He observed that when the Warden grows tired of him dodging its attacks, it would shake the ground and use the opportunity to snatch him with its hand before slamming him to the ground. With that in mind, he lured it to go with that combo and time his swing just right to lob off its hand. And with all the damage the Warden suffers, its core heats up, leaving it exposed. He's been racking up whatever damage he could for this exact moment. He knew it had a weakness, so he's been looking to expose it whatever way he could." Professor Pithos calmly explained.

Out of all the students in his class, Jaune Arc wasn't the smartest. He was about average. Not to say he wasn't learning in his class, the blond boy was doing rather well for a boy who knew next to nothing about Dust as a huntsman. But he was still behind when compared to his classmates. But despite that, Pithos had seen something more in those blue eyes. It wasn't your normal form of intelligence, the kind that would help one solve the most ludicrous of scientific and mathematical equations. No, what he had seen was the intelligence to learn. To learn from every lesson, battle, and conflict and solve it in his own unique way. To outsmart even the strongest of opponents with his unique brand of thinking. That form of intelligence allowed one to be very creative in how they did things. And it matched perfectly with the Lemon Head's unique Semblance.

Professor Pithos found himself grinning in excitement as he watched the blond point his dull gray blade at the chest of the Warden and summon in its place a blood red rose themed short sword. The barbed vine coiled around the hilt came to life, springing forward like a spear to stab the core before suddenly sprouting vines all over its metal body. He then watched as Jaune summoned a sparking yellow crystal in his free hand with a promising smirk illuminating his sweaty face.

 _'If creativity and intellect aren't the same, then I'm as brain dead as you, kid! Because if there's one thing you excel at, its creativity!'_

Smashing the lightning Dust onto the blade of Teres Mors, Jaune watched as the lightning traveled through the blade to the vines sprouting out of the Warden. From its core, the boss's body was electrocuted, chopping off a large chunk of its HP as its visor went haywire and twitched madly.

"Final Question: H-History!" it struggled to say through the bolts of lightning hitting its systems. With a high-pitched whine, it let loose a shock wave from its body to snap the line of lightning. The stumps of its arms cannons sparked madly, fried by the attack, and leaving it with little to fight with. With nothing left, it parted it chest again and revealed the damaged sphere of Dust powering its body. Gears and segments of its chest came to life, drawing its core further in as a slender cannon unfolded from within. The core grew an angry red, transferring all its power to its only form of attack.

"How long did The Great War last? Who fired the first act of aggression between Vale and Mistral? And at the end of the bloodshed, who stood victorious over the land of Vacou as the people's one and only Ruler?"

Digging its feet into the floor for stability, the Warden charged its main cannon for one last devastating attack. The exhaust valves erupted with steam as the barrel gathered visible red sparking energy to spiral around its head. The Warden's visor blinked wildly between an X and O, ready to decide its next course of action on the answers the student gave it.

"... Mr. Pithos, I thought you deactivated the Warden's Devastation Cannon." Ozpin said slowly with narrowed eyes pointed at the sheepish sweet lover.

"A gumdrop may or may not have fallen in while I was doing that. My bad?"

Ozpin shut his eyes and sighed in frustration, "Well, that's a problem."

"Why?" Velvet asked with a sense of foreboding. Her ears were standing upright in alarm. That wasn't a good sign.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ozpin sipped his piping hot mug calmly as he explained, "General Ironwood designed the android prototype with a do or die function. At its lowest stability, the core begins to gather energy for one last attack that assures the eradication of its foes. Being a prototype, I had thought it wouldn't come with the function but was proven wrong when Professor Pithos discovered it. He had assured me that it was deactivated though and given me the okay to test it out against one of my students." giving Pithos one more pointed stare, Ozpin turned his eyes back to the gathering mass of volatile energy directed at Jaune with concern, "An attack at that level would not only kill Mr. Arc, but would also break through our shields defenses. I'd say we're looking at a high fatality rate if he fails." he said bluntly as Velvet's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO USE THAT THING AS A TEST DUMMY!?" she yelled angrily at the two nonchalant teachers. What kind of mad man would play around with a war machine of all things?! And where was Ms. Goodwitch in all this!?

"I thought it would be fun." Professor Pithos answered simply as he ripped off a chunk of toffee with his teeth.

"The General asked me to test it out against a skilled huntsman and record the results after I borrowed it." Ozpin answered the same with a sip of his coffee, "Clearly it's all his fault."

Fighting the urge to smack the two powerful men for their dumb line of thinking, Velvet turned back to Jaune and watched as he stood calmly before the loading cannon. Seeing as it was a life or death situation, she was ready to shout the answer to him but was beaten as Jaune began to speak.

"While many believe that The Great War lasted a century, it actually only lasted ten years with the century leading up to it filled with many small battles." Calling off Teres Mors, Jaune slowly walked forward to meet the barrel head on. He stared at its deadly mass of energy unflinchingly as he gripped Crocea Mors with two hands and raised it high in the air above his head. He shut his eyes, his aura cladding his body with a golden luminescence.

 _'Activate Skill, Champion's Aura!'_

The old blade extended, forming a greatsword of golden energy. With a grin of confidence, Jaune opened his eyes and tightened his grip. Pyrrha's Skill allowed for one attack with an increased 50% in strength along with a buff in Defense. Just what he needed to finish things off.

"No one knows who fired the first shot between the two kingdoms. The answer has been lost to time!" he shouted strongly before the Warden's cannon barrel. The energy mass paused, done loading as it shrunk and gleamed with an ominous light.

It was do or die time.

"And finally, there was no one ruler above all others! The Warrior King, who all three kingdoms pledged to follow bowed to no one!" he roared before dropping his greatsword for an overhead slash.

"NOR DID HE WISH TO BE BOWED TO!"

From the overhead slash, a gleaming blade of aura was released. The golden blade phased by the Warden's body in an instant, fading away to nothing with a burst of light. A sudden line cleaved the android's body in two as its visor paused its blinking, displaying a proud green O.

"Correct. Final Score: 2,500 Points." Rays of light began to shoot out of its body, warning of its detonation as the energy it had stored lost control. There was no time to dodge what came next. Gritting his teeth, Jaune jumped back and raised his shield as the Warden said its final words.

"Jaune Arc, you have Passed."

With a dying whine, the Warden exploded, engulfing the inside of the force field trapping it and Jaune with a bright flash of orange-red light. Velvet, Pithos, and Ozpin shielded their eyes from the flash, their ears ringing from the loud detonation. The force of the explosion wound up being too much for the forcefield as it flickered, lasting as long as it could before shattering. A strong bellow of black smoke flew past the three as they began coughing. With a rough cough, Velvet ran into the hot cloud of smoke and lingering flames. Her eyes struggled to see past the black veil, searching for the mop of lovable blond hair.

"Jaune! Jaune, are you okay!? Please, say something!" she shouted in worry, her heart speeding up as the seconds ticked by without a response. Slowly, the smoke began to clear away, leaving behind the wake of the explosion a crater of shattered floor tiles and embers. The scrap of the Warden laid about in random spots with the head of its body scorched in the middle of the auditorium. And in front of it stood Jaune, standing tall with grime and soot painting his skin.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **907HP/8,800HP.'**

A puff of smoke blew out of Jaune's mouth as he blinked. Despite how much his body ached and the burns on his skin, he was alive. He looked back to Ignis Mors, smiling brightly at the still white polished shield with pride. It was only thanks to the upgraded weapon that he had even been able to endure an explosion like that! He really couldn't thank Professor Kusanagi enough for all he had done. Hearing a buzz on his scroll, Jaune brought up his game menu.

 **'Havoc Quiz, PASSED!**

 **Even through the havoc of attacks, you've proven that you can still keep calm and think clearly with a sharp mind! You're no genius, but you can think and deal with problems your way. Your Intelligence has saved you, and others. Never forget that knowledge is power.**

 **Congratulations! An Optional Objective has been cleared! Defeat the Warden, Complete!**

 **Fulmen Sigil, Unlocked!'**

Another Sigil? Pulling up his inventory, Jaune found the odd reward in the Dust page along with the magical crystals and the other Sigil he had been rewarded from Blake's Mission. He didn't understand what it did other then what the description said.

 **'Fulmen Sigil[Dust]: A special symbol that wields archaic power. Modeled after the forces of Lightning. Worthless in less capable hands. Only those who understand the age-old form can unlock its capabilities.'**

Jaune scratched his head, still not understanding what it did. The item was time worn, a piece of old paper torn at the edges that had an odd circle with intricate patterns drawn on it. He had asked Ren what it was, but the lazy ninja shrugged his shoulders and told him to find out by himself. He said it would be less fun if he told him. And that he wasn't sure that telling him would be any help seeing as their ways of gaining abilities was different. For now, it would be a mystery.

"JAUNE!"

"MY RIBS!"

Dropping his scroll from the hug tackle, Jaune smiled through the pained grimace as he patted Velvet's head nuzzling into his chest. Someone was worried.

"Hey, Velvet. Can you ease up on the hug? I'm still a little sore here." he laughed weakly.

"Oh, I'm just happy that you're alright!" Velvet said happily as she ignored his plea and hugged him harder.

"Define alright." Jaune croaked.

Waving away the lingering smoke around the area, Professor Pithos smirked as he patted Jaune's back.

"Still standing after an explosion like that defines alright in my book." he said in his usual lazy tone. Another puff of smoke escaped Jaune's mouth as Velvet gave the professor a deadpan stare, "That's also a sign of perfect health." he grinned.

With a mirthful smile, Ozpin joined in as he looked over Jaune's injuries. His aura was working faster than normal to heal the injuries and he didn't suffer any heavy wounds. It was actually surprising. An explosion at that range should have at least knocked him out. Good to know he didn't have to send him to Ms. Spriggan's office. That woman did not like to see the blond wounded. He was starting to wonder if she was into young men at this point.

"Mr. Arc, you've done well in your exam. You passed with flying colors and even defeated the Warden, something I wasn't expecting." he said earnestly. The android would have shut down after the final question had been answered. He didn't expect it to pull out something that deadly at the last question though. A certain candy lover was going to have to be punished for that. Good thing he already had an ideal punishment in hand.

"That thing was a war machine." Jaune said in disbelief as he pointed to the burnt wreckage of the boss with a shaking finger, "When you said I would be fighting an android, I thought you were talking about a training bot! Not one of General Ironwoods machines!"

"I assure you, Mr. Arc, you were never in any real harm from the beginning. The Warden would have shut down once it noticed your aura had fallen into the red and graded you on what score you had earned so far. That last oversight though, was not my doing." he said dryly, thumbing back to Professor Pithos who grinned sheepishly, "You can thank Professor Pithos for the activation of the Devastation Cannon."

"My bad."

Throwing the Dust professor an annoyed glare, Jaune went back to Ozpin as he began dusting himself off.

"So, does that mean I passed your exam?" he said hopefully, wishing to finally be done with The Game's antics. Everything pretty much hurt and he still had to deal with the VPD at some point. Hopefully he could explain the situation to someone who wasn't out of their mind with a twitchy whip finger.

Ozpin swished his coffee around in a Yes and No gesture, "You've completed the three exams I've prepared to test your capabilities, so yes, you have. I would shake your hand right now and grant you that official transcript you've been working towards since that day." he said with a sip of his coffee, "But, that still leaves your regular exam, which your teachers, once noted about the situation, have promised to wait another day or two for you to take. After all, this was a test of your worth here with what experience you've gained, that does not excuse the work you already were in progress with."

"I don't understand." Jaune moaned in depression. And here he had thought he wouldn't have to take the written exams! Guess it did make sense, he was still being tested for all the lessons he was taking. This was about gaining acceptance officially. Not passing his semester exams.

"But," Ozpin interrupted, bringing back Jaune's attention as he continued, "There is still one last test you must pass before all is said and done. And if I'm correct, Combat Class is still in session. Might as well kill two birds with one stone while you're at it."

"What are you saying?" Jaune frowned.

"A test of Strength, Mr. Arc. You've shown me that you have the Endurance to withstand against a foe leagues above you, the Drive to reach your mission and destination no matter what, and Intelligence in not just matters of history, science, and literature, but combat. But when all is said and done, it is your Strength that reveals the kind of huntsman you are. As your last test, you will have to show me that Strength and convince me that it is the kind of strength I wish to welcome to my academy." Giving Jaune a look of praise, Ozpin turned his back to the boy as he began heading out.

"While your injuries aren't severe, I would like it if you stopped by Ms. Spriggan's office to speed up your recovery before your final test. And take a nap to recharge your batteries. And Ms. Scarlatina? I would like to thank you for lending your fellow student a hand in his trials, but I believe now is a good time to head back to your team so you may at least take your Combat exam. You will be given leniency today for your help, but I expect you to take your make up exams along with Mr. Arc when all is said and done."

"What about me?" Professor Pithos gestured to himself as the gray bed haired headmaster turned to him with a mirthful smile.

"You will be the one responsible for telling our dear Ms. Goodwitch about the damage the auditorium suffered. And you will also be helping her to patch everything up before classes end. After all, we don't want the students thinking that a Goliath had passed our defenses and wreaked havoc while they were testing. That just wouldn't do." he chuckled before shutting the door behind him.

If Professor Pithos could, he would have raised one of his favorite fingers to the headmaster as he sniffed back a terrified cry. Sending him to the hot blonde deputy headmistress was the same as sending him to his grave. Especially if he had to explain what had happened behind her back. With a tired sigh, Pithos accepted his fate and turned back to his little students. He smirked, watching as Velvet began to fret over Jaune's wellbeing as he waved off the concerns with a goofy grin.

 _'Hard to believe that a kid like that thought he had to cheat his way in. Either he lacked confidence, or the education to be allowed entry. He must have been born in an area without access to a huntsman's education, but he still could have been taught in other ways. What an odd kid.'_ Looking over the blond, Pithos eyes suddenly zoomed in on a piece of age worn paper tucked in the kid's pocket. Odd symbols could be seen, clicking with his head as he walked over. Without permission, he snatched the paper from Jaune's person and ignored his cry of surprise as he read over it.

"Where did you get a Dust Sigil this old?" the professor couldn't help but ask with a puzzled frown.

"Dust Sigil?" Jaune repeated in confusion. Well, it was categorized under Dust in his Inventory. "Wait, you know what it is?" he said in surprise as the teacher nodded.

Fixing his trucker hat to get rid of some of the shade falling over the old paper, Pithos began to explain, "Yes, Dust Sigil. See, Dust can be used a number of ways. It can be used by itself to conjure elements without innate magic, as ammunition, to power technology, and even be woven into clothing for unique abilities. But one method, considered dangerous and volatile under companies such as the SDC, is Dust Imprinting. Watch." Pushing up the sleeves of his lab coat, Professor Pithos stunned his students by lifting his finger up and conjuring a wisp of lightning without the use of Dust. Strange markings suddenly glowed around the tanned skin of his arm, reminding them of the odd marking on the paper in his hand, "By grounding Dust and creating a special sigil based on the element, one can tattoo the markings onto one's skin and use Dust in a whole new way. It's the same as using a crystal without the physical body. From a layman's view, it looks like magic. It's a unique practice that can take years to master and offers a creative way to fight with Dust. But due to how dangerous it can be if used wrong, and the affects one can suffer if their body can't handle the strain, it has been deemed hazardous."

"The real question is, how did you get your hands on a Fulmen Sigil? And one this old?"

Hearing the suspicion in Professor Pithos voice, Jaune thought quickly, "It's just another item I was able to summon with my Semblance. Sometimes the things I conjure can be random, like this." he gestured to the paper in the teacher's hand, "I never really knew what it could do. Everyone else I asked didn't seem to know what is was either."

"Well it takes a professional such as I to understand a thing of beauty like this." Pithos said smugly as he patted the old paper gently. Man, it really was old. Dust was falling off of it from a simple little pat. Something like this was very valuable in research. It was a shame he couldn't have it for himself. At the that, a random thought hit him and he grinned.

"I'll tell you what, Lemon Head. How's about you give me this old trinket in exchange for something just as valuable?"

"Why would you want that? Isn't it too beaten up to be of any value?" Jaune asked only for the older huntsman to shake his with an amused chuckle.

"That's what makes it valuable! This thing seems to be older than any of the sigils I've ever encountered. Hell, I'd be shocked to my core to find it as the original blueprint to the art of Dust Imprinting. To a researcher in Dust like myself, it has more worth than gold." he said with a sense of excitement in his tired voice, "I know that it's very valuable, companies like the SDC would pay an arm and a leg for a relic like this. I honestly don't even care how you got it, if you got more of these, then I'd be willing to offer you my own unique services."

Velvet titled her head at the suddenly energetic man. Services? She'd known Professor Pithos for a few months since the school year started and knew he didn't offer any kind of services despite his vast knowledge of Dust.

"What kind of services are you willing to offer?" Jaune asked in confusion.

Professor Pithos proudly displayed his forearm, lighting it up with the sigil markings of his Dust imprint with sparks of lightning, "I'd be willing to teach you how to use Dust Imprinting of course! Like I said, it's a unique art, one not too many people use. And those who do only know the simple stuff. But me? Oh, I'd be more than happy to teach you the basics and advanced lessons for every old sigil you bring of this quality! I'll teach you things that would drop the jaws of even advanced Dust users like Glynda to the abyss!" he said loudly with glee. Hugging the Fulmen Sigil close to his chest, he gave the blond boy watery eyes and a pout as he pleaded, "So, how about it? Please~? I'll throw in a few gummy bears to sweeten the deal!" he grinned widely as he threw up a bag of colorful gummy bears in his hand.

Jaune went into thought as he brought his fingers to stroke a none existent beard. It sounded like a good offer. From what the Dust professor was saying, what he believed to be a useless scrap of ancient paper was worth a lot of Lien. He could always sell it to line his pockets. Lien wasn't easy to come by with his status as Heart of The Gamer, he relied on some of the easy beginner's missions offered by The Game through the teachers and people of Vale to get by since he stopped contacting his family. But he did need every advantage he could take with how green he was at all this. Plus it was a pain being unable to use magic inside school and other areas that forbid him. Brow furrowed deeply, Jaune finally came to a decision.

"Throw in gummy worms, and you have a deal!" he said sternly.

Professor Pithos flinched back as if he was struck, sweat running down his face as he could be seen visibly fighting with the decision. But in the end, he sighed with defeat as he rummaged through the deep pockets of his lab coat.

"Fine. You have yourself a deal." he bit out sourly as he tossed the last bag of one of his favorite treats along with the bears to the happily grinning blond. When the hell was he going to have the chance to order another shipment of gummy worms with his schedule? Those were some top-quality stuff, damn it!

Velvet didn't understand any of what she had just witnessed. As far as she was concerned, and she was concerned after getting a better understanding of her headmaster and Dust professor, they were all out of their minds.

"Did you just hand over a king's ransom of knowledge for candy?" Velvet asked Jaune dryly as the knight went straight to snacking on his gummy treats.

"And lessons on forbidden Dust techniques, Velvet. The gummy worms only sealed the deal." Jaune mumbled.

 **'Congratulations! Professor Pithos Friendship has been Unlocked! A new Talent has been Unlocked! A new Skill has been Unlocked! Dust Impriting-Lvl 1, Unlocked! Nature's Insight, Unlocked!**

 **A Rare Friendship has been Unlocked! Professor Pithos is an enigma, a man of secrecy despite his lazy, sweet obsessed nature. With this special NPC's Friendship Unlocked, you will now be able to learn how to equip Dust Sigils! With each new Sigil discovered, a new Imprint will be become available, for free of course. Spells will be become accessible in public with an Imprint equipped. The power of Dust knows no bounds, as does your capabilities. Who knows? Continued application of Imprints may lead to an unknown discovery?'**

Pumping his fist in victory, Professor Pithos carefully placed the ancient paper in one his pockets not filled to the brim with sweets, "You have my sincerest thanks, Jaune. You have no idea how thankful I am for this." he said fondly before frowning and scratching the back of his head, "But I won't be able to give you an Imprint just yet with this particular Sigil. It's too advanced for a greenhorn like you. If you had something simpler though, I would be able to get you something quicker."

At that, Jaune summoned the first Sigil he had been rewarded and handed it to the older man. Professor Pithos whistled, impressed even more that his student had more than one. That semblance of his was incredible! Now he wanted to understand how it exactly worked.

"Now this I can work with. Ignis is the simplest of Imprints to start with. It's one of the first Imprints Dr. Wa-" The fondness in Professor Pithos voice abruptly died as a dark shadow fell over his face. The sweets suddenly tasted bitter.

Jaune grew worried as his teacher spat his sweets out with a look of disgust. That wasn't normal.

"You alright, Professor?" he asked as Pithos spun around and left for the door. The man stopped, still refusing to look back at his students right now. Too many ugly memories were plaguing his thoughts.

"I... I have something to take care of right now, Mr. Arc, Ms. Scarlatina. Head back to your classes, there's no need to stick around here any longer. I'll be sure to tell Glynda about the damage and get everything fixed. Leave." he said with finality.

Velvet looked after her teacher's sudden departure, just as worried as Jaune. That was the first time the professor had ever used their last names. He always referred to them with his candy themed nicknames. What she had just seen was odd.

"Do you think he's alright?" she asked Jaune as he sighed.

Hard to say. Jaune had seen that look before, and it never spelled fine. With a mental note to look out for his teacher, he and Velvet left for the other entrance. A small nap would do him good after all he had been through.

Shutting the door behind him, Professor Pithos suddenly found his eyes falling on Ignis.

 _'With enough practice, Hope, even you would be able to change the face of the world. Barring a death of diabetes from all that empty sugar that is. Just trust in your mentor. And I'll lead you to a brighter future.'_

The amused chuckle drifting through the memories consumed him with fury. It was a surprise to him later when he had stopped by with Glynda to find a scorching crater where he had stood at the time. It also explained why the platinum blonde deputy mistress dragged him to the nurse's office to treat his heavily burned arm.

* * *

Move back.

A laceration opened on his back. Annoyance replaced pain.

Roll to the right!

Several small knives dug into his right shoulder, his aura preventing them from fully piercing his skin. He ripped them off with a growl, his magenta eyes rapidly moving back and forth around the arena for his opponent.

Sidestep the glinting knife!

An amused chuckle tickled his ear. His bladed SMG swung back, missing as the voice's owner vanished into thin air. He panted, growing on edge as his HUD became useless. All he was seeing was a flitting dot constantly disappearing and reappearing.

"My, my, my! Isn't someone a little paranoid~? Having a hard time keeping an eye on little old me, Ren?"

Ren stifled a growl as he once again dodged a series of small ninja knives falling from above. They hit the ground with a thud, vanishing into nothing as he spun on his foot to slash his blades like a top, deflecting another round of blades. They too disappeared as they were knocked out of the air. Feeling a presence pop up behind him again, Ren jumped forward, spun around, and fired his SMG's at his opponent. An unseen force deflected the bullets before he could make out a faint shimmer rush at him. He moved Storm Flower to cross over his chest, just in time to block a downward slash from an invisible blade. He narrowed his eyes as the faint shimmer died away to reveal a bright smile and wavy green hair.

 _ **'Rue Edisia, The Unseen Lvl-51.**_

 _ **9,280HP/15,000HP.**_

 _ **Stats :**_

 _ **Strength: 48.**_

 _ **Defense: 40.**_

 _ **Speed:49.**_

 _ **Wisdom: 40.**_

 _ **Intelligence:49.**_

 _ **Luck: 40.**_

 _ **Weapons :**_

 _ **Jester's Bounty [Throwing Knives].**_

 _ **Gravity Mines.**_

 _ **Abilities :**_

 _ **Unseen Rivets.**_

 _ **Detonate.**_

 _ **Lightning Strike.**_

 _ **Gale Talons.**_

 _ **Blade Dance.**_

 _ **Now You See Me.**_

 _ **Fear Sight.**_

 _ **Skills :**_

 _ **Vanish.**_

 _ **Gravity Field.**_

 _ **Fear of the Unseen.**_

 _ **Information : Rue Edisia, a second-year huntsman with unknown origins. A boy always seen with a smile on his face and a cheerful nature opposite of his enigmatic status. Rue is a skilled user of throwing knives, able to attack at both long range and close range. Jester's Bounty only makes him more lethal with the ability to augment his knives with special compounds of Dust that range in effect. Add in his Semblance, Vanish, and he is not only able to vanish himself, but whatever he touches, making him a deadly opponent. Beware of his skill, Fear of the Unseen. It is capable of inflicting Fear onto opponents with every missed attack.'**_

Ren scowled as he pushed back Rue and distanced himself from the pleasantly smiling huntsman. He looked at the second-year, noting his odd dress wear for a huntsman. The wavy forest green haired boy wore a silken white long-sleeved dress shirt under a rich black vest and a dark blue tie, sleek black greaves over his forearms, black dress pants with a two pocket chains that jangled lightly, and snow-white dress shoes. Other than the armor, he didn't look any different than a butler. Faintly he could make out the encouraging shouts from his friends in the seats on the outer ring of the arena as his heart beat rapidly. Sweat drenched his collar as he breathed heavily. Idly he noticed his sweaty palms shaking as they gripped Storm Flower painfully. He cursed under his breath in annoyance.

Damn, he was inflicted with Fear.

It was the last class of the day and all their exams had been finished with. Now all that was left was Combat Class with Ms. Goodwitch. A test of their combat prowess against opponents that they've been growing with. But unlike their regular exams, it didn't matter if they passed or failed. What mattered was displaying how far you had come since the first day. Winning simply gave you bragging rights and a sense of accomplishment. Even if you lost the fight, as long as you displayed how strong you had become and shown development, you would pass. Their general score ultimately fell on how Glynda graded your fight in her eyes.

Class was almost over with. For the last three hours, the first and second years had been pitted against one another in fights that lasted from ten minutes to about half an hour. It was nice to watch their friends fight against each other and it gave them bragging rights when all was said and done. It was a nice change of pace from fighting with the words and equations on paper. But for Ren, he would have taken written exams over fighting any day of the week. He was The Mind after all, his Intelligence assured him he would naturally ace tests he had taken over and over again. Especially when he had to fight an NPC created from The Remix.

See, that was the thing about remixes in The Game. The reason someone like Adam would enjoy them so much was due to the unique NPC's born from the mix of old concepts. After playing The Game for so long and memorizing the fight patterns of almost every opponent they would meet, the only true challenge any of them would receive would be from NPC's they had never encountered. They were new, unknowns with abilities and skills they had never seen. It was a breath of fresh air for them, like they were playing a whole new game! The same went for Grimm, new ones would be created that were unlike anything they had ever seen. In a way, Remixes were the only reason they hadn't died of boredom.

But to Ren, who was lazy and liked to finish his fights quickly at this point in The Game, Remix NPC's were a giant pain in his ass. Because that would mean he had to try against his opponent. Like right now.

Fear, a Status infliction that dropped Accuracy by 15% and prevented use of Items. It was a nasty little status inflicted by some of the more dangerous Grimm and powerful NPC's in The Game down the road. But to meet a student NPC who was capable of it this early? It was safe to say he was surprised. Combined with a semblance that allowed not only himself to disappear but his weapons, it created a deadly opponent. For once, Ren was actually struggling to fight back. All because he had forewent actively grinding like the other two veteran Players. Whatever patterns he had learned from the many opponents he had fought over and over again were useless against this newer threat.

A challenge. It had been a long while since an NPC was capable of that.

Past all the sweat and heavy breathing, Ren found himself smirking. Funny, he was starting to get a sense of excitement from it.

Throwing an odd toothed emerald bladed knife in his hand lazily, Rue titled his head at the shaking ninja boy. Eerily, one of his eyes opened part way, revealing a slit of dark purple iris devoid of emotion. His smile widened.

"Taking a breather, Ren? You look a little winded, want to take a break?" he teased with a giggle.

Ren scoffed, easing his shoulders as his HUD came to life. An option displayed itself to him, one he had hardly used up until now.

 **Activate Semblance: Fade?**

 **Warning! Activating Semblance will disable Abilities as long as it is Active. Drives will be unavailable. Continue?**

It wasn't every day that he busted out his semblance in front of others. It was a trump card he liked to keep in his sleeve just in case. But for once, he didn't want to half ass his way through a fight. It was time he tried again. It was time to act.

 **'Fade, Activated!'**

Rue looked at Ren quizzically as the silent boy's very aura could be seen like static. Did he take damage? He was sure he hadn't done anything or activated the little nasty surprise he had up his sleeve. Why would his aura-

Ren's body faded into a gray hue to the sight of the students watching before vanishing. They grew confused, not sure what to make of what they had seen. Rue's eyes snapped open in alarm, giving them all a chance to finally make out the color of his dark purple eyes. The forest green haired boy spun his head around, trying to find something that had left his vision.

"You're not the only one who can hide in plain sight." Ren's voice echoed.

Catching the voice of his opponent, Rue quickly threw one of his knives in Ren's direction without a moment's hesitation. Ren titled his head to the right, narrowly avoiding having a lock of hair cut off by the whizzing blade. He was impressed, only a faunus would be able to pinpoint his location on voice alone that quickly. With the older boy's attention trying to locate him again, Ren sprinted with Storm Flower's blades ready to dish out some damage. His Abilities were inaccessible with this setting, but he had a couple of tricks Unlocked after grinding his Semblance to a decent level.

 _ **" Fade: To RED!"**_ The green pigment of Storm Flower faded away, leaving behind a basic red skin. Power ran through the dyed metal, upping Ren's Strength by 15% along with a sense of aggresion. With a burst of speed, Ren appeared behind Rue's back with a side swing for the boy's neck. The blow sent Rue stumbling forward with a pained grimace before he found a slash tearing a horizontal slash in his vest. Again, and again, unseen powerful blows smacked his body around. He grunted, gritting his teeth with a smile as what felt like an iron hard palm strike to the face knocked his head back.

Okay! This was getting old. It was time he took things up a notch.

Sliding two knives out of his sleeves, Rue pumped his aura into his weapons and watched as the curved green metal was shrouded by tearing winds. Sensing another attack coming, he swung his knives around him in a spin. Shredding winds spun around him and slashed the ground around him like paper. Ren ground his teeth, caught in the attack as the winds tried to open up several cuts and grazes on his body. Instead, all it left was a dull aching pain as his aura flared to protect him from physical damage.

Rue chuckled as he cleaned off a bit of blood running from his mouth. The first year could hit! This was starting to get fun.

"Copycat~!" he sang amusingly with a shake of his head. He grinned widely, faintly noticing a dripping sound. His eyes partly opened, looking out for spots of blood as he rose his middle finger and thumb up, "It's not nice to steal someone's trick. I'm going to have to punish you for that." he chuckled before snapping his fingers.

Ren went on the defensive. Something didn't feel right. Suddenly, his HUD began to pick up several little red dots around him. An enemy? No, that wouldn't be possible. The only other time his map would display a marker was if there was something else with HP around him. If not an enemy, then maybe a hazardous-

A sudden explosion on Ren's left broke him out of his thoughts, throwing him off his feet before another explosion threw him back. All around him, random booms of licking flames erupted and threw him around like a rag doll. His gray color left him back to his original pigments as one last explosion sent him skidding on his side with a shout. Groaning, he moved his hands to push himself up when they suddenly grazed a sharp edge. With a grimace, he found nothing until he grasped the unseen object and found an orange-red double-edged knife appearing out of nowhere. The metal of the blade came to life, glowing dangerously. Quickly, he threw the knife away and watched it blow up in a large ball of flames.

"There you are! I thought my little sensor would pick you up eventually." Rue chuckled as his eyes found Ren picking himself up. The younger student's clothing were ripped by the force of the explosions and smoke trailed off his body. It looked like he took quite a hit. "You know, huntsman really do relay on the most complicated weapons. Too many times I see them focus their entire combat style on big fancy, overly complex weapons and never think about what would happen if they were to lose them. Me though? All I need are a few knives, and this!" he tapped his head with a cheery smile as he juggled a few yellow gold zig-zag toothed knives in his free hand. "My mind is way sharper than any edge you got on you! I could take you out even without my fancy tricks. Ain't that a scary thought?"

The Fear status he had inflicted said yes, but Ren himself? He scoffed, amused at the second year.

"You talk too much to be scary." he smirked before fading out of sight.

Rue pouted as he followed suit, vanishing as well. An unseen battle began to take place, both using their heightened senses to locate the other. The sound of steel clashing was all the students could make out as small visible shock waves erupted in the arena. Bolts of lightning struck the floor, explosions detonated, and other elements followed in the invisible battle. It truly was a battle to be seen! If, you know, they could actually see the fight.

"Psssssst! Blaaaaaaaaake!" Yang leaned over with a whisper, her partner's yellow eyes refusing to meet her, "Can you see what's going on? Because I can't see jack shit!"

"And what makes you think I can see any better than you?" Blake couldn't help but ask tiredly.

Yang shrugged before pointing to her bow, "Super faunus senses?"

Blake gave her a look, "Wow. I don't know if I should take offense from that or not."

"Oh, Blake. It's only racist if you mean it!"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works."

"Why? Is this because I'm a blonde? Who's the racist now?"

Ignoring her teammate's childishness, Weiss had to agree. She found herself unable to observe the fight with both of the fighters having the ability disappear. All they could make out were the effects of their attacks. How were they going to know who won? There was only one person she could think of who would remotely be capable of seeing the silent raven-haired ninja like this. She turned her head past Ruby sitting next to her to Nora, finding the orange haired girl's eyes darting all over the arena with a stern expression. The sight took Weiss by surprise. Could she really see him?

"Nora, can you actually see Ren?" she asked, grabbing Nora's attention. Nora grinned widely.

"Nope!" she said brightly, causing Weiss' face to fall and slump. She turned back to the unseen fight, catching a powerful shock wave to ring out and blow back all their hair as a webbed crater appeared in the middle of the floor. "But I have faith in Renny. He's got this in the bag! He's actually taking this fight seriously, which is rare for him. Most of the time he's phoning it in."

That little dab of information caught Weiss's attention along with everyone else's.

"Phoning it in?" Pyrrha frowned. What did that mean?

"Yup! What, don't tell me you guys never noticed?" Nora snickered before blinking in realization, "Wow, you guys never did notice, huh? Sheesh, and they call me ditzy."

"I still don't understand the expression."

"It means Ren hasn't been fighting to his full potential, he's been half-assing it this entire time." Yang explained with a conflicted frown. After all, she had fought him in Combat class a few times and always won. And now she was being told he had never been taking her seriously? She couldn't tell if it was because he thought she was weak, or he was lazy. "I think I'm pissed."

"That's quite a revelation. I always thought there was more to him than he led on." Weiss thought in deep contemplation. He had been accepted into Beacon after all. When she compared him to Jaune, she found them strikingly similar, both average in combat level when they had first arrived. But with Jaune, he had been growing rapidly to the level he now stood. Ren on the other hand apparently had been hiding his true strength. How curious.

Another resounding gale flew past them, causing their eyes to squint as they tried to focus on the area of the shock wave. Ren and Rue's semblance seemed to have run out of power, leaving the two boys locking blades at the center of the webbed arena. Their bodies were littered with wounds from their fighting, showing that their auras were at low levels. Above their heads their profiles displayed the percentage of their 'Health'.

 _ **'Lie Ren.**_

 _ **37%.**_

 _ **Rue Edisia.**_

 _ **41%.'**_

Rue smiled cheekily, his face covered in bruises from the fighting, "Wow! Aren't you something? You know, I don't recall you ever displaying this amount of strength before. I always thought you were more of the tactical kind of huntsman, like me! But you also got the power to stand your ground." the thin, light cold blue knife in Rue's hand pressed down harder against Storm Flower, sending chills along Ren's knuckles, "I like that! It means I can up my game up even more!"

The icy blade grew bold, lengthening to a long sword's length, and nearly stabbed through Ren with its growth. He jumped a step back and fell into evading the sweeping swings of the bright smiling butler themed boy. Each swing released a gust of cold wind that caused frost to creep over him with every pass. And the Fear status was making it worse. His Spells were useless right now since he couldn't display them publicly.

" _ **Fade: To Magenta!**_ " The color of Storm Flower dyed to magenta, transferring his magical power to his blades and extending them to double their size. He countered a horizontal slash and chased him off with several rapid fired rounds of pink colored magical rounds. Seeing Rue swiftly dodge every shot and then curve in his round to come back with a forward lunge, Ren spun his magical based fanged gun in his hand until it resembled a spinning disk before snapping his wrist to throw it after him. He cursed, noticing his accuracy was off as his shuriken swerved to the right. There it was, the drop-in accuracy. Oum damn Fear!

Luckily his right-hand Storm Flower spun back despite the miss and even forced Rue to duck before it could lob his head off. Ren flipped back, kicking his foot under Rue's chin in an uppercut kick. Pumping aura into the muscles of his legs, he then jumped over Rue as the older student staggered with a bleeding chin before spinning his body in a suspended state and fired every last magical round in his magazine. A rain of magenta bullets fell over Rue, dealing a decent amount of damage and puncturing holes into his combat gear. To finish off the attack, Ren threw another large shuriken down as the barrage ended.

Rue smiled through the pain as he threw an orange-red knife to meet the SMG turned ninja star. The meeting detonated the special blade, saving him from having to dodge. Which was a little difficult right now. His body was starting to feel the pain. With the smoke of the explosion in the way, Rue jumped back with a grin as he drew back his free arm. Not a second sooner did Ren dive back at his previous spot with a descending ax kick. The leg was dyed red as it shattered the floor to pieces.

Swinging his right leg to the side to rid himself off the dust of the impact, Ren turned to Rue with a satisfied smirk. The always smiling NPC's body was riddled with tears and bullet holes, his soft features dirtied by their long fight with visible bruises mixed along with the dust and faded blood smears. It didn't look like he would be fighting for long now, not when his HP was nearing the red.

"Do you give up yet? It doesn't look like you're in any condition to continue any longer." Ren asked as the forest green haired boy couldn't help but laugh.

"Look who's talking! I know for a fact I got a few good hits on ya too! Careful there, Bedroom Eyes." Rue chided as he pointed his finger up. Ren frowned, his senses warning him of something before turning his eyes up. A zig-zagged themed blade floated above him, sparking madly as Rue grinned.

"Arrogance doesn't look attractive on anyone."

The speed of the bolt of lightning matched its element, striking Ren quicker than he could fully process the danger. His body was lit up with volts of scorching energy, chopping off a good amount of HP in the few seconds the attack lasted. Forcing his body to stand as the lightning died and his body began to visibly spark in warning of his dwindling aura, Ren smirked through his pained grimace as he looked past the cheerful huntsman.

"I could say the same to you."

Rue tilted his head with confusion, wandering what his opponent was talking about before his ears twitched. With alarm, he brought up a Wind themed knife from his sleeve and spun around. But he was too late. It was only then did he realize that Ren was missing one of his fanged SMG's. The buzzing windmill that was Storm Flower flew past his left side, slashing his ribs like a saw as it returned back to its creator. Rue grunted deeply as his hand flew to the bleeding laceration, his fingers and palm soaking with red as he fought to remain upright.

What a dirty little trick! Rue found himself chuckling weakly, his smile still in place as he glanced back at the equally hurt huntsman. Half parted, his deep purple eyes were filled with amusement at the boy. It seemed that the lazy attitude was just a front. A beast lied underneath.

Just like that blond boy.

"I'm about empty on Dust, how about you?" Rue asked Ren with a bright grin.

Ren smiled tiredly as Storm Flower dropped the last empty magazine to the floor audibly.

"That was the last of my bullets. And I'm running on empty here." he scoffed with no actual venom in his voice. His eyes glanced at his empty MP bar. It was charging, but it wasn't going to fill up in time. Not to mention he was feeling sore.

Rue nodded in understanding as he turned back, the bleeding from his gash slowly mending itself. A look of understanding passed between the two at that second. Rue grinned widely and Ren sighed with a small smile.

"I forfeit."

The echo of the two huntsmen was deafening. Everything was quiet for a moment before a slow clap filled the air. After recovering from the stupors, the students began to cheer and applaud the amazing fight they had just witnessed. The roar of cheers was actually surprising to hear to Ren. He blinked, staring up at the dozens and dozens of NPC's going crazy over his little fight.

Rue chuckled at the face of the silent Anima boy as he walked over to him.

"What, haven't you ever heard applause before?" he said mirthfully as he wiped the blood off his hand with a handkerchief. With the fighting over, his aura was working on finishing the last touches on his wounds.

"I have. I guess I've just forgotten how it sounded." Ren shrugged as he used the free moment to reach into his waistcoat. Subtly, he grabbed a healing potion from his inventory and drank the delicious liquid to heal his wounds.

"Well you certainly took me by surprise, I'll tell you that! I was actually worried that you wouldn't put up much of a fight with how lazy and unmotivated you appeared." Rue grinned, taking Ren back as he leaned dangerously close to his face. Again, he could see the deep shade of the happy huntsman's purple eyes. Something about them sent shivers down his back.

"Just like that leader of yours. Full of surprises."

"Right." Ren drawled as he stepped back. What an odd NPC.

With the fighting over, Professor Glynda decided to enter the arena. She surveyed the damage with a quick glance before waving her riding crop in the air with a series of complex motions. The remains of the floor were taken over by an unseen force and then lifted up before fixing themselves back together. It was akin to putting a puzzle together. But there came the problem, puzzle pieces could come together, cement couldn't. Sending a request to one of the helping androids via scroll to touch up the floor now that it was fixed together, Glynda greeted the two huntsmen with a small smile.

"Mr. Lie, Mr. Rue, I must say that was a splendid performance of combat prowess. The best I have seen out of the both of you since first coming into my class." she acknowledged as she tapped away their scores on her scroll, "You've both certainly riled the others up with your impressive display. Mr. Edisia, your use of your Vanish Semblance is remarkable, allowing you to set up traps with your Dust infused knives and make your opponent go on edge with your taunts. And Mr. Lie, your quick thinking and reaction time to attacks helped to counter his unseen attacks, not to mention your odd semblance at the end. I would very much like to hear more about it when you have the time. It looks quite fascinating."

"I'll see if that's possible. I like to keep such things a secret." Ren explained with a shrug, "A trump card for dicey situations."

"Of course, Mr. Lie. You're more than free to keep it to yourself. Too much information is a danger after all." Glynda said in understanding, "But I could always help in developing that special power if I were to know more about it. I'm your teacher after all."

Done with her scoring, Glynda turned back to the rest of the class as she gestured for the two to move along. It didn't look like they needed any special treatment despite how hard they had been fighting one another, so no need to send them to the nurse's office. All they really needed now was some rest and a change of clothes. Now was as good as any for a small break before finishing the last few matches of the day.

"Well students, we still have a few more matches left in the day to look forward to. So, in the meantime, while we set up the last of the matches, you may all prepare yourselves for your fights or relax. You'll all have half an hour before we start up again, so do remember to keep track of time. While some of you are done with your fights, that does not excuse you from missing class." she warned with a dangerous glint of her glasses and a snap of her crop. Even the rowdier students gulped as they all began to head out.

Watching the last student leave the classroom, Glynda went back to her scroll. A message suddenly popped up on her screen from a certain candy loving professor. Reading the message, she found herself massaging her temple with a frustrated sigh. She should have known not to have left the last part of Mr. Arc's exam to Ozpin. That man just did what he wanted half the time. What went on in that enigmatic mind of his, she'd never known.

 _'As if he wasn't giving me enough headaches today.'_ she thought with an annoyed scowl. Pulling up the roster of students set to fight, her eyes fell on the last match up of the day with concern.

 _ **'Helios Lyre Vs. Jaune Arc.'**_

A match set up personally by the headmaster for some odd reason. Even after she had warned him of that particular match up due to Lyre's declining mental state. She had hoped that month away would help in cooling his temper, but found that it had only grown worse. She didn't want to think about having to go with the alternative to his situation.

 _'I'll have to schedule a meeting with his teammates to get a better understanding of his current mentality. He's been showing some troubling signs in the last few months. If it were up to me, I would have him suspended from combat for the time being until he was cleared of his symptoms.'_ But Ozpin had set up the fight to test Jaune and his strength. She had argued that anyone else would be better suited instead of the rocker, but he had been adamant. Which meant he was up to something.

Whatever it was, she just hoped it didn't cause any more damage for her to fix.

* * *

 **The curtain to the show is ready to Fall. Stars will clash, lighting up the stage in dazzling flashes to awe the crowd. A song will play, but what is a song when played from a heart that is untrue to itself?**

 **Your name, whatever it may be, says a lot of yourself. But does it define you? Don't hesitate, and Dive in.**

 **Hero.**

 **Man, I can't tell you how many times I thought Multiplayer Volume 1 would be over! Goes to show the best laid out plans never survive. Originally I had this planned out for 12-15 chapters. And I haven't really added anything new to the story from what I recall. It would start out from Jaune's death, starting over Initiation, then the Friends of Faunus Arc would begin, followed by Ren's Arc, then the Black and White Arc, and I would finish it off with the end of semester exam. All that was suppose to run around 100K+. This story has reached 600K+.**

 **I don't even understand how. I could barely churn out 10K+ in my Fairy Tale days.**

 **Anyways, the end to the Volume has been completed. It's done. All we have to do is wait for my Beta to finish the edits and that's it for now. I will go on a two month break of uploading. But don't worry, I ain't going to be sitting on my ass playing tv and discretely researching things you don't need to know about on my incognito page all day. No, I got plans. Three in fact! And one of them just so happens to involve working alongside my Beta in a new Sect of FF. I won't say which, but its lacking in fics.**

 **I will return to uploading Multiplayer around October though. Until then, watch out for any works under NeoShadows in the coming future. I've already completed the first chapter of one of my new works.**

 **Now, what am I leaving out? Ah, right. The Journal.**

 **So, yeah. Multiplayer: Journals, is now a Forum in RWBY's Forums. BUT! It's not complete. I'm still working on finishing the last touches to a few of the pages, but I do have one page already up. It will explain Game Mechanics, basically how Leveling Up works and details on Stats. I've also got an Introduction explaining it more. And just to let you know, yes, you can add on to the forum, but try to keep it concerning RWBY. I've seen some of the forums on this site, and I shudder to think my own turning out the same. Its a nice little place for all you fans to discuss Multiplayer and future stories I will be posting.**

 **More will be posted in the Volume 1 section during this month. For now, you can gloss over the mechanics and discuss with another about theories and such in Discussions. I'll be posting as well from time to time to answer questions as well.**

 **I have much more to discuss concerning my future plans, stories, and other matters, but I'll save those for the final chapter of Volume 1. Just be patient, it's coming.**

 **. . .I swear, I sound like George R.R Martin when he was portrayed in South Park during the Black Friday trilogy. They're coming, they're coming! Only its not dragons.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy. And we're so close to a thousand, I can taste it.**

 **Tastes like ginger. I like ginger.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out!**


	29. Melody

**So, here we are. After a year of reading we've finally made to Volume 1's Finale! The long wait has come to an end, only two stars remain for a show of strength. A battle for the definition of Hero.**

 **Chapter 29 is the final chapter for Volume 1, this is a definite. Once this is over, I will be on break for two months, busy unwinding and working on several other projects that I've had in development for a while now. I'll say more on the details at the end of the chapter.**

 **For now, let's get some reviews out of the way. We got a Volume to finish.**

 **Sszjzohan: I'd be happy to talk with my fans. I'm actually going to put down my information for those who play Playstation 4 and Steam at the ending AN of the chapter. Always looking for people to game with!**

 **Da Etan: I'm happy to have had you hang on this long with the story. Now its time to see the first volume off with one hell of a show!**

 **Justjustin3099: Yeah, sorry about the tease. It was fun to make ya'll wait though, says my inner writer sadist. I had to cut it down, otherwise it would have been 50K+ and I know there were readers who didn't like the large word count. I think this works out though. But don't worry, it's all closing up now.**

 **TheGamer24: Gracias, Amigo! Soy feliz que encantas mi estroria!**

 **DragonManMax: Maybe, maybe not! The details on Tsuki's story won't be revealed this volume, friend. You'll just have to wait for the next volume. Though I'm sure you'll love the bit I have with Tsuki in this chapter. It seems you've come to really like the girl. You all really do love the OC's, huh? Awesome. Let's see if I can make you squeal one more time before we bring this volume to a close.**

 **I'll get the whip.**

 **Fellowman: I know right? Imagine if I focused the same amount of time and effort on my original works. I'd have an entire series by now! Which I should really think on.**

 **Shadow: Sure, I'll set up a link soon. . . .As soon as I figure out how to do that. I ain't what you call tech savy. There's a reason why I was nicknamed Caveman after all.**

 **TalonIbnAhad: DAMN, all that work gone like that? Can't say I don't know how that feels though. I once worked on a Fire Emblem Awakening story two years back and had finally finished the first chapter and begun work on the second one before publishing, when I lost all that work to my old laptop dying along with all that data. I was so bummed, I couldn't find it in me to write. . .and because I didn't have a laptop anymore. I got to say, it's good to see you again, amigo! I had a feeling you wouldn't review until you had a crazy, awesome oneshot completed. Again, sucks you lost all that work. But you can rebuild! And make them even better! I await inpatient for your tales because they are fun to read. Hell, you have my blessing to make your own series of crazy stories on Multiplayer on FF. I enjoy them that much. I like the little bit with Raven, Velvet Crowe, and Tsuki. Definitely something to think on for a DLC piece. Enjoy the chapter, amigo. Pop open a tequi-I MEAN PAT'S BLUE RIBBON, GOOD GENTLEMAN! Because we're just upstanding citizens, like the rest! There's no sombrero hidden away under the floorboards, or a small mexican dog barking loudly from the fridge! Until the next time I upload, my non-mexican patriot!**

 **. . .VIVA LA REVOLUCION!**

 **Lazylifeguard: Akuma, from Street Fighters? Not really, you know I never made that comparison. Funny when I think about it. And I ain't offended that my character wasn't based on anyone. I'm actually happy about that. I try to be as original as possible with my OC's.**

 **That's the last of the reviews for now! Of course I'll be answering the next round of reviews when I upload again. Which again, I'll talk more of at the end. We're at 950 reviews currently speaking, let's see if ya'll can't pull out another fifty to bring this story to 1,000!**

 **Oh, and stick around the Author's Note. I got a few surprises at the end. I do warn that it will be a long one.**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Maybe one day I'll be the who's name people will be writing as they disclaim they're own fiction? I got my own stories in the making, original junk and all that jazz. But as a Fanfic writer, I know the kind of things people would be writing about my beloved characters.**_

 _ **I'm all for freedom of creativity and all that yadda-yadda, but I draw the damn line at all that garbage. You know the ones I'm talking, listing them would be more a chore and pain which I would like to avoid. Now, excuse me as I go back to my smut fics.. . .What? I said I draw the line, not that I'm a saint myself. Not with all these fine ladies around in anime. Just got to be careful of things like Eromanga-Sensie is all.**_

 _ **I'm god damn tired of Chris Hanseen and MI5 busting down my door because of one click! MI5 isn't even a United States organization, it's UK!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 29: Melody.**

With a one final check of her supplies, Artemis Spriggan crossed off another item from her clipboard. While all the teachers were testing their students, she finally had some free time to herself. Unfortunately for her, she was still on the clock, leaving her to finish some business like stock inventory. For all the good aura did, she still found herself going through supplies like a normal school nurse. She supposed having shields over their bodies gave the students in training even more of an excuse to be reckless. Like a certain blond boy she knew of.

Taking one last look over her medicine cabinet, she turned around to see Jaune fixing his sword in its new sheath from beside the only bed in her office. She sat back against the counter top, looking over the boy she had once saved from death's door as he began to mumble to himself and play with his scroll in deep concentration. A smile made its way to her lips.

It was funny, not too long ago he was just some kid covered head to toe in frost and sniffling from the cold of the ice he had been broken out of. A boy who honestly looked out of place compared to his peers with that nervous glint in his eyes. Now though? The boy in her line of sight was looked increasingly the part as he fought tooth and nail for it. After all that he had gone through these past months, he was gaining some confidence in himself.

 _'Is it me, or did his shoulders get broader?'_

The life she had saved was growing. And it made her happy.

Switching the last Ability and Skill into place, Jaune smiled confidently as he curled his fist with the adjusted energy flowing through his veins. After a short nap to recharge his batteries from Ozpin's odd tests, he had taken the moment to settle in a new set of powers for his final challenge. He had no idea what opponent would greet him when he made it to Combat Class, so he was going to have to go for a well-rounded move-set with flexibility. And since he had no idea whether or not his Soul Links would be available, he decided to leave his most used Link equipped, just in case. With everything looking good in his move-set department, he switched out his Regen Ring for his Long Nu earring for an added oomph to his attack power. Done with his adjustments, he turned to leave the room before stopping at the sight of Ms. Spriggan staring at him with a small smile.

"You okay, Ms. Sprig?" he asked in concern. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on the normally tired nurse.

Brought out of her musings, Ms. Spriggan shook her head.

"I'm fine. If anything, I should be the one worrying about you. You're raring yourself up for another fight, and I'm wondering if I'm going to have to set an ambulance on speed dial." she teased with a knowing look.

Jaune laughed weakly at the small jab. He was very well acquainted with the exhausted nurse's office after all the trouble he had walked through. It was to the point that she was no longer surprised to see him stumble in with some wound that his aura had trouble mending. But this time, things were different. When he thought about it, this was the first time he had been to her office since his trip to the hospital a month ago. Funny, he actually missed the nurses bed a bit.

With a firm resolve, Jaune gripped the blue hilt of Crocea Mors tightly as he looked back to Ms. Spriggan, "You won't have to worry about me again. I can promise you that I won't be needing medical attention this time. Besides, it's just a spar. What's the worst that could go-"

"Don't." Ms. Spriggan cut him off quickly with a flat glare, "No good ever comes from that sentence. Only misery, grief, and a round of 'I told you so's."

Especially coming from a boy like Jaune. He already attracted enough trouble as it was. No need tempting some other worldly force too.

Jaune shut his mouth. Even he realized how close to danger he had come.

"Gotcha. Anyway, I'll be fine. The only reason I'm even here is because of the Headmaster. The worst I suffered from that last challenge was a slash across my chest when my aura was low. And even that is all healed up." he grinned reassuringly.

Ms. Spriggan pouted, huffing as she turned her head up at him, "Oh? Is that so? I guess you no longer need this old thing. You're more than well off now, so you don't need to stop by to see yours truly. I guess I've outlived my purpose to you." she teased dejectedly, adding a trembling lower lip for affect.

Being the soft hearted, goof that he was, Jaune fell for the faux crocodile tears as he waved his hands around in a panic. When it came to women and their games, he was an A-grade sucker.

"It's not like that! I would have stopped by to say hello this month, but I was busy studying for my exams! Just because I don't need to see you when I'm hurt anymore, doesn't mean I'll stop seeing you! You're my friend! I just. . ." Jaune's flailing arms fell to his side, his face pained as he recalled how she had acted after his last near-death experience.

"I don't want to worry you anymore. I... I want to show you, and everyone else, that they don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm strong, stronger than I have ever been. So, there's no longer any need to worry about me because I can take care of myself now."

Somber blue eyes stared back at Ms. Spriggan which caused her to drop her teasing. What he had said made her scowl. She walked up to stand in front of him, idly noticing he was reaching her height as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Just because you're no longer walking in here with wounds, doesn't mean I'll stop worrying over you, nor will your little friends. The amount of strength you possess does not effect it. At the end of the day, you're still the same old idiot that came in as an ice sculpture." she chuckled amusingly as she flicked the faded scar on his forehead, "And there's nothing wrong with that."

Flinching slightly from the flick, Jaune smiled at her words as he rubbed the scar. Guess she was right in a way. A lack of strength or abundance of it wouldn't affect his friends. They would worry about him and his recklessness either way. Hard to believe he almost forgot about that.

"Right, I'll be sure to remember that." he said softly before heading for the door. Ms. Spriggan watched him reach for the door with a smirk.

"And I'll be sure to keep you to your word. I've actually enjoyed not having to work myself to the bone patching you up. Don't go ruining my relaxation, okay?"

Jaune nodded as he glanced back at the bubblegum pink haired woman, grinning like a dork as he left. He was going to have to remember to stop by and chat with Ms. Spriggan every once in a while. She meant more to him than a quick heal or place to buy healing items. She was another Bond he hoped to strengthen.

As the door shut behind the knight, Ms. Spriggan prepared herself to finish up her duties and clock out for the day. Other than Jaune, only a few students had stopped by for injuries that needed attending. And classes were almost over with. Surely, they didn't need her standing around doing nothing for the next hour? That was just wasting money. Already making plans for her well-deserved afternoon, Ms. Spriggan was suddenly stopped by the buzzing from her scroll. She frowned as she found a message from Ms. Goodwitch before sighing as she read the message.

Tending to students, she could understand. But tending to a certain sweet lover for a burned arm from accidentally setting off his weird Dust tattoos was another thing. God, she needed a drink.

* * *

Having gone through his preparations for his final test, Jaune went straight for Professor Goodwitch's class. Opening the doors to the combat class, Jaune was greeted to the sight of a match already in progress between two students. He sighed in relief. For a second he thought he was going to miss out on taking his exam. His scroll's clock told him that class was almost over with. Maybe he should have skipped out on that nap.

"Jaune-Jaune!"

The all too familiar bubbly shout brought a smile to Jaune's face as he found Nora run up to him. He threw up his hands warily, stopping the girl from outright knocking him back with a running hug. Stopping her as she pouted, he patted the girl's head as he caught sight of the rest of his friends heading over.

"Hey, guys! Did I miss out on your fights?" he said with an apologetic smile.

Ruby nodded her head with a grumble as she crossed her arms, "Yeah, you did! I was hoping to show you the neat trick I picked up with my semblance! But noooooo, someone had to go missing for three class periods doing who knows what without a word to his friends!"

Jaune frowned at that before pointing over to Ren, "No, I'm pretty sure I told Ren what I was up to and left it to him to tell everyone else. I would have told Pyrrha and Nora too, but they were still asleep when I left. Ren was up because he just came back from grabbing a drink at that time."

"I did tell them. Eventually." Ren shrugged as he yawned. His fight with Rue had drained him of a lot of energy and he wanted to do now was sleep, "But team RWBY doesn't know about your circumstances, remember? So, all I could tell them when they approached me was that you were busy doing something important with the school's blessing. They still don't know what you were really doing."

"And I would have told them what was going on, but I didn't think it was my place to say." Pyrrha explained as she sighed, "It's your secret after all. As silly as I believe it is. I would have thought you would have come clean about this to them by now. But it seems you still think that it's a big deal."

"I faked me way into Beacon, Pyrrha." Jaune said tiredly, "It's kinda a big deal."

"WHAT!?"

Jaune winced at the loud shouts from Ruby and Yang at the bombshell he just dropped. Well, that was one way of telling them.

Weiss stared at Jaune, unsure of how to react at what she had just heard. If she wasn't so graceful and well brought up, she would have cleaned out her ear for any dirt messing with her hearing. Because what she just heard was ridiculous.

"You… faked your way in." Weiss said slowly as Jaune became sheepish, "Would you care to explain what you mean by that?"

"Well, I may have gotten my hands on some transcripts, detailing my level of training and combat experience that were nonexistent, and got accepted into Beacon without ever taking any kind of exam like the rest of you." Jaune explained weakly with a nervous sweat. "You know, just maybe."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." Weiss said softly, bewildered at what she had just heard. It didn't make any sense! This was Beacon for crying out loud! The pinnacle of huntsman academies, THEE huntsman academy on the continent of Sanus! How could a goofball like Jaune fake his way in? He wrote left and right underneath his combat books for crying out loud!

"Wait, why would you even need to do that?" Blake said in confusion after getting over her own shock, "I understand you weren't the strongest huntsman when you entered, but what you were capable of should have been enough to allow you to enter Beacon, let alone a Combat school. It doesn't make sense for you to lie your way in."

Jaune struggled to think about what to say next. Even Pyrrha and Nora were looking at him expectantly. He never really did tell them exactly why he needed to fake his way in. Luckily for him, the pass scar from his first life helped in situations like this. Coming up with a reasonable story, he began to explain.

"You all know about my scar, right?" he asked carefully, getting hesitant nods from the girls as he gestured to his chest, "Well, surviving a wound like that came with some complications. I was stuck in physical therapy for a few years while I recovered, unable to even go to school because of it. My body wasn't ready for training again like everyone else, so by the time I was cleared and allowed to even try and get into a school, it was too late." he said sadly as he gripped his chest, "I didn't know what to do at the time because I wanted to be a huntsman still. So, I saved up all my Lien to buy some transcripts to get into Beacon and trained by myself day and night to get where I am with my. . .mentor's training helping to make up for my shortcomings. I know it was wrong, and that I probably robbed someone of their rightful spot here, but I'm aiming to fix that."

"How?" Weiss asked out of curiosity. Fixing something like that wasn't simple.

"I'm making up the entrance exam right now. I told the Headmaster the truth after the FoF incident and he was understanding about it, even said I could make up for my lies with an exam he made up. I've actually just finished with one before stopping by Ms. Sprig's for a small check-up."

"So, what, you're an official student now?" Yang asked, still confused.

Jaune shook his head negatively with a sigh, "Not yet. All I have left is my combat exam before I'm officially a student. Otherwise, I'll be expelled for false documentation."

"Expelled?!" Pyrrha nearly shouted, "Don't you think that's a little extreme? You've been here for four months now. You helped stopped two terrorist attacks! Couldn't they just let you stay?"

"Don't worry about it Pyrrha. It's fine, I've already passed the last three tests. I'm more than confident that I can pass the last exam." Jaune chuckled as he rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

Ruby nodded along with a bright grin. Hearing all that about Jaune didn't really mean much to her. Sure, she was a little shocked that her best friend had to fake his way into Beacon, but it didn't change the way she thought of him. He was still the same dork who lent his hand to a stranger.

"Jaune's got this! If it's a fight, he'll win. He's fought tougher guys before. And seeing as we've all finished our fights he won't have to face us, he'll wipe the floor with whoever he's facing!"

"See? Ruby believes in me." Jaune grinned before pausing and looking at the small reaper with suspicion, "Wait, what was that last part?"

"Nothing~!"

The sound of a round of applause broke Jaune's questioning glare. Turning back to the ring he saw that the current match ended with the victor helping up his opponent.

"Well, wasn't that an enjoyable match up? But though one stands over in victory, it does not mean the defeated has gained nothing. Not as long as they are willing to see progress in defeat." a cryptic voice chuckled as they stepped onto the stage from the shadows of the arena. To the surprise of everyone, Headmaster Ozpin came into sight instead of Ms. Goodwitch. And a usual, a hot cup of coffee was in his hand along with his scroll as he began conversing with the two huntsmen in training.

"Headmaster? What's he doing here?" Yang asked as the two students left for their seats. It was a little strange for him to be outside of his office. He didn't stop by class often.

Jaune had an idea, _'He's probably here to see the results of my fight. I would have thought Professor Goodwitch would be the one to do that.'_

Coughing into his fist to get his students attention, Ozpin greeted them all with a small smile as he tapped his cane with an audible tap, "Good afternoon, students. Now, I know you all must be wondering why I am here when Ms. Goodwitch is the one normally teaching. And to that I must say that she is currently busy with a little matter she needed to take care of. But worry not, I've volunteered to supervise the last match of the day. You've all had a long day of work and fighting, so I'm sure you're all eager to go back to your dorms, eat, and enjoy the rest of the day." he said with a chuckle before sipping his coffee and bringing up the final match.

The giant screen above the arena began to spin two separate profiles like a roulette of characters before the first one came to a stop.

 **Jaune Arc.**

 _'Saw that one coming.'_ Jaune thought as he awaited the second profile to stop. Whoever it stopped on would be his opponent, the one who would get in the way of becoming an official huntsman in training. He took in a deep breath, calming his nerves as he readied himself. He was in this to win it. He'd come this far, there was no way he was going to make it all go to waste.

The roulette profile slowed down, coming to a full stop for all to see.

 **Helios Lyre.**

Jaune grew uneasy as he stared up at the smug, grinning profile of the red-haired musician. Helios, of all people? He grew nervous as his ears picked up a satisfied chuckle from down below the aisle. He caught Helios as he stood from his seat with an eager grin. He then frowned as he noticed Helios roughly push away Hera's hand from his arm. The musician turned his eyes up, catching Jaune's immediately before his grin grew a dark glint.

The second Jaune's eyes caught Helios, the knight was able to once again make out his aura raging around his body like a wildfire. It was unstable, out of control compared to the many auras in the background. Even worse, the red aura had grown darker and gave off an air of malevolence. Every step that Helios took on his way over to him made the dark aura grow clearer.

 _'Is this the Clear Sight thing Husk unlocked?'_ It must have been. It explained what he was seeing. Husk had said he had shown signs of being capable of it despite not maturing it like the others. What he was seeing now matched what he had glimpsed a month ago before Helios had left on his mission.

Shutting his eyes for a moment, Jaune called off the Clear Sight as his vision returned to normal. Helios stepped up to him, his hands shoved in his school pants like some delinquent as he sneered at the blond.

"Nice to see ya, Arc. Been a while, hasn't it?" he smiled brightly with an underline aggression, "So glad you finally made it to class. Wouldn't want you missing out on all the fun we're about to have. I can't tell ya how long I've been waiting to take a crack at you in front of a large crowd!"

"It's good to see you too, Helios. But," Jaune frowned as he took a closer look at the rocker. Bandages were wrapped around his face and underneath his Beacon uniform. It looked like he'd recently been patched up after a big fight. "Are you sure you're fit to be fighting? You don't look alright." It almost looked like he had been burned all over.

Helios scoffed as he looked away from their worried eyes. Damn punks, looking down at him, thinking he was weak! His fist balled in anger at the thought as he visibly gritted his teeth.

"I'm perfectly fine, good enough to kick your phony ass around." he growled, "Who you should be worrying about is yourself after all. I can't say that I'll go easy on ya, nor that a bone or two will be broken. You're a strong guy after all, so I'm going to have to give it my all."

"Was that a threat?" Blake scowled as she recognized underlining tone.

Helios laughed, "No, it's a precaution, a warning between classmates! And if he's so worried about a few little boo-boo's then he should just surrender before stepping into the ring. Which I know he won't." he smirked as he stared into Jaune's eyes, "Because warriors, heroes, don't back down from a fight, or the spotlight."

"Mr. Lyre, Mr. Arc! Would you both please prepare yourself for your match. Come along now, we don't want to keep the audience waiting."

Scoffing, Helios turned away from the first years as he began to make his way down to the locker rooms. He was done talking. All that needed to be said now were the sounds of a roaring crowd cheering his name. The so-called Rookie Hero would fall today.

"Okay, seriously, what is that guy's problem?" Yang growled in annoyance as her eyes trailed the older student's back. Since day one, the guy had been nothing but a jerk to JNPR's leader. As if Jaune did something wrong long ago to create a festering grudge. That just wasn't right, hell it was unhealthy.

Jaune sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, just as lost as the rest. From what he gathered, Helios simply didn't like him because of all the attention he had been gathering since the FoF and because of the long forgotten blood of heroes in his viens. But clearly there was more to it. Scratching his head, he decided that thinking on it wouldn't get him anywhere. This was his last exam, his chance to earn his place in Beacon officially. Right now, he had to focus on his mission. Not another problem.

"I'll find out later. Right now, I got to get down there. This is the last fight of the day after all. I want to get this over with so we can all head back." he said with a grin before leaving down the aisle steps.

Reaching the bottom of the aisle, Jaune was ready to head over to the arena before something had caught onto the sleeve of his combat jacket. Confused, he turned his eyes around to find a short chestnut-haired girl looking down with a shadowed expression.

Hera bit her lip, struggling with what she wanted to say before speaking.

"Jaune," her voice couldn't stop trembling as she gritted her teeth. Seeing the normally brash girl look so weak and vulnerable stunned Jaune.

"Please, go easy on him."

Jaune was speechless at the request. Easy on him? Why? They were supposed to fight, he couldn't exactly hold back. Especially when his opponent was a second year with more experience than him. Plus, he wasn't sure Helios would allow such a thing. Going easy on him would only handicap him.

Sighing, Jaune felt awkward as he had to decline. He had to win, if he held back he wasn't sure he would be able to prove his worth to Ozpin.

"I don't think that's an option, Hera. I know Helios must really want to win, and losing would be a dent to his pride, but I can't hold back. Besides, he's pretty tough. I've seen him fight before, so I know he doesn't need me holding back with him." he said reassuringly with a small smile. He moved his hand to the short girl's arm still gripping his sleeve, only to be taken back as her small hand refused to be pried off.

His heart sunk as her blue eyes looked back at him, vulnerable and glistening with tears that made her feel more ashamed than she already did. She did the one thing she hated.

She begged.

"Please, he's not himself right now. And I knew that if he were to ever fight you like this," she gestured to the crowd of students watching, with some of them even recording with their scrolls to share with others later, "he would only sink further into whatever negativity was plaguing him. He's become obsessed with winning and showing off his power lately, doing whatever he can to prove that he's a hero. And he's been going too far, not caring about the consequences, even if they mean others getting hurt. It's gone to the point his aura won't even heal him." her fingers dug deeper into Jaune's sleeves, making her feel more ashamed as her nails nearly punctured his arm from her semblance acting up. Jaune fought the grimace from the pain as he looked back softly at the troubled second year girl.

"Please, I don't want my friend to lose himself. I don't want to see him suffer anymore."

Jaune opened his mouth, ready to say something, but found himself interrupted by the sound of a tap on the speakers above.

"Mr. Arc, would you please step up to the ring? We don't have all day now. You can save your flirting for later, right now you have a fight to begin." Ozpin said mirthfully over the speakers, getting a small round of chuckles from the students.

With a grudging sigh, Jaune moved back from Hera. The girl dropped her hand from his sleeve, looking down in regret as she noticed the tear in his combat hood and the sight of a red substance trickling down his fingers.

She did it again. Her damned semblance had activated without her knowledge and hurt someone. She hadn't changed a bit since she first stepped onto Beacon. Just a burden who could only destroy.

"He'll be fine."

Snapping her head up, Hera found Jaune's back as he looked towards the arena. He turned his head a bit to give her a small smile.

"Helios is your friend, so you got to believe that he's strong enough to not be controlled by whatever is running through his head. If he really wants to be a hero, then he should know that heroes don't fight for themselves, they fight for others. And if he's forgotten that, then it's just a matter of smacking some sense into him! So, I'll be sure to remind him of that in your place." he grinned before running for the stage.

Watching Jaune leave, Hera was left with a sense of foreboding.

Why didn't that make her feel any better?

* * *

Breathing deeply, Jaune rested his right hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors as he stood by waiting for his opponent in the center of the arena. Headmaster Ozpin stood by him, sipping his coffee calmly as always. Unaware of the underlining tension in the air, or perhaps aware and not simply caring.

 _'What am I supposed to do now? It's not like Hera's wrong, there is something wrong with Helios. What I'm guessing is my Clear Sight picked up on that. His aura is out of whack, darker than normal. It… it reminds me of Ren.'_ Images flashed through his mind of his fellow Player Falling two months ago, causing the growing frown on his face to deepen.

Falling, a condition that fell onto a huntsman or huntress while under extreme negativity. They would become beacons of overflowing negativity, drawing in droves of Grimm like sharks to blood. And the only way to stop them, would be through death. Something Jaune had understood very well.

Helios did not like Jaune, he had even gone as far to say he hated him. If there was one thing Jaune understood, it was that the rocker's emotions would only worsen if he were to lose to him. Especially with so many people watching their fight. If that were to happen, he was sure that it would be enough to drive Helios past the edge and Fall. And Jaune wasn't sure he would be able to fix him like he did Ren. Not with Helios's status as an NPC incapable of reviving.

Ozpin raised a curious brow as he heard a worn out, tired sigh escape Jaune's lips.

"Problem, Mr. Arc? I would have thought you would be excited for this fight. It's always fun when rivals clash with one another like this. I believe it's the only way they can convey each other's true feelings." he said.

Jaune scratched his neck in frustration, "It's complicated. I don't think you can call what's between Helios and I a rivalry. He hates my guts. Besides," his eyes found another set of blue in the crowd of students watching them with concern, only making the lump in his stomach grow heavier, "There's something wrong with Helios. I don't think it's a good idea for him to be fighting me as he is. I'm afraid he might. . ." Jaune couldn't say anymore, afraid that revealing Helios status would only make things more complicated.

Win, lose, whatever happened in this match, would not end in a positive note. And it was killing him.

Seeing the concern in the young boy's face, Ozpin chuckled as his sights turned for the other side of the ring. A figure could be seen making their way over, radiating an odd aura that very few could sense.

"As I said, only through fighting can rivals reach each other. Especially one so hot headed as Mr. Hyperion."

Jaune blinked as he spun his eyes towards the calmly sipping headmaster.

"Hyperion?" Wasn't Helios name Lyre?

"Did I? Excuse me, I must have accidentally let that slip." Ozpin drawled with a loud sip of his mug, "But that matters little right now. You have a fight coming towards you. And you must prove to me your strength. I'll be honest, all those tests before you were nothing more than filler in the long run. Something to keep you occupied while your real test was prepared." he said sternly as he turned to face the young blond knight.

"I know your intelligent, resourceful, able to endure the most difficult challenges, and strong enough to fight the good fight. But what I wish to see, what I need to accept you into my academy, is Strength. One rarely found in those who've chosen the path of a warrior. And I believe that only through this specific fight will I be able to see that show of power. There's a lot more riding on the results of this fight than just your status of student after all."

Patting Jaune's shoulder, Ozpin turned to leave as Helios stepped onto the arena stage. The old headmaster glanced back, his eyes finding the wild red ponytail mane of Helios and the smug prideful look in the boy's eyes.

And the black twisting wisps corroding his aura.

 _'I truly wish that you show me that power, Mr. Arc. I would hate to lose two of my children today.'_

Now on the center of the stage, before a large crowd of Beacon's first, second, and even a few third years, Helios could no longer contain his excitement. His body was trembling, ready to spring into action and show them all who the true star of the show was. It had taken him a few minutes longer to prepare, but it was more than worth it to keep them waiting for the performance he was about to reveal. It was just too bad his armor had been damaged in his fight with the Alpha Griffon, now he was just left with his combat gear sans armor pieces. But that was fine, he didn't need the extra protection.

From his back, a large guitar case designed after a funeral case was dropped standing up in front of him. The case swung open with a tap, revealing an odd weapon, completely different from the familiar ax guitar Jaune had seen Helios use regularly. Inside was a glaive the size of Helios with a burning orange curved blade designed after spewing flames. Its polearm was black and revealed what looked to be guitar-like strings running from its blade to the pommel. Odd little nubs were seen on the wide blade.

Helios smirked as he caught Jaune eying his weapon, "You like? I had it designed months ago to replace my original Hades Styx. Gotta hand it to Professor Kusanagi, the man can make a helluva weapon! And it goes great with my latest addition to my arsenal that I picked up on my last mission." he grinned wolfishly as he kicked his casket. From the top of the case, five blades sprang out from its corners into the air. Helios snatched his weapon, fixing its strap over his neck as he adjusted the frequency on his guitar glaive before playing a few notes. Some unknown force caught the blades, revealing their designs to all. The thin swords had no hilt on their silver metal bodies, it was single edged and only displayed a rectangular gap at the end of it to wield. Five holes could be seen along its blade, vibrating its body slightly under the control of the melody playing from Helios' strings.

Ending his small tune, the five swords fell to the stage with loud thuds as they dug deep into the floor. They must have weighed quite a lot to do that.

The grin on Helios face grew wider at the stunned expression on Jaune's face, and the other students.

"How do you like it? My Semblance, telekinesis by music! I call it, Symphony! With it, and Hades Styx, you don't have a chance! Even that gifted Summoning semblance won't be able to stand up to the beats I'm about to put out! So, be ready for the performance of a lifetime!" he laughed loudly with his aura once again flowing out like fire in Jaune's eyes.

A dark red hint grew in Helios's yellow eyes, the rocker's face becoming shadowed as his grin grew sharp like an animal's snarl. The large screen above their heads came to life, displaying their auras to everyone as a timer appeared between the two. The timer changed, changing its design to an infinite loop to display there was no time limit. Their fight would only be over by defeat.

 **'Helios Lyre, The Fallen Star of Hyperion.**

 **27,500HP/27,500HP.'**

 **'WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! Boss, Incoming! Helios Lyre, The Fallen Star of Hyperion. Get Ready!'**

Jaune gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he felt the overflowing negativity Helios was producing. This was bad. It seemed it had only increased in density from before. Helios was growing drunk under its influence, he could see it in the musician's eyes. And it was only going to grow worse as they fought. With the condition Helios was in now, Jaune had only one choice. He had to end this quickly. If he could knock him out before he was completely taken over by the Fallen status, then they could get him some help before it was too late.

Taking in a deep breath, Jaune readied himself as Helios began to strum a few notes on his glaive. The five swords rose up under his tune, floating above him with glinting edges ready to tear about their foe. Jaune moved Ignis Mors onto his forearm, releasing its shield as he swung Crocea Mors to his side.

 **'The Clockwork Exam, FINALE!**

 **Strength.**

 **Information: A test of Strength. One on one. Defeat your opponent. Win.**

 **Links Disabled, Spells restricted.**

 **No Optional Objectives.'**

Guess there was nothing more that needed to be said at this point. This was a fight, plain and simple. The only language acceptable here was the language of steel and fists.

Ozpin stood by, scroll in hand as begun the match while a silence fell over the classroom. He cleared his throat and rose his hand up in the air before dropping in in a signal.

"BEGIN/ **FIGHT!** "

Helios' fingers could no longer stop themselves as they began to strum the strings of Hades Styx madly with fever. His head moved along with the wild beat, bobbing up and down as his five Styx's spun around him before flying after Jaune. They cut through the air with ease, intent on stabbing through his body under the rocker's melodies. Jaune went on to dodge the blades, jumping to the right to avoid all five before finding them curving in their flight to come back at him. Again, and again, he danced around the deadly blades, evading them however he could as they pursued him with an endless vigor. He ducked under one coming for his head, deflected two for his chest with Ignis Mors, jumped a step back as two more dropped down to stab him from above, and stopped in place with a pant as all of them paused to float above him with their points aimed below.

Helios stopped playing, allowing the blades to fall back down like meteors that whizzed in the air. Jaune dashed out of the way, missing the heavy blades as they struck the ground like iron slugs. Helios dashed after Jaune, not bothered with the fact that his attack missed. His guitar glaive trailed behind the rocker with its blade grinding against the tiles. The musician grinned madly as he sped up, barreling into Jaune to deliver a sparking rising slash. Jaune moved quickly, stopping in time to raise his shield, and block the monstrous slash. Even with the added protection of Ignis Mors, he still found his HP taking a 600 dive.

Not done with his attack, Helios followed the rising slash with a downward chop that dealt more damage. He didn't stop there, hammering his assault like a wild man, all while laughing in joy at seeing the so-called Rookie Hero could only block. Was this all he could do? How pathetic!

Growing tired of defending, Jaune sucked in a breath before roaring as he parried another swing for his shield. He took Helios by surprise as the rocker's glaive was bounced back, leaving him open as Jaune reared his shield back and spun his shield around to face its point with his knuckle. The edges of the heater shield burned as he crossed his shield and sword over his chest before dealing a cross slash on Helios' chest, sending him back with a grunting shout. Helios gritted his teeth as he held his chest from the burning metal.

He chuckled deeply as he ignored the small pain, "Got some new tricks on ya, huh? Looks like you even upgraded that old rusty shield you used. Nice." he smirked before moving Hades Styx into a different position. He gripped the polearm tightly as he aimed the spiked pommel at Jaune before flipping a switch on its handle. A trigger suddenly popped out in his hand and the pommel's sharp point clicked as it parted to reveal a gun barrel.

"But I got more tricks than you could keep up with!"

A continuous fire of bullets shot after Jaune as he began to outrun the gunfire. Helios honed his sights on the evading blond, firing every round in his magazine in hopes of scoring a hit. Growling, he ceased his gunfire and dashed towards Jaune with his glaive reared back. Jaune moved his shield to block, only for Helios to throw the weight of his glaive to the right, allowing the force of it to carry him and slide him around Jaune faster than he could react. Helios grinned as he swung with all his might and threw Jaune up in the air with a heavy upward swing. The blow stunned Jaune but with his Skill from Sky, he was able to recover in the air and attack.

" _ **Point of Eruption!**_ " Facing the deadly point of Ignis Mors forward, the small jets by its sheath flared and sent him shooting back down amid the gunfire from Helios's Hades Styx. He endured the bullets smacking into his aura and slammed his heated shield point after his opponent. The ground was blown apart by a human sized plume of flames and smoke, devouring both of them in a black smoky veil. Through the smoke, Helios jumped back out with a gasp as he fell back on his feet in a skid. He flinched as he held his chest, the burns, and multiple wounds he had suffered the other day flaring up after the near direct hit. Damn blond, he wouldn't let him land one more hit!

" _ **Activate Skill, Reload! Point of Eruption!**_ "

The curtain of smoke was blown away, leaving Helios standing stunned as Jaune rocketed straight for him with a blazing shield strike as flames flared behind his shield like rockets. Thinking quickly, Helios swung Hades Styx for cover, only to curse foully as Jaune came in too hot. The downside to his new weapon was the weight it carried, it wouldn't allow for quick blocks it appeared.

 _'Fucking damn it!'_

The blazing point of Ignis Mors stabbed into Helios' gut, ripping through his blood red mesh shirt as he gasped in pain. His breath was robbed in one hit. The force of the attack sent him flying as another plume of fire engulfed him.

 _'Hmm? Huntsman? My dear child, such barbarism is uncouth for our blood! The life of a savage, fighting for coin by slaughtering monsters is not in your future. A Hyperion is noble, clean, respectable, and rich! You wouldn't last a day in their world. So-'_

Slamming down Hades Styx into the floor, Helios grounded his flight to a halt as the flames and smoke slowly blew off his body. He panted, fighting the burning sensations over his body as he glared hatefully at Jaune, his sights overlapping the image with someone else.

 _'Stop listening to that ditzy woman and focus on your name. You are a Hyperion, branded by our blood to lead this company one day. Stop dreaming of fairy tales and focus on your destiny.'_

That damn voice! That fucking, damned, overfed, arrogant, lard filled, voice! Well, he'd show him, he'd show them all! The name Hyperio-NO! LYRE! The name Lyre was the name of a hero!

The red aura around Helios began to twist maliciously as Jaune's Clear Sight caught the rise in negativity. Something was wrong, it was progressing rapidly, dying Helios's aura a once simple red to a dark blood red.

 _'I was hoping that direct hit would be enough to knock him out. At this rate, Helios will Fall. And then what?'_ Jaune bit his lip as he watched Helios begin playing Hades Styx. There was only one way to stop a huntsman from Falling.

Death.

"D-Don't get cocky, Rookie!" Helios spat as his five swords flew above him. Lining them up, he stopped his rift and allowed them to fall around him in a pentagon pattern before turning up the frequency of his guitar.

"This show ain't over! We're still on the opening act! So, don't go thinking you got this in the bag, because I ain't going down like a little bitch!"

A sharp whine filled the air as Helios strummed his guitar, playing his own made up melody. The five blades that were dug into the ground trembled, resonating with the high frequency before releasing a ripping blast of sonic waves from all corners. Jaune went on the move, evading the first sonic blast, and watched it continue its path of destruction to crash against the shields of the arena. Following the beat of Helios guitar riffs, the blades continued to fire blast after blast of sonic bursts. Dodging another blast, Jaune reared his blade back and fired a Crescent Blade after the motionless red head.

But with the high frequency of Helios Hades Styx, the very air around him rippled with a dome of sound immune to himself. The white crescent may have flown past the sonic blasts, but it could do nothing as it was ripped to shreds by the sound around him. Seeing Jaune left wide open after his failure, he blasted him with a blast of vibrations.

Bobbing his head along with his metal beat, Helios paused his strumming to raise his hand up high in the air. He grinned madly as he dropped his hand, releasing a high note from his glaive guitar. The five blades whined, releasing together a widespread sonic circle.

Jaune knew he wouldn't be able to dodge an attack like that. So, he flung Crocea Mors high into the air just before the ring of destruction struck.

" _ **Warp Strike!**_ "

Warping over to his airborne blade, Jaune was able to evade the wide attack just in the nick of time. With Crocea Mors in hand again, Jaune channeled the ancient blade with magic as it begun its transformation, " _ **Teres Mors! Coil!**_ "

Faster than Helios could react, a barbed green vine shot for the neck of his weapon. The vine coiled like a snake, refusing to let go even as he pulled at it with all his strength. Suddenly, he felt the vine tug, alerting him to Jaune flying down after him. Dirty, fucking-!

" _ **Power Strike!**_ " With the vine of Teres Mors acting like a bungie rope, Jaune was sent shooting after Helios with his rose themed short sword ready. With a forward stab, he drove Helios back on skidding feet from the ramming blade. The blood red aura around him raged, reacting to the spike of anger from the direct hit. Jaune didn't have much time left, Helios' aura was only growing stronger. Looking back to the crowd of cheering students around them, he noticed a few of the more observant huntsman in training frowning.

It was becoming visible. The darkness over Helios' heart. He needed to be stopped before it was too late.

Moving his sword back, Jaune summoned a sparking yellow crystal from his Inventory before slamming it over his short blade.

 _ **' Teres Mors, Augmented!'**_

Sparks crawled over the blood red blade, granting it Lightning damage and a chance to inflict Paralysis along with a boost from his special sword.

 _'I can't let Helios continue on like this, but I also can't lose._ _A knock out win is the only solution_ _. If I can paralyze him and get one good hit in, one enough to knock him out cold, then not only will I pass my test but he can get the help he needs.'_ It was the best plan of action right now. Jaune already knew for a fact that talking with Helios wouldn't get him anywhere. It would be Ren all over again. Besides, he couldn't waste any more time. The longer this fight lasted, the more at-risk Helios became of Falling.

Pain lanced along Helios' arms and he noticed the reddening bandages covering his forearm. He snarled as he grabbed a hold of them and tightened them with his free hand and teeth. Like hell some stupid wounds would hold him back now! The sound of the cheering crowd began to irritate him, knowing that they were applauding the blond knight. The one who was always grabbing their attention.

 _'The name Hyperion will not be known as some foolish warrior! Stop fighting me, and listen!'_

"Fucking idiots. Where the hell are you fuckers looking at?" he hissed venomously as his aura began to ebb out for all to see. He swung his glaive to the side, displaying impressive strength as he held it up before his aura began to coat its blade. The wide blade gained a dark red hue, appearing like it was covered in licking flames as he reared it further back with a roar.

"THE TRUE STAR OF THE SHOW'S RIGHT HERE! KNOW IT!"

From the roaring swing, a blade of twisted aura flew out after Jaune, carving through the arena floor like a hot knife through butter. It was fast, grazing the knight's shoulder even as he tried to dodge it. Blood sprayed out of the wound as it began to bleed heavily before he clutched the wound with a grimace.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.'**

 **5,355HP/8,800HP[Bleed].'**

The graze dropped 5% of his health as he winced. That wasn't a good sign. Without being able to use his healing items, he wouldn't be able to heal the Bleeding status. He was just going to have to wait for his Perk, Blood Oath, to kick in.

"I ain't done yet! Eat lead, bitch!"

Aura augmented bullets quickly followed as Jaune dropped his hand from his shoulder and activated Gale Speed. With the spike of high speed, he blurred in Helios' sights as he outran his automatic gunfire. All Helios could make out were blond blurs all around him that further pissed him off.

 _'One of you bitches is enough! Now he can make more of himself? What kind of ninja bullshit is this?!'_

" _ **Hyper Blade!**_ "

With Gale Speed ending, Jaune followed up the Ability with his next best speed type ability. Evading the mad bullets whizzing by his body, Jaune appeared in front of Helios with a downward slash. The red head rocker flinched and stumbled back from the slash before moving his glaive back for a counter swing. He heaved the heavy weapon, but lost his footing as Jaune blurred and appeared behind him with another slash. Over and over again, Helios found himself being knocked around on his feet by a raid of lightning fast swings. His already wounded body was wounded further as his aura began to lose its strength, allowing one of the slashes to lacerate his chest with a diagonal red line.

"BACK THE FUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFF!" Helios raged before releasing a high note from Hades Styx. A burst of vibrations erupted out from his weapon, distorting the air as Jaune was blown back from the shock wave. With an open hateful snarl Helios followed his attack by sending his swords shooting after the staggered blond. Jaune wasn't able to recover in time as the swords drilled into him. The first three bounced back, hitting him like slugs. But the last two broke through his aura. One gashed his side and the other one had sliced open the side of his right leg. He nearly fell as his blood began to flow like water onto the damaged arena.

"JAUNE!" Both Ruby and Pyrrha yelled out loud in alarm as they watched the fight. This was getting out of hand. They were seeing an alarming amount of blood for a simple sparring match.

Yang scowled as her fists balled up before turning her eyes to the headmaster watching by from the sides, "Headmaster Ozpin, don't you think you should stop the fight now?"

Quirking a brow curiously, Ozpin looked back to Yang before pointing out to the screen above the stage.

"The fight is still not over, Ms. Xiao Long. And while I know it may look a bit extreme, I can't stop the match unless it becomes obvious who will emerge the winner, or the other threatens the others' life. Besides," he said with a sip of his mug as he watched Jaune parry one of the swords flying back for a stab, "I don't believe either one of them would stop if I did end the match."

Gripping the open wound, Jaune fought through the pain as his aura began to mend the open flesh. While his HP couldn't regenerate while in battle, his wounds would at least fix themselves up as long as his aura was still intact. That was relieving.

But he wasn't the only one bleeding. Helios was breathing heavily, panting from exertion as blood dripped down his trembling fingers and small sparks ran around his skin. The bandages over his face were tearing off from constant movement and the ones visible over his body were dirtied by fresh and old blood. He wasn't in any shape to be fighting. Still, he found himself laughing out loud at the sight of Jaune's spilled blood splattered around the arena.

 _'What could you ever hope to possibly accomplish? Your blood wasn't bred for combat! Your blood is rich, promising a life of glamor. Not bloodshed and death. Such is the future of savages!'_

"And they say heroes don't bleed." he barked with laughter before grinning darkly as his shaking fingers went back to the strings of Hades Styx, "Come on, don't tell me that's all you got?! Show me what you're made of, show me why they call you Rookie Hero, show me how you're able to steal the spotlight!" he shouted as his blades followed the melody of his glaive guitar. They danced in the air, aiming to chop Jaune to pieces as he struggled to dodge with his current wounds.

"Someone gifted with the blood of warriors should be able to keep up with a lowly warrior! Don't you have the Arc bloodline in your veins? Weren't they known as the name of warriors long ago? SO THEN WHERE THE HELL IS THAT POWER IN YOUR VEINS!?"

The swords under Helios' control gained dark red hues before they stabbed themselves onto the arena floor. They then began to run through the floor, carving sparking lines as they chased after Jaune with the intent to cut him in half. From five corners, they closed in on him as he stood by with a shadowed expression. He gritted his teeth in frustration before gripping Teres Mors above his head with both his hands. A glimmering red stone fell out from his hands, falling onto the ground with a twinkle.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHERE IT IS, IT'S IN THE PAST WHERE IT SHOULD STAY BURIED! SO WHY DON'T YOU DIE ALONG WITH YOUR FAMILIES NAME!"

" _ **Arc Impact!**_ "

Teres Mors shone brightly, transforming back into Crocea Mors' long blade before it was stabbed into the ground with monstrous force that visibly rippled. The Fire Dust crystal shattered under the steel point, erupting flames before a shock wave from Crocea Mors caused the flames to augment into a dome of distorted air engulfing Jaune with flames. The five swords that closed in were met with the shock wave dome of flames before being blown away. Cracks splintered along the holes that allowed vibration before they shattered into pieces.

Helios moved his arm over his face as a strong wind of heated air and smoke blew back against him. Did the idiot blow himself up? What kind of moron does that?

" _ **Activate Skill, Kindle!**_ " Parting the flames with a wave of Crocea Mors, Jaune glared back at Helios with small embers growing along his clothing. The damage he would have taken from the erupting flames were then converted as the small flames were absorbed into his aura, healing 700HP. His Strength was than upped by 5% as he vanished with a blur, leaving Helios on edge as his eyes searched the area.

" _ **Point of Eruption!**_ " Zig-zagging with his high speed in-between steps, Jaune drove the point of Ignis Mors deep into Helios stomach, just as before. He sent the musician flying back before Helios righted himself on his feet with a snarl, only to frown as Jaune was nowhere to be seen. He looked up, stepping back in alarm as he found Crocea Mors thrown up in the air before Jaune warped to his sword's location. He then watched as the blond flung his fist back behind him as flames flared from its sheath.

" _ **Reload! Point of Eruption!**_ "

Riding on the recoil and explosion of the ability, Jaune shot off after Helios with his feet smacked together. Helios scoffed, readying himself to dodge in the nick of time. He suddenly grunted in surprise as his body refused to move an inch, gone numb as the sparks on him began to affect him.

Helios's eyes went wide in anger and frustration as he tried in vain to move a single muscle, "No, NO! I can-"

" _ **POWER STRIKE!**_ " With the Paralysis in effect, Jaune was free to drive a glowing white double stomp onto Helios's forehead. The rocker's head flew back as his eyes rolled into the back of his head with a gurgled shout. He stumbled back a few steps before his head dropped and his shoulders slumped as he stood without a sound.

Flipping back on his feet, Jaune dragged out a tired, exhausted breath and he wiped the sweat from his face. It looked like Paralysis had finally attacked Helios, just in time too. Even with the small recovery in HP and Blood Oath healing his Bleed Status, he was about ready to lose his chance at winning. Helios wasn't a second year for nothing, the way he attacked was crazy and creative. He had no idea you could do those kinds of things with a guitar and semblance.

But it was over now.

 **'Helios Lyre, The Fallen Star of Hyperion.**

 **5,120HP/27,500HP [K.O].'**

That last Power Strike to the head was enough to knock him out. The corrupted aura around his body had even died, dispersing as the light inside Helios's head was shut off. Now his aura wouldn't further be at risk at Falling. And the stuck up, idiot could finally get some help. Even Headmaster Ozpin should have noticed the darkening aura. With that knowledge, maybe he could finally recover from whatever was troubling him.

Walking over the silent redhead, Jaune couldn't help but frown sadly as he noticed the small droplets of blood still dripping off of Helios' wounded body. So much hate, anger, frustration, and rage. Just what was tearing Helios up inside? And why was it all pointed at him for? He couldn't recall ever brushing the older student the wrong way, he hadn't even met him until that day in the cafeteria.

Just what was it about him that drove Helios to ignore his own injuries and drive himself mad?

"Helios, whatever I did to you, I'm sorry." Jaune apologized solemnly as he sheathed his sword back into Ignis Mors with a click, "I don't want us to be enemies. I actually want us to be friends if possible. You seem like a nice guy behind all that scowling and glaring. I just wish I knew what I did to make you so mad." he sighed before turning his back to the older huntsman and prepared to leave. The match was over, there was nothing more that needed to be done.

 _ **'WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! BOSS, INCOMING!'**_

Jaune's heart stopped and his eyes went wide. His breath was robbed of him as he felt an overwhelming presence behind him that sent shivers down his spine. A sense of fearful anxiety fell over him as he slowly glanced back towards Helios. The musician's yellow eyes stared back at him, blank as black ebbed along the whites of his eyes. The students watching the events suddenly made out an odd symbol burning through Helios' clothing from his back.

 _'No.'_

Helios smiled sadly as faint dark ribbons wafted from his slouched form.

"Even at my best, I still can't beat you, huh? Figures, I'm no different than that stupid brat who thought he could buy his way into Beacon." he said with a hollow chuckle as his once arrogant voice lost its power and reverted into a somber tone.

"A guy who lied his way in with cash, couldn't hope to beat someone who was destined to succeed. Not without paying the price that is."

Jaune's eyes went wide at that small snippet as the pressure around Helios increased, _'Lied his way in? Is he being serious?'_

The bandages over Helios's body began to burn away by some unseen fire as he gripped Hades Styx tightly and raised it over his head in a stabbing motion for the floor. Its blade burned a tainted orange-red as a bitter grimace fell over his face.

In the seats below the arena, Hera's face became panicked and fearful as her face paled.

"No, no, not again." she whispered softly in horror. Tsuki and Rue shot up from their seats in alarm as they watched their teammate perform a similar form he had done on their last mission.

The symbol on Helios' back burned brighter as an odd intricate circle etched itself below his feet, something that caught Weiss by surprise as she recognized the odd patterns.

 _'Those symbols, they look like. . .my Summon Glyph.'_

Helios shook his head in frustration, bitter that it had come to this.

"You know, I was happy when I unlocked my semblance. It was my own, something born from my own desire. It was proof that all those nights I stayed up practicing and studying had paid off. It was a sign that I was finally a true huntsman like all my friends. That I was a Lyre, and this was the power of a Hero, not some rich snob." With a sigh, he stabbed his glaive onto the ground, dead center of the intricate circle around him. The circle responded with a flare of flames as it spun around him like a wheel of fire as his aura erupted out of him like a beacon.

"But in the end, it still wasn't enough. When I was dead on my feet, backed into a corner, it was my stupid birthright that saved me. The blood of a pansy, rich, weak willed, spoiled, greedy, pompous, idiot was the reason I survived. And I was happy, even if it meant I accepted my name, His name, by accepting its power. Because power like that could make my dream, Her dream, come true."

Jaune protected his face as a hot bellowing wind was released from Helios's body as his aura began to turn pure black. The darkness began to leak onto the circle, tainting it as the musician's body began to catch fire. Helios didn't seem to mind, at peace with what he was doing even as his skin began to visibly burn.

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard as Jaune felt the world slow down around him. Helios didn't seem to be affected, not giving the sight of his teammates running towards the arena any thought as he grimly smiled.

"But I can't escape my blood. It's the only reason why I'm here. If it wasn't for my name, I would have never even been able to step foot onto Beacon. I should just… give in." his voice trembled as he offered his body to the fire. The arena rumbled as two burning black titanic, lanky arms pulled themselves out from the summoning circle slowly.

 **'Helios Hyperion, Heir to Wrath.'**

 **'The Clockwork Exam: Finale.**

 **Suspended.**

 **New Mission Begun! A Corrupted Tune.**

 **Information : Helios Lyre has begun to Fall! Under the fatal condition, it won't be long until he attracts the monsters of Grimm. Before that though, a window of opportunity has presented itself. With only five minutes, you must eliminate your opponent before he can complete his Summoning of his inherited guardian. Time will be suspended with the time limit up, leaving you to go all out against the Boss. Don't hesitate!**

 **Rewards : Shards of Hatred. Hades Styx. Styx (5). Inferno Spear. 45,000Lien.**

 **Failure Penalty : Game Over.'**

What the hell kind of mission was that?! Jaune shouted a curse as the two titanic arms laid beside Helios, clawing menacingly as the rest of the being's body slowly formed from the ribbons of darkness flowing out of its summoner's body. There was no fucking way he was following through with a mission like that. He refused! He swiped the message away, only to snarl as The Game refused to drop it.

"NO! I don't care if this is mandatory, I won't fucking kill him! He hasn't done anything wrong!" Jaune shouted angrily as the timer for the mission appeared on his HUD.

 _ **'FIGHT!'**_

"I SAID NO!" Jaune roared before moving Ignis Mors in front of himself as a titanic arm threw a fist at him. He stayed his ground, refusing to give inch as he tried to push it back. In the end, the fist was too strong, forcing him to activate Gale Speed to avoid being pummeled. Skidding to a stop a few spaces away from Helios, he tried to talk some sense into the rocker.

"Helios, you have to snap out of it! Who cares if you win?! Winning isn't worth Falling! A real Hero wouldn't let themselves be consumed by some petty pride!" he shouted before jumping over a sweeping swipe of the summon.

"You're right, a real hero wouldn't let themselves become what I am. I'm no hero, I'm just another rich heir who thought money could make up for his shortcomings." He said darkly as he looked down in shame.

The two arms raised themselves up high in the air before slamming their fists down onto Jaune. Throwing Crocea Mors to the far side of the arena, he warped away from the devastating attack that shook the ground. He steadied himself as the rumbles died down before dashing out of the way from a thrusting palm.

"Rich heir? What are you talking about?" Jaune said in frustration. Something wasn't right with his speech. It sounded weak and lacking confidence.

Helios growled, "Nothing that matters to you. At least you can be proud of your name. Me? I'm just another silver spooned brat. " he nudged his head, signaling his titan arms to smash Jaune to mush.

Throwing Crocea Mors high in the air, Jaune Warp Striked his way out of another blazing fist before activating Reload and performing another Warp Strike to dodge the second arm flying for his airborne body. His blade warped him a few spaces from Helios who glared in disgust at his sight.

"I suppose that's fine. I'm a Hyperion, we're at least different than a dime a dozen rich snob. Our blood carries power, power to intimidate those who dare to dismiss us without lifting a finger. I could crush you, without even having to step off my seat." he hissed before raising his leg up. Stomping onto the ground, a burning titan leg rose up from his summoning circle and copied his movement, shattering the floor with large chunks of rubble and dirt with a colossal boom. But Jaune withstood the impact and force behind the blow, having stabbed Crocea Mors into the floor for support. Through the blast of dirt and shrapnel, Jaune moved a step closer to the Falling rocker. Helios' eyes twitched, growing furious at the action and raised his other foot high, commanding the second titan foot brought up through his circle to do the same before dropping it onto Jaune's form. Throwing his shield up, Jaune stopped the giant's foot from crushing him into paste. He gritted his teeth from the strain, turning back to Helios as his body continued to burn by the second.

Through the anger, the hate, the disgust, and the wrath in those yellow eyes being consumed by darkness and red, Jaune made out an emotion through all the negativity like a glimmer of faint light. He didn't know if it was because of his Clear Sight, or something he picked up on with experience, but he knew one thing.

Those eyes were in pain.

Jaune chuckled hoarsely as the foot fought to crush him. Right, Helios was in pain, he was Falling. And all Jaune had been thinking about was winning to finally be accepted as a legitimate huntsman in training. He thought he could beat his opponent before he could Fall, knock him out so someone else could save him. And he had ignored those small blue eyes, worried for her friend as he began to lose himself before her very eyes. He had brushed off those pleading, begging hands.

To save him. That's all he had been asked for. However, he could.

With a deep breath, Jaune stabbed Crocea Mors deeply into the side of the giant's foot with an added oomph of Power Strike. Helios flinched back from the wound as he called back the titan's leg before shaking his head with a scowl and commanding a fist to punch Jaune out of the arena.

" _ **Point of Eruption!**_ " With the foot gone, Jaune quickly reared his shield arm back before its point met the giant's knuckle head on. He roared in effort as he fought against the monstrous fist, digging his feet in as it slowly pushed him. Activating the ability again with Reload, he began to make some progress as the giant's fist began to show signs of breaking as cracks splintered from the knuckle.

Again, Helios flinched before retreating his summons's arm. The pain made his anger grow hotter as his skin began to pale.

 **2:00.**

"But I think I'm alright with that. Because even if this stupid birth right gets me places without ever having to move a muscle, I can at least be happy if it can kill you!" he spat furiously before a scarred chest grew behind him. His two giant's arms connected with the shoulders as it began to be near completion.

"You may have the blood of warriors, but even that means nothing when compared to my blood!"

"WILL YOU STOP BABBLING ABOUT STUPID BLOODLINES!" Jaune shouted angrily before Gale Speeding his way towards him. Helios glowered at the tone before commanding his arms to clap the space in front of him. Appearing just where he thought he'd be, Helios was only further angered as Jaune threw his shield and sword to stop the giant's palm from crushing him. How he was capable of such strength, he didn't know, but it only infuriated him.

Grimacing from the strain in his arms, Jaune glared back at Helios with tired yet determined eyes.

"I don't know what's happening to you, but I know all the crap that's spewing out of your mouth is complete bullshit! What you and I are capable of has nothing to do with the blood that runs in our veins! I fought tooth and nail and even died to be where I am! My power is my own, AND NO ONE ELSES! JUST LIKE YOUR OWN!" Jaune's arms trembled, threatening to snap under the force trying to break him. But he endured and moved his face closer to the flinching rocker, "You want to be a hero? A star who everyone praises!? Then don't you think the Lyre name is better than this!?"

 _'Lyre? A hero?'_ A soft, faint voice echoed in Helios' head, splitting it like a driving stake.

"I am Helios Hyperion. I-"

"AM A LYRE!" Jaune shouted angrily as by some miracle, the titan's arms shattered like glass. Blood trailed down his worn-out arms as they fell to his side, useless. He shook his head, not giving them any mind as he glared back at the stunned older student, "That's all you ever say, that you are a Lyre! I don't know who Helios Hyperion is, but I know I like the arrogant, asshole known as Helios Lyre more than I do you!"

From the giant's neck, an armored helmed head began to form out of the darkness and aura flowing from Helios's body. A single red eye glared down at Jaune before its body began to slowly rise up in completion.

"S-Shut up! You don't know anything!" Helios cried as his summon began to reform its arms. His hands flew towards his head, gripping the sides as the whites of one of his eyes turned black and the irises bled red.

 **1:00.**

Something resonated from Jaune's chest, beating with his heart as golden light shined from Helios' chest. The sight made Jaune blink, before he nodded in understanding. An option suddenly broke through The Game's message, distorting The Will's command.

 _ **'Dive?'**_

The Heart, that meant he had power of hearts, right? And this was the true power of The Heart. He was going to have to thank Husk later. Otherwise this would have ended another way.

Following the matured power flowing through his veins, Jaune gripped Crocea Mors with both of his hands and aimed its point straight for Helios' chest. From the golden glow, a keyhole appeared as Crocea Mors old gray blade grew odd teeth on one of its edges. Kinda like a key.

"You're right, I don't know anything. And that's the problem." Jaune said bitterly, "When I think about it, I was just making excuses before on why I shouldn't talk to you. You hated me, and that made me nervous. But if I had just sucked it up, I could have talked with you about that hate and gotten to know you better. Who knows? Maybe we could have hashed things out and become friends!" he grinned brightly before stabbing his sword deep into the keyhole.

"You talk about my bloodline being the reason why I'm so strong and popular. But that's just an excuse. I'm nothing like my blood, I'm just a fake. But I grew stronger with the help of my friends, and it's that strength that will help me open your eyes!"

Turning his sword like a key to a lock, Jaune was then engulfed by a bright ray of light that consumed everything in sight. Helios looked back at him in shock, his eyes trembling as tears ran down his face as his sight of Jaune blurred within the light. All he saw before everything went dark-

 **'Beginning Dive! Prepare for Transport! Get Ready!'**

Was a smile.

"I'll save you. Even if you don't wish to be saved."

 **'GO!'**

* * *

 _[Core: Helios Hyperion Lyre.]_

Dropping through a sea of code always felt odd to Jaune. There wasn't any sunlight above him, only the illumination of the emerald bright numbers around him. Time wasn't a concept familiar with the space he now fell through, leaving him to guess how long it would take him to reach the bottom of the Core he dived within.

So, this was the true potential of his status as Heart? He was able to willingly Dive into the Cores of anyone with this power? The last time he had done this was only possible because of Husk using Will's Admin Key, saying that doing such was forbidden. If that was true, why was he capable of doing it? It made him wonder if The Will even understood the power he cursed The Players with. The little ball of blue flames was known for errors from Jaune's point of view.

It was actually a scary thought. A programmer that didn't even understand what they were doing with the game they were developing. A scary thought for said programs having to live through whatever world they were trapped in.

"That damn Husk! What the hell was that empty fool thinking?! I ought to snap his neck and hang him by his entrails! Or burn all the Lien in his possession. Either one would work."

Whatever sense of peace he had felt falling through the sea of data was beaten silly as his feet finally touched the bottom of the Core and an annoying voice entered his ear. He sighed as a small ember of azure appeared in front of him. A setting began to form from the stream of numbers, leaving Jaune standing before a large golden hall. The sight reminded him of the inside of a rich castle from the portraits of rich aristocrats on the walls and the gaudy furniture decorating the mansion. Everything seemed to glimmer with wealth. Even the giant door in front of him looked like it could buy and sell him.

Annoyance filled Will's being as it glared at Jaune. It was not happy.

"Heart, mind telling me why you're here?" it said sweetly with a strained smile, "Crossing into an NPC's Core is a no-no. Not even we gods are allowed to do such a thing. And weren't you supposed to kill that Helios boy? It's what The Game commands. And we all follow its commands." it hissed.

"I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't listen to anything you have to say." Jaune frowned as he chose to look at the door in front of him instead, "Besides, you all let me dive into Ren's Core before. How is this any different?"

"Because Mind was a Player! This is a fucking NPC!" Will roared, it's being growing bigger with its anger as its flames raged wildly. Its red eyes grew deeper as it grew to tower Jaune like a mini sun.

"You had a mission. Eliminate Helios before time ran out. Or it was Game Over for you! I even went as far as rewarding you the NPC's weapons, a new smithing material, and Lien! I didn't have to do any of that! I simply had to send you The Game's mission, that's all! But NO! You just want to keep fighting me at every turn! WHY?!"

"Because I refuse to kill another person!" Jaune shouted back, glaring angrily at the almighty being as he stood his ground. What The Game and The Will wanted was out of the question. Not again. Holt, Ren, they were mistakes. If he had any choice then, he wouldn't have to live with the guilt of their deaths haunting him.

Will rolled its beady red eyes in annoyance, "This again? What's one more death? If you're worried about all the NPC's reacting to you killing the red headed brat, then don't worry about it. The Game's got it covered. All I got to do is weave up some script that justifies the NPC's death and you'll be fine." it said with an air of boredom and a wave of its arm.

Jaune's anger rose as he tightened his fist. Oh, how he wished Crocea Mors could actually harm the damn thing.

"I won't kill Helios. Not when I can save him. If I could save Ren when he was Falling, then I can do the same with him. So, you can go back to whatever realm, reality, or dimension you came from. Because I'm not listening to another word you say." Jaune said sternly as he laid his palm on the cool surface of the towering door.

Will fumed at the Heart's disrespectful attitude before flying for his scroll. Like it would miss out on some action. Even if it wasn't happy with the kid right now.

"How did Husk send you in here?" Will asked as Jaune opened the giant twin doors. The merchant god didn't have its Admin Key on him. Not after last time.

Jaune sighed as he answered. As much as he didn't want the god tagging along, he didn't have any other choice in the matter. It could do whatever it wanted.

"Husk unlocked my full potential as The Heart. He said this was what I would be capable of once I had matured into my Title and reached my first End."

The answer seemed to be enough as The Will didn't say another word. It went silent as Jaune stepped into the new location. A bright light blinded Jaune as he shut his eyes. Why was it so bright?

Thankfully the light dimmed as he stepped foot on a red oak floor. Confusion set in as he turned around, finding himself standing in the middle of a round concert hall. Extravagant rows lined the outside of the stage, filled with silhouettes of high class concert goers. Above his head he found a glamorous crystal chandelier along with spotlights circling the concert hall. And at the center of the row of seats stood a giant lone gold throne, decorated with jewels and red velvet cushions. Sitting upon the throne was a tall being made of golden flames dressed in brass armor wielding a jeweled spear. Its lower face was hidden by a silver knitted shawl and a simple gold crown rested atop its head. Its beady red eyes stared down passively at Jaune, silently judging him from its throne.

Strangely, another, smaller stage was placed at the bottom of the row of seats. Almost like a small dance floor.

"Where the hell am I?" Jaune asked as he marveled at the concert hall. He'd been to some musical concerts before with his family in the past, but this was nothing like those family trips! The place looked like it was literally made out of gold! It was kinda blinding.

"This is Helios Hyperion Lyre's Core. Or what it's become at least." Will grumbled as its red eyes squinted at the design of the hall, "A little rich for my tastes. I'll never understand what those NPC's see in all this junk. It's just shiny metal. It's simply harder to find is all."

"This is Helios's Core? That doesn't seem right." Jaune frowned in thought. The Core reflected one's character. With Ren, his Core was tranquil and serene, it fit him to a T. But this? He would have thought that Helios's Core would be more punkish or have something to do with heroes. What he was seeing was a rich snob's center, not a foul-mouthed rocker's.

Will looked annoyed as it sighed. The kid had to take a lesson in listening.

"I said this is what it has become. This isn't what it normally looks like. Even with his Corruption being at 43%, it's enough to warp his perception of what he sees himself as. Seems his negativity flipped a switch in his personality." Will mused as it stroked its nonexistent chin. How interesting. But then again, he did design Helios's Core with a bit of his father's design. So, it wasn't that shocking. If anything, it was shocking the NPC hadn't stuck with Hors' personality and had instead gone with his mother's.

Hearing that, Jaune felt more at ease. It was actually relieving to know that wasn't how Helios really acted. Which wasn't any better honestly.

Giving the concert hall a final glance, Jaune brought his attention back to the azure flame residing in his scroll, "So, what do I do now? Do I have to pick a path somewhere to begin erasing the sources of corruption again?" he asked Will, only for it to shake its flaming body no.

"This Core isn't as corrupted as Mind's. The Grimm Origin that was born months ago hasn't had enough time to spread much of its influence into the data and code in here. It's basically been readying itself to split apart and do some real damage, but then you dove into the Core and interrupted it." it explained before motioning Jaune to turn the scroll around.

From the ceiling above, a single droplet of darkness fell onto the stage like a glob. It wriggled, rising up to shift its body into a black ball of miasma with a single beady red eye at the center. Its very presence sent chills down Jaune's spine.

 **'Grimm Origin.**

 **?HP/?HP.'**

Jaune's hand flew to Crocea Mors as he eyed the ball of darkness warily. He had enough experience from his first Dive to know that it was dangerous even as a ball. But at least there was only one of it. Less of a hassle for him that way.

"Then all I have to do is kill it?" Jaune asked as he prepared to make the first strike.

Will winced, sucking in a breath as its eyes spun for the giant seated at the center of the audience, "You say that as if it's easy."

The tall golden giant raised its spear before gently tapping it onto the ground. The sound it gave off erected a summoning circle before the Grimm Origin, summoning it a familiar red head.

Helios Lyre stared back blankly at Jaune's stunned face, his face pale as the whites of his eyes grew black and red. His wild red ponytail grew a pale rose, signaling his Falling status along with his paling skin. Helios quirked a brow at Jaune, scoffing to the side as his eyes fell.

"Come to stop me, Hero? Figures, you couldn't even just let me win and stand in the spotlight for a measly second." he said bitterly as the Grimm Origin formed a toothy grin and giggled as it floated above him. Streams of darkness began to flow between the two, connecting them as the small stage in front of the row of seats began to open up a concealed door. Turning his eyes to the sound of gears and chains, Jaune frowned at the odd sight of a woman rising up to the small stage. The long pink haired woman was chained by her wrists to the ground, wearing a long silk flowing skirt of gold, a jeweled top, a see through golden sash, and a silver veil hiding her face from view.

 _'The hell's going on?'_ This was getting weird. But knowing how the Core worked, everything within was based on the person's beliefs and memories. Who knew what was in store for him.

Shaking his head, Jaune went back to Helios as he tried to talk some sense into him, "Helios, you have to snap out of it! This isn't you, and you know it! Does winning really mean that much to you that you'd willing be controlled by your own despair?"

Helios smiled grimly as he rose his hand to the Grimm Origin above him. It giggled madly as its beady eye widened in glee.

"This isn't about winning. This isn't even about being a hero anymore. All I care about now is erasing your spotlight from my damn stage!" he spat before the Grimm Origin shut its eyes and began to consume him.

Jaune removed Crocea Mors from its sheath as he moved to intercept the fusion. He grunted, scowling in confusion as some almighty force kept his feet grounded.

"There's no stopping this now, Heart. The Core of Helios has already been infected, the only way to rid it of its corruption is to destroy the source. And the source is itching for a fight!" Will grinned eagerly. Oh, it was on the edge of the screen in anticipation! Seeing as it couldn't control what was inside the Core, it was always exciting to see the kinds of things it could create when threatened. Something it had only ever seen since Jaune had made his first Dive.

Completely consuming Helios's body, the Grimm Origin pulsed, throbbing like a heartbeat as it began its fusion. A wave of darkness erupted from its cocoon body, clouding Jaune's sight as the entire hall was blanketed with black smoke. Slit red eyes peered through the dark veil before the being within parted the darkness with a strong wave of their arm. In less than a second, all the darkness had been cleared away to reveal the menacing armored being standing before the stage.

Heavily armored with black and white steel growth platting, an imposing dark knight stood in Helios' place. Its armored bone greaves were lined with spikes curving back among white fur, sharp metallic fingers, and a platted chest with two long white thorn growths curving up like saber tooth tusks. It wore a white furred sash over its belt while its lower body, armored as the rest of it, was oddly hunched over like wolf's feet. In fact, its entire body looked like it was hunched over like a common Beowolf. The helm was even designed after the common Grimm with the beast's mouth opened wide in a snarl to reveal the red bone platted face of the knight. Its features were smooth with only a deeper set of red lined with black to form its eyes and a red wild ponytail flowing out the back of the helm.

 **'Grimm Lyre.**

 **31,000HP/31,000HP'**

Will whistled at the design as Jaune gulped, "Wow. Ain't that something? Even Remnant would be salivating at the design of the beast. Things like that turn her on. She's kinda a freak."

A Boss fight it is then. Well, Jaune should have expected as much. Most of his problems could only be resolved with a big fight. That was a video game for you though. At least here he could use his Spells, Items, and Links to get by. Might as well start off with a bang before the boss rushed him.

But again, the unknown force keeping his body still refused let him move a muscle. He grunted as he tried to even move his arm freely, growing on edge as he watched the Grimm Hyperion stretch out its arm and conjure something out of a mass of darkness in its hand.

 _'Don't tell me I'm just supposed to let it hit me! That's just cheating!'_

 **'WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! BOSS, INCOMING! Grimm Lyre, Scion of Wrath. Setting functions into Mini Game: StarRocker! Get Ready!'**

 _'Wait, what?'_ Jaune thought dully as Crocea Mors was sent to his Inventory by The Game and replaced with a wooden instrument. He stared at his old guitar, feeling his eye twitch as his HUD was replaced with a side menu of something he had only seen in a music game involving said instrument. His portrait displaying his Health, MP, and Link bar suddenly gained a score counter, reminding him of the last time he had gone through a similar situation.

"Turn Based Battle?" he said flatly as he watched the Grimm Lyre pull out Hades Styx from darkness. Will nodded vigorously with a wide grin.

"Hope you play guitar as good as you fight."

Jaune resisted the urge to smack his face and drag it down tiredly as he eased his shoulders and fixed his guitar. Pulling up his Abilities, he was at least happy to see it was similar to his dance battle. Everything came at a cost from healing to defending. From his guess, he was going to have to rack up points with his guitar to fight. Reading over the description of his abilities since they had been tweaked to fit the new style of combat, he steeled his resolve as a musical beat began to play all around them.

It looked like he was going to have to be a guitar hero this time.

 **'FIGHT!'**

The Grimm Lyre went wild, its metal fingers flicking the strings to Hades Styx with fever as it bobbed along with the loud, ears screeching tune. Its red eyes beamed as the air was filled with its rocking beats.

Jaune followed along as the side screen began throwing notes at him from several different colors. He licked his lips as his fingers went to work, playing along with the selected score. It was an old score, one he had actually played with one of his sisters when he had first begun practicing. To his surprise, the belly dancer at the smaller center stage began to move along with the two different genres, swaying elegantly as her sash flew around her.

Grinding a long chord, the Grimm Lyre's tainted red aura began to flow out of it before its body was freed to move. Its eyes gleamed as it continued playing and aimed the pommel of Hades Styx at Jaune before its fingers gripped its trigger. An automatic fire of blazing bullets shot out and peppered Jaune. He held back a shout of pain as he almost lost focus on the notes. Now that he thought about it, how was he supposed to fight with a guitar? What was he supposed to do, bash the boss over the head with it?

Well, time to find out.

 _ **'Crescent Blade[500Points]: Fires a crescent blade of magic with a high Critical Hit rate. Has a chance to Stun and interrupt opponents. Allows attacking and strumming.'**_

Gaining enough points with 700 under his counter, Jaune selected the Ability with a mental command. His fingers didn't stop playing as they gained a white hue before his guitar fired a Crescent Blade without the need of a sword. It flew through the air as the bullet rain ended and cut through the dark wolf knight. It howled, its string of notes pausing as it fell to one knee. Seeing an opening, Jaune focused on the notes, hitting them as perfectly as he could as his score counter reached 1,100.

 _ **'Point of Eruption[1,000Points]: Attack with a blazing shield stab, dealing Fire damage. Timed right during an attack, it can stop the attack from landing and deal extra damage.'**_

Fire coursed through the strings of the wooden instrument as Ignis Mors was equipped in his right arm. Pausing his playing, Jaune was free to attack and dashed after the stunned boss. He drove the heated point into its chest, knocking it back as its HP was knocked down a decent amount. The Grimm Lyre dug its feet into the floor, sending bits of shattered stage flying back as it righted itself and went back to playing Hades Styx. A low growl escaped its mouthless mask as it readied itself for another attack, only to be stopped as a flaming bolt drilling into its face. Flame shrouded its helm as the explosion from a Firebolt nearly knocked it back.

 **'Grimm Lyre, Scion of Wrath.**

 **24,100HP/31,000HP.'**

For a Boss, it didn't have a good Defense. Only three hits and it was already taking a lot of damage. That was good. Hitting another combo of notes on his guitar, Jaune focused on building up another big attack as he watched the knight shake away the flames. He just had to keep up with the beat, just like before.

"….Heroes…never…DIE."

The gurgled, hoarse voice took Jaune back as the Grimm Lyre's arms slouched, its clawed fingers hitting the ground as it stared back at him with hollow red eyes. Beside it, two towers of gushing darkness erupted.

"LIES…lies made to fool children into hoping. Into believing they could be anything. Just a way to trick them into believing that their destiny was their own. How cruel." it rasped bitterly. From the darkness, two Beowolves arose with dark twisted versions of Styx in their hands. The sword now had several metal chords on its blade, allowing them to play their own scores as their tongue lulled along with the heavy metal music.

 **'Bass Beowolf.**

 **7,000HP/7,000HP'**

The Grimm Lyre's score continued to rise with the addition of its two grunts even as it stopped its playing. It rose a solitary finger at Jaune, the tip of its claw forming a red ball of unstable energy as it chuckled emptily.

"I've no need for lies. Now vanish, Hero."

A beam of destructive energy fired from its armored claw, moving faster than Jaune could blink as it pierced his shoulder. The pain made Jaune cry out and forgo playing his guitar as his hand flew for the gushing open hole. Having its own opening, the Grimm Lyre went back to playing Hades Styx to keep its score rising as the Bass Beowolves ceased their act. They howled in sync before running madly after the stunned blond knight. They abandoned their claws and gripped their Styx's tightly as they crossed over one another in their run. Together they performed a cross slash that sprayed blood onto the ground as Jaune stumbled back.

Struggling to get a grip on his guitar, Jaune used up 500 points to heal his wounds with a Large Potion. He gasped as the liquid went down and mended the red X as he tried to gather more points.

 _'So, now I have three opponents? How is that fair!?'_ That just meant more work then. He was going to have to focus on eliminating the Bass Beowolves before hitting the Boss. Otherwise he would only take more damage as it attacked without the need to gather its own points.

" _ **Block!**_ " Using up 200 points for the simple action, Jaune quickly brought Ignis Mors up to block another piercing beam from the boss. The simple attack pushed him back as the beam was split apart and carved into the seats above. Growling in dissatisfaction, the Beowolves spun around for the Grimm Lyre and bent their spine back as they brought their Styx to their mouths and continued to play with their tongue. A red aura lifted from their bodies, flowing into the dark wolf knight. A spike of strength filled the boss before it dashed after Jaune, trailing its glaive along the floor as sparks flew along the shattered bits. With a mighty upward slash, it had hoped to send the boy flying with a spray of blood but found Jaune blurring out of sight. It turned back, finding Jaune blurring in and out of sight with his sword glowing white.

" _ **Hyper Blade!**_ " With the right timing, Jaune had evaded the slash and went after the grunts. He ran for the dark wolves, stopping them both from playing another note as he knocked them around with a flurry of slashes. Done with his attack as he dropped the grunts HP about halfway, Jaune jumped back to his spot on the stage as the boss followed suit.

The Grimm Lyre dropped its score again and fired another round of gunfire as the wolves increased its Attack again. But Jaune was prepared, locking on his sights for the Beowolf on the left of the boss as Crocea Mors fell into his hand.

" _ **Warp Strike!**_ " The old steel of his family's sword stabbed through the wolf's face and exited the back of its head, killing it off as Jaune evaded the bullets in the nick of time. Ripping the blade out, he went back to his spot as the last of Beowolf howled and attacked. With his points low, he had to endure its attack as it spun on its foot and slashed at his chest. The Grimm Lyre followed along, running past its retreating grunt and dark red aura enshrouded its glaive and brought it down in a hammer swing. Jaune found himself spewing blood out from the carving tear along his chest and from his mouth. A large splatter of blood smeared the floor while he gasped, his feet falling back but he refused to drop the beat he had going. With some difficultly he continued and used up enough points to heal half the damage.

Just one more grunt, just one more and then he could attack! He just had to keep enduring whatever it had in mind.

Letting the boss keep the score going, the final Beowolf ran forward with a lunging stab. Jaune bit down on his lip as the thin edge ran through his side, cutting off 700HP with the attack. Still, he hit the notes on his HUD. Gathering a good stockpile of points, he fired a Crescent Blade after the retreating dark beast and lucked out as it scored a Critical. Now it was just the boss again.

Seeing it raise its finger for another pierce, Jaune offered up the points to move again and let the jets of Ignis Mors send him flying. Just before it could fire, Jaune slammed a Point of Eruption into its face, dealing more damage by its effect as its mask cracked. He kicked off its large body and fell back, watching as it gripped its damaged face. It grunted, dropping its arms as it summoned two more grunts to aid it again.

The boss's HP was nearing half, meaning he just had to keep up with the strategy. It was strong, and could summon help to keep its score rising while it attacked, but its Defense was weak. If he endured its attacks, healed after his HP was dropped a quarter way, and knocked out its grunts before moving onto it, he'd be able to put down the boss quickly.

With the plan solidified, Jaune focused on the notes on his HUD as the Grimm Lyre stopped playing to focus its eyes on the blond knight. The wolf like knight sighed tiredly, dropping its head while glancing at something to its side. Jaune frowned, following its line of sight to the pink haired belly dancer.

Why was she even here? The poor woman looked chained against her will, forced to dance to their music. Her place in their fight didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, a paper-thin line of light fell over the woman before a spike of malevolent flames erupted out from under her. The woman screamed in agony, the pain causing her to grip her burning body before the flames died away. Her body smoked, but looked unharmed as she began to dance again to the Beowolves music.

 _'What the hell?'_ Jaune was horrified by the sight. Even if the woman was made up of data and didn't exist, it still wasn't right to see her being harmed.

"I am a Hyperion! I HAVE NO NEED FOR CHILDISH THINGS!"

The roaring mad shout from the Grimm Lyre startled Jaune as he found the boss gripping its head in pain. It vigorously shook its head, the corrupted body cladding itself in its tainted aura.

"Heroes are nothing more than folklore lost to ages past! The only way to succeed, to be known, to shine, is by name and wealth! For a Hyperion is greater than a petty warrior!" Spreading its arms apart, black-red veins shot out of its palms and struck its minions. The Beowolves whined, their entire beings dissolving and drained into the Grimm Lyre. And with that, 10,000 of its HP had been brought back.

Jaune's strategy fell apart before him as the boss once again summoned two more Beowolves, and went further as another two appeared beside him. He broke out into a sweat as their volume increased, increasing the boss's score tenfold. The Grimm Lyre's voice rasped as it spoke, its beady red eyes dulling in color as it rose its finger up and its minions boosted its Strength.

"My bloodline is destined for riches. A future paved in gold. While your bloodline will only lead you to death."

Seeing the attack coming, Jaune paid the price to block as he rose his shield up for the incoming beam. But the increase in attack power from the four Beowolves had transformed the thin beam into a wide beam of devastation. A wall of corrupted blood red energy crashed forward like a wave, tearing up the stage as Jaune could only look on with disbelief. Desperately, he tried switching his Block into Hyper Blade or Warp Strike but before he could hit either option, the ground under him grew red hot. A spike of blazing fire erupted under him, burning him alive as he screamed in pain before being silenced by the sight of red engulfing him whole.

The wall and rows of seats filled with shadowed NPC's was blown to bits by the giant beam of red. It continued on like a continuous stream until it could no longer keep itself stable. It dispersed in a shower of red glimmer lights, leaving a massive hole in front of the boss's view.

Droplets of blood fell off of Jaune's body as he choked on the immense pain over every inch of his body. His eyes trembled, moving everywhere as he swayed on his feet. His combat hood had been completely disintegrated by the blast, leaving only his tattered pants and his scarred, burned chest exposed. Fatigue settled in as his eyes grew heavy. Breathes became labored and he tried to keep his eyes on his HUD.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **1HP/8,800HP.'**

Once again, Yang's Perk had saved his ass from death. Now if only he had a healing item that could restore all his HP in one go. It was too bad he had used up all the Ambrosia Professor Antheia had gifted him. Now she was out of stock until further notice. _'I-I guess m-mixing up a better p-potion will have to do.'_ he thought with a weak smile before becoming horrified at his score.

 **'Score: 0.'**

That wasn't possible! Before he had been hit, he had saved up 17,200 points! Where did they all go? Did, did the attack erase all his progress?

Realization hit Jaune as his eyes slowly fell to his empty hands. They trembled, bloody and burned without the weight of his guitar. 'Was that. . .blown apart by the blast?' Breathing in a shaken breath, he tried to summon it from his inventory, going as far as calling it out loud, but to no avail. In his distraction, the boss had fired a small beam at him, piercing his chest and filling his lungs with red as his aura shattered. He nearly suffocated from the bile and blood as his HP hit the negative threshold.

Without anything to increase his score, Jaune was helpless. All he could do was stare back at the boss coating its glaive with its aura as the Beowolves boosted its strength with heavy eyes.

How? He had been making progress, had a plan formed, and even dropped the boss's health to half. But in one move, it had all been ruined. He couldn't even block it, stopped by the pyre of fire under his feet. What was going on?

At the center of the seats, sitting up their throne, the flaming golden giant rested its spear back against its seat as its glow died down. Its red eyes leered down at the blond boy, grinning widely beneath its shawl.

The sight Jaune's heavily wounded state actually made the Grimm Lyre pause. Its knuckles popped as its entire body shook.

Something faint cut through the loud metal music from the Beowolves, catching Jaune's attention as his heavy eyes grew wide.

"No…I…I…I don't want to. Please…stop."

The sound of a woman screaming at the top of her lungs as fire erupted below her feet caused the Grimm Lyre to howl in agony.

Jaune's eyes grew a sad hint as he stared down the despaired knight, _'You…don't want to fight, do you? Something's forcing you, filling your head with all this nonsense, and controlling you like a puppet. It's no wonder your arms are shaking.'_ he thought mournfully. He gritted his teeth angrily, eyes hot with tears as he felt even more useless.

The Will had gone silent, leaving his scroll to fend for himself. For a being that watched over them, it didn't seem to mind if they were killed. It must have been ticked off with his behavior and left. Figures he screwed himself over. Goes to show you that you shouldn't piss off a god.

 _'What am I supposed to do now? I can't gain any more points without an instrument, I can't fight, and I can't dodge willingly. Just what the hell am I supposed to do now!?'_

Was this it? Was he about to die? Because he had ignored The Game's mission and decided to play hero? Because he refused to kill another living being? Was all the progress he had made these past few months all going to be for nothing? Just because he wanted to save someone who hated his guts, he was going to die.

"NO!" Jaune roared angrily, blood spitting out his mouth as he glared towards the looming dark knight. His body was beaten, bleeding, and scorched, but he refused to go down now. Not after everything he had gone through. He wasn't going to say good-bye to everyone again. And he'd be damned if he let someone be consumed by their own negativity.

He was The Heart. And he had come to learn that carried a certain responsibility.

"Helios, I know that this is not your fault. You may be an asshole, a jerk, obsessed with being a hero, and rude, but you're no killer!" Jaune shouted as he swept his arm to the glamorous hall around them, "All this gold and luxury isn't you either! You're no aristocrat who looks down on others because of status. You're Helios Lyre, another warrior who wants to be a hero, just like me! And I know that you're still in there!" he roared.

The Grimm Lyre's red eyes flinched, trembling as the blond's words resonated something deep within. It looked at Jaune, the boy's image blurring as it was replaced with another blond. A knight in battered silver blue and white armor wielding a lone longsword. The same blue and blond hair but older and mature with longer locks. The vision was something out of a fairy tale.

 _'G-Genos?'_

The tapping of a spear hilt and another horrid scream of agony from the pink haired belly dancer brought it out of its thoughts. It didn't have the freedom for such thoughts. It never did.

It ignored the blond knight's words and prepared to fire one more colossal beam. Just one more and it would all be over.

The mass of red energy forming at the boss's finger tips signaled Jaune's end. All he could do under The Game's rules was watch as the deadly wall of red bulldozed its way towards him.

Unknown to those participating in the battle, The Will was watching the events unfold with a toothy grin. Its eyes beamed in joy as it materialized a hand and snapped its finger.

 _'Perfect! Now, I can finally go with my plan. Time to switch characters!'_

Surely no one would blame it for playing with another Player?

The surrounding scenery suddenly glitched as time was drawn to a standstill. Just before Jaune was drown by the sure kill attack, the colossal beam was frozen a few spaces from him. He blinked, his body easing up as he stared down his imminent death. Was this a miracle?

"Miracle? No, this is righting a wrong."

A dark foreboding fell over Jaune as he spun around to the new voice and presence within the Core. A twisting pyre of black-red flames erupted like a geyser as the voice chuckled from within. A sense of familiarity hit Jaune.

 _'Why does it sound like me?'_

From the darkness, a tattered cloak wearing stranger stepped out with their hands inside their pockets. Silver white tips of the stranger's hair peeked out from their hood and their red eyes leered at the nearly dead blond. The sight filled him with glee.

"I don't expect you to know me, or care. Which is funny considering. But I honestly don't care at this point." Blanc said with bitter mirth before reaching into his Inventory. There was no need to bring out his weapon, not when he was still working on perfecting fighting with it. Which wouldn't matter after this, Crocea Mors would be back home where it belongs. Instead he settled with a katana he had been rewarded from a White Fang grunt as he ran towards Jaune with a wild laugh.

"None of this will matter after I'm done with you! You'll just be a bad memory, a past I'll erase once I wake up back to our Reset!"

Seeing the stranger run in, Jaune moved to defend. But his body refused to listen to his command as he desperately fought to move. He bit his lip, shutting his eyes as they swelled with tears. Everything hurt, he couldn't move, and he couldn't even save Helios. And now some stranger was going to kill him. What a way to go.

"SAY GOODBYE, YOU FAKE!"

"Stop."

Both Blanc and Will found their eyes widening, stunned as they found several chains coiling around Blanc's limbs. The white-haired boy's eyes trembled, his anger taking over his shock as he spun his furious sights on the dead corpse stopping him from ending his nightmare. Following the shackles, he found the pink haired belly dancer breaking free from her captivity to stop him with her chains. Her green eyes glared at him, the dangerous aura he gave off not affecting her in the slightest. She tightened her grip, refusing to let him move and kill Jaune.

Jaune was as surprised as he looked at the woman. She could move? How? He couldn't even move!

Blanc snarled as he fought his restraints, "Lady, let go! You've no idea what you're doing!"

"You don't belong here. Nor do you." she glanced back at the ball of blue flames before the broken chains on her left arm fired after it. The Will was bewildered, unable to do a thing as its body was ensnared by the rusted links like they were strangling snakes. It then watched Blanc ripped off his feet as the chains tugged on itsels.

"Oh, for fuc-'

"Leave."

With immense strength, the woman began to swing the two above the air like a lasso. Blanc and Will were spun around, becoming blurs as the velocity stretched their faces.

 _'NO! No, no, no, no, no!'_ Blanc cried internally as his vision blurred. He was so close! Why the hell was this happening?

 _'I'm a GOD! How the hell is a program capable of sending me away?!'_ Will was not happy. In fact, it was furious. But as it tried to enforce its will over the programmed memory, it found itself unable to do a thing like Blanc. Its will had no power here. And it pissed it off beyond words.

With one final swing, the pink haired belly dancer let them go. The momentum and speed created from her swing sent them both flying towards the ceiling faster than a bullet. They crashed through, raining debris onto the concert stage as they vanished like twinkling stars in the night. All the while Jaune watched with a slacked jaw and wide eyes of disbelief.

 _'You know, I don't think I was as prepared for today as I thought.'_ Because he sure as hell wasn't prepared to see something like that when he woke up. That was beside the point though. What was that just about? Who was the stranger just now? And why did he try to kill him? What would have been the point? He said something about their Reset. What did that mean?

"Sir Genos?"

Snapping out of the many questions filling his head, Jaune turned around to the pink haired belly dancer. The sound of the chains trailing her was all that could be heard within what he guessed was a Pause as she warily walked up to him. He found himself blushing at her dress wear, revealing so much of her white pearl skin and her flat stomach. She was a real beauty. He scowled, noticing her wrist and feet were bruised, the skin of her ankles and wrist scarred a horrible rusted red from the worn chains once keeping her from leaving her little stage.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not Genos. My name's Jaune, Jaune Arc!" he said brightly despite his body still aching everywhere.

Genos, he had heard that name somewhere, even before Helios. Something about that name felt really familiar.

"Oh! I'm very sorry!" the belly dancer, throwing up her hands with a flinch as she apologized. Gulping nervously, she pushed her two fingers together as she spoke softly while looking down, "It's just you reminded me of someone. Of an old hero that meant the world to me. I suppose you just possess the same aura he gave off in those old worn out pages." she giggled. She suddenly got real close to his face, scrutinizing ever detail on his face as his blush grew deeper. For gods sakes, he could feel her hot breath on his neck!

"But you really do look like him. You did say Arc, correct? Hmm."

Sweating under the woman's gaze, Jaune nervously chuckled, "Anyway, thanks for saving me back there. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. And if I died here, I wouldn't be able to return to everyone." he said softly as he looked at his negative HP. He was sure that even a simple tap would keel him over. Just standing and speaking was taking a lot of effort.

The woman smiled sweetly, "It's the least I could do for all you've been trying to do to save my little sunlight. I'm sorry he's caused you so much trouble." she frowned sadly.

Little sunlight. Putting two and two together, Jaune took a wild guess as he pointed to Helios in his corrupted state.

"Helios is your son?" That was hard to believe. She looked so gentle and nurturing compared to his thuggish appearance.

The dancer nodded, her green eyes tearing up as she spun back to face Helios. The dark thing in his place was not her little hero. Just some twisted version. Created by Him.

Turning back to Jaune, the woman was hesitant to speak before gathering her courage.

"Mr. Arc, I know you have many questions right now, but time is of the essence. I can only hold this frozen moment for so long and my control is slipping with every second. It won't be long until time resumes. So, please hear my request!" she said with a cry, her eyes threatening to lose control of her tears.

"Please, save my little sunlight!"

 _'Please, go easy on him. Please, I don't want my friend to lose himself. I don't want to see him suffer anymore.'_

Jaune chuckled as he shut his eyes, sighing as he nodded. Save him, huh? As if anyone had to ask a second time. He wasn't about to die over nothing after all. It was just too bad he hadn't thought of a better way to save Helios the first time. Maybe if he had taken a dive, things would have been better? Then again, he had a feeling that Helios wouldn't accept a win like that if he knew he was holding back on him.

Still, he wasn't exactly in any condition to be saving anyone now. He opened his eyes to his shaking hands, bloody and struggling to even clench. Once the Pause was dropped, he would be a sitting duck again. There was a literal red wall of death staring him in the face! There wasn't much he could do with The Game's rules in the way.

But that didn't mean he could say no to a face like that. He was a sucker to a woman's plea. Just like his father.

"I don't know what I'll be able to do, the guy hates my guts after all. I'm pretty sure if he knew what I was trying to do, he would start shouting at me and threaten to knock my jaw out. I mean, whoever heard of a hero saving a hero? But, I can't just leave him like that either."

The pain meant nothing as Jaune tightened his shaking fist with a pained grin, determined to fight despite the hopeless situation. He didn't come all this way for nothing!

"Don't worry, I promise you I'll find some way to save him."

The dancer smiled thankfully as a few tears slipped out. Just like a true hero. Happy that the boy accepted her plea, she turned her eyes to the real main threat that had been stopping Jaune from succeeding in the first place. Her eyes homed in on the frozen crowned giant.

"Then let me help. Helios is the least of your worries, the real threat is Hyperion. The giant is the one corrupting him. If you want any hope of ending this, then you have to take it out!"

Jaune looked back at the giant, sitting above everyone else like a king. That did explain the crown on its head. So, the main source of the Grimm Origin was the giant. Didn't Will say that the Grimm Origin was preparing to corrupt the rest of Helios's memories? Then what he was fighting now was just a body it had created to send out. Wait a minute, did that mean the giant was the reason why the table was flipped on him? That son of a bitch!

"Well, I could use all the help I can get. But how are you going to help?" Jaune asked with concern. Sure, she did send Will and the cloaked stranger flying earlier, but he was sure that was a one-time thing. She didn't look like much of a fighter.

The dancer smiled with a wink as she rested her hand on her wide hips, "Don't you worry! I can handle myself without a fancy sword. I got my own way of fighting back."

Jaune wasn't so sure, but she did save his ass once. For now, he would have to trust her. He didn't have much of a choice either way.

With everything set, Jaune nodded, signaling the pink haired woman to drop the stasis. This had been going on long enough, it was time to end all this fighting. The woman smiled happily as she released her hold over the twisted memory. It was in that moment Jaune remembered what laid ahead of him once time continued. The colossal beam roared to life, crashing its way to reduce him to nothing.

Jaune braced himself, hoping he could defy the odds and survive. But there was no need to as the pink haired woman stepped in front of him, unflinching as the beam inched closer. His body moved without his notice as he ran the short distance to push her away, only to be taken by surprise as a melodies voice escaped her lips. Her body glowed brightly as she brought her hand to her chest in a prayer, singing the song in heart as the beam stopped in front of her. It was suddenly crushed, condensing into a small ball that floated before her until it collapsed in itself.

Okay, so she did know how to defend herself.

Glancing back towards Jaune, the woman gestured her head to the giant, "Don't worry, I can pacify Helios. Focus on the giant and put an end to this. I'll even help you with those wounds and give you a boost." the woman's heavenly voice sang, causing a brilliant glow to engulf him. The wounds over his body were healed by the healing light, restoring his HP, and even bumping his stats up as he felt his muscles grow. He stared in amazement at the beautiful lights before narrowing his eyes and turning to the giant. It didn't look happy, standing at attention at the sight of the dancer free of her restraints. Its red eyes glowed angrily as it raised its spear to punish her.

Not again. Free of The Game's control as he swapped places with the dancer, he bounded after the giant as he scanned it while calling on Gale Speed.

 **'Grimm Hyperion, Ruler of Lyre.**

 **33,000HP/33,000HP.'**

The boost from the dancer's song increased Jaune's spike of speed so he would fly through the air as he charged the Grimm Hyperion like a streaking bullet. He ran on the very air as the golden flaming giant caught sight of him before it could tap its spear. It sneered, switching his action to swipe its long spear at the knight. Jaune smirked as he vanished under another burst of speed, flickering out of sight to appear by the side of its throne. He reared his fist back as Ignis Mors readied itself. The Score on his HUD was still there despite the free movement, but the beautiful dancer's singing was raising it faster than he had been able, allowing him to perform his Ability without a care as the jets flared to life.

" _ **Point of Eruption!**_ " Riding the erupting flames, Jaune smashed the point of his burning shield into the side of the giant's head, knocking it off its throne and sending it crashing along the seats beside it. It carved a line of wreckage as the shadow silhouettes flew up in the air before its large body stopped.

Seeing the giant hurt, the Grimm Lyre growled and moved to attack Jaune. But its feet were suddenly grounded along with its grunts as the heavenly voice from the dancer froze it. The monster looked towards her, its eyes narrowing as its body twitched. The voice, it was so soft yet strong. Just hearing it made its head hurt. Why?

 _" Cut straight through the Illusion~, and soar __from_ _the confusion!~ To a blue-sky revolution~, let it go and sing your heart out~! "_ the dancer sang, her voice sending chills down Jaune's spine as he watched the giant stand back up. It threw its hand out, stretching it like rubber as it flew to snatch the boy and crush him to a pulp. Something took over Jaune's body, automatically moving his body out of the way while airborne before falling onto the stretching arm. He didn't question it and dashed along it with his sword ready. The Grimm Hyperion narrowed its eyes and called back its arm with a snap. But Jaune had made enough distance to its face as he leapt and flipped in the air. He gripped his sword tightly as he swung down at its face.

 _" Don't you sweat~, the regret~! Make way~, make way! Everyday a future in the making~!"_

Crocea Mors cut the middle of its face, sending it back as it roared in pain as a gush of rich golden blood flew out its scarred features. Angered, it gathered a ball of orange-red flames in its free hand and threw it after the blond knight. Jaune found himself unable to dodge as the giant ball of licking flames sent him flying to the other side of the hall. The flames burned his open skin, blistering his skin as his HP took a large dive.

 _" So, give the fight~, All your Might~!"_

An incredible rush of energy entered Jaune's veins, helping him to ignore the pain and leap through the flames. Another giant ball of flames flew after him as he flew through the air. Meeting it, he cut the flames in half as he continued on his flight before several more followed the miss. He spun around one, dashed to the side of the next, and cut the next two to pieces that flew past him. The Grimm Hyperion's anger was only rising by the second, its body visibly flaring with flames as it rose its spear above its head. The rich golden weapon was bathed in its flames, elongating it, and sharpening its spearhead as it prepared to throw it.

That looked dangerous. Seeing his Score rise further and further, Jaune opened his options and decided to go with his favorite spell. It was a hefty cost, but he didn't have to worry about scores any more with the dancer's song.

" _ **Reflect!**_ "

With a roar, the Grimm Hyperion threw its spear at Jaune. The spear raged with blazing flames as it cut through the air and reached its target just as a mirror like barrier surrounded Jaune. The burning spear tip fought to shatter the mirror surface, sending flames around the surface as small cracks formed. A white light enveloped the spear, stopping it from its flight and sending it back to the giant. The Grimm Hyperion was too slow to dodge and found its own weapon running through its shoulder easily. It stumbled back with a low growl and ripped it out before slamming its pommel onto the seats, crushing the silhouettes sitting still despite the fight around them. Landing back on the seats, Jaune found himself moving back as a pillar of rising flames erupted under his feet. All around him random pillars erupted, covering the area in a bed of flames that threatened to burn him alive.

 _" Seeking out every lie I hear about~, tears and time pass by~!"_

Sweating from the intense heat, Jaune evaded the pillars as his body became lighter. He was a blur, dodging the titan's flames as he dashed after it. Sword ready, he ran for its ankle and swung at its Achilles heel, slashing the tendons with a spray of golden blood with a spin of both his sword and bladed shield. The Grimm Hyperion howled as it fell to one knee, shaking the entire hall with its falling kneel. It glared at the blond knight, unleashing a roar that tore the seats around it to pieces that flew past the grimacing knight.

The Beowolves by the Grimm Lyre could no longer stand by. Together they rose their heads high and howled before charging together after the pink haired dancer. They abandoned their Styx's and jumped high for a dog pile of chomping teeth. Their tongues lulled out as they dove at the woman, intent on ripping her to shreds.

A blur flew past them from behind, confusing the dark beasts before several thin lines appeared on their bodies. The Beowolves choked as blood sprayed out of the numerous slashes appearing on their bodies before their smoking carcasses dropped in front of the dark Grimm knight standing before the dancer. Its shaking arm set down its glaive with some difficulty before glancing back at the woman.

 _" I say goodbye everything is on the line~, but I'll never know unless I try~!"_ her beautiful green eyes looked at it gently, seeing past all the darkness to the soul corrupted by the Grimm Hyperion. It didn't understand why, but seeing her free, singing so freely without a care, made it feel at ease. A heavy weight was lifted from its shoulders. Its armored fingers twitched, slowly inching towards the strings of its weapons before it found itself playing along with her. Its red beady eyes dimmed, losing its malevolent dye before yellow replaced them.

The Grimm Hyperion raged as it found several bolts of fire slamming into its body, nearly sending it falling back as its golden flames were overrun by bright red flames. It threw a stretching fist at the knight, intent on sending him flying. Jaune stood his ground, bringing back Crocea Mors in a stabbing motion before roaring as he drove its point through the giant knuckle overshadowing his body. He dug his feet in, refusing to give in an inch as he reared his fist back.

 _" Every time you fail~, every time you cry~, make it so,~ it only makes you stronger~!"_

A surge of strength enveloped Jaune's fist as he slammed his red vein fist into the pommel of Crocea Mors.

" _ **Giga Impact!**_ "

All that power was injected into the Grimm Hyperion's fist through the blade of Crocea Mors, ballooning its knuckles and wrist before trembling fiercely. It was too much. The fist erupted in a shower of burning gold blood, soaking Jaune's body as he jumped back from the titan slamming its only fist over him. He flinched as the force of the slamming fist sent chunks of the floor and seats flying by him, peppering him like shrapnel. Falling a good distance away from the groaning giant, Jaune looked over its HP with a smiling grimace.

 **'Grimm Hyperion, Ruler of Lyre.**

 **9,130HP/33,000HP.'**

For a titan, it was awfully weak. It looked like its design was all for show. That and the dancer's song was continually boosting his Stats with every lyric. It wouldn't be long until the boss was done for. So, he better keep up the assault before the dancer's song was over.

The Grimm Hyperion though was done messing around. It could no longer stand and it had lost one of its hands to the small knight. Its pride was crushed. Its body erupted with a beacon of golden flames as it roared, the very volume creating a shock wave that shattered everything around it. It shattered its own spear as it flung its only arm up, pointing a single digit into the air. A red-hot dot grew to hover over its finger before flames began to spiral around the small ember. A literal sun of fire was growing overhead, the very presence of it lighting the room and filling the air with heat waves.

Jaune found himself gasping as his body was coated in a sheen of sweat, the very air burning his skin like an acid mist. That was not something he could survive. Even with his HP, he would die. And it didn't look like he could dodge or block something that giant. It was a widespread attack, one that would obliterate everything under a sea of flames. Which left only one option.

Kill it before it could finish its attack.

 _'Do I even have an attack that can deal 10,000 damage in one hit?'_ Jaune had gotten stronger, there was no doubt about that. But he still wasn't capable of doing that much damage in one hit. The most he could deal was 7,000 with Giga Impact, and that was at the cost of his health. Maybe one of his Links could do that much. Times like this he wished he had some kind of finisher.

In his musings, something suddenly popped up in Jaune's HUD. A new option suddenly appeared before him, causing him to look at it in surprise before looking back at the singing dancer. He was further surprised to see the Grimm Lyre playing along with her.

 **'KS Link[Knight Symphony]! ACTIVATE!'**

 **'Knight Symphony[KS]: A once in a lifetime Link! Only usable once. Converts the power of song from the heart into pure power, increasing all stats to unimaginable levels. Grants Melody for one-time use! A power born through The Hearts rebellious nature reaching out to a soul long gone.'**

Jaune didn't waste another second as he activated the convenient Link. It sounded like just what he needed. He could only hope that in this new form he could deal enough damage to stop the boss.

Unlike every other time Jaune had performed a Link, his outfit didn't change. Instead his body was coated in a sheen of luminescent gold energy as his sword gained a new form in his stead. The old gray blade was polished a pure white as it gained a gold engraving along its metal blade. The hilt was colored silver and the grip grew a snow white along with a musical note key chain attached to its pommel.

But there was no time to marvel at his sword's new form. The sun growing overhead shattered the ceiling above them, sending the chandelier falling onto the stage. The Grimm Lyre saw it coming their way and swung its glaive, sending a tearing wave to smash the crystal ornament to pieces. The glimmering shards twinkled as they fell over the two. Its yellow eyes spun back for Jaune, nodding stiffly before returning to playing alongside the dancer.

 _" Cut straight through the illusion~, and soar from the confusion~, to a blue-sky revolution~!"_

No more time to waste. Swinging his sword to the side, Jaune quickly read over the descriptions of the new ability before activating it. His HP was dropping under the intense heat at a fast pace. He needed to end this now. He wasn't going to wait for another miracle to show up. Just one more attack, and that would be it! Gripping his sword's handle tightly, Jaune stabbed the blade into the ground before him as it let loose a harmonious tone.

 _" Let it go and sing your heart out~! Don't you sweat~, the regret~! Make way~, make way! Can't forsake a future this bright~!"_

A stream of visible musical notes erupted out of Crocea Mors new form, flowing past Jaune to float behind his back. A score of notes began to form behind him, glowing in several colors like a rainbow as he shut his eyes firmly. The notes pulsed, glowing brighter before each note fired a sharp string at the giant as it heaved the colossal sun above higher. The colorful strings stabbed deep into its golden being, glowing with rainbow hues as the score behind Jaune completed. The score pulsed as Jaune opened his eyes, his blue eyes glowing a bright blue as he ripped his blade out from the floor. He grinned in victory, watching the giant prepare to throw down the literal sun in the sky onto them as he swung his sword to the right and left it to hang like a clock arm.

 _" So~, give the fight~, All your MIGHT~!"_

" _ **Melody.**_ "

With the end of the song, Jaune swung Crocea Mors up in a complete arc, releasing a rainbow wave to cut the thread of strings from the score. A wondrous tune was made from the severed connection, running through the threads to travel back to the Grimm Hyperion. Its eyes went wide as the tune entered its body, hitting its innards as it began to tremble uncontrollably. The sun resting at its fingertip lost its stability and began to wither away in wisps. Its arms flew over its chest, gripping its sides as its body swayed back and forth while it groaned. Thin beams of colorful lights escaped its body as it howled into the open sky.

The tune within became too much to bear. With a thunderous roar, the boss was enveloped by a pillar of light from within its body. The light ripped its golden flesh from its body from within, lost to the musical harmony released by its dying breath. In its last moments, its arm reached out from the pillar, its clawing brittle fingers flying for Jaune to crush him. Jaune saw it coming and moved to cut it down, only for an armored back to suddenly appear in his sights.

The Grimm Lyre threw down its glaive, cleaving the disintegrating hand in two with a roar. It glared at the fading red eyes within the devastating pillar of colors, its yellow eyes defiant as it stood in rebellion to the withering titan.

"Begone, Hyperion."

The Grimm Hyperion moaned dejectedly as it faded into the pillar, its remains reduced to nothing. The colorful energy became unstable, growing wild now that its target had been destroyed. And with a light ding, the pillar blew up in a light rain that showered the ruined stage.

 **'Congratulations! Grimm Hyperion, Ruler of Lyre, defeated! +120,000EXP! A new Spell has been Unlocked! End-Spear, unlocked!'**

It was over. It was finally over. Jaune chuckled weakly as he looked up at the sky through the destroyed ceiling before shutting his eyes in peace as the distorted Core began to waver. The main source of the corruption had been destroyed, leaving the memory to return to its original state. The darkness, the negativity, the pain, and sorrow that had been plaguing Helios had finally been erased. And now it was time for him to wake up, free of his corruption.

"Do not act so relieved. There is still much to be done."

The tired, worn out voice of the Grimm Lyre brought Jaune's attention back to it. The wolf like knight stood in front of him as its owner's Core began to slowly disintegrate into small twinkles of light and reform. It no longer looked at him with red eyes full of hate, but calm yellow eyes. Now that Jaune's mind was clear of any threats, he was surprised at the sight of the once boss.

Helios was free of his corruption, right?

Making her way to the two, the dancer nodded to her son's words with a conflicted frown.

"He's right. Sadly, the corruption in Helios's Core still exists. And while you erased a large portion of it, he is still in danger of Falling in the future. His source of Corruption still lives." she said somberly as she gentle patted the arm of the Grimm Lyre.

If Jaune wasn't so polite, he would be pulling at his hair in frustration as he shouted obscenely at the sky. Seriously?! After, what? Three boss fights, Helios was still in danger of Falling? He was calling bullshit, again.

Shaking his head wearily, Jaune frowned sadly as his arms fell to his side in exhaustion. He wasn't sure what to do now.

"Then, what do I have to do? I can't just leave Helios to Fall, not again." he said stubbornly despite his own tiredness. If there still was anyway to prevent that from happening, he could do it.

The dancer smiled softly at Jaune, happy that he was still willing to do more for her troublesome son. Like a true hero.

"I'm sorry to say, there isn't much you can do now. Helios's source of negativity runs deep, deeper than you or I could reach. The only one who can make peace with that much negativity, is himself."

The Grimm Lyre dipped its helm as it nodded. It could still feel the darkness inside as small as it was. Twisting, wriggling, gnawing at its Core. It seemed that even Jaune's help couldn't completely erase it. It couldn't help but chuckle as it turned its head up at the battle worn blond. After everything it had done, both outside and inside, he was still willing to save him of all people? It found it hard to believe such a person existed. No one would stand that much scorn and still be willing to help them out.

It looked like Jaune wore the title Hero better than he did. And as bitter as he was with it, he found himself at peace. A small smile made its way to his face as his body began to straighten out, his clawed fingers shifting to normal digits as he stood straight up.

"You've done enough, Arc. A real hero in training knows when to clean up their own mess when all is said and done. I've grown tired of your meddling anyways." Helios scoffed as his human physique returned. He crossed his arms over his armored chest with a leer before grunting as a hand smacked the back of his head. He rubbed the aching area as his mother gave him an unhappy glare.

"Your friend nearly died trying to save you! Show some gratitude, young man!" the dancer chided with a wagging finger. Helios growled but listened as he looked away from Jaune and sighed.

"...Thanks, for everything." he bit out with a struggle.

The dancer sighed at her son's behavior. Well, it was some progress. Better than nothing. And for that, she was thankful for the blond knight. He had saved her son in his darkest moment. Simply because he couldn't stand to see him suffer.

"Jaune, was it?" she said softly while titling her head. Jaune nodded as she stepped closer to him, getting into his personal space as he gulped. The smile on her face was fond, her eyes gleaming with happy tears before her small body pressed itself against him in an embrace. The action took him back, turning nervous as Helios glared at him with a shaking fist.

"Thank you, for saving my little sunlight. And for letting him know that whatever his name is, he is who he chooses to be. For so long, I've been worrying over his mental state, but could do nothing as I was. But because of you, he's now free to think clearly again. And I know this time, he'll overcome his dark emotions." she sniffed happily, grinning into Jaune's chest as more tears fell and soaked his scarred, dried bloody skin.

Hesitantly, Jaune patted the woman's back as Helios scoffed and turned away from the scene. He smiled gratefully at her as he hugged her back. If it wasn't for her intervening at the last second, he wouldn't be here at all. His data would have been lost to the corrupted Core, never to return. He owed her more than he did her.

His time within the Core could not last any longer. His body began to waver, turning into bits of data that began to stream up like smoke. But before he completely vanished from Helios's Core, he did have one thing to ask.

"Who are you anyways?" he couldn't help but ask. Jaune knew she was Helios's mother, but he never got a name.

The pink haired belly dancer smacked her cheeks in surprise, astonished that she had forgotten such a thing. She smiled at him, reaching behind her back before Jaune completely vanished to hand him something. He grew confused, finding an old weathered book in his hands before looking back at her as a flash of bright light blinded his vision.

"My names Selena Lyre, mother of Apollo Hyperion Lyre, and Helios Hyperion Lyre. And a wannabe hero!"

* * *

As the bright flash died away, Jaune found himself stumbling back on beaten legs as he was returned to the real world. His vision was blurry at first, his hearing not so well either as everything sounded muffled. The Dive to Helios's Core had drained him of a ridiculous amount of energy and the wounds he had received before were still there. He held his head as he tried to shake away what felt like vertigo from his little trip as everything came back to him.

 _'Helios!'_ With a start, he rubbed his eyes and looked for the Falling rocker. His vision cleared and his hearing returned as his sight found Helios still standing, his body slouched as if he was knocked out. Just what he looked like before he began to Fall. His body was devoid of the burns of his summoning act, confusing Jaune as Helios groaned and held his head in pain. Jaune looked around the damaged arena, growing more confused at the lack of damage brought on by the titan arms Helios had summoned. It was as if time had been turned back a few minutes.

In the seats above, Ren groaned as he gripped his splitting forehead. His magenta eyes glared at the back of Jaune. _'That son of a bitch! He could have at least warned me of disrupting the fabric of time. No doubt it's The Game's doing.'_ Relieving the worried looks from his friends, he sighed as the pain lessened. Knowing the other two Players, he was going to be receiving a message on why their own heads were splitting.

Random flashes blew up in Helios's head as his eyes squinted and his breath grew ragged. What happened? The last thing he remembered was Jaune landing a double kick to his head before the lights in his head were shut for a second. Then...something happened. Anger, hatred, despair, humiliation, and jealousy had consumed him to the point he had gone blind to it. But all those dark emotions were suddenly mute. All he felt now was pure exhaustion. He could barely stand. Not to mention all the wounds he had suffered since yesterday flared up, causing him to wince deeply.

 _'What…what happened to me? What's going on? What the hell am I even doing?'_ his mind wasn't too clear right now but once he met Jaune's equally tired gaze, it all came back to him like a sucker punch. His anger, his spite, his arrogance, and mistakes. He felt disgusted with himself as he balled his sore, bloody, and trembling fists in self-hatred.

 _'What the fuck have I been doing?! When did I…when did I start becoming as bad as my father?'_

Filled with regret, Helios looked back to Jaune, ready to apologize.

"Jaune, I'm-"

"The fight's still on."

Helios frowned, confused as Jaune smiled at him. Fight? How could he still want to fight? He looked as dead as him!

And Jaune was dead on his feet. The Dive had done more than drain him of stamina. His HP had dropped, nearing the red. What he had done had come at a cost to his health. One more hit, and he was sure he would topple over. But this fight meant something to Helios, more than it did himself. Jaune didn't care about passing his exam anymore, all he cared about was putting the beef between them to an end. If this fight would end it, then he would end it no matter the results.

Sheathing Crocea More into Ignis Mors, he rose his fist in a boxing stance as he grinned tiredly. They were both too beaten up to fight with their weapons now. If this was to be a fair fight, then they would have to end this the good old fashion way.

"Weren't you going to show everyone who the real star was? The show's still going on. So, how about we give them something to cheer about?" he said brightly, his face dirty, bruised, and dried with blood from their fight.

Helios stared incredulously at the blond, too stunned for words. He found himself growling in annoyance as he dropped Hades Styx and threw up his fists. He still wasn't sure what just happened, but he didn't need a reason to finish a fight. Still though, he found himself grinning as he stared down his opponent.

"You still want to go, Jaune? Fine with me! It's about time we end this!" he shouted eagerly as he pushed his feet forward and fell into a run. Jaune followed, running forward as they both pulled back their fists with roaring shouts.

Blue and yellow eyes met just before the other found a hard-knuckled fist slamming into the side of their face. Jaune and Helios's heads were flung to the side, their thoughts going blank from the heavy hits. They pulled back, panting heavily as sweat dripped down their faces as they glared at one another. Their eyes were heavy with dark bags under their lids, both still refusing to go down and accept defeat. They both raised their fists up again for one more hit, both their arms trembling weakly as they fought desperately to stay conscious.

Helios smirked, finding himself oddly happy as his legs wobbled and his knees gave out. His arm fell to his side, losing its strength as he fell forward.

"You win this time, Jaune. But next time, I'll be the one with the cheering crowd to their back." he said softly with a small smile.

 **'Congratulations! Helios Lyre, defeated!**

 **+57,000EXP!**

 **The Clockwork Exam: Finale, Completed!**

 **The Final Exam has been completed! By passing Ozpin's series of tests, you have now gained official entry into Beacon Academy! You've now been recognized as an official huntsman in training!**

 **To receive your rewards, be sure to speak with Headmaster Ozpin and Headmistress Goodwitch! A Special Mission awaits you at the end.'**

Reacting quickly, Jaune caught Helios before he hit the floor. He gazed at the knocked-out redhead somberly, knowing he had fought with everything to prove himself as a strong warrior. But in the end, it was his own wounds from before the fight that must have been what had knocked him out. He released a tired breath, ignoring the sound of cheering, and shouting as the match ended. If only they knew what had gone down minutes ago in a time that no longer existed.

Despite the cheering at the intense fight, three students ran down in alarm. Hera made it to the stage as the shields went down and scrambled on her way to her wounded teammate. She nearly tripped on her feet as Jaune met her worried gaze with a tired smile. She looked at him, her eyes tearing up as he chuckled.

"It's alright. Helios is fine. They guy's just taking a nap is all. Something I'm sure he's long overdue for." he said softly.

Rue smiled thankfully at the blond knight as he handed over his partner. He looked at the normally scowling face of his friend and was surprised to see his face at ease. Like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His eyes opened part way, revealing his shock.

 _'It's…gone?'_

Jaune nearly fell back at the loss of weight in his arms, blinking as his own exhaustion took its toll. At this point he was surprised he hadn't passed out. The fact that he was still standing made him feel proud. Four months ago, he would have been hauled away to the nurse's office for his wounds. But despite how wounded he was, his aura was already mending the damage. He would be all healed up in an hour at best, not including his exhaustion. Only rest would fix that.

Seeing Hera's eyes still on him, he knelt down with some difficulty to look her in the eyes.

"You can stop worrying about him, Hera. I think I knocked some sense into him. So, smile!" he said brightly.

Hera sniffed, fighting back tears before raising her raging fist. Jaune blanched, knowing what her little love taps could do first hand. Steeling himself for the blow, he suddenly found himself blinking as the little huntress's fist weakly smacked his chest. She smiled back at him, blinking away tears as her heart was at ease.

Like the others with more observant eyes, she had seen the negativity tainting Helios' aura. She had been terrified with the thought that her friend was about to Fall. But then that dark shroud she had seen for a split second vanished. Even his face seemed at ease in his sleep. It had been a long time since she had seen him like that.

Was it because of Jaune? The dumb, goofy, dorky, bumbling blond that had always been speaking to her like she was his friend? Did their fight somehow return her old teammate back to her?

Thinking about it was too confusing. All she knew was that her friend was sleeping peacefully, his aura already going to work at last to heal his wounds, and it was because of Jaune somehow. She wasn't going to question it. Because her friend was still with her.

"Jaune, thank you." she said softly with a small grin.

Jaune waved away the thanks with a laugh, "No problem! Besides, I didn't do much." That was a lie. He did more than she could imagine. He fought a literal giant with a sun in its hand.

Something suddenly grabbed him from the back of his combat hood, pulling him up so that he would find himself staring at the blood red eyes of one Tsuki Yumi. Her cold gaze softer than usual.

"I have decided that you can touch them."

"Touch what now?"

Tsuki looked at Jaune flatly before his eyes fell to her chest. Jaune gasped in realization before blushing madly.

 _'God damn it! This is the worst time to be saying something like that!'_

Rue chuckled as he watched his dark-haired teammate wiggle her chest while still showing little emotion.

"Well, I think we've all had a long day. And our buddy here is in need of some medical attention." Rue laughed, patting his partner's back as he carried him over his shoulder. The small jolt suddenly roused the rocker out of his sleep for a brief moment as his unfocused eyes spun around in alarm.

"Who's-that? I'm-not-asleep-I've-never-slept-a-day-in-my-life! Fuck-you!" he shouted groggily before snoring as he fell back to sleep.

Rue whistled as they all looked at the redhead strangely, "Even asleep, he's still rude. Ain't that adorable?" he cooed.

"Right." Jaune said flatly, "Well, I know Ms. Spriggan's probably still in her office. I'm sure she wouldn't mind patching Helios up. Better him than me." he chuckled.

Cleaning the small wetness in her eyes, Hera nodded happily and gestured for Rue to make his way out before she spoke to the Headmaster. While Helios was fine now, she wasn't going to take any chances. They would talk to them about their teammates mental state and see if they could make sure he was alright.

"Thanks again, Jaune. I wasn't sure what to do with Helios, but now we'll make sure he gets the help we should have gotten him a while back." Giving the blond boy one more smile, Hera turned away and headed for Ozpin. She frowned lightly, noticing the gray-haired professor hold his head with a grimace.

All that was left was Tsuki. The stern older girl quickly glanced back, looking for any eyes on them before shrugging and stepping closer to her new friend. Faster than Jaune could react, Tsuki gave him a small peck on his cheek before swiftly turning on her heel with a smirk of satisfaction.

 _'That woman is going to be the end of me, I swear.'_ Jaune gulped nervously as his eyes followed the dark temptress, her every step swaying her hips in his sight. The girl truly knew how to entrap her prey, he would give her that.

 **'Tsuki Yumi's Friendship has risen!'**

With team HRTH know gone from the classroom with Hera's departure after speaking with the Headmaster, Jaune was left alone in the battle scarred arena. His shoulders sagged, his muscles at ease with the end of the constant fighting of the day as he scratched his head with a yawn. First thing he was going to do after this was take another nap. A growl from his stomach changed his plans, reminding him he hadn't had the chance for lunch. ' _Okay, first some food, a hot bath, a change of clothes into my favorite jammies, and then sleep.'_ he thought tiredly as he awaited Ozpin to speak to him about his results.

A rumble from his scroll cut those ideas short as Jaune reached for his handy device. He groaned, finding a message from Ren.

 _'We need to talk. Now. We'll meet at your old training spot later.'_

Short and to the point. That was Ren for you. Replying back to meet him, Jaune pocketed his scroll with thoughts of what was to come. Hopefully nothing too serious. He already had enough to deal with for one day.

 _'Well, wasn't that enlightening?'_ With a small grimace, Ozpin's attention fell back to Jaune as the splitting headache eased. He glanced to his scroll, idly noticing a small irregularity. _'Three minutes? How fascinating. Seems you're full of surprises, Mr. Arc.'_ he chuckled under his breath as he got up from his seat.

There was much to be done. Like congratulating a certain knight on his status as an official student of Beacon. Ozpin's eyes briefly fell to the floor, seeing past all the layers of concrete and dirt to something hidden from the world. An enigmatic smile grew on his face as he looked towards Jaune who awaited his test results.

 _'Perhaps your Strength could reach out to someone else?'_

What a fascinating year this was turning out to be.

* * *

The day's events had come to a close, leaving night to finally settle over Vale. The cool air felt nice after the day Jaune had. A test of endurance against a veteran huntsman, hijacking a plane to Beacon, fighting a death machine while answering questions, and finally to top off the stressful day, a fight against a Falling huntsman in training who hated his guts before taking a Dive. Funny how he was no longer surprised with such things anymore. A few months ago, he would have been struggling to pick up his jaw at such a feat. But then again, he had also been dead in a world that no longer existed.

With a worn-out breath, Jaune sat over the ledge of the rooftop of the school as he looked out to the scenic sight of Beacon's CCT tower. No matter how many times he had seen it, it always looked beautiful and reminded him of his starting point. A sight like that would never grow old in his eyes.

The door to the entrance of the rooftop creaked as a familiar presence walked over. With a small groan, Ren plopped down next to him as his own magenta eyes stared off to the tower of emerald lights. Even he had to admit it was a nice sight to see in every Reset.

"So, I guess you've finally received your official transcripts?" Ren decided to start off with a small question he already knew the answer to. An official document suddenly stared back at him from Jaune's hand, showing off the reward for his mission. Grabbing the paper, Ren found himself impressed.

"You know, I think this is the only world that you've ever received such a thing. You always started off with fake transcripts, no matter what path you had fallen in. And it would take you years before you were officially recognized as a professional huntsman. Seeing this in my hands is actually hard to believe." he chuckled.

"Just another thing I've changed with my involvement in this game. I couldn't stay a fake forever, you know?" Jaune said wistfully as Ren handed back his transcripts. He had always dreamed of holding these papers back as a kid. It was his ticket to his dream. And now, it was here in his hands. Telling the world that he was a real huntsman in training. Just like everyone else.

"It honestly wouldn't have mattered. Very few times has your status as a fake made any relevance in our playthroughs. All it ever did was create some interesting Events from it." Ren said nonchalantly, waving the reward away like it was nothing. In his opinion, it would have been simpler to continue on with the lie.

Jaune scowled as his eyes refused to leave his transcripts, "Well, it mattered to me. I didn't have the experience or the power to reach for this until now. So, why not make it official? If I'm going to be changing the events that turned you into a lazy, uncaring sloth, then I might as well start off somewhere."

The sloth jab earned a twitching glare from Ren. He knew he was lazy, but did they have to go as far as comparing him to a sloth?

"Well we have a hell of a year ahead of us, so I suppose you might as well start off with something small. As eventful as the last few months have been, they're nothing compared to what's to come. We still have The Breach Event coming up at the end of the second semester."

Right, The Breach. That was coming up faster than Jaune expected. The Event that had led to his death at the hands of the White Fang Lieutenant. From that disastrous moment in time, he had lost his life saving Weiss at the hands of a mad man lost to his hate. And from that sacrifice, his life had been transformed into a game.

That meant he had another chance to change the events to come. To save people. And continue living on at the point he had been lost to the world. His knowledge of the events from his first day at Beacon to the second semester would be useless after that, the little edge from those memories leaving him without any idea of what was to come. Thankfully Ren was now on his side, lending a hand to help change things for the better.

Things would be different this time around. Whatever it took, he would make sure of that.

"Then I guess I better get to training during our three weeks off. As much as I would love to sit around and read comics and play video games all day, I have a responsibility to keep up." Jaune grinned as looked up the shattered moon above.

Ren quirked a brow, "Responsibility?"

"Yup! What, haven't you ever heard that with great power, comes great responsibility? Power like this, to change the events of the world as best we can, is bound to come with responsibility. We can't just abuse it for own selfish wants. We'd be no better than the gods that watch over us for their own amusement."

Ren's eyes suddenly fell to his hand, seeing the power that laid beneath the skin and to his soul. He smiled bitterly as he thought back to his countless lives before, _'Responsibility, huh? I guess I never thought about it like that.'_

And from Jaune of all people? Well, it wasn't so surprising to hear that from the knight.

So, had he been acting on his own wants this entire time?

Saving the thought for another time, Ren decided to move on to another matter. There was still the matter he had originally called on Jaune for.

"You did something during your fight with Helios, something to force The Game to turn back the fabric of time to erase the event from everyone's minds, didn't you?" Ren said knowingly with a scowl. His head was still killing him. With his status as a Player, he still retained memory of before the turn back in time. And the action had given him a migraine. Roman and Adam were probably still reeling back from their minds suffering the side effects of The Game's doing. Knowing them, they were probably pissed.

Jaune nodded, "Helios was Falling before my eyes, so I decided to erase the source of his Corruption, just like I did with you. I dove into his Core and fought a piece of darkness that was messing with his emotions. I almost died too." Jaune weakly laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "But I'm use to that now. I was lucky to beat the boss at the end. It was touch and go for a while." Made him wonder if The Will had been meddling for his own goals. That sudden turnaround was too sudden and timed.

"You dove into his Core?" Ren said with his eyes slightly wide. He had heard Jaune do that before to save him from Falling. But it was still surprising to know he had that kind of ability.

"Apparently that's what my Title as The Heart is fully capable of once it reaches maturity. Husk was actually the one to flourish it." Jaune said with a complicated frown. The paper bag headed being puzzled him to no end. He found it hard to believe he was helping him for the reasons he stated.

 _'The ability to travel to other people's Cores. That truly is unique. Oum knows what he could be capable of with that kind of power.'_ It was better than his own matured ability as The Mind. It was that power that had saved him too.

When he had the chance, Ren was going to have to think more on what Jaune would be capable of with that kind of ability. The power to change hearts. It just might help in changing the events of the future to come. Maybe, just maybe, they could actually make a difference in the timeline.

For now, though, he would have to save the information for later. It was night time and he was eager to fall back in his bed and enter dreamland. He had his answer, there wasn't anything else he needed out of Jaune. Their matters on The Game was better saved for another day. They had the next three weeks off after all. They could discuss matters then.

 _'I think it's about time I help him make up his own notes on The Game. That way I don't have to keep answering his questions. I wonder if I still have access to my old journal?'_

"Just warn me next time you do something like that. I would rather brace myself for the backlash then have it pop out of nowhere." Ren yawned as he rose up.

Jaune followed Ren as he stood up and popped his back. His wounds were pretty much healed now, but he was still sore from the ordeal. It was time for that hot bath and dinner he had been looking forward to.

"I can't make any promises. You never know what to expect as a Gamer." he said softly with a small chuckle as he looked back to the view of Beacon one more time.

But as Jaune dropped the Pause and followed Ren out the door, he was suddenly reminded of something. Shutting the door behind him, he opened up his Inventory and scrolled down until his eyes fell on a new item, gifted to him by Selena.

 **'Remnant's Collection of Fairy Tales[Gift]: An age-old book detailing old folklore tales of magic and heroics during and after The Great War. A book worth its weight in gold. Can be sold for a very high price, gifted to one who enjoys tales of heroes, or simply read.'**

Something about the old worn book tickled the back of Jaune's head before he snapped his finger in realization. His mother had the same book back home! It contained some of his favorite stories from the after years of The Great War. It had been a long time since he thought back to it though. Made him wonder why Selena had given him the book.

 _'Fairy Tales, huh?'_ His mind was filled with the memories of a busty red-haired girl in a hood, a sadistic high-class porcelain princess, and a frisky golden locked gang leader. He shivered as he closed his inventory and continued on his way back to his team.

Well, he could brush up on the old book before bed. As…odd as the tales were, they did offer him some really cool abilities and items. And with his last three visits, he knew better than to wonder in the woods again.

What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

 _ **The drawing night closes a chapter in The Heart's first legitimate steps in a new, strange world. The life you gave has been restored for a purpose. What that purpose is remains a mystery. Power runs through your veins, the power to change. But when all is said and done, everything must return to Zero. Just what can you do against a set fate?**_

 _ **The time of devastation once again draws near. The sky will set and dark beasts will howl for blood. Will a history long gone repeat itself? Or will the heart to change finally end the cycle?**_

 _ **Life's just a game. You're not the only one who seeks an End.**_

 **BOOM! That's it, it's done! I hereby declare that Volume 1 of Multiplayer is complete! A year's worth of hard work has come to a close for now, reaching its completion. Again, this wasn't suppose to have last this long. If you've stuck around since the beginning, then you know that I had originally planned to close up the volume before Volume 4 of RWBY started. But nope! These fingers refused to finish this up. Which I'm actually happy for, so much of the new volume helped to flesh out my ideas better and fit in perfectly. So much has happened in this volume, a lot of which I hadn't originally planned. There were characters brought in that weren't in the original plans that were sorta just born and plans to the Arcs that just fell in. This story truly does have a mind of its own sometimes, I swear.**

 **Now, let's finally discuss my departure fully. Because Multiplayer Volume 2 won't be updated until late October, maybe early November. I will be writing it out of course, but I want to have back up chapters like I did in the beginning. That and I need time to flesh out the next Volume better. But that doesn't mean the story won't be updated per say.**

 **Remember the Lost Fairy Tale's DLC? Well, a Bonus chapter will be released next chapter focused on the world of Fey and one more Fairy Tale inspiration, but with a twist! It'll be a long one, no doubt, and might be released as a double chapter update if it's long. Why so long, you say? Well, that old book isn't just for giggles. Within in its. . .unique stories lies something special. And if Jaune continues venturing through its world, he might find something hidden away. Course, I can't say much else. That would be spoiling. For now, keep an eye out for the next update! It's my little gift to all of you for sticking around for so long too.**

 **Back on topic. While I may be gone, that doesn't mean I won't be uploading anything story wise. This two month break is for Multiplayer, not my stories. In actuality, I'm taking two weeks off to enjoy myself without the stress of writing. The rest of the time after that will be focused on my other projects, which I will now announce!**

 **A Jaune of All Trades will be released before October! For those of you who don't know, I released a series of one-shots for future stories in the new year. And the first one was A Jaune of All Trades, a story focused on Jaune in a world where the four kingdoms fell into a peace in a world no longer plagued by Grimm and the art of Aura lost to time. Without those two factors, the world changed drastically. The story will be an Adventure/Humor fic of course. It's inspired from a mix of Hitman Reborn and Gintama, two of my favorite serious yet hilarious mangas. The first chapter is already done with, but won't be released until I've completed three more chapters underway. Check out the one-shot if you're curious about the new story on my stories list. But do think of it like a manga one-shot, some things won't make it to the story once its up and might change. It's going to be a fun story, I tell ya that.**

 **Next, there is a second story in the works. Well, two honestly and they're both crossover related. But I'm fighting on only publishing one, so that I'm not overdoing it with stories again. The first is a RWBY/Pokemon story that's already half way finished with its first chapter. I wanted to make a good crossover with Pokemon, because those are extremely hard to find! The only one I know who made a great example of a Pokemon fic and crossover would be the very man who got me into writing fanfiction, Kenchi618! Big fan and such, so I thought I could try my hand at it with RWBY. Now, the second crossover would be a RWBY/Fire Emblem Awakening story that is under development. I'm currently hashing out the ideas and plots to make it work in a way that makes sense and will begin writing it out at the end of my break. Don't worry, it won't another fic that has Team RWBY and Team JNPR suddenly dropped into the world of FE or vice versa, nor the characters already being characters in the story. I got something planned, although a bit cliché, but I believe it works.**

 **Let me know which one sounds better. I'd really love some feedback from my fans on that.**

 **And finally, I am announcing that I will be collaborating with my Beta, A Fan1204 on a fanfic. Not RWBY related though. Currently, we are discussing it out and how we should go about writing and splitting the work between ourselves. I don't know when it will be published, we're still working on writing out the first chapter, but it will be up before the end of the year. What story, you might ask? I won't say just yet, but I'll give you a hint with one single word.**

 **Firebolt.**

 **And on a completely different note not related to FF. I am planning on taking online classes on Programming along with Video Game Development. Why? Let's just say that I'm tired of keeping a certain story I've been mulling over and thinking over bottled up inside the old noggin. Just something I wanted to let ya'll know in case my uploading ever slows down.**

 **The Multiplayer Journal is still being worked on and I plan to upload the Abilities, Skills, and Grimm Index to the forum by the end of next week, hopefully. I want it to be complete before Multiplayer Volume 2 is up. I just got to finish adding in all those little facts and descriptions, which is a lot harder than I had thought. And in case you didn't know, the forum is up under NeoShadows, called Multiplayer: Journals. It's small with only two posts, but it's there.**

 **And before we finish up here, I just wanted to add in my Playstation 4 profile along with my Steam profile for those who still wish to reach me or even play and chat during my time off. For Playstation, I'm under SolNoche with a profile of black and red bull's eye marker. And as for my Steam Profile, I'm under NeoShadows with a profile picture of The Outsider's Mark from Dishonored. Just in case anyone ever wants to play some games, you know?**

 **I believe that's everything. God damn, it took me a year to get this far. 600K+ and I'm only done with the first Volume. Sheesh, I got to cut back and aim for 15-19K+ at most. I don't know how you guys do it honestly. But I ain't done with this story, not after writing this much. Best believe I'm aiming on completing this story. Trust me, we got a whole lot more in store for Volume 2. The easy part's over. It's about to get hectic around here.**

 **Out of curiosity, what were your favorite moments and OC's of the Volume? Let me know as we close up in the reviews!**

 **But for now, Multiplayer is done. And all I ask of you all is to review and spread the word of this little story. Pfft! Little, that's funny considering its length. Go out and let the other people in search of a lengthy story full of humor, action, adventure, some romance, or a Gamer fic that's not cluttered with stats and technical junk, that Multiplayer is here to deliver its best. Just tell them to mind the first Arc, I still have to polish those first few chapters. Did I seriously spell Pyrrha as Pyrhaa?**

 **Until our next update and October, Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	30. The Beauty, The Beast, and The Goof

***Walks in in a heavy hoodie, covered in snow, eyes focused on a gaming device as shouts of 'Don't forget me!' could be heard from the game before closing the door behind him.***

 **Well, I guess two months are over. Damn, wish I had another of month. But I guess I should update today.**

 ***The man sighs as he docks his game to charge before sitting down and opening his laptop. He blinks as he reads the date, rubs his eyes, and smacks his face.***

 **It's DECEMBER!? What the helll!? Of, fuck me, I should have uploaded a month ago! Shit, better late than never.**

 **Ahem! Hey, it's your boi, NeoShadows! Finally back from his vacation to return with Multiplayer! Sorry 'bout that, but I may have gotten distracted with several games and animes during my supposed two month break that I forgot to write or upload. Been busy with work too. Been bumped up and had to train a lot of people. Overtime be a bitch, but she's worth it. But I could talk about all those things later. I believe I owe you part one of four of my DLC Special!**

 **Uh, yeah. I got carried away again while writing. You all know how I get. What was suppose to be two chapters, turned to four. Don't worry though, they are all done with. They just need to be edited. So, I'll be sure to update when they're done editing ever week. More on that later.**

 **As for reviews, I believe that you've waited long enough. I know a few reviews that I want to answer, but I'm strapped for time. I'll answer them next chapter, but I do love listening to what you all have to say. Let's just dive in this time!**

 **So without further ado, let's dive in!**

 **[Page Break]**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to Rooster Teeth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got to get back to my Switch. Been playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for two weeks straight while I've been recovering from a fever and an accident. It truly is a great game. I only wish people would give it try instead of judging it for its anime vibe. It's from Japan, the hell did they expect? It's got a great OST, a story that keep me playing, plenty of ways to farm that are fun, and an awesome combat systems that I enjoy.**

 **Giving my Blade an impressive bust was just a bonus.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: [DLC] The Beauty, The Beast, and The Goof.**

The bustling sounds of clopping horses and the chatter of townspeople along with the occasional laughter of children was a breath of fresh air for Jaune as he walked along the gray stone tiled streets of Wilhelm, a small town that touched the sea. It was much better than what he was used to when waking up in the small world within the book Ozpin gave him. No sign of a crazed woman wanting to jump his bones so far, only the simple civilian woman passing by with the sound of hushed whispers. It was the same with the rest of the people that he crossed as he came into the town.

He could understand their staring. While he was dressed as your normal civilian boy like the rest of the men around, the weapon he carried with him was anything but ordinary. Ignis and Crocea Mors weren't your average sword and shield, even sheathed they looked lustrous and deadly. Not to mention his forehead scar wasn't something you would see on a normal person, it was obviously a scar from a fight gone wrong. Overall his appearance would leave the average person apprehensive about approaching him at the least.

When he had dove into the book after some thought last night, Jaune had found himself in front of the woods of the world. Knowing the trouble he would find for wandering in, he had booked it straight for the dirt road for any signs of civilization. There was no way he was going to be dragged into another situation that left him at the mercy of some sexy woman. Eventually he had found a ride to the town close by thanks to some kind old merchant driving a carriage of supplies and he even met a kind-

Static appeared in Jaune's memories, causing him to grimace and hold his head with a pained grunt. And just great, his memories were out of whack even here! For some reason, he couldn't recall his ride. All he could remember was being dropped off and the faintest memory of white silky hair and red eyes. Hopefully nothing too important was lost.

Jaune sighed at the attention as more people averted from his path before shivering. Everywhere he looked he found people wearing winter clothing to fend off the cold. Didn't they find it odd that their town was stuck in a winter chill? It did match their town though. Not the most welcoming, that was for sure. Even the guards at the gate of Wilhelm had been wary to let him in. They had asked him if he was here on Hunting Business, to which he said yes. He didn't know what Hunting Business actually was, but he was a huntsman. It made him wonder if this world was plagued with the same problem as the Grimm. With a flourish of his weapons for proof, the guards had let him in with sighs of relief while muttering under their breath as they welcomed him in.

Jaune scratched his head as he stopped in front of a tavern, recalling the guards muttering.

Beast? Were they being terrorized by a monster?

Pushing the twin oak doors open, Jaune was greeted to the sounds of music and merriment as he stepped in. The aged wooden floor creaked with every step as he made towards the bar seats. Just about every other table was filled with parties of leather coated men armed with old time weapons. He even spied a few muskets. Beer sloshed as men leaned back to chug their drinks, a few small fights broke out without any real punches being thrown, and boisterous laughter drummed against his ears. It was almost as if they were all prepping for a hunt.

Spotting a lone seat between two burly muscled men, Jaune sat down and awkwardly smiled at the two gruff men as they noticed him. They gave Jaune impassive glares before returning to their mugs of frothy beer. Jaune sighed, happy that he hadn't triggered any sort of trouble before reaching for the menu on the table. Might as well see what kind of juice they had on tap.

 _'…There's nothing but alcohol here.'_ Jaune thought dryly as his blue eyes skimmed all the liquor available. He really didn't feel like drinking beer; his mother would kill him! But something told him that if he asked for anything else he wouldn't exactly be treated kindly. He did grow curious finding a drink made of grapes that sounded tasty even if alcoholic. Maybe what his mother didn't know wouldn't hurt him?

"Hooooooh? My~! Who might you be, young man?"

Just as Jaune was ready to reach into his Inventory and order a drink to quench his thirst, he felt someone sit down next to him as its previous occupant suddenly left. Turning to the voice's owner, Jaune nearly jumped out of his seat at the face of the man smirking at him. The man's face was manly, too manly in his opinion, with a chiseled jaw and cleft chin, dazzling blue eyes and fine dark brows and wavy raven hair combed back elegantly in a short bow ponytail that reached his neck. The man's red vest looked strained with his muscles stretching the fabric as the manly man looked down at Jaune with peeked interest.

"I'm sorry? Who are you?" Jaune mumbled as he gulped nervously under the man blue eyes. He could have sworn that they gave off a sparkle. That was unsettling.

The manly man simply laughed boisterously, confusing Jaune further before he found the man pulling him closer with his strong arm.

"Seems I was right! From your simple attire and obvious ignorance of The Great Gaston, you must be a traveler. How wonderful! And from the looks of it, you're a warrior?" Gaston quirked a fine brow with a glinting grin of his pearly white teeth as he pointed out to the sheathed forms of Ignis and Crocea Mors.

Jaune nodded, still uneasy with the odd man so close. Hadn't he ever heard of personal space before?

The simple nod was all Gaston needed as his grin grew wider.

"A Hunter then? Just what this town needed! Seems our Lord has heard our pleas and prayers and sent us a miracle! What a joyous occasion! YA HEAR THAT, GOOD PEOPLE! OUR DARK DAYS ARE OVER! DRINKS ARE ON ME!"

A roar of cheers exploded as the burly men inside raised their sloshing drinks high into the air with grins and shouts of excitement. Jaune could only look on in complete confusion, not understanding what was going on around him. Did he just trigger an Event? Already? As said drinks were given out by the attractive waitresses, Jaune turned back to Gaston as the man eagerly downed his mug of cold liquor.

"Just what exactly is going on? What just happened and what do you mean by 'Dark Times'?" Jaune frowned as he moved the mug of beer presented to him away.

Gaston blinked before smacking his head with a chuckle, amused at himself.

"How silly of me! I do apologize, dear friend. I got lost in the moment of excitement. Please, do allow me to explain." Setting down his drink as he winked at one of the waitresses, causing the girl to blush under his attention, Gaston's manly features settled into a frown as he began to explain, "You are a traveler, so you must not know of Wilhelm's dreaded situation or the terror that hideous beast has befallen us with."

"Beast?" Jaune's frown grew as Gaston nodded.

"Yes, Beast! Wilhelm has been plagued with a beast for the last ten years or so, constantly fearing the frothing monster that howls and threatens these simple civilian folks. It is a beast with horns, the body and black fur of a bear, the face and maw of a lion, the legs of a wolf, with a wild mane of red and yellow panther eyes! A literal beast from Satan's own creation! And for years, Hunter's, SUCH AS MYSELF!" Gaston smirked smugly as he paused to stretch out his arms and flexed his bulging muscles, earning sighs from the waitresses and shouts of appraisals from the men before going back to his explanation like normal, "Have tried to best The Beast and cease its torment. But alas, it has proven too strong! Even I have found myself at wits end!" Gaston grit out with frustration as he slammed his fist onto the wooden bar table, shaking all the drinks by them.

"No! Gaston, it's not your fault!"

"Yeah, you're our hero! Don't blame yourself!"

"A handsome face like that shouldn't be marred with frustration!"

"You've just been having a bad day is all!"

"We'd be dead already without you! Please, don't look so sad!"

Fixing his well-kept dark locks back as he regained his cool, Gaston sighed as he continued, "Thank you, friends. I truly would be lost without your kind words backing me with every step. If I was a well-trained Hunter, then maybe I would have been able to end that Beast's bloody reign. Alas, I am only a novice compared to others, picking up what I could from simply watching passing Hunters. And while I have been praised as their equivalent and bested my fair share of Hunter's, I am not a true warrior. Unlike our new friend here!" Gaston's grin came back to life as he leaned over Jaune in his seat, towering over the blond boy with his impressive height.

"I can see it in your eyes! The many battles under your belt and even the scars of your many conquests as a Hunter. The steel in your blue eyes, not as equally as brilliant as my own, are proof enough of your skills! And as a genuine Hunter, I know that you will happily lend your blade in our battle today to finally put an end to that foul creature after what it has done to my beloved Belle! Oh, my poor sweet!"

"Belle? Was someone hurt?" Jaune asked with concern as he stood up from his seat with urgency.

Gaston nodded with a deeply wounded expression and sighed, "My sweet Belle may as well be dead. A few days ago, my love's father had been abducted by said Beast during his usual testing of his odd trinkets out near the woods of the bridge. Growing frantic and fearing his safety, sweet Belle had gone against my orders of going after him and snuck past the town guards to go after him. Knowing The Beast, it has surely taken her as well and-" Gaston's face grew livid as he shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to think about what that thing would do to such a fine woman as Bell! He felt nauseous at the very thought.

So, they had no idea if the woman and her father were dead? That meant there was a chance that they were still alive. Jaune knew better than anyone the weight of a chance, however small. And they were planning on rescuing them at the moment, right? After hearing the story of The Beast and the situation at hand, Jaune found himself gripping Crocea Mors with a determined scowl.

"Come in for a drink, walk out to hunt some Beast to rescue a damsel and her father. I'm not even surprised anymore." Jaune quietly muttered to himself with a dragged-out sigh. The situation was straight out of a video game, and given what his life had become, he should have expected nothing less.

Looking out to the gathered small mass of hunters prepped for a fight, willing to put their lives on the line to protect their families and friends, and even risk their lives for two others without even knowing if they were alive, Jaune nodded firmly back at the muscular man with the annoyingly perfect features.

"I still don't understand what's going on around here, but if someone is in trouble, I'd be happy to help however I can. I know a thing or two about fighting monsters after all." Jaune said with a confident grin.

"That's the spirit!" Gaston laughed loudly, patting Jaune's back and nearly sending him crashing to the floor. Ignoring the grimace on the boy's face, Gaston went back to facing the hunting party he had gathered with a fired-up expression. His left hand flew for the back of his waist and gripped the hunting musket with vigor as he cleared his throat.

"MEN! We now have a tried and true Hunter in our midst! God has given us a miracle to finally put an end to that filthy Beast and save our people from its treacherous ways, SO LET'S NOT SPOIL IT! WE MARCH, NOW!"

Again, the hunter's gathered around cheered in a roar as they all rose up from their feet with their weapons ready. Today was the day they finally took back their home from the monster plaguing the doors of their town. The nightmare they had been living would come to an end at last. With renewed energy the party of simple hunters rushed out the doors for the fight of their lives. Jaune yelped as he found himself dragged along with the crowd spilling out into the cold winter day, leaving only Gaston and the barkeep behind.

The barkeep mumbled to himself as he watched the hunting party go off to prepare.

"Ya really believe that you'll take The Beast down this time, Gaston? Even with a Hunter, it's no easy task." the barkeep chuckled to himself before throwing up his open hand. Golden coins flew into his palm, courtesy of the chiseled hunter. A purple miasma suddenly swallowed the owner of the bar, dispersing to reveal a cloaked man, their face hidden by the shadows of their hood.

Gaston threw his nose up pointedly in a huff, refusing to turn back to the cloaked man emitting darkness. A smug, vain grin stretched across his face.

"I am Gaston, The Greatest Hunter of All! Be they normal beast, or cursed beasts, or even beautiful woman, I will have them! For I am loved by all, and I deserve all their love and affection." Gaston glanced back at the cloaked man and gave him a wink as he chuckled pridefully.

The cloaked stranger nodded, having nothing more to say. With that, Gaston left the humble little bar to ready himself.

He had to make sure he looked his best for the hunt after all.

* * *

 _'The climate in this world is out of whack. It was sunny just half an hour ago for crying out loud!'_ Jaune thought bitterly as he tried to keep warm.

A gust of cold wind brushed past Jaune's cheek, his teeth chattering audibly and drowned out by the bellowing winter winds. Joining in with the party of woodsman hunters, Jaune had witnessed the very environment shift from the cold, sun beamed little town, into a winter wonderland the moment they touched ground upon the woods leading to The Beast's location. Snow sprinkled from the clouds above, carpeting the woodland dirt with layers of white that reached up to their ankles. Jaune sniffed, wishing he had some winter clothing in his Inventory as he and several other winter garbed hunters ducked under several low hanging branches.

Well, at least the woods they were trekking in wasn't part of Everwood. That gave him some comfort.

To the east side of Wilhelm was the woodland area of White Groove, a small constantly snowing woodland that came between the town and The Beast's lair. At first Jaune had thought it would live in a cave or something, but no! Apparently, the monster lived in a castle of all things. Gaston had said it had killed the original owner and had taken over the castle for its own needs. It wasn't an ordinary beast, it actually had some impressive intelligence, enough for it to outsmart the castle's owner and its attendants. It's why Gaston had assembled a hunting party of the town's best hunters along with some that had passed by on their journeys. But unlike them, they considered Jaune a Hunter, completely different from themselves apparently.

From what Jaune had garnered from the hunters around him as they made their way through the snowy foliage, a Hunter was a trained individual who was adept in fighting mythical beasts and individuals. Similar to a Huntsman/Huntress and the creatures of Grimm. He couldn't exactly deny the claim seeing as he was trained to fight monsters. Not to mention fighting a monster sounded like a good way to gain some Exp and kill some time before he was brought back to his world. That was the thing about the world inside Lost Fairy Tales, there was no clear objective from what he's learned. He pretty much just stumbled into Events in the pocket world. Which was kinda nice compared to what he had to deal with normally thanks to The Will.

Though that did bring up the question of how Jaune was going to return to his world once all was said and done. He did not want to believe that his original ways of going back were his only options.

Falling beside the shivering blond as he was deep in thought, Gaston threw his muscular arm around Jaune's shoulder with a wide, dazzling grin.

"Thinking about our approaching battle are we, Juan?"

Jaune's brow twitched in annoyance as he glanced back at the handsome hunter, "It's Jaune, not Juan. And I guess you could say that." From the sounds of it, he was going to be going into a Boss fight here. He was confident in the layout of his current Abilities and Skills, so there was no need to fix them. Not that he could, for some reason he couldn't access his Abilities or Skills in this world. But maybe he could use this moment to learn more about his enemy. From the sound of it, Gaston was familiar with The Beast, "What kind of monster are we dealing with? I know you described its appearance, but do you have any advice on how to fight it? Or anything I should watch out for?" he asked seriously, only to receive a nonchalant wave of Gaston's hand.

"Don't you worry yourself, Juan! There's not much you need to know about The Beast in our fight. We have numbers on our side this time, and with your help I'll finally be able to land the finishing blow. Just focus on keeping its attention on you along with the others to give me an opening. That's all you need to do." he said confidently with another smug, white toothed grin.

 _'He's doing it on purpose, he must be._ ' Jaune thought dryly as the muscled man again ignored his correction.

"Really? I thought I would have some bigger part in your hunt. You made it sound as if you really needed my help as a Hunter." Jaune frowned.

Gaston chuckled, patting the boy's shoulder roughly as he spoke, "But you are important! Having a Hunter by our side will turn the tides in our favor after all. But," his smile grew thin as his blue eyes narrowed as he leaned down closer to look Jaune in the eye, "Do not be mistaken. This is our fight. And it must end by our hands. More specifically my own. So, don't forget your place, dear Hunter. You are to help, nothing more, nothing less." he said politely, his voice soft yet harsh.

Jaune nodded stiffly, feeling the arm around his neck slightly strain his neck from Gaston simply bulging his muscles. Gaston seemed to be pretty arrogant and smug, but the man did carry with him strength. Those muscles weren't just for show. And while Jaune would have said something back concerning the plan, he decided to just follow along as he sighed. They simply needed his help, no need to start trouble over who killed the monster. Even if the man heading the party did annoy him.

Glad to see the blond boy understand, Gaston gave him another rough pat before readying himself to rally their party to pick up the pace, when the sound of several howls reached his ears. That wasn't what had made him pause though. No, it was the feminine scream of fear that interested him.

"It seems we've company! And I do believe that shrill, helpless, beautiful scream was my dear Belle!" Gaston growled as he reached for the musket holstered on his back. The howls grew louder, concerning the party of hunters as Gaston began barking orders, "Wolves are upon us and there's a lady in distress! I've no idea how she escaped The Beast, but we can save such thoughts for later! All hunters, spread out and deal with the wolves! The Beast can wait once we've saved my love. Now, GO!"

The hunters nodded firmly without question and began running off in search of the wolves and woman in trouble. Even Jaune forgot about Gaston's usual annoying smug attitude to sprint off deeper into the snowy woods. Jaune's HUD went to work to search out for the enemies nearby, displaying around a dozen red dots on his map of the area closing in on a specific spot. But with the hunters on the move the number of enemies began to drop slowly.

It wasn't long until all that his Map displayed were three enemies meeting together in one spot. Jaune could see his breath coming out in puffs as he picked up the pace, catching the sound of a cry along with several howls close by. He didn't want to waste another second and activated Gale Speed to close the distance as he spotted a large crop of snow covered bushes ahead of his targets. He narrowed his eyes, exploding out of the snow bushes and sliding Crocea Mors out of Ignis Mors with a deafening scrape of metal. The old war blade was bathed by a white light before he struck the closest enemy in sight.

" _ **Power Strike!**_ "

A rush of adrenaline pumped through Jaune's veins as Crocea Mors stabbed a rather large gray-haired wolf back from its charge. A slight boom echoed from the contact as Jaune fell onto his feet and unfolded Ignis Mors to shield him from a leaping dive of cruel, meat rending teeth from a wolf already on the move to the new prey it its sights. "Back off!" Jaune shouted strongly. He bashed his shield as the wolf chomped onto his glorious white gold shield. The blow sent it back with its stunned brother as the wolves gathered together to eye the strong human in their way.

Now that Jaune had a moment to observe the wolves, he noticed they were unlike any wolves he had seen back in his world. They stood on all fours, their fur grayish white that helped to camouflage them in the snowy terrain with black tearing claws, fangs and beady red eyes that wafted red mist. They were as big as the average adult male and bulky with muscles. The two wolves Jaune had attacked shook off the damage and snarled, their snouts showing off their mad fangs as their fur stood up like pines.

 **'Brisk Wolf.**

 **9,200HP/10,000HP.'**

Jaune released the Scan of the now identified Brisk Wolves with a click of his tongue. They were definitely tougher than the common Beowolf back in Remnant. They had more health than the Tutorial Bosses in Initiation. And Power Strike had only done 800 points of damage? It looked like he was in for a tough fight.

"BEGONE!"

From behind Jaune's turned back, an earth trembling roar stunned him in place along with the Brisk Wolves as his ears rung from the monstrous volume. Whatever had caused the roar had dropped 400 points of HP from the simple action. Jaune's eyes were shaken as his body refused to move a muscle. A look at his Status revealed that he was Paralyzed along with the snow wolves. He was helpless to whatever monster had frozen them still.

The sound of the snow crunching under the imposing presence behind Jaune only further shook him to his core. Heavy panting could be heard as a large shadow fell over his paralyzed form. As the thing responsible for his condition passed him over, Jaune was finally able to make out its identity. His breath left him as his hands trembled, whether from the fear or status ailment, he wasn't sure.

Walking ahead of him at ten feet high, a black furred beast trudged its way forward to the Brisk Wolves. It was just as Gaston had described to him, red horns, upper body of a bear, lower body of a wolf, and head of a lion. Only it was garbed in a tattered wine purple cloak over its large body and a flaring wild mane of red that fell over its shoulders. The Beast stopped, turning its face away from its prey to glance back at the paralyzed blond hunter behind it. Its eyes were completely white, haunting with no emotion as its maw opened and grinned. It was then that Jaune made out something surprising about The Beast.

Its fur did look black, but upon closer inspection, it was more like its fur and skin were made of waving shadows.

"Another human. You sacks of foul flesh simply don't comprehend the meaning of Stay Away." The Beast growled gruffly with a crack of its neck.

Jaune couldn't reply, he could only break out into a cold sweat as he felt the monster's imposing presence suffocate him. It took him a second to realize what was happening to him as he recalled an Ailment he had read in his Gamer Help Guide.

Fear.

This wasn't a normal monster. This wasn't anything he had ever encountered before on Remnant. An enemy that could inflict something like Fear just by speaking. It hadn't even hit him, and he was already unable to move.

The Beast scoffed at the trembling human boy. It turned back to the three frozen Brisk Wolves and clicked its claws. It fell on all fours and lunged forward like a shadowy blur. It tackled the gray colored wolf in the middle of the small pack and sent it breaking through a tree. The tree fell with a groan and kicked up a cloud of snow as The Beast craned its neck to the next wolf. It was at that moment that Brisk Wolves snapped out of their Paralysis. From The Beast's right a downward claw strike fell upon it. The Beast twisted its neck and rammed its sharp red devil horns into the Brisk Wolf, spying its underbelly open from its attack. Red splashed onto the snow as the Brisk Wolf's stomach was pierced. It whined from the stabbing strike before it was lifted up and thrown to the side. Distracted, The Beast was left open itself and found the third snow wolf jumping onto its back. The Brisk Wolf's teeth feverishly bit into its back, pulling its tough hide like taffy in hopes to rip its flesh off.

The Beast bucked around like a bull, trying to shake off the annoyance. Growing fed up it ran itself towards the nearest tree, slamming its back to crush the wolf. The Brisk Wolf whined and fell off from the attack. Done with its prey, The Beast turned back to the only threat left standing. Jaune mentally cursed as his body still refused to listen to him. From the glare on The Beast's face it didn't seem it would be leaving him alone.

"You are all that is left, flesh bag. And from the sounds of it, you are not the only one trespassing close to my territory. It seems I must make an example of you." The Beast panted, ignoring the wounds on its back to fully stand on its hind legs. "I've tried, and tried, and tried, to warn you to leave me be, but you all seem to wish for punishment. If a mangled corpse is what it will take to leave me in peace, then I suppose I must dirty my hands for solitude."

 _'Trespassing? Warning? What's it talking about?'_ Jaune thought as he struggled to move as The Beast slowly walked over, clicking its claws menacingly with a haunting grin. If only he had a Skill that shortened Paralysis! Dying within Lost Fairy Tales was the same to dying back in Remnant, he couldn't just stand by and let that thing rip into him!

"NO, PLEASE STOP!"

A new voice caught Jaune's attention and brought The Beast to abrupt stop. The Beast narrowed its hollow white eyes in annoyance, looking past Jaune to the person laying back against a claw scarred tree. Its large frame trembled, seeming to fight with its claws need to tear the frozen hunter to lumps of bleeding meat.

"This human is another hunter, trespassing into my land to kill and skin me! I've tried to be patient with these sacks of shit, BUT THEY KEEP PUSHING ME!" It roared madly, shaking the snow coated earth with such force that Jaune was knocked on his back. He gasped as he laid on the snow, free from his paralysis to finally move. Flinching as he tried to regain his breath, he moved his head back and found his blue eyes meeting with concerned hazel orbs. If Jaune's breath wasn't already gone, it was now.

Sitting back against the torn bark of a tree, was a gorgeous brunette-haired woman wearing a blue sleeveless dress over a white long-sleeved blouse, long blue skirt, and white apron tied around her waist along with a brown cloak to protect her from the cold. Her brown hair was tied back with a blue ribbon. Jaune was taken back for a second, the woman's beautiful face overlapped by someone else he knew with cat ears and yellow eyes. From the looks of it she had been attacked with her clothes having tears along with red bleeding out from her left sleeve. The sight of the injured woman was enough for Jaune to fight back his fear and scrambled back to his feet. He stood in the way of The Beast with his shield held before him and glared at the growling monster.

"STAY BACK!" Jaune shouted, his voice coming out hoarse from his earlier condition. His body tensed as The Beast snarled in anger and took a step further.

"You're in my way, human! If you wished to live, then you should have stayed home with the rest of your worthless kind!" The Beast barked as it raised its arm to show off its deadly claws. "I'll give you one kindness those mutts were denied; Leave and never return!"

"I'm not moving another step! Not when someone's in danger!" Jaune shouted back as he raised Crocea Mors threateningly.

The Beast's temper flared. It roared again, blowing away the falling snow with a visible shock wave that buffeted Jaune with pure force. But he held his ground against The Beast's roar and glared back as the monster fell on all fours. ' ** _Scan!_** '

 **'The Beast, Cursed Pride.**

 **5,208HP/30,100HP[Bleeding Severe].'**

For some odd reason, Jaune found his sword arm hesitating. The Beast was weakened, its HP basically in the red. Clearly it had been fighting for a long time now. In its weakened state, all Jaune had to do was evade its attacks and land his strongest attacks as quick as possible. And that would be it, the mission would be over. But-

"Please, stop fighting."

-The cry behind him, weak and pained, stopped him from meeting The Beast as it lunged forward.

"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!" The Beast roared, its claws stabbing forward to break the shield in its way.

But before either of the two could make another move, a volley of basketball sized ice chunks slammed into The Beast's back. The Beast crashed onto the snow, sliding in front of Jaune with a pained grunt. Spires of jagged ice formed on its bleeding back, weighing it down as it fell back to the cold ground. Jaune frowned at the sudden attack and turned back ahead to the monster's attacker.

Apparently, the Brisk Wolves hadn't been killed. All three stood a few feet behind The Beast, wounded but still standing. A quick Scan of their Health revealed that their HP had been cut back to about three fourths'. And they weren't happy at the moment. The wolves opened their jaws, releasing a cold fog before each one flung their tails into their mouths and bit down. They pulled back their tails, coating them with jagged ice like blades. Snarling they sprinted forward with two of the Brisk Wolves jumping high in the air to spin around like saws. They set their sights on The Beast and slammed their jagged bladed tails into the giant monstrosity with audible cracks. The Beast roared in pain, feeling the spines of ice on its back shatter and stabbed by the ice tail blades. It slumped, losing its strength as his blood pooled freely into the snow under it. It tried to stand but found the two snow wolves had already launched another attack, this time backing away to his sides.

But while the two Brisk Wolves busied themselves with The Beast, the third of the lupine brothers sped after their original prey. Jaune gritted his teeth as the Brisk Wolf flew past him like an arrow and set its sights on the wounded brunette woman.

"BELLE!" The Beast yelled in alarm before another jagged tail slammed into him and kept it down.

Jaune moved quickly as the Brisk Wolf was only a few seconds from harming the woman. Crocea Mors cut through the air, stabbing right in front of the snow of the brunette before the Brisk Wolf could sink its jaws into her.

" _ **Warp Strike!**_ " As the Brisk Wolf snapped its freezing jaws open, ready to bite down onto the injured woman, Jaune teleported in front of her with Crocea Mors already swinging for its snout. It was knocked back on its feet away from the two, chopping off HP in the process. The Brisk Wolf snarled and opened its jaw again to fire several ice chunks. Jaune shattered the ice with several counter swings. The snow wolf growled and charged forward, spinning around in its charge to swing its ice blade tail around to slash the blond. Jaune swung Ignis Mors back, spinning to face its sharp point forward before blocking the repeated slashing tail. Swinging his shield, he broke the wolf's attack and started slashing at its stunned body with the heated edge of Ignis Mors. The Fire element of his bladed shield proved to be effective as its HP dropped farther with every connecting slash.

" ** _Point of Impact!_** " Rearing his shield arm back, Jaune drove its burning point into the wolf's face. An explosive burst of flames devoured the monster and sent it flying away with a dying whine. Jaune breathed a sigh of relief with one of the monsters gone. Seeing the effects of his attack cloud his sights, he was ready to clear it away with a swing of his blade.

Five chunks of ice broke through the explosive cloud, shattering over Jaune's body. He shouted in pain as the attacks created creeping ice over his body from below his neck to his feet. Again, he was frozen still. Jaune jerked furiously within the ice, cursing loudly to break free. With the cloud of black smoke gone, he saw the two remaining Brisk Wolves running madly after him. But he knew what they were really after. The woman behind him.

"D-Don't worry, I'll p-protect y-you!" Jaune stuttered, his teeth chattering from ice over his body. He just needed to break free for crying out loud! The ice creaked, spreading cracks around his body as it weakened. But it was too late. The wolves were already jumping in the air, snapping open their hungry mouths to dig into their prey with glee.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

Jaune's vision was replaced by damp red purple as he suddenly found The Beast standing in front of him. He didn't even notice it move!

Sucking in a deep breath, The Beast let loose a roar that released a stream of vile flames tinted with darkness from its lion's maw. The airborne beasts were helpless as the flames obscured their sights. They were burned to a crisp in seconds. Only bits of ash were left as their remains fell to the snow.

With the wolves now gone, The Beast's shoulders slumped in exhaustion before its deer ears stood up in alarm and glanced back. It had almost forgotten Jaune in the moment. It narrowed its blank white eyes dangerously and clicked its claws.

"Human…" Its words slurred. Blood began to seep out of its shadowy hide and drench the soft white snow beneath its feet. Its strength had left it. Weakly it swung rending claws up for a slash. But with a groan it wound up falling onto the ground before the two humans with a heavy thud.

Jaune frowned at the wounded monster. A Scan revealed that it was still Bleeding and its Health was only a sliver. If it was left in such a state for even a minute, he was sure it would bleed out.

"No, please, don't die."

Looking back, Jaune found the injured woman he realized to be Belle crawling on her stomach towards the bleeding monster. He was stunned to see her reaching out to it. Didn't it kidnap her? Why would she reach out to it like it was her friend?

Crawling past the blond hunter, Belle moved her body over the large beast protectively. Weakly she glared at Jaune, not caring that her torn dress was being soaked with blood.

"Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Belle cried loudly as she hugged The Beast tightly.

"SHE!?" Jaune shouted in surprise as his jaw fell. That thing was a she!?

Something strange then happened. The shadow fur over The Beast began to lift off of it in ribbons flying up into the sky. Soon enough all the darkness cladding its body left it, leaving behind a tall red-haired woman. Jaune took a step back in surprise at the sight.

The woman was about six feet tall with chocolate brown skin. Atop her head her red horns had grown smaller, her muscles had disappeared and her monstrous features had vanished. The so-called Beast had disappeared and left behind a woman that could be mistaken as a faunus with sharp features.

Confused, Jaune was deeply confused! With the revelation, he found his sword falling to his side and his shield returning to its sheath form. He scratched his head as he tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing.

 _'I think I could use that drink right now.'_

But while Jaune was confused, he did know one thing for sure. The Beas-the woman was in danger of bleeding out. Even if he didn't understand what was going on, Jaune knew that he wasn't about to let anyone die. Reaching into his Inventory, Jaune pulled out a potion and knelt down close to the brown furred woman. He smiled reassuringly at Belle and brought the healing liquid to the odd woman's lips. It wouldn't completely heal her, but it would be enough to drag her away from death's door.

Pouring the grape flavored potion into the woman's mouth, its effects were immediate as the once beast sputtered and gasped. Weakly, she opened her eyes to reveal her yellow iris. Her vision was a blur but she made out something yellow. She even felt something hugging onto her back.

"Who…who are you?" the beast woman growled softly.

Jaune chuckled softly at the woman's narrowed gaze, "Just some traveling knight, I suppose." he said with a small grin.

The answer wasn't what the beast woman wanted to hear. She growled and moved to slash at the man's face with her clawed nails but found herself yelping as the figure hugging her from behind increased their embrace with a happy giggle.

"Belle, you're killing me." the beast woman gasped as she felt her wounds begin to open again.

But Belle didn't seem to mind. She was just happy to see her friend feeling better. And it was all thanks to the blond man in front of them. She turned to look at him curiously, wondering what he was doing so far out from the town.

"Who are you, Mr. Knight?" Belle repeated as she moved her face closer to the knight still kneeling by them. Her curious hazel eyes stared dead into the blue of Jaune's, making the boy gulp nervously. She really was pretty, even more so up close.

"Name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue! Ladies love it." Jaune chuckled, his little introduction causing the brunette woman to giggle. The beast woman rolled her eyes despite how injured she was.

"Jaune Arc?" Belle tested the name out, playing around with it before smiling brightly, "It really does roll off the tongue. I like it!"

Finally! Someone who understood!

"Shit-head, that's your name." the beast woman said flatly, causing Jaune's shoulders to slump, "Just another blood hungry human, like the rest of them." she scowled in disgust.

Jaune glared at the beast woman and opened his mouth to argue with her name. But his ears suddenly picked up on footsteps coming closer. Still on guard, he stood up quickly and brought Ignis Mors up. But to his relief no monster burst out of the bushes ahead. Gaston ran in with his musket aimed for any enemies in the area. The handsome hunter's blue eyes scanned the snowfield and came to stop at the sight of both Belle and Jaune. Gaston grinned widely, his eyes passing over Jaune to Belle.

"My dear Belle, thank the Lord that you are alright! I had thought that monster had defiled you and picked its teeth with your bones." Gaston cooed before his eyes fell on the woman below Belle. He narrowed his eyes and aimed his musket's sights to the...thing.

"Gaston?" Belle muttered in surprise before frowning as she found his gun pointed at her friend, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ridding our town of the ugly beast, of course! Please, my love! Move away from that disgusting monster! I must put an end to its torment!" Gaston smiled smoothly before shutting one eye for a better shot.

"NO! SHE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG!" Belle shouted frantically. She let go of the beast woman and stood over her protectively to act as a shield. She glared furiously at the handsome hunter, refusing to move.

Gaston sighed dramatically. The poor woman must have been warped by the thing's magic. He would have to fix that once she was in his arms.

"Love, that's simply that monster's trickery talking. But don't you worry, your nightmare will be over with soon enough. Then we can resume where we left off earlier." Gaston smiled gently as Belle continued to glare at him, "I know your father will be happy to see you again after being away for so long. I already have his blessings after all, so we shan't have any problem there."

Belle narrowed her eyes, "I've told you time and time again, I don't want your hand in marriage. And did you say my father?" she dropped her glare with the bit of information as her face gained a worried expression, "So, he's fine. Thank the Lord." she smiled in relief.

"Wait, I thought you said The Beast had her father prisoner?" Jaune frowned in confusion. He stepped beside Belle while handing the beast woman another potion before staring at Gaston with suspicion, "So, her father was safe this entire time? Why would you lie to me about that? If you had simply said Belle was in trouble, I would have still helped." What need would there be to lie about something small like that? Jaune's suspicions grew more as his hand fell to the hilt of Crocea Mors. There was something important he just realized, "Where's Belle's father?"

Gaston flinched as if he was struck. And that was all Jaune needed to see.

"What are you up too?"

Gaston grew quiet. Along with Jaune, Belle stared at the handsome man with suspicion and took a step back. Gaston sighed and shrugged nonchalantly. It seemed he was now caught in a corner.

How unfortunate for them.

"Tell me, what was your name again, Juan?"

Jaune scowled, ready to draw Crocea Mors if he had to, "I've told you already, my name's not Juan! It's Jaune, Jaune Arc!"

Gaston grinned widely with dark intent.

The musket suddenly fired with a ringing bang. A green hue encased the small metal ball bullet as it flew through the air to its target. Jaune held his shield in front of him, ready to block the straight forward attack.

Gaston laughed at the useless effort.

Jaune's eyes went wide as the wind bullet curved around his shield in the blink of an eye before it hit his shield. He spun around quickly with his shield but was too late. The bullet kept curving until it dug into his back, piercing through the flesh before finding his left lung. Blood erupted out of his mouth as the metal ball blew up with a glint of emerald light shooting out of the bullet wound.

 _'I-It bypassed my a-aura?'_ Jaune thought in shock as blood continued to spill out of his lips. What the hell did Gaston do?

"JAUNE!" Belle shouted in alarm as she watched in horror as the blond boy fell forward with a gurgled cough. Red bled onto the snow, mixing in with the left-over puddle from the beast woman in an alarming rate. Tears began to fall from her hazel eyes as she brought her hands to her mouth to stop herself from screaming.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **1HP/8,800HP [Severe Bleeding].'**

It was only thanks to still having Yang's Perk, Dragon Scales active that Jaune had survived. But his Bleeding ailment shattered his aura, leaving him in the negative as a thousand HP was removed, his wound continuing to gush with his life force. At this rate, he would be dead in the next few minutes. Jaune struggled to breath with the loss of a lung, his body going into shock as his chest went into spasms. He couldn't even reach into his Inventory in this condition. His only hope would be that his Blood Oath Perk kicked in before his HP drained into zero.

"That despicable beast! Look at what's it done now! Killing a trained Hunter despite how hard I fought to protect him. What a loss." Gaston said dramatically as he popped open his musket to load another iron ball into its chamber. He smirked, impressed as he found the dying blond's blue eyes glare into his own with his dying strength. How surprising, a shot like that would kill most. It looked like the boy was a trained Hunter after all.

 _'L-lying b-bast-!'_ Jaune roughly coughed out another large amount of blood, his thoughts growing into static as his head fell onto the soggy red snow. He couldn't even think; the pain was too much. His HP was already past half of what remained without his aura up.

He was going to die. Again.

Gaston took a couple steps forward with his ever-present grin in place. He made a shushing motion with his finger to his lips as Belle cried softly into her hands at the bloodshed she just witnessed, "My sweet Belle, don't you worry. Like I said, your nightmare is over. Just leave that hideous monster behind and step away from its last victim. I promise you, this will all be nothing but a distant memory." he said softly as his blue eyes gained a hypnotic hue of purple.

With whatever strength, Jaune fought to stay conscious as his bleeding finally stopped. Blood Oath finally activated but unfortunately that left him with only 800HP. And a gaping bullet hole where his lung would be. Thank god for game physics. Now he just needed to wait for his aura to kick back in and-

Gaston's heavy boot fell onto Jaune's head, twisting the sole of his boot in the damp blond hair with faux sniff. His HP fell to 75 points with a single stomp.

"You're still with us? You don't know when to die, do you? Oh well, it appears The Beast had gone as far as crushing its victim's skull." Gaston grinned nastily. Jaune weakly raised his head up, fighting desperately to stay up and glare at the dark-haired hunter standing over him. The barrel of Gaston's musket jabbed into his forehead, pressed deeply into his skull as the man winked, "Don't worry, Juan. You will be remembered fondly as a man who helped in reuniting my dear Belle with her love and in defeating The Beast. You did not die for nothing."

The hammer of the musket clicked, cocked and ready to fire. Jaune shut his eyes, willing whatever strength he had to pull off a miracle.

"DIE!"

Both Jaune and Gaston's eyes went wide in surprise as a bellowing roar erupted behind them. Gaston turned away from Jaune to the sound's origin only to be thrown back from a monstrously large fist. A loud snap could be heard as the handsome man slammed back into the trunk of a tree. The tree shook, showering him with snow as he held his broken nose with a furious flinch. His picture-perfect features twisted in rage, his nostrils flaring as he quickly moved to stand back up.

The snowfield was bathed with an orange hue as Gaston's view of whatever attacked him was blocked by an enormous ball of twisted flames. Gaston rolled away from the attack aimed for him. In his roll he found himself tossed further away from the fireball's explosive detonation blowing apart the surrounding trees. He coughed into his fist as the smoke lingered by him before spinning his head around for The Beast, Jaune, and Belle.

Steam wafted from the flames melting away a large amount of the ever-snowing snow, leaving a fog. As the fog died away, not a trace of the three that had been present earlier could be found. The loss of his prey had Gaston's face growing a blistering red as he snarled madly.

"Y-You, ugly, malformed, hideous, rotten, pile of waste! You will not escape my bullet again!" Gaston yelled in frustration. He panted from the rage, his well-kept raven hair coming undone in his anger before he took a deep breath. With his temper reeled in, he glared at the spot his prey had laid along with the small bits of blood left over. His grin grew back, growing dark and cruel.

"Run another day. It matters not to me. But you will die at my hands, and I will have Belle as my wife. A gorgeous woman like that is only meant to be with a handsome man like myself after all. And I will get my way, I always do." he cooed smoothly before turning his back to the minor setback.

His thoughts did turn to the blond Hunter bleeding out, but shrugged it off as he left.

The Juan kid was good as dead.

* * *

The world became a blur in Jaune's eyes. He wasn't sure what exactly happened but he found his body bouncing on the back of something black. He couldn't make anything passing him by clearly. All he knew was that he was on the back of something moving at an incredible speed.

His thoughts were jarred, too tired to question what was happening. Even with such a deathly wound as a blown-up lung, his Gamer's body was working fast to repair the damage. If he had been a regular human there would be no doubt he would be dead. Right now, he needed to focus on his body healing. Questions could wait.

In Jaune's blurry vision, he made out a blurry blob close to him. The blob reached out its hand to him, their fingers gingerly running through his hair in some way of comfort. He could hear a voice, soft and caring, easing him to close his eyes. And as hard as he tried to keep his heavy eyes open out of fear, he found himself nodding tiredly.

His aura, albeit slowly, was mending the fatal wound. And it seemed like he was in good hands. Better to rest and let his body take care of the rest. With that thought, Jaune let his eyes fall to exhaustion. Sleep came quickly.

Belle smiled gently as she softly patted the wet blond locks on Jaune's head. She held onto his body tightly as they rode on the back of The Beast, leaving behind the snowing field of White Grove with every second. She flinched slightly as the bucking aggravated her own wounds.

The Beast scowled at the sound of Belle's wince.

"Just bear with it for a few moments longer, we'll be arriving at the castle's gates soon." it said gruffly.

Belle smiled into The Beast's back, snuggling into the waving shadow like fur with relief.

". . .Thank you, for not leaving him behind." she whispered softly, earning a snort from the dark beast.

"The maggot is as good as dead, Belle. I've no idea why you waste your time on a cold corpse." it muttered as it broke through the tree line ahead. Covered in snow it stopped for a moment to shake off the annoying white powder before growling as its wounds were agitated with the action.

Belle shook her head and turned her eyes forward to the majestic sight before them. An enormous white castle straight out of the many fairy tales she had read in the bookstore back home greeted them along with an elegant bridge above a ravine and a gate that led to the great castle. It was a sight that still took her breath away after all she had been through. The sun's ray fell upon them, warming their bodies now that they were free of the ever-snowing grove. Belle turned her eyes back to Jaune, smiling warmly at the boy's peaceful expression despite the blood caking his face. His rising chest set her heart at ease.

"He's alive, Eve. I saw it in his eyes, he's a fighter. And he did save your life, you know? It just proves that he's a good man." she said brightly.

The Beast, or Eve, didn't respond. It only scoffed and begun running towards the gated bridge.

Humans were all the same. The only exception she could note was the brunette woman and even she got on her nerves. The blond knight wasn't any different than that smug human with the musket.

But for Belle, she would play along. If only until the knight fully recovered.

* * *

"Tch, this looks like the last town on the list. At least the last one closest to that bitch's kingdom."

"Aw, Artil! I don't think the Queen would be happy to know that you were calling her a bitch! She's has ears everywhere, ahuh!"

Through the streets of the cold port town of Wilhelm, the townspeople found themselves staring oddly at the strange sight they were witnessing. Just moments ago, a large army of knights clad in heavy silver armor, lances, fire sticks, swords, and maces had arrived at their town gates on a mission. The carriage at the head of the army was decorated with flags and were painted blue and white with a royal emblem of a snow-white tiara of ice. The people instantly recognized the emblem as the queen of the region, meaning that the small army was the queen's own men marching in. Many were confused at the arrival of the queen's men. As far as many of them knew there wasn't any reason for them to be out this far from the cold queen's kingdom. Some believed that they had arrived to lend a hand in The Beast's demise, but threw such thoughts away as they recalled the new queen's position on such matters.

As strange as it was to see the men, it was even stranger to see the intimidating knights following the lead of two child sized men dressed in overalls who looked to be better suited mining for gems and diamonds. One of the dwarves wore a red bandanna and an eye patch with a loaded firearm strapped to his back, while the second one had a sunny smile stamped on his overalls with the biggest smile on his face. The army of knights wordlessly followed behind the two, awaiting any commands at any moment as the two bickered with another.

Scratching his scalp under his bandanna, Artil spat to the side in annoyance as Hap skipped alongside him merrily.

"As if I care if she heard me call her a bitch! She's the one who had apparently grown fond of us and forced us into such positions without our consent! I'm an outlaw! Not some damn babysitter." Artil growled, glancing back to the knights trailing behind him. A few of the armored men shivered at the deadly glint in the short man's red eyes and eyed the little man's twitchy trigger finger. Grunting, Artil turned his eyes straight ahead with scrutiny, "Even worse, she has us searching for that blond brat who was suppose make our troubles go away. Can't say I blame him. I would run away too if I was married to that ice queen."

"Well, I think she's super!" Hap giggled with his ever present bright grin, "She put me in charge of decorating the castle and made me Captain of Joy! Now our soldiers won't ever feel down with me by their side singing my happy, sunny melodies!" he giggled happily.

One of the knight's behind the two dwarves straightened his back and forced a strained smile on his head as Hap spun around to wink at him. The armored knight sweated as the little man turned away and sighed with relief.

No one in their ranks wanted to hear another song from that happy little monster. Behind that innocent and bright smile laid a true horror of sunshine and sparkles.

Once again, Artil was reminded of Snow's sadism. Putting Hap in charge of soldiers? That was just cruel.

"At least our long search will be over with today." Artil sighed deeply. He swung his small hands behind his head and looked up at the gray cloudy sky above with a smirk, "This is the last town on our list. Which means we got no other places to search for after this. And unless Snow wants to make peace with the queen of the eastern side of Fey to search for him there, our job will be over with. And I can finally go back to manning the artillery on our borders." he chuckled happily.

"And I can go back to whipping our boys into shape! Right, guys!?" Hap shouted gleefully to the small army behind them. The knights stopped in place, straightened their backs, and saluted the small captain as they shouted in sync.

"YES, SIR!"

Finally reaching what they believed to be the town square, the army stopped and lined up behind the small dwarfs as Artil reached into one of his pockets. Coughing gruffly into his fist, the gun happy dwarf reached out his hand for one of the knights to hand him an odd stick with a purple gem adorned to the tip. He tapped the gem a few times, the action causing a loud echoing boom to catch the attention of the towns people around the square.

"Alright, listen up!" Artil shouted into the stick, his voice amplified by its magical gem as he spoke, "I am Artil Klien, Commander of Snow White's Artillery and Defensive Line! And on the orders of her majesty, we are in search of this man right here!" Nodding his head to Hap, Artil watched as his cheery brother unfurled a large poster and hung on a banner stand provided by one of the knights.

The poster displayed an artist's drawing of a messy blond-haired man with blue eyes in his late teens. The man was dressed like a prince and wielded an old styled sword and shield. The only defining feature to the drawing would be the twin arcs on the man's shield.

Cracking his neck, Artil continued as he found a crowd gathered around in interest, "The man's name is unknown! All we have is a drawing from the view of her majesty. For reasons that cannot be stated or known, this man must be found alive and well! Rest assured that a large reward will be provided to the one, or ones, who provide any concrete information on his whereabouts or return! BUT! If any misleading information or false claims are given, be warned that a long, agonizing, grueling, public execution awaits you!" Artil finished off sternly with a deep frown.

Within seconds murmurs and whispers filled the air as the town's people talked among themselves. If the queen was offering a large reward than it would have to a king's ransom that could allow anyone to live in luxury for the rest of their days! But at the same time, they were uneasy about the threat of execution for giving any false leads. Even a far-off town like Wilhelm knew of the queen's strict and cold rule. Among the talk, a few of the people found themselves scratching their heads and squinting at the picture, as if they had seen the man before.

But none of the chatter was any different from the many towns Artil and Hap had visited in the last few months since they began their journey. From the sounds of it no one knew of the blond runaway.

Artil shook his head with a dragged-out sigh.

"Doesn't look like we got anything here either. Too bad, I actually found myself hoping to drag that blond brat with us. Maybe her royal coldness would finally warm up a bit." Artil shrugged in the end. It didn't make any difference to them. It was a wild goose chase from the start. They didn't even have the kid's name for lord's sake. The search was a failure from the start.

Knowing that they weren't going to find any clues, Artil moved to call off the search and head out.

"Hmm? What's all the commotion about? I'm gone for a few hours and the whole towns gathered in the square for no reason?"

Breaking through the crowd gathered around the small army of knights, a very handsome and chiseled dark-haired man walked up to Artil and Hap. The man's good-looking features were bandaged from what they guessed was some altercation and sported a few bruises over his face. Behind the handsome man followed a party of hunters who appeared to have just returned from a hunt. The handsome man suddenly blinked. He found his eyes staring ahead at the banner behind the two dwarfs. While the blond man in the poster was wearing a different getup than what he had originally seen, the twin arcs on the wanted man's shield affirmed it.

Gaston grinned and looked down at the two dwarfs.

"So, are you friends of Juan Arc? Well I'm sorry to say that I have some rather grave news about our friend here." Gaston said with a dramatic sigh.

Artil frowned deeply. He didn't like the sounds of that. The spastic twitch in his trigger finger said they weren't done here as he had hoped.

"Welp!" Hap grinned widely, "It looks like we've finally got some news for her majesty! She's going to be sooooooo happy!"

She wasn't.

* * *

"Look, Mama! It's a man! Eve brought home a man! Do you think he's the one?"

"Hush now, Chip! The young man is clearly in need of rest. He doesn't need some stranger looking down on him while he sleeps, that's impolite. Ain't that right, Cogsworth?"

"But I do say that I find it interesting that the young mistress would bring home another human into her abode. Here I thought she had given up on humanity and all its kind. Don't you find it strange, Lumeire?"

"My dear friend, don't you see? Our mademoiselle brought this young man home out of the goodness of her heart! It seems that our dear Belle's presence has been a good influence on her. Why, give the young lady another day and I'm sure even mademoiselle won't be able to stop herself from falling for her!"

"Errrr, yes, I suppose so. But wouldn't it be better for her to fall in love with the man? It's only natural after all."

"Bah! Love knows no bounds! Be it between a woman and a man, or a woman and a woman, love is love! And only love will free us all from our curse."

Groaning softly, Jaune's eyes creaked open and blinked in effort to clear away the sleep from his eyes. Strangely, he could hear voices very close by. He yawned and tried to get up from wherever he was laying but grunted as he fell back to the soft mattress. He gasped as he held the right side of his chest where he could feel gauze and bandages wrapped around his patched-up lung.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **3,100HP/8,800HP.'**

 _'Well, at least I'm out of the red.'_ Jaune thought as he let his head rest back on a pillow. He took a moment to regain his breath after the sudden sharp pain in his chest before looking around. He could have sworn he heard voices.

"Mama, he's awake! Look, look!"

Something odd jumped up and down from the left side of Jaune's bedside, catching his attention. As his vision gained clarity, Jaune found himself dumbfounded at what he was seeing.

Bouncing happily, a small chipped teacup with a set of black eyes and a small mouth greeted Jaune with a bright smile. The handle of the cup looked like it represented its nose. At a loss for words at the strange sight, Jaune could only continue to watch the animated teacup happily bounce around before it decided to jump onto his bedside. The little drink ware looked at Jaune with stars in its eyes.

"Hi, Mister! My name's Chip, what's yours?" it said curiously as it leaned closer to Jaune's astounded face.

 _'I must still be dreaming. That must be it. This is all nothing but a dream.'_ Jaune concluded logically. It only made sense. Why else would a teacup be talking to him in a little boy's voice?

Another figment of Jaune's dream hopped onto his bedside, this time in the form of a feminine looking porcelain teapot. The teapot shook itself in disappointment at the tea cup child.

"Now Chip, I told you to leave the boy be. Don't you see that he's still trying to make heads and tails of where he is? Poor dear, he must believe he's seeing things. It's not every day you see talking objects." the teapot chuckled softly before turning to look at Jaune kind. He was surprised to see gentle kindness in its eyes, almost motherly.

"Don't you worry, dear. You just take a deep, calming breath now. You've been through a lot, so just rest easy. You're still in no shape to be moving about all willy-nilly."

"Someone pinch me." Jaune said dully before yelping in pain. He rubbed his singed nose with a glare as he now found an animated golden candlestick. Its arms held lit candles in each of its 'hands' and the center wax candle stick held its eyes and mouth. The candlestick looked at Jaune with apology.

"Pardon me, monsieur! I just wanted to reassure you that you were indeed awake. Sadly, these hands are incapable of pinching." it laughed.

The feeling of his nose being lightly burned was just enough to prove that he was indeed awake.

"Y-You burned me?" Jaune stuttered, staring at the animated candlestick with a dropped jaw.

Another object jumped into his sight, standing on top of his chest with a look of annoyance at the flaming item. It was an old wooden clock brought to life with arms and a face on the clock's display.

"I agree, that was rude, Lumiere! There are better ways to prove he is wide and awake." Cogsworth scoffed with what Jaune could only describe as a snotty expression. The clock looked back at Jaune with apology, "I'm dreadfully sorry, sir. My friend here did not mean no harm, he's just a bit… softheaded!" the clock said brightly, only to yelp as Lumiere singed its arm.

"Now that was just rude, Cogsworth. I simply wanted to help him cement his reality. It was just a gentle little singe." the gold wick smiled. Now that Jaune was wide awake, he idly noticed that the animated candlestick's voice had an accent that clicked with him. Odd.

The feminine teapot, which on closer look had what appeared to be makeup on nodded in agreement on the clock's side, "I agree with Cogsworth, the boy's still wounded. No need to add another injury." she huffed.

The candlestick looked back and forth between the two before its golden metal arms slumped and pouted.

"I suppose that was my mistake." Lumiere admitted with some guilt before turning to the still opened mouthed blond. Lumiere smiled in apology and bowed, "My apologies, Monsieur. I hope you can forgive me." he said sincerely.

Jaune could only nod, still reeling from the shock.

"It's fine, really. I don't think I would have believed I was awake otherwise." he laughed weakly as he stared at the animate objects that settled around him. With the surprise waning, Jaune began to slowly sit up despite the protest of the teapot.

From what he was saw, he was bedridden in an old styled infirmary. And to his further disbelief he could see several of the medical supplies moving about with wills of their own. Jaune waved weakly back at a coat rack with a stethoscope around the neck of its frame as it greeted him before it left with the rest of the animate tools.

 _'This is literally something out of my mother's story books. I swear I've read about a story like this, but my mind's drawing a complete blank.'_

Jaune's thoughts were abruptly cut off by a sharp sting on his chest. He sucked in a wince and flinched as he gripped the bandaged area around his lung.

The motherly teapot immediately began to scold Jaune, "I told you to take it easy, young man! You're lucky to be alive with a wound like that. Though," she frowned deeply as she stared at a faded, ugly scar on his chest and his forehead, "It seems you're the sort who's familiar with pain such as that. Children these days, getting into who knows what." she chided with a sigh.

Jaune scratched the back of his head sheepishly under the teapots scolding. It reminded him of his mother.

"Sorry! I tend to forget about my own wounds from time to time, Ms.-"

"Potts! Ms. Potts, at your service, young master." Ms. Potts said warmly while performing an odd courtesy in her teapot form.

"And I'm Chip!" Chip giggled as it hopped up and down happily.

Lumiere bowed elegantly as Cogsworth did the same.

"Lumiere, at your service as well, Monsieur!"

"And I am Cogsworth, glad to serve."

Jaune smiled at the friendly animate beings and waved.

"Nice to meet you all. Name's Jaune Arc! And thanks for the help!" he said gratefully. The situation was still weird but he knew that the odd little beings deserved his thanks. "But you don't have to be so formal or anything. I don't need any kind of special treatment." he chuckled sheepishly.

"Nonsense! You deserve nothing but formality and special care!" Cogsworth said stubbornly as the rest nodded along with the clockman, "If it wasn't for your help, our dear mistress wouldn't be back home with us! Not only that, but you saved Belle as well. Why, you're nothing short of a hero!" it smiled as it stuck out it's chest with pride in its voice.

Jaune tilted his head in confusion, "Hero?" he said slowly before his eyes went wide.

At the moment, everything came back to him. Lost Fairy Tales, waking up and riding along to Wilhelm, getting sucked into a hunting party to hunt a horrid beast, fighting the wolves and said Beast before finding the missing Belle and Gaston's betrayal. And then there was also the enchanted bullet to his lung.

"Where's Belle and The Beast!?" Jaune nearly shouted before falling back with a sharp gasp. His wound still wasn't healed despite his Gamer Body. Just how long was he going to be out?

Ms. Potts shushed Jaune and urged him to calm down. She looked at him warmly with a happy twinkle in her eyes, "They're fine, child. Ms. Belle's wounds weren't severe and simply needed some first-aid to treat. She's all better now. And as for our mistress, well, she's been recovering rather nicely these few days. Though I wish she had the natural healing factor like yourself." she said amusingly, "Your lung was utterly destroyed by that enchanted bullet, it was torn to literal shreds. But yet you clung onto your life and in just a day, your lung appeared to be regenerating like magic! Even us cursed folk were dumbfounded by it. Seems you're no ordinary boy."

"I'll say." Lumiere nodded as he crossed his flaming handled arms across its handle chest, "I was even more surprised that our mademoiselle brought you into her home. Eve is not fond of your kind." he chuckled.

With just a few sentences Jaune found himself full of questions. Cursed folk, Eve-

"A FEW DAYS!" Jaune shouted in surprise before once again gasping in pain and being scolded by Ms. Potts.

"Are you sure!?"

Cogsworth nodded with a flat look.

"Trust me. I know a thing or two about time." it grinned proudly before clarifying, "To be more precise, you've been out for exactly two days. Though I would have thought you would have been out for longer with such a grave wound. You truly are far from ordinary." he said with suspicion before staring Jaune dead in the eye with a quirked wooden brow, "You wouldn't happen to be a Warlock, would you?"

Jaune shook his head with a frown. Sure, he knew some magic, but he wasn't adept at it.

"I'm just your average traveler really." he said with some nervousness.

"Eh, it matters not to us. Though having someone who's knowledgeable about magic would have been very helpful." Lumiere smiled as he pulled back Cogsworth.

"Why would that have been helpful?" Jaune asked curiously while his eyes followed the small child like teacup giggling as it gently danced around his chest.

Lumiere's eyes light up with an idea, something Cogsworth noticed right away. The clock-man waved its arms negatively with a scowl, ready to protest.

"Now, Lumiere, there's no need to involve the young man in this any further! He's done more than enough! We should just leave him be to recover and-"

"But he could be the one! While I'm confident in Belle's chances, I just know that if the young monsieur were to be involved, we'd all be able to double our chances! After all, Love is a mysterious thing that knows no bounds or limits!" Lumiere said passionately before moving his clockwork friend away and smiling smoothly at Jaune.

"Mr. Arc, how would you like to hear a story of a poor, heartless damsel in need of saving?"

"And who exactly are you calling a poor heartless damsel?"

The low, annoyed voice by the open door made Lumiere's face freeze. He shuddered before slowly turning his head to meet the twitching yellow eyes of his mistress.

Jaune spun his head to the voice, finding the light chocolate brown skinned woman with red horn leaning against the door to the infirmary. The red-haired woman was dressed in a tattered purple colored cloak. Below that, he could make out a weathered black corset and ragged long skirt that stopped at her kneecaps. From the looks of it she wasn't wearing shoes, choosing to go barefoot and revealing the sharp black claws that were her nails. Jaune's eyes found their way back to the woman's horns, reminding him of a certain individual in his world. Now that he had a good look at her, he noticed the woman's face was sharp and mature with two claw like marks on each of her cheeks.

The faunus like woman's yellow eyes narrowed dangerously as she caught the blond's eye. Her voice grew deep and guttural as darkness began to crawl over her skin like fur.

"Where do you think you're looking at, Shit-head?" she hissed as her body began to morph.

Jaune gulped and went to apologize before he found Ms. Potts scowling. The little teapot jumped down from the bed and hopped over to the transforming woman.

"Young mistress, what have we said about your anger? Now's not the time for one of your childish outbursts. You owe this boy your life after all." Ms. Potts scolded with an upset glare.

The paternal little lecture seemed to be enough to calm the red-horned woman down. She scoffed and the darkness cladding her skin died away. With her features returned to normal, she lightly glared back at Jaune and crossed her arms with a grunt.

"…Don't think I owe you anything, human." she glowered with a show of her sharp teeth. "I would have been just fine without your meddling. If anything, you simply got in the way."

Jaune didn't know what to say, but nodded swiftly. He still remembered the woman's terrifying form when he had first met her. She wasn't the type to piss off.

The woman smirked at Jaune, happy that he knew his place. But that smirk quickly died as someone smacked her arm and tsked.

"Stop intimidating Mr. Arc, Eve! He risked his life to save us. He shouldn't be treated so rudely."

Stepping past 'Eve', Jaune found the brunette woman named Belle smiling at him. There didn't seem to be a scratch on her either, something he was relieved to see. She was still dressed the same as before, her clothing stitched up from their first meeting. He had to blink a few times to rid the phantom image of cat ears over her head. She really did remind him of a brown-haired Blake.

Careful not to aggravate his wounds, Belle pulled Jaune into a hug, surprising him as his head fell against her modest chest. He blushed as she gently stroked his hair.

"Thank the Lord that you're alright! You have no idea how worried I've been!" Pulling back from the hug, Belle pouted at the injured knight. "You've been sleeping for two days now, I almost thought you would never wake up."

"No skin off my ass." Eve snorted and inspected her deadly nails in boredom.

Belle rolled her eyes at the horned woman's response, "Don't listen to Eve, Mr. Arc. I know that deep down she was worried about you too." she whispered into Jaune's ears with a Cheshire grin.

But Eve's hearing picked up Belle's whisper, causing her to growl in annoyance. She took a step into the infirmary before her bestial feet brought her to tower over the smiling brunette woman. Even as Eve flared her nostrils and pulled back her lips with a sneer, Belle didn't make a move to step back or show any fear. The kind brunette woman simply continued to smile even as Jaune began to sweat nervously.

"I didn't give a damn whether this Shit-head lived or died. As far as I'm concerned, I've paid my favor to this…maggot." Eve's yellow eyes narrowed, and she spoke with a clear distaste for Jaune. He looked away from the intimidating woman's eyes and stared out the window awkwardly, "Once he's fully recovered he may leave my castle with the warning to never return or trespass onto my lands."

Fully turning her attention to Jaune, Eve leaned closer so that her face was inches from his own. At that point Jaune turned back to her and stared into her sharp yellow eyes with his nervous blue. He had to stop himself from gulping at the intense look on her face.

"Know this, human. While you may have aided in securing Belle and healing my wounds, that does not mean by any chance you are welcomed in my castle. You are here until you are completely healed and no more. Once you're well, LEAVE. I have no wish to entertain some human any longer than needed." Eve spoke coldly with a seething fire in her eyes. Every word was full of loathing.

But Jaune had grown use to such loathing since he was brought into this new reality. The nervousness he felt went away as he nodded with understanding, albeit melancholic. He wasn't happy to be under such anger and hate, but there wasn't much he could do to change it on his first meeting. He learned that the hard way a long time ago.

"I understand, I'll be out of your hair soon enough." Jaune said while working up a small smile despite the beast like woman's hateful gaze. He didn't look away as she narrowed her eyes dangerously, instead choosing to let his own gaze soften, "Either way, thank you taking me in and healing me. And I'm sorry for all the trouble I'm causing you." he said earnestly.

Eve's eyes shot open with an unknown emotion before the woman growled deeply. She shut her eyes tightly and looked away with a scoff. With nothing more to say, she spun around and headed out the door with the tap of her claws hitting the wooden floor. But before she left the room, Eve glanced back and found Belle's eyes meeting her own. The red-horned woman narrowed her eyes.

"While he may leave, don't forget that your stay is permanent. We have a deal." Eve said lowly.

Belle nodded with a soft smile on her lips. Her hazel brown eyes never lost their gentleness and even held a hint of amusement at the woman known as The Beast.

"Of course. Don't you worry, I'm not going anywhere. Okay?" Belle grinned brightly with a tilt of her head.

Eve snapped her face away from the sight before huffing. She left with the bang of the door as she stomped away amid a slew of low curses and a roar.

Watching the castle's primal owner exit, Jaune had to take a second to shake his head.

Was he seeing things, or did he see a tint of red on Eve's face?

Now that things had settled down in the room, Ms. Potts took the time to hop back onto Jaune's bed and begin apologizing.

"I'm sorry for our mistress's rough manner. Young Eve isn't the gentlest of souls, but I know she means well." Ms. Pott's said positively while her son Chip nodded along.

"Yeah, she's the greatest! And when she turns into a beast, she looks awesome! She's like a dark furry teddy bear!"

 _'Right. But I don't remember teddy bears being able to breath fire or rip my flesh to bloody chops.'_ Jaune thought dryly. He couldn't picture the woman being cuddly at all.

Standing on the nightstand by Jaune's bedside, Lumiere could only chuckle at the unbelieving expression on the blond knight's face. He shook his wax lit head in amusement.

"I know it's hard to believe, Monsieur Arc, but underneath those layers of anger and blister there's a loving heart. We wouldn't have any hope to be free of our curse if that weren't true!" he grinned.

There was that word again. Curse. Jaune frowned at its mention and looked over the household items speaking and moving with wills of their own. His line of thinking soon connected the human like objects to Eve's condition.

In his thinking, Jaune felt someone sit down on the side of his bed. He found Belle sitting by him while being careful not to disturb him with his injuries. He was confused why she hadn't left yet and opened his mouth to speak before his voice was lost as she moved her face dangerously close to his own. Her eyes were bubbly and full of curiosity.

"Soooooooo, what's your story?" Belle asked giddily, excited at a chance to hear a new story from the stranger. "Are you a traveling knight who spends his time banishing evil wherever he goes? Or are you a prince who was banished from his kingdom until he can prove his valiant spirit to be king?"

Ms. Potts laughed at the beautiful bookworm's wild guesses, "Now, Belle, I'm sure he'd be willing to tell you his own story in time, but right now, I think the young man would like to hear our own." the teapot mother explained in a chiding fashion. Belle pouted but nodded as she noticed the confusion still written on Jaune's face.

"Boo, I suppose we should. But only if you're all okay with it."

"Of course, my dear! Why I was ready to tell monsieur Arc our little tale before we were interrupted." Lumiere said in agreement before hopping over to stand in front of Jaune's lap. Cogsworth, Ms. Potts, and Chip stood beside him as they all looked up at Jaune before looking expectantly towards Belle. She looked confused for a second before smacking her fist into her head in realization.

"Are you sure? It's your story to tell?" she said hesitantly before Cogsworth shrugged.

"It would be better from you. You do have a way with words." Cogsworth explained with a small smile.

With their permission, Belle turned back to Jaune before clearing her throat.

"Mr. Arc, would you like to hear a story? About this castle's cursed inhabitants and its misunderstood master?" Belle asked with a somber smile.

Jaune nodded as he sat back against the bed. With nothing much to do while he healed, a story sounded nice. And it looked like it would help him understand what was going on in this castle better.

"Good. Now, our story began just about ten years ago, on a cold winter night…"

[Chapter End]

 _ **A story of a Beast and a Beauty, an old tale as they go. But things are not so familiar. Just what is Lost Fairy Tales? Is it a world of strife? Or the only freedom from forces that control you?**_

 _ **Cursed, Unloved. Your heart is empty and full of rage. But who are you to judge one soul?**_

 ** _How long must you wait to come inside from the cold?_**

 **There we are, the first of four chapters for our special. Don't worry, the chapters are done and being edited. And to ease any more worry, the fifth chapter leading back to the world of Remnant is already under way with 3k+. All's good.**

 **And for those of you wondering about A Jaune of All Trades, the second chapter is done. Hell, its been done for a month. But I wanted to get more chapters finished before actually beginning uploading the story. I'm already on the third chapter, and once the fourth is done with I'll begin uploading the story regularly.**

 **I'm back, baby! Best believe your boi's here to stay again. Been loving V5 so far, so much information and it just looks amazing. Only four episodes left, I can't wait to see how it ends.**

 **Now, two things before we close up for now.**

 **One, thank you all for sticking around this long. Sorry if some of you may have believed I abandoned the story. Trust me, I've written far too much to just quit yet. I do appreciate the suggested anime and manga to read during my vacation. I also blame you for suggesting them, seeing as I got carried away and binged.**

 **Two, it's December. Which means I got to get a gift for all of ya too, like last time. Think I'll work on some oneshots from Arc Works. I think I'll have them as crossovers this time. Three of them. I got some in mind, but what do you all think?**

 **I've blabbed on long enough. I'll see ya all again some time next week!**

 **Remember, Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	31. AmoreVaine

**God damn flu be a bitch. Aye, NeoShadows back and well!**

 **Sorry for the long absence. Trust me, it wasn't to finish writing this chapter, it's been done for a long while now. But as I sent over the need to be edited Doc to my Beta, he got sick and was unable to do his magic. So, it's taken a while to edit along with my other pieces. And he wasn't the only one feeling sick, I got hit as well. Been feeling like crap for almost two weeks and just now began to feel better. But enough about all that, let's get to the story. We still have two chapters to go! Then we're back to the world of Remnant and all its own brand of fun.**

 **First, some Reviews.**

 **Ssjzohan: Yeah, feels good to be back to typing feverishly. To keep you from getting bored, I bring you this very late chapter. Hope I can bring a smile to your day.**

 **The Gamer24:** **Sí, Adam como mujer fue una idea divertida. Apuesto a que no lo viste venir. En cuanto a los elementos en Enlaces, no todos los tendrán. Y no puedo decir nada sobre Penny. Por razones que dirían demasiado. Y sí, leo demasiado.**

 **Commando squirrel: You'd think so. . .**

 **InfinityxEternity: Probably because of different timezones. Still, I find myself laughing evilly that I won't let you sleep by simply uploading. Though I still think Coeur is levels above me when it comes to writing, but thanks! I'll try to upload faster, but I got to wait for the chapters to be edited. Quality does come in time after all. Thank you for waiting though, I know the feeling of waiting for your favorite fic to be uploaded.**

 **EJspirits: Gaston's the guy I love to hate. It was fun working on his smug character. I died every time I described his handsomeness and snickered at the same time. The Gender swap with Adam was one I had thought up of for a long time, glad people liked it. I was afraid to get a negative response. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

 **Cr00cy: Hmm, criticism. I actually welcome it, it helps to improve areas I know I struggled in. To answer your review to the end to Act 1 with Helios, I admit, I wrote too much and got carried away. I have a thing where I write whatever plays in my head and that's just how it seemed to play out. The fights were too long, that is true, and I'm trying to work on cutting back on that. But it is what is. And there are reasons for a few things you mentioned too, but I would be risking spoiling too much if I got into it.**

 **The fight scene in first chapter of the DLC special wasn't meant to be anything big, it was more cinematic than anything. At least that's how I tried to write it. Trust me, I got a real good one already finished for the end. I can only write what I see in the old head, and hope you like it.**

 **Lordrednight: That vacation was too much. It distracted me from getting back into writing for so long. X2 didn't help either as I got back into the flow, thank god I beat it. I fucking loved it. You compliment me far too much, sheesh, I'm kinda blushing over here. Though, it does make me happy as a writer to hear such things about my work. Fey was definitely one of my favorites to add into Multiplayer. Oh, it's just about levels in this world. Trust me, it's nothing like Remnant. You'll have to wait and read.**

 **Randytphan: Ah, Multiplayer: Journals. Funny thing, I've already uploaded the Spells and Abilities page to Act 1. It's up for your viewing pleasure. Just search forums for Multiplayer: Journals. I'll be uploading more as promised when I can.**

 **Googlemo: Jaune was afflicted with a Status condition, Fear, when he met The Beast. Not to mention he wasn't familiar with what was going on, he was randomly dragged into the event. It took a bit to realize what was going on as everything began to click into place.**

 **And that's it for reviews! Keep them coming, I love to read me some reviews! For now though, let's get to scrolling. Y'all been waiting long enough.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: _I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Hmm, I'm doing my best to continue with my writing flow after my Beta, A Fan1204 sent me a copy of Player's Unknown Battle Ground. It's a free for all with only one remaining. Which means only one thing._**

 _ **Their can only be one!**_

 _ **. . .I'm going to die a lot, aren't I?**_

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Amore/Vaine.**

A puff of cold air escaped Artil's mouth as he laid back against the large wooden gates leading to Wilhelm. He stared down the road leading in with boredom. A few of the knights he had arrived with stood at guard at the side of the gates, armed with muskets provided by the town. The dark cloudy weather hadn't changed since he had first arrived, dreary as ever and cold enough to chill you to the bone. And thankfully the people of the town had provided him with a furred coat to battle the cold. Unfortunately for the knights they weren't so lucky and had to settle with the small oil lamps on their person for warmth.

It had been two days since Artil and Hap had arrived in Wilhelm in search of the blond boy who had captured Snow White's heart. And it had been two days since they had learned of the tragic fate of the supposed 'Juan Arc' and sent news of what they had found back to the queen.

Juan Arc was dead. Killed by a monster known as The Beast who had been terrorizing the small port town for years. Apparently, the blond knight had come to help the people of the town and save them from the monster's rampaging. And even worse, the blond boy had died trying to save a woman known as Belle from The Beast. The pretty boy known as Gaston had seen it with his own eyes and tried to aid Juan. But the blond boy had pushed him away and urged him to save himself.

Artil wouldn't have believed it at first. Word of mouth wasn't much to go by. But then Gaston had brought him to the scene of the boy's final fight. The large amount of blood and multiple eye witness accounts said enough.

Their search was over. But there was no happy ending.

"Now I know why Ang smokes. There stress is too much without a good puff." Filling his lungs with another breath of toxic nicotine, Artil waited impatiently for the queen's personal envoy to arrive with a cigar in hand. After he had Hap send the letter of their search, they quickly sent back a response a day later. Artil didn't understand how their letter had arrived so fast and got a response in the same speed, but shrugged it off as the queen's magic. From what he had read, one the queen's allies would arrive to learn more before the queen herself arrived in a few days to decide what form of action she would take. And there would be action. Hell have no wrath like a sadistic woman's fury.

Dragging another lungful of smoke in, Artil blew out a stream of smoke before throwing aside the lightly burning nub into the dirt. From what the letter had said, the envoy would be here today and was to be greeted and debriefed about everything. Something he didn't want to do. But he had drew the shorter straw and found himself as the one to greet the mystery person.

"Stupid Hap. I'm pretty sure the happy bastard cheated." Artil grumbled into his fur coat. He was ready to screw it all and leave one of the knights to wait in his stead before his ears picked up on something. The sound of clopping feet caused him to look ahead of the dirt beaten road to find a single carriage drawn by horses heading his way.

It looked like he was stuck out in the cold for a bit longer.

Stopping a few feet away from the gate, the side door to the lustrous white carriage was kicked open by its rider. The door was ripped off from the savage kick as the woman responsible jumped out with a scowl. The woman had silky golden blonde hair running down her back with narrowed blue eyes and a fair complexion. She wore a leather brown coat with her midriff exposed and the top button undone to show off a fair amount of her chest, tight leather jeans, and boots. A purple scarf adorned her neck with a serpent dragon knitted onto the fabric and she also wore a leather brown cowboy hat. And to Artil's joy the woman wielded a what looked like a modified shotgun holstered by her waist like a hand cannon.

The golden locked beauty spun her eyes to meet the little man with an eye patch and bandanna. Her scowl grew deeper before glancing at the rider of the carriage.

"Scarlet, you can return to the castle and get the queen ready. I don't trust anyone else getting her here other than you." the buxom blond commanded strictly as the red pigtailed driver nodded with a solemn expression.

"Understood, Boss." Scarlet sighed as she reigned the horses to turn back. The red-haired woman scowled, her face pained as she glanced back at her boss with a heavy heart.

Goldi Locks didn't look back as the carriage drove off. She kept her eyes ahead, locked onto Artil's as she walked forward. She stood over the little man, making him feel smaller as her blue eyes intently stared down at him, demanding answers.

"You said that there was a Beast who took my love's life, right?" Goldi glowered as her knuckle popped. She had to hold herself back from doing anything out of anger as Artil nodded and she continued. Her voice trembled, "Is that so? He died fighting a monster, huh?"

Something came over Goldi as her voice grew heavy with rage and grief. Her blue eyes dyed a deep orange like fire when Artil nodded again and stepped back from her. Goldi's shoulders were shaking as she struggled to breath.

"He died saving another damsel in distress? That stupid idiot. God fucking damn it." Goldi whispered lowly before exploding with a vengeful scream.

Gasping for a breath, Goldi calmed herself down as the orange in her eyes reverted back to her beautiful blue. She snapped her head back to Artil and grabbed a fistful of his coat before raising him up from his feet to face her face to face. Her glare made the little man almost whimper.

"Take me inside the town, bring everyone who knows of what happened to my love and anything about The Beast, and gather any capable fighters along with the knights Snow gave you. Because in the next few days, we go to war." Goldi hissed angrily before dropping Artil off without waiting for an answer. She moved to the large gates and brought her fist back.

The large twin wooden gates, weathered to stand against the cold temperature and claws of wild beasts, trembled and cracked as the golden locked woman smashed her fist against its frame. Blood dripped off the torn skin of her knuckles as she let her anger and sorrow out to vent. The little knock was enough to send the knights scurrying to open up the gate to lead her in.

Goldi let her head drop onto the cracked gates as tears gathered in her blue eyes. Despite her strength and fighting, she couldn't stop the few tears from falling. She swallowed a cry and shut her eyes.

* * *

"That's fucked up."

Jaune suddenly winced as he found Ms. Potts jumping onto his head with force. The animated mother teapot looked at Jaune with a scolding stare as he looked up at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, Ms. Potts. But I can't find any other way to express how messed up the story is." he apologized before stopping in the middle of the hall with a frown.

Sometime during Belle's story, Jaune had made a comment of how uncomfortable he was beginning to feel lying in bed. He was starting to feel sore just laying back with little to do. So, Lumiere had suggested that Jaune stretch his legs for a bit as they continued their story. Belle had been against it of course, what with Jaune still recovering. But Jaune had assured her that he was more than fine to walk around for a while. And after he had steadied his shaky legs and gotten up after a few falls, they found themselves roaming the great halls of the cursed castle.

Cursed castle. Every inch of the majestic foundation was cursed to the roots deep within the earth. Which explained why every object from a step stool, forks, dresser, pots, chairs, tables, and even curtains were able to move about as if they were people. Because they were people. And this was definitely not a dream.

From what Jaune had heard, the people that served the master of the castle were cursed to live the life of the objects within. Eve, said master of the castle, suffered a similar fate. She had been cursed to live her life as a beast of beasts. It wasn't so bad in Jaune's opinion, she looked like a faunus. But that was only the surface of the curse she suffered. It was when Eve's anger rose that her true deformity would arise. Instantly at any signs of anger, the woman would transform into a beast clad in the hide of darkness with white eyes void of any emotion other than wrath.

It reminded Jaune of a superhero he had read about in a comic once. So, he had thought the easiest way to control such a curse would be to learn to control their temper. But their laid the problem. Eve was a wrathful woman with a very short fuse. She grew angry easily, especially at the sight of humans.

Lumiere and Cogsworth swore the red horned woman had made some progress since she had been cursed long ago. At most, she would transform into The Beast 20 times a day and would only retain the form for about half an hour until she calmed down at her worst. Which was a definite improvement from the time of holding the form for an entire week.

Jaune's frown grew deeper, showing hints of anger as he looked down at the red carpet that extended to the very end of the long hallway full of animated furniture.

It was a cruel curse, one placed upon Eve for her lack of love towards a stranger who sought shelter from a cold winter night. Her distrust, resentment, and bitter attitude had been repaid with a curse that reflected her heart.

At the age of ten.

Belle stared curiously at Jaune and noticed his shoulders tremble. What he had said earlier was still shocking. Seeing him physically react like this was even more.

Taking a moment to calm himself with a deep breath, Jaune looked back up to Belle with frustration and anger.

"She was just a kid. A kid for crying out loud!" Jaune nearly shouted before grunting as his chest acted up again. He ignored the pain as he walked on while crossing his arms, trying again to calm down as Belle and the other servants of the castle followed behind.

"I could kinda understand if she was a grown adult at the time, but she was just a ten-year-old kid! Do you know how many other kids like her are out there? Tons! I knew a whole village of kids who acted the same as her, and they weren't cursed to live as monsters! What kind of demented bastard would think that doing such a thing to a little girl was close to okay!?"

Lumiere and Cogsworth nearly stumbled behind Jaune, their faces stunned by what they were hearing. In all their time since being cursed, they had never heard the words leaving the blond's mouth ever uttered.

"B-But did you not hear the tale? Our mistress was punished for turning away a frail old woman and leaving her to the blizzard outside! For her lack of kindness or love for another person, she was cursed to live as a beast!" Cogsworth stuttered as he tried to comprehend what he was hearing.

At that, Jaune stopped again. The cursed servants and Belle looked to his almost imposing back wrapped in bandages anxiously, waiting to hear what he would say next.

"Tell me, where were her parents? Why didn't they answer the door?" Jaune said softly with his back turned to them all.

Ms. Potts shook her head sadly, "The mistress's parents had died shortly after her tenth birthday. The night before had been snowing awfully hard, making the roads slick and treacherous. One wrong turn and the carriage they were in went down a hill into the forest. Eve was lucky to have survived, her parents had protected her with their own bodies. We've all been taking care of her since."

"So she was just a little girl, whose parents died and found herself left alone in a giant castle, still grieving over their deaths, and the old sorceress or whatever was surprised to not find any love in her heart?" Jaune glanced back at the people of the castle with a bitter smile.

"If I was in her shoes, I wouldn't have any love for anyone either."

Belle found herself staring into Jaune's eyes, peering into the window of his soul. Pain, sorrow, anger, and hate looked back in sympathy to the girl in the story. Speaking of the same suffering he felt. Seeing it in Jaune's eyes took her back. He truly wasn't like the others who stared back at the eyes of The Beast that terrorized their town. Not even she got so angry after hearing the story.

A small smile found itself on Belle's face as Jaune turned away with a disgruntled scowl.

 _'You aren't a normal boy, are you?'_

Of course, Jaune wasn't happy after hearing such a story. Who would be after hearing about a little girl being turned into a monster? Did that sorceress not understand kids? They were too young to know what they were doing was wrong! That's why they had parents and friends to teach them better. But a girl grieving over her parent's death wouldn't listen, not when their heart was still in shambles. Jaune wasn't sure himself if he would offer a stranger shelter when he was still in pain over losing his family. If that ever happened to him, he would-

A blond man with a poor constitution, hooked up to multiple machines and the sounds of steady beeping, within a clean white room came to mind. The anguish and fury of the memory came back. And the want to push others away and leave them to their own problems.

Pain like that he knew all too well.

After a few moments, Jaune settled his thoughts past the anger. His eyes went to his HUD, growing confused as he stared at his HP bar.

 **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **3,150HP/8,800HP.**

Why was his HP regenerating at such a slow pace? It had been almost an hour and it had only healed about fifty points? Normally he would already be up to his full health. What the hell was going on? The attack Gaston had dealt must have had some side effects to it. Then again, he had never healed from a blown-up lung either. Not to mention he had also been knocked out for two days with these wounds.

 _'This is the longest I've ever stayed inside the book. Normally something would happen, usually involving a woman stripping me naked with hungry lips, and I would wake back up in bed questioning my virginity. Not this time though.'_ Jaune mused in deep thought while scratching his head. Something was up. And when something was up it always involved The Game or The Will.

 _'As always, I'm caught up in another game. Right?'_

That was another odd thing he noticed. Since he woke up in the land of Fey he hadn't once received any sort of mission notification from The Will. Not since the whole situation with Red. And that was only to briefly inform him of the new mini world. The only thing remotely relating to The Game were the enemy health bars and boss notifications. Almost as if the beings responsible for his curse had no other form of control within.

 _'If this world isn't controlled by those jerks, I wouldn't mind staying here a little more.'_

But such thoughts could be addressed later, he had more important things to worry about at the moment.

"So, what was it that would break the sorceress's curse again?" Jaune asked as he turned back to meet Belle. The gorgeous bookworm opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the very excited Lumiere. The golden candlestick man hopped up to rest on Belle's head with a wide grin on his wax face.

"Why, True Love of course!"

Jaune stumbled slightly at the condition and looked at the candle man with disbelief.

"True love?" Jaune uttered slowly, getting nods from every cursed being around him. They were serious, weren't they? _'Well, this book ain't called Lost Fairy Tales for nothing.'_

Cogsworth took the moment to explain, "The conditions are as such: Unless Eve can find love and love in return before the last rose petal falls on her twenty-first birthday, we are all doomed to lose our humanity. She must fall in love, honest and true, and that person who they fall for must feel the exact same! And sadly, we are running out of time." Cogsworth grimaced as his body began to shake with his clock body ringing.

"Well finding love in general is hard enough." Jaune sighed as he thought about his own love life. His own search wasn't any easier.

Back in the world of Remnant, several girls smacked their own faces and cursed a certain blond without realizing why.

"True, Monsieur Arc! But our lovely Eve is… difficult when it comes to interacting with others in general." Lumeire said stiffly, "In the months after we were all cursed, we had tried to get her out into the town to make some friends and hopefully find someone who would one day steal her heart. But even with how she appears normally, they called her a freak, a monster, a demon. They pushed our fair lady to a boiling point, causing her to attack them and begin the rumors of the so-called Beast." Lumiere spoke with scorn at the memory of the people of the past. It was the last time he had ever seen his mistress cry in anger, "Ever since then, she's developed a hatred for humans. She herself no longer considers herself a human, instead accepting her curse as a monster."

"What about you guys?" Jaune couldn't help but ask, "Can you accept your curse?"

Lumiere crossed his arms with a conflicted expression. He couldn't help but tap his wax arms, causing droplets of the hot substance to fall on Belle's head. He continued speaking, unaware of the lovely bookworm whimpering from the hot wax dripping on her skin, "We want what's best for our mademoiselle of course. If she wishes to stay a beast, then we won't discourage her. But we who have been turned into objects do wish to return to our former forms. It's truly perplexing at times. Do we force our mademoiselle who we've sworn to care for to fall in love for our own selfish wants? Or should we just accept our fate as walking, talking objects with no humanity?" he said softly with a sigh.

Belle cried, both at the sad ultimatums, and the wax dripping onto her face.

Jaune chuckled as he reached for the gold candle man, taking him off of Belle's head so she could clean the hot mess.

"Well, it's not like you can force love to happen either. It has to be pure and true, just as Cogsworth said. And I'd like to think that Eve wishes for you all to regain your humanity too. You guys are her family after all! I'm sure by now even she's realized that." he said warmly.

The kind words left Lumiere speechless. He looked up to Jaune in wonder as the blond spun his head to Belle.

"By the way, why are you here, Belle?" Jaune asked as the brunette village girl suddenly grinned brightly.

"I was kidnapped!" Belle said cheerfully.

Jaune blinked dully as he stared at the strange girl.

"You were… kidnapped?" he said slowly, getting a very energetic nod from the woman.

It was official. Belle was a strange girl indeed.

Again, Cogsworth explained.

"I wouldn't say kidnapped. More like, willing prisoner?" Cogsworth said in his own confusion, trying to make sense of the matter in a good light, "Originally, her father was taken in out of the cold by us, was discovered by Eve, and then locked up in her rage. Shortly after, Belle arrived and met Eve while finding out of her father's imprisonment. Next thing you know, she's trading places with him so that he could be free, on the condition she stays in Eve's castle for all eternity." Explaining the whole ordeal made the clockman exhausted all over again.

Prisoner, for all eternity? Jaune found himself staring at Belle strangely again. Belle didn't seem to be fazed by his staring, if anything, she looked away from his blue eyes with a blush as she clapped her hands to her cheeks with a giddy smile.

"Please, don't look at me so directly." Belle gushed as she swung around the tip toes of her feet. She was swooning about like a maiden, "It's almost like your undressing me with your very eyes! Oh my, I should have put on undergarments!" she gushed shyly.

 _'What the hell's wrong with this girl?'_ Jaune thought incredulously while fighting off the tantalizing image. He wasn't sure what she did could be called bravery, not with that kind of smile.

Cogsworth coughed into his wooden fist nub to gain Jaune's attention again to further explain, "Yes, well it had been our hopes that young Belle would be the one to break our curse actually. Why in the few days she's been here, our mistress has visibly calmed down and even tidied herself up. Belle's imprisonment could be seen as a blessing in disguise."

That bit of information again made Jaune blinked and return his sights back to the blushing Belle.

"You're into girls?" Jaune asked out of curiosity.

Once again, Belle continued to prove how strange she was.

"Loving another woman? Isn't that forbidden?" Belle said with a gasp, her face red as she broke out into a nervous smile. She shut her eyes, shaking her head back and forth as scandalous thoughts entered her mind. Thoughts of a being laid down, bare with flushed skin and sweat drenching her body as she gasped with shorten breath, and Eve with one arm standing above her naked form with hungry lips and her left hand pumping her fingers into her-

"Kyaaaaaa! I don't know if the Lord would allow it! It's so wrong, it's not right!"

"THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GRINNING!?" Jaune shouted in annoyance as he watched Belle gush with a guilty red blush and a happy grin. He felt a vein in his forehead visibly twitch, "Are you into chicks? Because it sure as hell's looks so to me!"

"Why?" Belle blinked as she looked at the annoyed blond knight. Realization suddenly struck her as she gasped into her hand, "Could it be that you have feelings for me? Has the knight fallen for the fair, innocent maiden!" she shouted excitedly with eyes full of wonder. Her mind went down the gutter, picturing herself biting her knuckle as her naked body bounced up and down, her breasts groped by a strong hand as the other rested on her sweaty waist, laid back against firm abs as Jaune grunted and with one more thru-

"I'm just a flower! I've only met you and don't even know what kind of lotion you like! This is all happening so fast!"

"WHAT PART OF YOU IS INNOCENT!? HOW FAST DOES THAT MIND OF YOURS DROP INTO THE GUTTER!?"

Ms. Potts and Lumiere chuckled at the two humans as Cogsworth shook his head at their antics. Things around the old cursed castle were a lot livelier since Belle had arrived, and Jaune had only made things noisier in the clockman's opinion. Then again, that wasn't such a bad thing to the norm of the residence. Some life was needed after a decade of silence only interrupted by furious roars and violent sounds of destruction.

Without warning, Cogsworth's body began to emit a loud, high pitch ringing and his body trembled to the point he was jumping around. The sound broke Belle out of her risqué fantasies and she gasped in alarm. She spun to the clockman and picked him up. She stared at the time, stopping the alarm while doing so.

"It's 2 o'clock on the dot! Which means we have to get lunch going! That and we'll have to stop by Eve's room to change her bandages and give her another dose of medicine." Setting Cogsworth down, Belle turned back to Jaune with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Arc, but I'll have to leave you for a bit. If I remember right, there's a nice garden a few steps away to the side of the hall. You can take a rest there while I go get some things done. I promise I'll stop by again and see if I can drag along Eve so we can all eat some nice sandwiches and soup!" She said brightly before running off to the other direction.

Jaune shouted at the odd girl's back, watching as the other servants ran off behind her, "Then I'll see you later?! And call me Jaune!"

Waving back at Belle as she disappeared around a corner, Jaune went off to search for said gardens before raising a brow as he found Lumiere still staring at him by the side of his feet.

"Something you need, Lumiere?" Jaune asked, snapping the candlelight man out of his staring.

Lumeire chuckled and shook his head, "No, no, no, Monsieur Arc! It's nothing. I was just lost in my own thoughts is all." he said amusingly before turning away to follow after the others. Lumiere stopped a few hops away, glancing back at the blond boy as he began to walk away.

 _'One look alone at your eyes is enough to reveal the deep reservoir of love in that surprisingly simple heart of yours, monsieur. Perhaps you were brought here for a reason as well, just as Belle. After all, a heart as empty as Eve's needs all the love it can take to understand it and set it free of her anguish.'_

Love knew no bounds. Perhaps this was one of those instances.

* * *

It had taken Jaune a few minutes to find the garden Belle was talking about but after receiving some aid from one of the staff it was fairly easy to find. It was odd talking to a broom who could somehow speak without a mouth, but the human turned object was very pleasant despite its curse. Bidding the broom named Brush goodbye, Jaune now stood in the door to the gardens and pushed them open slightly. He shivered as a cold breeze hit him.

The garden was seated in the middle of the castle, leaving a gap of nature that one could see from above. Snow covered bushes decorated the garden with flowers surprisingly still blooming in the ice-cold weather, pine trees were nicely lined around the area with ice spines hanging off their branches like decorations. A large fountain laid in the middle of the well-kept garden with a cherub spewing water up, and Jaune could even make out some small woodland animals running about. Finding a stone bench, he sat down as he marveled at the scenery.

"It's like a little slice of frozen heaven." Jaune mumbled to himself before finding a bluebird of all things flying over to rest on his head. He smiled at the little bird, letting it nestle itself in his golden locks.

"Tch, it's my own personal hell. An isolated pen for The Beast."

From another door to the north of the large garden, Jaune heard the crunching footsteps of another visitor. He glanced back past the fountain to find leering yellow eyes staring back at him as Eve walked over. The red horned beast woman's face was set in a scowl, appearing disgusted with the very sight of him.

Jaune stood up abruptly at the sight of the intimidating woman and gulped nervously as she now stood in front of him. With her so close, he noticed she was several inches taller than him. She was almost as tall as Yatsuhashi! Her very presence made his skin crawl with goosebumps as her eyes narrowed sharply. She really must have been capable of inflicting Fear by second nature.

But past that fear entering his being, Jaune found himself staring into those smoldering, hate filled yellow eyes with a somber glint in his own.

The story of a girl with a broken heart turned monster came back to him.

"Hey, Eve! How are you doing?" Jaune asked as he settled his rattled nerves. Might as well start off their conversation with some light banter. Despite her appearance and earlier attitude, she couldn't be tha-

An arm of shadowed bulging muscles and dagger like claws crushed Jaune's windpipe not a second later. The sudden action took him back before he found himself gasping desperately for precious air. Eve was gone, The Beast had taken her place and lifted him up so that he was dangling with his feet lightly touching the snow as he clawed at the monstrous arm. Hollow circles the size of dinner plates stared back with malice as Jaune continued to gasp for breath.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT NAME! I AM BEAST TO YOU AND NOTHING MORE, MAGGOT, SHIT-HEAD, FILTHY WORM!" The Beast roared in Jaune's face, the very ferocity of its roar blowing back Jaune's hair. The Beast dropped the paling blond with a scoff after it was sure it made itself clear. It clicked its teeth, finding Jaune looking at it with strain as he gulped in deep breaths.

"Y-You sure d-do have a way w-with w-words, don't ya?" Jaune croaked and rubbed the bruising skin of his throat. He grimaced as he took a moment to regain his breath. He swore he saw his life briefly flash before his eyes. "And why not? Your name is Eve, isn't it?"

The Beast flared its nostrils down at the blond, "I am Beast, not some weak human like you and that woman. Don't you see that?" it growled in frustration.

Jaune looked back at the towering beast, its fiery red hair flowing behind it like flames, its white eyes staring him down hauntingly, its sharp teeth partly open to chomp down viciously, with an aura that sent chills down his spine. But again, he found himself reminded of the story.

Beneath all the dark mass of muscles and tearing claws filled with malice, was just a little girl. A little girl who had been wronged at her lowest.

Jaune's eyes went wide with pain as The Beast's heavy foot slammed down onto his head and pinned him to the ground, visibly shattering the snow ground below him with a loud boom. Weakly, his blue eyes stared at The Beast in confusion mixed with pain as it looked back with a sneer.

"That look in your eyes! Wipe it off that miserable face of yours!" The Beast howled. It dug its foot into his skull with a crunch from the snow.

"The hell are you talking about!?" Jaune grunted. He fought against her monstrous strength and stared up at the dark clad wolf foot with a grimacing glare.

The Beast creaked its neck, still keeping its foot ready crush Jaune as it leaned over with anger in its voice.

"That odd thing you're doing with your face when you're looking at me! I don't understand what it is exactly, but it pisses me off! And whatever pisses me off never lasts." it growled deeply.

"That's why you're threatening to squash my skull!? Because of what face I'm making!? Lady, you got some serious anger issues!" Jaune shouted in annoyance. His mouth opened to say more, but red replaced words as his injuries acted up under the strain his body was taking. Blood spewed out of his mouth before he felt his back meeting the ground.

Right, almost forgot about the whole regenerating lung thing. Being under the foot of a monster wasn't the best place to be right now. And there went 755HP he wasn't going to be seeing for a long time.

Once again, Jaune found himself gasping desperately as his wounds flared. His vision went blurry and he found himself staring up at the white sky and its dancing snowflakes. An annoyed grunt caught his attention before he was picked up by the neck of his hoodie.

Eve rolled her eyes at the bleeding blond as she carefully sat him back on the bench close by. Her Beast form had settled down, leaving her in her partial beast form.

"Don't be so dramatic. I hardly grazed you." Eve muttered with a soft scoff.

"You stomped my skull!"

"And you pissed me off!" Eve yelled back to Jaune's own yell. The two glared at one another, both annoyed at the other. Even as the darkness of Eve's curse slowly crawled over her skin in response to her anger, Jaune still continued to hold up his own.

He had dealt with a lot of hot heads lately. And despite his once noodlely self, he wasn't backing down when he was ticked off.

With his own growl, Jaune began to speak again, "I'm sorry if I offended you by calling you by your name, but I refuse to call you Bea-GAAAACK!"

Eve's eyes were flat as she watched Jaune spew more blood from his mouth mid-sentence.

"Maggot, don't go dirtying my garden with your filthy blood. My servants have far more important things to do than clean your blood from the snow of all things." she scoffed from her spot standing before the coughing knight. She inspected her nails as he regained his breath.

"I think I'm honestly dying." Jaune whispered to himself softly with horror. Even after the event of the FoF he hadn't been this weak and vulnerable. Why wasn't his Gamer's Body working?

"There you go being melodramatic again." Eve said with a snort before spinning her head back to Jaune, "I'm sure you're f-WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" she shouted in alarm, finding the blond spilling a literal waterfall of red from his mouth.

"I told you I'm dying." Jaune replied dizzily. Was the world supposed to be spinning?

"Then why are you out of bed if you're so fucked up, Shit-head!?" Eve roared furiously before her spike of anger morphed her body into The Beast. It shook its head with disgust before stabbing its long deadly horns forward at the blond.

Jaune flinched and moved to dodge. But instead of finding his body punctured when he failed to make a move, he found the horns slipping between his armpits and plucking him off the ground. The Beast flung him over its head where he landed softly on its back. With Jaune on board, it began to run out of the tranquil garden dirtied with puddles of chilling red.

"Where are we going, oh, magical edgy pony?"

The Beast felt its temper flaring at the comment. Even if the boy wasn't in his right mind, it didn't excuse being insulted. What the hell did edgy even mean? For some reason the word alone pissed her off more than being called a pony.

"You're heading back to the infirmary, where you belong!" it roared as it ran through a set of double doors. It jumped over several of its servants going about their duties a midst their surprised shouts of its charge. It kept its eyes ahead, avoiding their questioning stares as it picked up speed, "What kind of fucking idiotic, dead brain, empty headed, retarded, waste of flesh, thinks it's a good idea to move about after having one of their lungs blown up!? Even for a human, that's ridiculous!"

"Hey… using the 'R' word is a no-no, Ms. Edgy Dark Manelot."

"If that wound doesn't kill you, I'll sure as hell maim you worse than a pig in a slaughter house."

Jaune weakly whimpered at the tone of The Beast.

"Sorry, Evee."

The Beast was close to ripping its hair out in frustration as it shouted back at Jaune, "It's not Evee, it's Eve-I MEAN BEAST! You will call me Beast, understand!?" it corrected itself hastily. It felt Jaune shake his head against its dark clad back.

"Can't. You're not a beast, you're Eve." he mumbled in a slur as he fought to keep his eyes open. His body jumped lightly as The Beast's sprinting kicked up his body, "That's what your parents called you, right?"

The mention of The Beast's long-gone family made the dark fur on its hide stand up. It grew quiet as they grew closer to the infirmary. It barged through with a loud crack of the doors flinging open with its horns. The living clothes rack doctor spun around with a jump as the master of the castle ran in. It grew alarmed finding the blond boy on The Beast's back with a pale complexion and blood on his face.

"Oh, dear! The boy should not have gotten out of bed with his condition." the clothes rack rushed over to The Beast to inspect Jaune. It sighed before raising the arms of its body up and waving it at the boy. An unseen force seemed to grab onto Jaune and picked him up to move him over to the bed to rest. Several medical supplies flew up in the air and went to work on the bleeding blond as the clothes rack doctor undid the reddening wraps around his chest.

"It seems his wounds were opened. His movements were slowly aggravating the wounds but something must have finally split open his stitches. He must be willing to test his luck to be so careless like this."

Needles and thread were a blur as they closed the wound over Jaune's back where the bullet had pierced. His grimacing face began to relax. To all those around the blond, the flesh began to repair itself like magic before their very eyes. It looked like something was healing him before abruptly stopping and leaving him with his wound.

The Beast didn't understand what it had seen. It was almost as if someone had forcefully canceled the healing process. Its hollow eyes landed on the bullet wound, eyeing it suspiciously as it thought back to the human who had inflicted it.

"Could magic be affecting the wound?" The Beast muttered loud enough for the doctor to hear.

"Hmm, it could be a possibility. From what you've told me about the bullet, the marksman had used some form of magic. Sadly, I don't know much about attack spells or magic. But I do know most tend to go away after a certain amount of time. If anything, this looks like something else entirely." the doctor said gravely as it called back the medical tools once the wound was cleaned and bandaged.

The Beast found a growl escaping its throat as its claws cracked, "A Curse."

The doctor nodded, "It was meant to kill and curses only wear off once they've met their requirements or the caster has perished." it said regretfully before glancing back at the resting blond, "There is nothing I can do. It is a literal wonder he is even alive. It seems as if the curse doesn't know what to do itself either. Its kill shot failed, now it can only try to finish the job with the small amount of shrapnel in his body."

"And you can't remove the cursed shrapnel?" The Beast said in frustration.

"They're too small to remove, none of our tools are adept for such accurate surgery. Not to mention any attempts would prove useless due to its cursed nature. I'm afraid we can only hope he can pull off another miracle." the doctor clothes rack sighed. It sent back its equipment and headed out the door.

"Perhaps there's something in the library about curses? For now, we can only wait and see. His body is doing a fine job keeping him from death's doors, just as long as he doesn't stress those wounds. If anything abnormal does come up, you know where to find me, Madam."

The door shut behind the doctor with a deafening click, leaving The Beast alone with the slowly breathing blond knight. It stood by Jaune's bed, watching his sleep with not much else to do.

 _'…Tch, you're just another problem that won't leave me alone.'_

Hesitantly, against its better wishes, The Beast's right arm moved over to the boy's head. Its deadly claws twitched, inching closer to the golden locks. The darkness over its arm vanished. Eve's clawed brown fingers were only centimeters from brushing back Jaune's hair.

"Is he gone?"

Eve's hand snaked back to her side in a flash. Startled, she almost stepped back as she held her rapidly beating chest. She glared at Jaune, finding him creaking an eye open hesitantly. She was just about ready to transform again with his sudden waking.

"You're awake?" Eve hissed venomously as Jaune carefully sat up.

"Yup! As soon as you brought me in here, I just pretended to fall asleep. If the doc knew I was up, he probably wouldn't stop questioning me about what was hurting and start scolding me." Jaune replied sheepishly with a grin. "Sorry if I worried you. Even if I've spent my fair share of time in the doctor's office, I'm not very fond of them."

Worried? Eve scoffed at the thought with a snarl.

"I wasn't worried about you, maggot! I simply didn't want to deal with explaining to Belle why you kicked the bucket. I couldn't care less if you died!" she shouted in frustration.

"Right, how could I forget." Jaune said flatly as he scratched his new bandages, "I'm just a maggot, shit-head, worm. Which is why you nearly crushed my skull and sent me back here." he pointed a small glare at the red-haired woman with bull horns.

The comment made Eve flinch before she turned away with a huff.

"…You're still breathing, aren't you? I don't see what reason you have to complain."

"Sheesh, all I did was call you by your name, Eve."

"I told you not to call me that!" Eve shouted angrily, spinning back to stare directly at Jaune. "If it's anyone's fault you're back here, it's yours! How hard is it to say my name!?"

"It's not hard. Your name is Eve, see?" Jaune smiled brightly a midst the seething glare on Eve's face, "If anyone is having any difficulty it's you. How hard is it let me call you by your name?" he said with his own confusion and frown.

If anything, she should have been pissed if he addressed her as Beast.

The bedpost on Jaune's right was shattered to splinters as Eve's fist slammed through it. Her entire left arm had been transformed into The Beast's arm, the darkness over the skin crawling over her neck in reaction to her anger. With the partial transformation over her arm grew to take over, The Beast clawed the menacing clicking claws towards Jaune as it snarled angrily.

"Because this is not the arm of Eve! I am The Beast, The Cursed Monster, The One With an Empty Heart! The girl known as Eve died a long time ago and what remains is this monster! What part of that don't you understand!"

"The part that sees you as a monster!"

A trembling arm stained with dried blood reached out to the monstrous appendage, taking it in its own with a firm grasp. The Beast was stunned to find Jaune clasping its deadly hand in his own with a stern gaze in his eyes. For reasons it couldn't comprehend, it found its body shaking under the boy's attention. It wanted to step back but stood against the instinct out of stubbornness.

Jaune flinched as his chest ached, the simple action straining him.

"When I first arrived in the town of Wilhelm, I was told of a beast that terrorized its people. That it was the reason the town was living under constant fear. But I've begun to realize that was just the stupid rambling of an asshole!" Jaune shouted angrily, "The town wasn't living under constant fear, they looked just fine to me! If that's what despair looks like, then this whole seems to have turned topsie turvy! A monster wasn't attacking them out of some sadistic pleasure, an innocent girl was simply throwing out trespassers that wanted to hurt her! All because she was different!"

The hand grasping Eve's own tightened as the darkness of her curse faded away in her shock. Her strength wilted. She found herself no longer able to try to pull away as she stared at the odd boy.

"I know of that kind of hate. I've seen it." Jaune whispered harshly. The White Fang came to mind. Remnant treated the animal people unfairly even as they came to slowly accept them. Hatred had created an organization that no longer wished-for equality, but fear. "Because you look different, because you're not normal, because they don't understand you, they fear you. And that fear can turn into hate like that. It can even turn the innocent under that kind of fear and hate into monsters. But I know that you're not the monster they see!" he shouted stubbornly.

"I've seen it from the way your servants treat you and how Belle treats you! They don't see you as The Beast, they see you as Eve! And I see the same as them! You could have left me to die back when Gaston shot me, and you could have left me to die in the garden too. But you saved me. A monster wouldn't have done what you did. So, what does that make you!?"

"Y-You…" Eve scowled angrily, growing even more furious as her voice trembled. Her lips moved, but no words came out. Because she couldn't find anything to say back to that. It was a wonder she hadn't been overcome by her curse.

Jaune grew startled as Eve pushed him back to his bed, the force nearly breaking its frame as he looked up at her glowering face. She sat on top of him, leaving him helpless and unable to move an inch with his state. He gulped nervously as she leaned in close to his face, her yellow eyes burning with anger.

"You don't understand a damn thing, so stop talking as if you hit the fucking bulls-eye. I only tolerate you for Belle, nothing more, nothing less. I know who I am, and that woman will help in returning me to who I once was. She's the only one who may have a right to uttering that name. So, if she wishes for you to be well and breathing, I will comply. I will do whatever she asks, so long as-"

"She breaks your curse." Jaune finished Eve's sentence with a scowl, "I already know about your curse. I've heard the story, about the enchantress and that cold winter night, the curse that leaves everyone who lived in the castle to what they are, and about the wilting rose you keep in your room that tells you how long you have until you're stuck like this forever. It's why you have her trapped in your castle for all eternity, in hopes she will break your curse and love you. Which I find pretty stupid."

"Why? Because I have her trapped like a prisoner? Because I'm forcing her to love me?" Eve said with a roll of her eyes.

Jaune shook his head, looking back with a dry expression, "No, because I'm pretty sure you don't need to do all that for her to fall for you. If anything, I think taking her prisoner has her excited. In all the wrong ways."

Eve opened her mouth to speak, but fell flat as she cringed. Having Belle living in the castle for the last few days had given her an idea to the kind of woman she was. For a girl who looked innocent, she had one hell of a risqué mind. The moment she showed Belle the library of the castle, the bookworm had immediately began browsing for the adult literature. All with a bright smile on her blushing face.

Jaune sighed as he let his head hit his pillow.

"Besides, you can't force love. I may be a novice in the whole thing myself, and been turned down by the same woman more times than I can count, but even I know that you can't make someone fall for you on purpose. If you really want someone to love you, they have to give you a chance. After all, no one falls in love with a stranger. They fall in love with a friend."

Eve frowned at the word, tilting her head as she scratched her scalp.

"Friend? The hell are you talking about?" she asked in utter confusion.

"If you want someone to love you, be their friend. Make happy memories with them, smile with them, be there for them, and most importantly of all, protect them. Through all that, love will blossom." Jaune said softly before grinning sheepishly, "Well, at least that's what my mom told me. So, take it for what it's worth, she's the type who believes in love at first sight after all."

Friend? Eve was still puzzled at the word. Living alone in a castle filled with servants with the appearance of a monster didn't give you the opportunity to make friends with anyone. Her anger problems would only ruin any chance of that anyways. Hearing that word didn't exactly resonate with her since she couldn't recall ever having a friend in all her life. But… maybe that was what she was missing from her plan. If friends fell in love with one another, then it was no wonder she didn't understand either subject. The new realization made Eve go into deep thought as she began to think of a new way to approach Belle.

If the boy's words were to be taken as true, then perhaps there really was hope for her to return to her normal self.

In Eve's thinking, she had forgotten about the position she was in. Jaune on the other hand, hadn't. His heart began to pound loudly in his ears as he stared up at the wrathful woman pinning him down to his bed. Her wild red locks of hair fell beside her shoulder and tickled his skin. He could see the slight rise of her busty chest, their closeness nearly causing their chests to touch. Eve's bottom sat on his crouch, the weight of her and slight movements made him gulp anxiously.

And then there was her eyes. In her deep thought, he could see the bold yellow iris of her orbs play out so many emotions. He could see her sharp features clearly and even smell an odd hint of perfume from her. And her light brown skin seemed so exotic along with her red hair and horns. How anyone could think she was a monster, he wouldn't know. Eve appeared as a normal woman to him. Well, a normal sexy faunus woman.

An odd stiff bump from her bottom broke Eve out of her thoughts. Her eyes were surprised before they fell onto Jaune who looked away in embarrassment. Realization struck her as she put two and two together. She gaped openly at the man with a blush of her own.

"W-What the hell, maggot?!"

"Can you blame me!? It's not my fault that I get this way when underneath a beautifully sexy woman!" Jaune cried in shame.

 _'Beautifully sexy woman?'_ Eve was stunned. She hadn't heard someone ever describe her as such. Still though, she growled as her eyes narrowed. Such perversion must be paid with blood.

"You, filthy little-"

"Oh, my! I didn't think I would walk to see such a scene! And without me? You're both just too cruel."

Jaune and Eve both froze at the sound of a familiar voice. Slowly they turned to the door to find Belle standing by with a basket full of sandwiches along with Lumiere, Ms. Potts, Chip, and Cogsworth. It finally dawned on Eve the position she was in as her blush grew deeper. She quickly jumped off of Jaune with a mortified expression on her scarlet face. Eve glared back at the intruders with her sights set on the amused Belle.

"It wasn't what it looked like!"

"Really? Boo."

"The fuck you mean boo?!"

Belle giggled at Eve as she walked in, "Well you two looked like you were having a nice little moment. And here I was, searching for Jaune in the gardens, only to be told he was rushed back to the infirmary. I rushed over as fast as I could after taking care of something. It seems we were a little hasty in taking you out." Belle said in apology as she looked to Jaune.

Jaune waved off the apology, "It's alright. I was the one who was complaining about being stuck in bed. I should have known better than to leave with my injuries."

"Are you alright, monsieur?" Lumiere asked in concern as he hopped over to Jaune's bedside, "I saw a worrying amount of blood back in the gardens."

"I'm fine, really." Jaune said with a small chuckle before bringing up his Status and frowning.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **2,789HP/8,800HP[Curse].'**

Well that explained his condition. The attack Gaston had hit him with must have left him with Curse, a Status Condition that produced Negativity, prevented Healing and Regeneration, and pretty much left him without the benefits of his Aura. Weird how it only now showed up. But if he was cursed, then it was a simple matter of curing his condition with a Purity potion.

Except he didn't have one. Disgruntled at the lack of the item, Jaune went off into his Recipes list from his Inventory.

 **Synthesis Recipes.**

 **Small Potion Recipe.**

 **Large Potion Recipe.**

 **Small Mana Drink Recipe.**

 **Everybody Loves Grapefruit Soda Recipe.**

 **Everybody Loves Grape Soda MAX Recipe.**

 **Purity Recipe.**

 **Ether Recipe.**

Finding the recipe given to him from Ms. Antheia, Jaune clicked on it to find what he would need to make one on the spot.

 _ **Purity Recipe: A medicinal potion created with the purest of water and curative herbs. Heals all Status conditions. Bitter taste. Requires (x1) Yggdrasil Dew, (x1) Yggdrasil Leaf, (x3) Green Herbs, (3) Mossdeep Shards, and (x1) Rain Water to create. Requires Synthesis Talent Level of 5 to perform.**_

 _ **Current Synthesis Talent Level[Lvl:3]**_

 _'All of which I have none.'_ Jaune thought in frustration. All he really carried with him were Health items. He didn't go out into the field for components to create potions when he could just buy them. Even if he did, he lacked the required Talent level. It looked like he was going to have make a habit of that when he returned. Never know when it could save his life.

"Are you sure you're alright, Jaune?"

Jaune smiled in apology to Belle as she made herself comfortable by the seat of his bed, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bummed out that I can't fix the curse over my body."

"Curse?" Belle frowned in worry along with the rest.

"It looks like Gaston did more than blow out my lung. His attack left a curse on my body that I can't heal without the right medicine on hand. And I'm not exactly a walking pharmacy." Jaune chuckled.

Eve stepped up with her own frown, "Right medicine? You mean you can heal your curse?" she asked in interest.

Jaune nodded, "A small one like this? Yeah, but I would need a potion called Purity to cure me. I don't have one on me, and I don't have the experience or items to make one. Seems I'm out of luck." he groaned as he fell back to his bed with a grumble.

"I wouldn't say that, young man. If you have the knowledge to create it, then perhaps I could be of some assistance?"

Jaune's eyes went wide as dinner plates as a new voice chimed in with a familiar chuckle. He swore he could hear his heart stop with an echoing thump. He sat up and spun his head back to the doorway along with the others to find an odd man standing at the open door.

The man wore dark green robes that reached his ankles, a gold sash wrapped around his waist as a belt, simple sandals, and a white dress shirt underneath his robes. The man had curly black hair that seemed disheveled, freckles on both his cheeks, and a small set of round glasses over his nose. But what had really caught Jaune's attention was the man's eyes.

The familiar shade of brown and aloofness in those eyes was all too familiar.

 _'Ozpin?'_

Eve went on edge at the appearance of the spectacle man.

"Oswald." she glowered with a hiss, "What are you doing here? Who even let you in here?"

At that, Belle sheepishly raised her hand with a weak laugh.

"Yeah, remember that 'something' I had to take care of? He's that something." Belle smiled awkwardly as she pointed to the calm faced man being introduced, "He said his name was Oswald and that he was an old acquaintance of yours. I didn't really believe him at first, but he was very convincing!"

"I wasn't." Oswald said calmly as he stepped into the room, "I simply said I was an old friend stopping in for a visit and she let me in without another word. Which is a little worrying." he chuckled amusingly.

Jaune frowned at the odd man as he made his way over to his bedside. Just looking at him and hearing the sound of his voice brought a wave of Deja vu.

"He's an old friend of yours?" Jaune asked Eve, only to get a scoff from the fiery cursed woman.

"More like Warden." she mumbled with distaste.

Oswald didn't pay the comment any mind as he stood by Jaune's bed. He smiled at the blond boy, setting aside an emerald made cane by the night stand.

"Forgive the young miss, she isn't exactly the most trusting of sorts. Even after all I've done to help her, she still doesn't believe that I am of no harm." Oswald said with mirth, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Oswald, just your average traveling Sorcerer, or Warlock as the people of this continent like to refer to. And it looks to me that you are in need of help."

Jaune eyed the sorcerer with suspicion. Something about the man was familiar. He almost reminded him of a young Ozpin. Maybe that was why he getting an odd feeling from him.

Oswald reached out his hand to Jaune with a fond smile on his face. At that moment, Jaune's Scan activated on its own.

 **'Oswald, The Great and Powerful.**

 **?/?'**

"Would you like help, Mr. Arc?"

* * *

 _ **A petal falls. Just how long until your hope wilts to nothing?**_

 _ **The sound of marching metal draws near. A surge of negativity will gather for one night. What does Negativity create again?**_

 _ **This world isn't connected. It has no Echo. Its script is free.**_

 _ **Dance the night away then. You're free, free to say three magic words.**_

 _ **Can you?**_

 **And that's it for Ch.31! I've already sent the 3rd chapter to my beta for editing, and in the meantime, I'll be working on A Jaune of All Trades. Got to get some chapters going before heading back Multiplayer. Oh, I can't wait for that. And the DLC will be making a comeback as well. I know how much you guys love those.**

 **And on another note, Multiplayer: Journals is up and running. Don't be afraid to take a gander at it. I've already uploaded all the Abilities and Spells for Act1 and got more coming soon. Such as Monty's Missing Pages. You can also discuss things there with another and even ask questions there on certain chapters for me to answer. So, go check it out later.**

 **Now, I am tired. I need my sleep. Let's just say, after playing a certain game that shall not be named, I haven't had the best of sleep. For reasons. Horror, eh, just a little bit. Girls. . .Yes. Especially a certain girl that will not leave me alone. God damn it, it was suppose to be a Literature Club! It's what a writer like me always dreamed of!**

 **. . .I may have also looked up certain artwork once I got over the psychological trauma. Don't judge me, damn it.**

 **Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	32. To Be Loved

**And so, I have returned! NeoShadows here and do I have a chapter for you!**

 **So, lifes been busy lately. Been stuck working 11 days street since we lack people at the moment along with that nasty flu hitting some of us. Finding time to write nowadays has been a bit of a struggle. Yet, I soldier on! Thankfully this Special has been done for a month and been editing. I've actually been focused on writing V2 and A Jaune of All Trades. And it looks like we have one more chapter before we hit V2! And just when we finished V5. Now I got to wait another nine months for my fix of RWBY.**

 **And yes, unlike others, I did enjoy V5. Did I love it? No, but that's mostly due to the lack of fights. If it had more fights, than yes, I would have loved it. Honestly, I don't see what many people are complaining about the volume for so much. I get some of things, some animation errors and slow movements and such, not to mention some fights could have been better. But its when it comes to the story that I have to put my foot down.**

 **The story of RWBY is nicely done. Especially since Miles and Kerry had to work the story of the Maidens in during V2, I think? The world building is nice, the character development is well done, and the score is awesome. The only thing I have a problem with is the action, which they're still developing since Monty's passing. Animation, especially fight animation, is not an easy thing to do.**

 **Sadly others have decided to drop RWBY after the volume, especially its finale. It was a nice finale, not awesome, but nice. What the volume suffers from the most, and Kerry himself even admitted and plans on improving, is that it has too many moments happening offscreen. They fix that, and the fights, and it would be golden in my opinion.**

 **Anyways, that's enough of the mini rant. Let's get some reviews out of the way and get to reading.**

 **Ssjzohan: Oh, Monika. My one and only. . .not like I have much choice either way. Gotta love dirty Belle.**

 **GhostHornet: Oswald is a mystery. Nothing like Heart of God, but something.**

 **TheHappyVampire: I might now that you mention it. Maybe I'll links and some other things concerning my Journal with the DLC of Fey.**

 **Elithanathile: A crossover with RWBY and DDLC? I don't know about doing one myself, way too busy with my current works and future works to such a thing. I would love to see one well written, or just for shits and giggles. Sadly I got too much on my plate to be working on such a story. Poor Monika, gonna have to put ya on the shelf, ya sexy, sexy maniac.**

 **The Immortal Doctor Reid: Sadly, in the far off future, maybe. Got too much in the works to be thinking of a plot for that. Can't just write a story if it has no well thought plot.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: My ermano! How I've missed ya! Thought you were taken off back to our roots for a moment and died of alcohol poisioning. Been busy myself with work and live, so I feel ya. And don't worry, I can wait for eternity to get a taste of your crack works. Oh, ya got a PS4? So do I! I'm under SolNoche if you ever want to hit me up and play. I'm currently playing Monster Hunter World, so if you ever get it, hit me up! Rule 64 Adam, what was I drinking? Meh, she's hot. And Lost Fairy Tales isn't over, no. That book is an important part of this story. You'll see more, trust me. And I can forgive the lack of Omake. Do what you do and write when you can. I expect an actual story one of these days, my amigo. Until we meet again! With shots of tequila next time, eh?**

 **Alright, that's enough. We got a chapter to read. So, let's get to it!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: _I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth. I only have the right to remain silent. Something I don't understand all that well when I find myself slammed to the ground with cuffs on my wrist._**

 _ **I swear to fucking god, that dragon girl on my laptop is like a thousand years old! Chris Hansen's a fucking liar!**_

 _ **. . .Eh? The pink haired girl who looks like she's in elementary school? SHE'S A FUCKING TEACHER! SHE DRINKS AND SMOKES TOO! God damn it, back I go. As a certain high schooler always says, such misfortune.**_

* * *

Chapter 32: **[DLC] To Be Loved.**

Five long days. How time flies.

"Incoming!"

Jaune grunted as he ducked under a snowball heading right for the back of his head. His blue eyes spun around and found sheepish hazel eyes with an apologetic grin.

"Belle, please watch where you're throwing those things." Jaune grumbled before tilting his head to the left. Another ball of compressed snow missed him with some well-timed dodging. It wasn't that hard to dodge simple attacks when you knew they were coming and where they were coming from. His annoyed eyes glanced back to a groove of bushes, his eyes twitching as he noticed the person behind them fail at hiding in plain sight.

"Don't think I don't see you, Eve."

"Don't call me that!"

With the skill that came along with being a Huntsman and a Gamer, Jaune easily avoided the volley of cold snow balls from the ticked off cursed woman. He muttered to himself about unfair, short fused redheads as he evaded the next volley before frowning as he watched Eve jump out of the bushes high into the air. The cursed horned woman held a massive ball of snow above her head with an evil grin on her face.

"Dodge this, Shit-head!" Eve roared before slamming the giant snowball overhead to fly after Jaune. She laughed maniacally as Jaune simply stood there with an annoyed expression.

" _ **Reflect.**_ "

Eve's eyes went wide watching a reflective dome of magic surround Jaune's body. The giant snowball fought to break through but found itself coated by its magic and sent back to its creator. Still airborne, Eve was left with no way to escape. The snowball crashed into her as she fell back to the garden below with a startled shout. A cloud of snow blew up from her landing as both Jaune and Belle winced. Eve laid under a heap of snow, her arm poking out with a faint twitch.

"Y-You bitch! Magic's cheating!"

"Says the girl throwing a wrecking ball of snow at an injured person!" Jaune shouted back with a twitch in his eye. He shivered as another chill of the cold air hit him. Even with the nice wool sweater Ms. Potts lent him, he was still cold.

He rolled his eyes as the arm poking out of the snow gave him the middle finger before chuckling as Eve's head popped out with a growl.

Where was he? Right, it's been five days since Jaune had arrived to the land of Fey from Lost Fairy Tales. With his lung still damaged and cursed from Gaston's attack, he was resting back in the enchanted castle of The Beast, or Eve as they liked to call her. The curse on his body prevented his aura from regenerating from the fatal shot and pretty much canceled out the use of healing items. As he was now, he was no better than a civilian. For now, he would have to take it easy and stray away from any form of combat until his aura was back up and running.

Thankfully he wouldn't have to wait long. On the very day Jaune had discovered his negative status, he had met an odd man who reminded him of a certain headmaster. Oswald, the so called simple traveling sorcerer who had been doing his best to help out Eve with her curse. Apparently, he had met the girl long ago when she had lost control of her anger and rampaged about the White Groove. It was because of him that she was no longer cursed with the permanent appearance of The Beast. What he had done did come with limits though such as her anger triggering the transformation and her body being cursed with horns and faint marks of her bestial form. The man was a bit of a miracle worker and had promised to help Jaune with his own curse.

All Oswald asked was what Jaune would need for the potion to cure him. The green themed sorcerer said he could synthesize the potion if he gave him some time to gather the ingredients.

Of course, Jaune was suspicious of the man. Oswald was as cryptic as Ozpin and was willing to help a complete stranger out from the kindness of his heart. Which was ironic seeing as Jaune was usually the one on the helping end. But Oswald did ask for something in return, a small favor that he would collect at some later point. Jaune wasn't so willing to ask for help if he had to repay some unknown favor, but he really didn't have much choice at the moment. Though Oswald did give him his word that his favor wouldn't have Jaune doing anything morally questioning. At least Jaune hoped not, Oswald had said it with an aloof smile.

So, now all Jaune had to do was wait for the cryptic sorcerer to find the ingredients and synthesize the potion. Which would take a couple of days, according to Oswald. Which left Jaune to continue his stay in the enchanted castle until his wound and status ailment was cured. His HP was healing at a ridiculously slow pace with Curse in affect. At most he would recover up to 10HP every hour! Safe to say he wasn't going out of his way to get into any more trouble.

In a way, that was more than fine with him. He had enough action packed into one day during his exam. And after all he had been through in his first semester, he could use a little vacation. He just wished that his little vacation hadn't involved curses and a blown-out lung.

With a dragged-out sigh, Jaune sat back on the snow dusted bench and scratched his head.

Thinking about how long he had been in the book world made him think back to his real home. How long was he gone from Remnant? How did time even work between the two worlds? Hopefully it wasn't too drastic. He dreaded the scolding Pyrrha would give him if he was gone for almost a week with no word back to her. And that also brought up the question on how he was going to go back. Jaune was given no objective when he entered Lost Fairy Tale, which wasn't new seeing as The Will never sent him any messages. Which was odd. He only ever recalled going back to his world after involving himself with the, let's say unique, woman of the world and losing his memory of what they did with him.

"At this point in my life, can I even say I'm a virgin?" Jaune mumbled to himself with annoyance. He had no problem with that. He just wished he could remember losing it! And enjoying it.

"Hmm? You say something, Jaune?"

Startled, Jaune nearly jumped up from his seat as he found Belle's curious gaze on him. Without even noticing the girl had walked over and sat down next to him. Her big questioning hazel eyes were right in his face. He had come to the realization that this girl didn't understand personal space.

Sweating nervously, Jaune laughed the matter off, "No, it's nothing! Just, uh, thinking about home is all!" he grinned weakly.

Belle's mouth opened in realization to his words. Home? Now that she thought about it, she never did get his story on how he made it to their neck of the woods. Just thinking about the new tale was making her giddy!

Jaune scooted back a bit as he found Belle's star struck eyes back in his face again.

"Where are you from? From a look of your clothes, you don't seem to be from around here. And you carry a weapon with you that you seem to know how to use well and know how to use magic." she said recalling what she had seen from Jaune's fight against the Brisk Wolves. She leaned in closer to the blond, her body practically shaking in excitement at Jaune's origins, "Are you some kind of knight of the kingdom? A roaming Hunter in search of evil? A Warlock trying to hide his power from the world? Or some kind of prince out to prove himself to as a hero?!"

"None of the above." Jaune replied dryly. Was it that hard to believe he was just some normal guy? Other than his family ancestry of warriors, there wasn't much about him that was out of the ordinary.

Shaking off the pile of snow she was buried under, Eve went over to the two with a scoff.

"I believe that. Just because a maggot carries a sword and shield, doesn't mean he's anything more than dirt." Eve said with a smirk while taking a seat on Jaune's right.

Belle pouted at Jaune's answer as he turned to glare at the cursed woman.

"Boo! I was hoping he was some kind of prince charming. Maybe than he could sweep Eve off her feet and break her curse."

"Pffft! As if!"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm charming in my own right! And what's so good about Prince Charming? I knocked him out with a single punch."

Belle giggled at the two bickering friends of hers, "Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to substitute as the charming one here." she said to herself with a smug smile.

Jaune and Eve stopped their arguing to glance flatly at the suddenly blushing brunette bookworm as she went off into her own little fantasies again.

"There's nothing charming about you." they both blurted out, popping Belle out of her less than pure thoughts. Belle pouted at the two, showing anger that came off cuter than threatening.

"Are you saying I can't seduce anyone? Because I can!" she shouted childishly as she flailed her arms around. "Why else would Eve keep me trapped in her castle for all eternity?! It's because she couldn't stand to let such a fine thing as myself go." she said with pride as she stuck out her modest chest. "I'm a catch."

"Not a single day goes by that I don't regret that decision." Eve muttered with a twitching brow. Her hopes of making the human girl fall in love with her to break the curse went null and void once she got a gander at Belle's unique personality. At this point it was her stubborn pride that kept her from releasing the girl back to her town.

At least that's what she kept telling herself. Eve looked away as Belle wiggled her chest at her with a smug expression and a wiggle of her brows. Oh, how she hated the slight rise in beat in her unloving heart.

Jaune hid a small smile at the reaction, thanking the sudden change in topic from his origins. Revealing too much of his world was a big no-no. Who knew what would happen if people learned that their world was simply a fabrication of an old dusty book.

In the time he spent in Eve's castle, Jaune was happy to notice the changes the cursed woman was going through thanks to Belle's company. In just a few days, Eve's transformations had been cut in half. She was less angry than before and had even, dare he say, softened up? Hell, she had only gone Beast mode once all day! That was a giant improvement compared to Jaune's first day in the castle. Slowly, he believed that the cursed beast woman was beginning to open up her heart.

Hopefully that change in heart would happen soon. Turning his head away from Eve and Belle's antics, Jaune looked up to a certain tower in the castle in the upper levels with a small frown.

The Enchanted Rose. A rose that signaled Eve's dwindling time before her humanity was lost to her forever. He hadn't seen it up close, just a sketch Belle had shown him when she had seen it. The rose would continue to wilt until Eve's twenty-first birthday, its death signaling the curses affects ingraining into the castle dwellers' bodies forever.

And it just so happened that the day was fast approaching. By the stroke of midnight Saturday night, all hopes of breaking Eve's curse would be impossible. Today was Friday.

A sudden thud caught Jaune's attention as he turned back to Belle and Eve. He chuckled, finding the beast woman wrestle Belle into the snow as the bookworm made kissy faces.

 _'I wonder if they even realize how little time they have left? By tomorrow, I'm not sure they'll be able to mess around like this again.'_ Jaune thought sadly.

All Eve had to do was fall in love, and that love to fall in love with her. Honest and true. That was the conditions for breaking the curse of the vain beast. So simple, yet so difficult. Love like that after all couldn't be born on purpose. Even in a fairy tale world.

Sadly, there wasn't much he could do in helping in that regard. He wasn't some love expert. He never even had a girlfriend! A goof like him wouldn't be much help.

Pain lanced through Jaune's chest, causing him to deeply grimace as he held his bullet wound. It seemed thinking about everything was causing some undue stress, and he wasn't in any condition to be dealing with that. He swallowed back a small cry as he steadied his breathing.

Belle and Eve stopped their messing around when they heard a stiff grunt. They looked back to Jaune to find the blond knight buckled over and holding his chest with his eyes shut tightly. Immediately the two jumped to their feet and rushed over to him.

"Jaune, are you okay!? Did your wound open up again?" Belle said in worry while running her hands over his chest.

Eve growled as she brushed Belle's hand away and picked up the scraggly blond and threw him over her back. "Dumbass, I knew you were still too fucked up to be out of bed. I can't have you kicking the bucket because you wanted to play in the garden like a child. Do you know how hard it is to get rid of the smell of a corpse from a castle?" she said in annoyance before running towards the door. Belle followed closely behind, quickly grabbing the basket lunch she brought before following after the two through the corridors in haste.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **3,646HP/8,800HP[ Curse].'**

 _'Damn, another five-hundred-point drop.'_ Jaune sulked as the pain began to slowly subside. Every so often the cursed wound would remind him of his blown-up lung struggling to function. His HP would take a small dive and he would be in pain. It was the reason why his Health wouldn't stay above half for long. He was pretty sure that his Aura was responsible for his ability to breath in his current state.

Slamming through the infirmary doors, Eve ran over to Jaune's bed and dropped him down. She then moved to search for the doctor before she was stopped by a hand holding her wrist back. She snarled, ready to shout at whoever was stopping her.

"What the fuck do y-"

"It's fine, Eve."

Eve glared at Jaune, and his hand holding her back. Fine, he said. As if a boy with a punctured lung was close to fine.

"Shit-head, let go! If you're having more chest pains we have to get Dr. Decor over. I can't have you-"

"I won't die, trust me." Jaune cut her off with a strained smile, "I just had a small pang is all. I'm fine, really. You don't have to be so worried about me." he chuckled, earning a scowl from the hot-tempered redhead.

"As if I'm worried about you of all people!" Eve scoffed with a flick of her hair. She spun around to avoid anyone seeing the annoying red dusting her cheeks.

"Is this what you call a ' _Tsun-Tsun_ '? Belle leaned over to Jaune in a whisper as he nodded.

"She definitely fits the bill."

Eve craned her neck back to send a pissed off glare at the two snickering idiots.

"You bitches wanna die?"

Jaune shook his head while letting his laugh die off. He looked at the two women before he gave them a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I think I might have overstayed my little outing. I should get some more rest." he said with a yawn.

Belle nodded with a gentle smile. Reaching into her basket, she set aside a plate of small sandwiches and a bowl of soup before easing him back into his bed.

"You do need your rest. Take a small nap, and when you're up, eat your lunch! It's important that you stay fed, so don't forget!" she chided with a wagging finger.

"Yes, Nurse Belle." Jaune mumbled before getting comfortable in his bed. With all the sleep he was having, he was worried he'd begin to take after Ren.

Sleep came quickly as Jaune's breath grew steady and he closed his eyes. He wasn't lying, he really did need his sleep. He body was too damaged to be moving around so much until Oswald came back with his Purity.

* * *

"Is he getting any better?"

Shutting the door behind them, Eve passed by the worried brunette as she made her way down the hall. Her footsteps echoed against the walls and Belle followed close behind to wherever the cursed woman headed to.

Eve grunted at the question, "Who cares? All I know is that I won't have to deal with that idiot much longer. The old man sent a message the other day, he should be back some time this weekend if all goes well. Once the maggot's cured, he's out of here. And I'll have one less headache to deal with." she said with a smirk in her voice, her face facing forward and away from Belle.

Hearing that Belle smiled happily, "Ah, that's a relief to hear. Now he can get back up on his feet and we'll all be able to enjoy a nice picnic together!"

"He's out of here the moment he's recovered."

Belle frowned at the firm tone in Eve's voice.

"Eve, you're not serious, are you? Haven't you grown accustomed to him yet? He's a nice guy, and he doesn't seem to have a home. Maybe-"

"NO, MAYBE'S!" Eve roared furiously, stopping in place to stare down the frowning brunette, "I don't need some useless human overstaying his welcome! I don't need anyone else but you! And that's final!"

The bestial darkness crawling over Eve's skin meant little to Belle as she stood up to her friend. She had already gotten use to her tempered-out bursts. Even her Beast form wasn't able to intimidate her anymore.

"He's your friend too, you know? Even if you won't admit it out loud, I know you've started to care about him. Otherwise you've wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to keep him well or even talk to him. You would have locked yourself in your room instead to stare at that dumb rose of yours!"

Pure rage devoured Eve's body, spitting out the wrathful Beast in her place a second later. The Beast snarled down at its eternal prisoner, its claws tensing as it held itself back from doing anything drastic. Its plate sized pure white eyes reflected Belle's stubborn frown, only further angering it.

"Know your place, woman! Do not forget that you are my captive! A role I find losing its meaning. Since you've been here, I've seen little progress in my condition and time is running out! Tomorrow's the final day and if you don't love me, then my curse won't ever be broken!" The Beast roared viciously, its body trembling with anger.

Belle's eyes grew sullen at the towering monster clad in darkness and wrath. Still consumed by her own anger. Nothing had changed then. Even after she felt the two of them growing closer it seemed Eve hadn't made enough progress. She sighed as her shoulders dropped.

 _'And I had just begun to...'_ the thought was left hanging as Belle bit down on her lip.

When Eve was like this, blinded by her own anger and unable to think clearly, there was no talking to her. Her friend was out for the moment.

With a disappointed sigh, Belle turned her back to the beast and stepped away.

"And where do you think you're going?" The Beast growled with narrowed eyes.

"To my room. I'm a prisoner after all, I shouldn't have the freedom to walk about as if I was free." Belle muttered bitterly before turning a corner out of sight.

The Beast's eye twitched before it roared and slammed its fists into the wall next to it. The wall shattered against its blow with a boom. For a few moments, it stayed still, breathing heavily and leaving its arm through the wall. Its shoulders fell once it regained some sense and sighed deeply. The darkness receded soon after with its rage draining away, leaving Eve staring at the floor with a grimace.

"God dammit, I fucked up, didn't I?" she laughed bitterly.

"Sadly, yes, mademoiselle. And it appears you've broken another wall. I'll have to notify Cogsworth so he can send some staff to patch it up."

The amused chuckle of Lumiere caused Eve to turn back to find the animate golden candlestick standing behind her. It looked like he had seen just about enough to know what was going on. Lumiere sighed at his master's behavior as it hopped over.

"I had thought you'd finally gained control of that horrid temper of yours, but it seems you're back to where you started. We were starting to enjoy not having to clean up after your rampages along with not having our ears ring from your usual roars." he said amusingly.

"Now's not the time for jokes! If you haven't noticed, my time, our time, is up!" Eve spat in frustration. She looked down to her servant with a seething scowl, "Tomorrow's the final day. If I don't get Belle to love me, then we're done. Our humanity will be nothing but a distant memory we'll never get back!"

"And?" Lumiere rose a brow casually to his master, "We've already told you, everyone in this castle is prepared to stay the way we are. We've lived like this for ten years! At this point we'd live the rest of our lives as such. But what we really worry about is you." In the years since the castle's servants were cursed as objects, they had grown accustomed to their lives. Most of them even found some happiness in their new forms, though they too longed for their human bodies. But since their master's birth, they had sworn to look after her and cater to her every need. If she wished to live with the curse, then they would as well. But they knew she found no joy in her condition, no happiness with her anger, and was the one who held the most hope in regaining her former self, "I know you're miserable. Even with all that monsieur Oswald has done to treat your curse, it's still not enough. You wish to return to being human, and we all do as well, but forcing someone to love you and keeping them captive isn't the way to go."

Eve grumbled under her breath and laid back against the wall. This wasn't the first time the once carriage rider had talked to her about how wrong it was to keep Belle under lock and key. But what other options did she have? Her time limit had been a week away and here comes this woman out of nowhere wanting to free her father. Eve had thought it was her last chance.

"Then what do you suggest I do, Mr. Love Expert." Eve said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, "Like I said, tomorrow's the last day and it doesn't look like I can make her fall for me in a single night."

"Or could you?"

"No, I can't." Eve said flatly as Lumiere stared up at her with an odd grin. She narrowed her eyes at the mischievous candle-man, "What are you planning?"

Lumiere was more than happy to explain, "Mademoiselle, you are truly thick headed, aren't you? Have you not noticed how close you are to winning Belle's heart? She already sees you as her best friend along with monsieur Arc and we already know that she has no problem with such relations." he chuckled knowingly. By now they all knew that Belle didn't really see anything wrong with Eve being a woman, she was very open minded. "But she's still not ready to honestly say she's in love with you, not yet of course. No, there's something missing. A moment, a memory, the revelation that you are the one! And while being in each other's company is fine and dandy, it's not enough to solidify that love! What you need is to show her how much you've changed, a night of passion and fun!"

Despite herself, Eve found her curiosity peaked by her servant's words.

"What are you going on about? You think that one of your plans will make Belle fall in love with me?"

"Make? No, no, no! I believe that a simple little night of dance will be what you all need to prove that your love is pure and honest."

Eve quirked a brow at a certain part of the candle-man's words, "All?" she said suspiciously.

Lumiere waved off his master's suspicion, "Just a slip of the tongue! But I do truly believe that what I have in mind will be your answer to your curse. Might as well give it a shot, we don't really have much else going on." he shrugged.

A dance? Lumiere thought that a dance would make Belle fall in love with her? Eve mulled it over seriously. The plan wasn't bad and it wasn't like she had any other options. With time running out it looked like it would be the only option available to her. A last-ditch effort to break her curse. Without any reasons to deny it, Eve nodded towards Lumiere's idea.

"Alright, if you believe that it'll work, then go ahead. Take whatever you need and get things ready for tomorrow night. Inform the staff as well, I want everything to go perfectly." she said with a satisfied smirk.

Lumiere bowed as he nodded to his master's request. This truly was their last chance at breaking the curse. No mistakes could be made. Luckily, he had already shared his plan with everyone else and preparations were already under way. By tomorrow the castle will be aglow with hope.

"Of course! We will make it a night to be remembered for years to come. But this also means that we'll have to get you and Belle dresses for the event. Not to mention monsieur Arc."

"The maggot?" Eve frowned lightly at Jaune's mention in the events, "Why involve him? For all we know, he'll be gone before tomorrow night." she said in almost a whisper.

"Exactly! If it's to be his last day in our humble castle, why not let him enjoy the festivities? Just a way to repay him for all the trouble you caused?" he suggested as the cursed woman scoffed.

"What trouble?"

"Mademoiselle?" Lumiere stressed with a flat stare.

Eve fought back a pout as she looked away. Okay, so maybe she might have caused Jaune some trouble.

"Fine, let the maggot enjoy the party. Might as well, who knows how long he'll be here with that cursed lung of his. Haven't gotten word from Oswald yet."

With nothing more to say, Eve left her trusted servant with a scoff. A weight fell on her chest from a hidden pocket on her dress. A light swish of liquid caused her to grit her teeth.

Lumiere stared off after his master, sighing tiredly at the cursed woman.

 _'Mademoiselle, you should really be honest with yourself. Love cannot be born from captivity.'_

* * *

The brisk morning air greeted the large gathering of knights in the middle of Wilhelm's square. Today was the day. After gathering all the information that was needed to march to the The Beast's castle and awaiting more men from Snow White, the army at the command of one of the Queen's most trusted comrades was prepared to hunt. They were equipped with the best weapons and armor for whatever may await them in their assault against the enemy. Nothing would get in their way.

"I still think they would look better in yellow. All the gray just makes them look menacing and mean. And is that really the kind of message we want to send to our enemies?"

With an irritated twitch in her left eye, Goldi Locks stared down to meet the always cheerful gaze of Hap, the happy go lucky dwarf in charge of Snow's knights before she took over. Behind the busty gang leader stood the awaiting knights armed to the teeth and awaiting further commands. The knights didn't dare say a word as they watched the beautiful woman with an impressive bust stare down the terrifying menace known as Hap.

Goldi pinched the bridge of her nose and began to mentally count to ten. Now was not the time to be losing her head and pumping a small man full of explosive shrapnel.

"Captain Hap, we are not wasting any more time with a paint job. The armor is fine. And in case you didn't know, they're knights!" she gestured incredulously to the men decked out in plates of metal, "They're supposed to look intimidating and mean! It's half of their job!"

"Not my good boys!" Hap argued with a stubborn shake of his head, "They're polite and always smiling! Ain't that right, boys!" he shouted gleefully, causing every knight to stand erect with a salute.

"SIR, YES SIR!"

Goldi wasn't sure to make of what she was seeing. Looking at the knights, it was obvious that they were trembling underneath Hap's attention. Why, she wasn't sure.

"What the hell did the little twerp do to you chumps?" Goldi whispered in fascination as one of the bigger, bulkier knights whimpered.

"S-So much glitter! He wouldn't stop, he just kept giggling!"

Okay, that was a line of thought she found herself not wanting to continue. Either way, she had more important business to continue.

"Look, we've made all the preparations we need for now. Queenie herself said we were ready to go, so now all we have to do is wait for her to get ready for the march. Do you think she'd be happy if we're messing around with paint now of all times?" Goldi questioned with a cock of her hip.

Hap pouted, knowing she was right.

"Fine, you win. Besides," he smiled widely with the innocence of a child, "I can always paint the boys when we get home. OH! I can even give them stickers too!"

"OH GOD, NOT THE STICKERS! NOT THE GUMDROP STICKERS!"

At the sound of the terrified shriek, Goldi was ready to ask what exactly the men had gone through to earn a reaction like that, but found herself shutting her lips as the click of heels cut through all the noise like a knife. All of the knights stood up straight and took a knee as Goldi turned around to find stern blue eyes walking over.

The Queen of the residing half of Fey, Snow White, had arrived. Trailing behind her were two Great Knights armed with lances and snow themed armor. The queens usual attire of a royal gown made of the richest of materials was nowhere to be found, swapped out instead for a sky-blue gown underneath a silver chest plate that fit her lithe body, silver rich gauntlets, and a blue leather padded skirt. And strapped to her waist was a fine crafted rapier that put all the weapons around her to shame in appearance.

Goldi smirked as the dark-haired queen stopped a few steps away from her and the army at her command.

"What? You deck yourself out like some kind of warrior princess, but you're still keeping the heels?" she jeered with a small grin.

Snow's blue eyes narrowed at the comment, her silence speaking more than she ever could at the moment. Goldi's shoulders slacked and sighed lowly, her energy leaving her under Snow's cold presence. The royal woman was never one for jokes considering all that happened.

And honestly, she couldn't blame her.

Goldi's fingers gripped the edge of her cowboy's hat and brought it down to shadow her face as she spoke softly.

"All our men are ready at your command, your highness. Just give us the word-"

Glaring past the shadows of her hat, orange eyes full of fury stared back at Snow along with the sound of an uproar of metal scrapping of swords drawn behind her.

"And we'll burn down whatever lays in your sight without further notice." Goldi seethed with a fire in her eyes.

Snow nodded simply before gazing at all the knights gathered before her. All eighty-two-armed knights, the most she could give up at the moment. Despite how much it meant to her, she couldn't be selfish enough to call up every man and woman under her rule to fight today. She had borders that needed watching, crimes being stopped, criminals to be kept under guard, and her own castle to be held. But this was enough, enough to topple whatever force spurred her ire.

Roaming her cold blue eyes over the assembled knights, Snow grew irritated at the lack of a certain individual. She turned to Goldi with a frown as she spoke.

"Where is the huntsman you spoke of? The one who shared the demise of my love? Gaston, was it?" Snow said coldly.

"Oh? Did someone say my name? My ears are burning, so that must mean a beautiful woman is searching for me!"

Breaking through the ranks of the knights, Gaston walked over to the queen of the land with a wide grin and sparkle in his teeth. Before the queen, he bowed courteously to show his manners, his grin never leaving his face.

Snow rose a delicate brow at the muscular man with handsome features before resting her hand on the hilt of her rapier.

"You are the man who was the last to see my love?" she spoke tersely as Gaston rose back up and nodded.

Gaston sighed deeply, showing regret, "Sadly, yes. I do believe his name was Juan, my Queen. He was a chivalrous man, compassionate, willing to help anyone in need for no cost, and had a heart of gold. I considered him a good friend until the very end."

Snow's jaw tightened, fighting from showing any visible signs of her grief.

 _'So, his name was Juan? Why did I have to learn his name now of all times? Just how cruel is fate?'_ Pain and sorrow gripped Snow's heart like an iron vice. But she had to remain strong. Just as her knight did.

Swallowing back the emotion in her voice, Snow continued questioning Gaston.

"And you personally witnessed my love's death with your own eyes at the hands of The Beast?"

Gaston's eyes fell as he held his hand to his heart, "Yes, your highness. I-I tried to save him, but I was already wounded. Knowing that, he shouted at me to run away and warn the others of The Beast. His bravery saved my life and is the reason I still stand before you." he looked at Snow with guilty eyes and a pained voice as he spoke, "I'm sorry that I lived and he died. I wish I could switch our fates so you may have the love of your life back in your arms."

Snow narrowed her eyes dangerously at the crestfallen man. The hand on her rapier moved, causing Gaston to flinch in wait of the queen's vengeful lash.

"Do not feel regret, Sir Gaston. My love would not be happy to see such a face."

Opening his eyes warily, Gaston was surprised to see the cold queen looking down at him softly with a sincere smile on her icy features. It was then that he noticed her delicate hand touching his cheek in comfort.

"Sadly, I knew Juan for less than a day. But he was the one to break me free from my eternal sleep with true loves first kiss. And in that short time, I saw the kind of man he was. He was a hero, and he died a hero." Snow's voice cracked a bit as she spoke before hardening, "So, do not talk so lightly of your life, to do so is to insult his sacrifice. There is still need of you here, Sir Gaston. I wish for you to lead us along to The Beast's castle to end that monster's reign and make it suffer for taking Juan away from us!"

Gaston stood up straight and nodded firmly to the royal woman, his eyes full of determination for the task in hand. Inwardly though, the handsome huntsman smirked.

 _'Oh, Juan. Who would have known your death would buy me so much respect and credibility? Truly, you did not die in vain.'_

"It would be my honor, your highness." he said smoothly with a suave grin.

Happy to hear the conviction in the man's voice, Snow turned back to Goldi as her eyes grew cold as ice again. Absently, her eyes trailed the sun above the sky. The giant star that illuminated the day moved across the sky slowly to the human eye, going at a snail's pace to reach the other side of the world.

"We strike once the sun sets. Handle all necessary preparations before night falls." she commanded Goldi, receiving a firm nod from the blond outlaw. "Everything must be perfect for our attack, down to the very last detail. Do I make myself clear?"

The snow themed queen received nods from all those gathered before they moved on to follow her order to the letter. Left behind as the knights cleared out, Gaston turned to Snow with a curious question in mind.

"Pardon me, your highness, but why not march now?" Gaston asked with a charming tilt of his head. If they were ready, why not move onward now?

Snow briefly glanced at the man from the corner of her eye before staring ahead of the village gates leading to the White Groove. To the entrance of The Beast's domain.

"Simple, Sir Gaston. It is true we are now ready to defeat that retched beast and all those who serve it. But that is not what I want."

Not what she wanted? Gaston was lost for words for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but isn't that what you wish? That's why you gathered yourself an army!"

"Do not misunderstand me." Snow's voice was cold, colder than the snowy weather that hung over the port town. Despite her small size, her turned back intimidated Gaston as he felt his skin grow goosebumps. Her eyes were still honed on the far-off castle only a few hours away, refusing to lose sight of her target.

"I do not wish to defeat it, I will annihilate it. I will reduce everything it holds dear to nonexistence and leave not an ash behind our wake. And in its final moments, among the hell fires around it, I will rip out its heart so it can feel the same pain as I have. After all, this isn't a hunt, it's an execution."

Gaston gulped in fear of the chilling woman. Stepping away from the deathly aura surrounding Snow, he went on his own way to ready himself for the final battle. Thank god, the grief-stricken queen's wrath wasn't focused on him. What a terrible thought it was if she knew of the knight's real killer.

 _'Oh well, all that will be over at the break of dawn. And in that new day, they will all be thankful to the dashing hero who led them all to The Beast's demise and shower me in their love! I will be loved by not just the town, but the kingdom! Surely even Belle will fall for me, how could she not?'_

A smug grin stretched across Gaston's lips. He couldn't help but chuckle openly as he stared down at his hand, watching as a luminescent glow engulfed it.

 _'And if not, then why not give her a little push? Love is magical after all.'_

* * *

Suits were not Jaune's thing. He wasn't Mr. Formal as one could tell from his choice of wear with his favorite Pumpkin Pete's hoodie and torn jeans. Clothes didn't make the man, action did! As his father said. If it was up to him, he would always go around in his comfy hoodie with a pleased smile on his face. But unfortunately, tonight's events called for more formal wear.

With a grunt of frustration, Jaune fought with the strip of cloth around his neck in another ill attempt to tie it around his neck. A round of snickers could be heard from the helping staff turned household items as they watched him fumble with the simple art of bow tying.

"Simple my ass! This is a lot more complicated than they make it look!" Jaune grumbled to himself before losing more of his temper as his fingers were knotted into the loop. How was it he could defeat creatures of darkness but couldn't tie a fucking Windsor knot!?

From the side of the red velvet dress room, Lumiere snickered. The blond knight wouldn't be having so much trouble if he simply asked for help. But he was proving to be the stubborn type. As amusing as it was to watch, Lumiere had to step in once he noticed the blond knight stretch out his arm in an attempt to summon his weapon.

"Monsieur Arc, let me help you with that. We don't need you causing any damage on such a beautiful night."

Stopping himself from calling Crocea Mors in anger, Jaune quirked a brow at the man turned candlestick.

"No offense, Lumiere, but I think I can do it myself. Pretty sure you would only light my tie on fire."

Lumiere shook his head with a wry grin. The candle-man waved his arms around as they gained a magic glow, the energy he was calling took over Jaune's tie. With a few simple gestures, the tie followed the will of Lumiere to tie itself elegantly around Jaune's neck.

"One of the very few perks of our cursed existence is the art of magic. The curse is a magical force, so it stands to say that the power seeping in our bodies can be used for a few tricks of our own." Lumiere explained as Jaune marveled at the magic trick.

"Thanks, Lumiere." Jaune smiled gratefully. One of these days he was going to learn how to tie a tie himself, but that day wasn't today. Flicking the blue knot, Jaune turned to look himself over at the tall slender mirror by him, earning a whistle from the mirror being.

Gone was the simple villagers vest and shirt he had grown accustomed to these days, replaced by a dark blue three-piece suit, shined black dress shoes, and said annoying tie. That wasn't the only thing that had changed, his hair had been nicely combed and straightened from its usual messy locks to fall over his headshot scar. He sniffed his suit, grimacing slightly from the overpowering whiff of cologne. He had to say, being stuck in a suit felt kinda restraining after all the muscle he had gained from his training.

"Kid cleans up nice, Lumiere!" The mirror admired with another whistle.

Lumiere agreed as he hopped over to the blond knight.

"I knew behind all that grime was gold! I dare say you look like a noble yourself, Monsieur Arc!" Lumiere grinned in praise.

A noble? Jaune nearly broke out in a laugh. As if! He was just a village kid who wanted to play hero and found himself in a larger than life game.

A rough cough erupted from Jaune's mouth, nearly knocking him down as he covered his mouth. He grimaced deeply, finding a few drops of blood smearing his hand from the small fit. Lumiere's face showed a displeased frown at that.

"I see you're still not well. The curse upon your body is still grasping at your life force." Lumiere said somberly.

Jaune wiped away the blood on a cloth one of the servants handed him and eased Lumiere's concern, "It's alright, I'm more than strong enough to stand on my own. I can't just stay in bed all night." Jaune said with a weak grin.

Tonight was the night, the last night for Eve to find her humanity in love. Lumiere and the rest didn't need to tell Jaune of their plan, he had caught what they were hoping for when they had told him of the big dance. It was still a little shocking to believe that they were putting all their hopes on the two women falling in love, but love was love. And at least he wasn't being the one forced into it like a certain group of little men had done to him. From what he could see from both Eve and Belle, the two genuinely liked one another. The only problem was that one was too stubborn to admit her feelings and the other was... too affectionate. Yeah, that was it.

This dance meant the world to all those cursed within the castle. Not only would their humanity be returned, but their master would be free from her own curse. And being the good guy he was, Jaune had decided to help them to make sure the night went along smoothly. Might as well, it beat lying in bed with a healing lung.

Still worried about Jaune, Lumiere thought back to what his master had told him earlier in the day.

"If I recall correctly, Monsieur Oswald was said to be on his way with the potion needed to cure you. I hope he arrives before the end of the night, we don't need you fainting on the dance floor, now do we?" Lumiere sighed as he patted Jaune's leg.

"Dance floor?" Jaune said slowly, earning a nervous smile from Lumiere, "Why would I be on the dance floor? I thought I was going to help in catering the event."

"Catering? To who?" Lumiere scoffed amusingly, "That was just a white lie to get you into a suit. No, you'll be enjoying the fun along with the two beautiful ladies! Why else would you be participating?" he said as if it was plainly obvious from the start.

Jaune gaped openly at the literally beaming candle-man. Was this some part of Lumiere's plans? Jaune wouldn't put it past him.

"But-but-but-"

"No buts, monsieur! The festivities have already begun! Now let's not keep them waiting any further!"

Ignoring Jaune's protests and stammers, Lumiere forced Jaune on his way to the ballroom with the help of the more heftier servants. The door was slammed behind Jaune as he stumbled out with a surprised cry. Annoyed, he could only grumble under his breath as he moved on to the ballroom.

Left to his own thoughts for a small moment while he traversed the halls, Jaune wondered over his temporary stay. If Lumiere was right, then his cursed wound would be healed by the end of the night and he would be free to leave the castle at last. Eve had made it very clear that once he was well he would have to leave. She detested humans after all, and she had only kept him in her home on Belle's favor.

Well, it wasn't like he had any reason to stay. While he had some fun despite the rocky beginning in the fantasy world, he still had to find a way home. His friends and family were still waiting for him, not to mention he still had The Game to finish.

The Game. Jaune stopped suddenly as he remembered his own curse and the responsibilities he was stuck with. That was the one blessing he had found in the few days within Lost Fairy Tales. The Game's messages from The Will had come to an abrupt stop. Actually, there were a few times he had almost forgotten his life had become a game since he woke up in The Emerald Forest. It was nice. To not feel that burden that affected not just him but the others around him.

In the deepest parts of his mind a stray, soft and quiet voice whispered.

'What if I didn't leave? Would it be so bad to stay here?'

The traitorous voice was squashed and his brow furrowed deeply in anger with himself. He knew he couldn't stay, despite the appeal it presented. The thought of escaping the machinations of The Will was tempting, more so than he was even willing to admit. But he couldn't, no, he wouldn't abandon those on Remnant. He had made too many promises to turn his back on those he'd grown to love. He wouldn't condemn them to such a fate, he would finish what he started.

The large twin mahogany doors engraved with golden roses greeted Jaune as he broke out of his thoughts. Nervousness entered Jaune's being. Funny thing was that while he was a great dancer, he wasn't so great at dances themselves. He would always find a corner to hang around in whenever his parents would drag him to one and just mess around with his Scroll. He was always too nervous to ask any girls to dance and they would see through his false confidence more times than none when he worked up the courage. And now he was expected to dance with not just one woman, but two. One of which was cursed to turn into a King of Beasts and the other was a smart yet dirty minded girl.

 _'Maybe there is punch bowl I can hang around until Oswald arrives with the Purity potion? Because I don't like my chances of dancing with either one.'_ Who was better? The kind and gentle pervert, or the wrathful woman with gouging horns and claws?

Standing around in front of a door sadly wasn't going to get Jaune anywhere though. Swallowing the nervous jitters, Jaune pushed open the doors with a creak. Light blinded him for a moment as the ballroom's bright interior greeted him as he stepped in. Obviously the first thing he noticed was the bright yellow golden interior of the large ballroom. It was big enough to house a house for crying out loud! Several finely furnished tables were set up to the far side of the dance floor, a balcony could be seen overhead on the second floor with a view of the night, and a crystal chandelier hung overhead, further illuminating the bright magic lights above. The ballroom floor was polished like a clear mirror, its illustrious surface clicking with his dress shoes stepping over it. And to finish it off, he could hear a literal orchestra playing thanks to the reanimated musical instruments on the far side of the large room.

When Jaune had entered, he wasn't sure why, but he had pictured a beautiful scene playing out in front of him. He would see the normally wrathful Eve dancing along with Belle to some magical music in perfect sync, both looking into each other's eyes longingly with the budding seed of love finally flourishing. A literal scene from a fairy tale.

"One and two, one and tw-OW! I THINK YOU BROKE MY BIG TOE!"

"YOUR TOE!? WHAT ABOUT ALL MY TOES, BITCH!? I THINK MY ENTIRE FOOT IS SHATTERED!"

What greeted Jaune instead was the sight of two awkwardly stumbling women hand in hand in the center of the dance floor stepping over one another's feet. With how many times Belle was accidentally stomping onto Eve's foot, Jaune was surprised and impressed that the cursed woman hadn't gone Beast yet. Her face despite its wheat color was red.

"Why am I not surprised?" Jaune said dryly as he watched Eve howl in pain again. It was kinda sad in a way. Sad, and funny.

Ears perking up at Jaune's voice, Eve stopped her poor dancing to spin her head around to find the blond knight standing away from the show. Following Eve's sight, Belle grinned as she waved over to Jaune.

With the two fully facing Jaune now, he was able to see what the two were wearing. Belle wore an extravagant gold yellow gown that seemed to shine like gold bars and revealed a modest amount of her chest, her hair had been tied back with a golden ribbon, and she wore gold silk gloves that reached her elbows along with heels. It was like she had been picked off of a treasure chest.

As for Eve, the fiery red-haired woman was dressed opposite of what her friend was wearing, wearing a navy-blue dress suit that struggled to fit her impressive chest, vest with gold buttons, and black dress pants and dress shoes. Her fiery mane was tied back like Belle's with a similar bow that reminded Jaune of a tail swishing behind her.

Eve growled lowly at the sight of Jaune and what looked like restrained laughter on his face.

"Maggot, just what do you think is so funny?" she hissed and cracked her knuckles.

"Jaune!" Belle happily clapped with a bright smile before a worrying scowl appeared on her face, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed, mister?" she chided with a pout.

"And miss out on this?" Jaune chuckled, earning another mad growl from the clumsy footed redhead beside Belle, "I wouldn't be better off laying back anyways. I think I can move about just fine for one night without spitting blood out."

Eve rolled her eyes at Jaune, "Let's hope you do. I really don't feel like having the staff clean up after your bloody mess again."

Ignoring the comment, Jaune went on to walk over to the two women as the music playing over them paused. It seemed that that the moment was ruined, which in his opinion was already ruined before he stepped in.

"You know, I was picturing a more romantic scene when I walked in, not two left footed girls stepping over the others foot like drunks." Jaune said amusingly.

"It's a lot harder than it looks, Shit-head!" Eve shouted in annoyance as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Belle nodded along with a pout, "It's true! I'm the daughter of a brilliant inventor! Not some fancy dancer. I only know how to dance by myself when no one's looking."

"And I never saw any reason to learn to dance like some sissy! What use is dancing to a beast anyways?" Eve scoffed to the side as she looked away from the two. "It's a useless practice in my opinion. Only nobles are dumb enough to learn how to twirl around another like flails."

"I wouldn't put it like that. Dancing is actually really fun once you get your feet going along with the beat. You just have to have patience and someone to teach you. And I'd be more than willing to help with that!" Jaune smiled. He found himself more amused as the two girls only continued to look away with huffs, refusing to listen to anything he said. Between the two of them, he oddly saw an image of a young boy with blond messy hair standing in the middle, refusing to listen either with a stubborn pout.

 _'I don't want to learn how to dance! Everyone will just laugh at me and call me a girl if they saw me dancing! Besides, real warriors don't dance! So, why should I?!'_

Embarrassment, that was what Jaune had felt when his older sister had begun teaching him how to dance as part of their time together. The kids in his village had already made fun of him for being a coward and always playing with his sisters, learning how to dance would just give them more ammo to tease him with. Of course, he had eventually given into his sister's pleading and found that he had some talent just like her. Learning how to move along with the music and performing those complicated steps had actually been easier to learn than fighting. And it had been fun, especially when he was dancing with his older sister.

A fond sigh escaped Jaune's lips before taking a deep breath to gather his courage. What he was about to do next might just send him back to his Reset point.

With a startled gasp, Eve's wrist was taken from her and pulled along to follow Jaune. Her yellow eyes were wide in anger as her muscles bulged and darkness crawled over her skin. She moved her fist back to punch him right in the face with a monster sized fist, only to be stopped as Jaune intertwined his fingers with her beast claws. The simple action took her back completely, pausing her transformation just as half her face had been taken over by the darkness of her curse. Jaune's gentle blue eyes stared into her monstrous amber yellow.

Tilting his head back, Jaune yelled over to the servant's turned instruments with a grin, "Play us something gentle and heartwarming! Something that reminds us of Home!"

Eve snarled at the blond even as her curse sunk back into her body, "Just what are you playin-"

"Just trust me, okay?" Jaune cut her off with a soft smile before firmly gripping her hands and taking a simple step back.

Eve didn't mean to, but her foot followed along and stepped forward as Jaune stepped back. Then he took another, and another, and then took a step forward. She wasn't really sure what was going on, but every time Jaune made a move she would move opposite of him. She was completely puzzled at the development as the blond's feet began to step along with music and followed along.

Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the honest confusion on the cursed woman's face as he led her along in a simple dance step.

"The first problem that comes along when two people are learning how to dance is that they're both trying to lead without knowing what to do. If two people are leading, then you're bound to step on each other's feet. So, you're just going to have to follow along at first before you can takeover!"

"And I'm just supposed to let you lead me along like some helpless chick?" Eve growled before missing a step and stepping over Jaune's foot. A smug grin met his grimace as Eve twisted her heel.

"Oops."

The twisting foot hurt, but Jaune soldiered on as he continued leading the stubborn woman around in a few simple steps. He took it a bit further, surprising her as he swung her further away and let go of one of her hands before twirling her in a flourish. Eve's heart fluttered against her better judgement and Jaune pulled her back, chest to chest and held her firmly.

"No, but if you want to make it a night Belle will always remember, you'll follow along and listen." Jaune grinned as he craned his neck back to Belle. Eve frowned lightly and set her eyes on Jaune's line of sight before finding a star struck Belle watching their every step with a giddy expression. It was a little frightening in the beast woman's opinion.

Tonight, it was her last night, her last night at regaining her humanity. Eve wasn't sure what she would do if their plan failed, but she knew that no matter what happened, it wouldn't be either Jaune or Belle at fault. Funny thing was, she was sure that no matter what became of her, they would stick by her. Even if they had to continue their roles as prisoner and cursed. The thought of which made her grind her teeth. A phial swished against her chest, hidden from the cursed blond boy.

But whatever shred of humanity Eve still had, it demanded for the night to be special. Because while she wasn't the love of Belle's life, she was her friend. She wanted to leave behind a memory of her before she became a monster through and through. To at least have one person who knew her as something more than an unloving beast.

With a begrudging sigh, Eve began to follow along with Jaune's steps, doing her best to memorize the steps he was teaching her. She listened to every snippet of advice he would softly add, fighting back her spikes of anger as she made a mistake and crushed Jaune's foot, and opened her ears to the music in the background. Through it all never once did Jaune chastise her for her mistakes or grow angry as she stepped over him or grow frustrated. He was patient and just responded back to her with that damn smile of his.

Seeing into those blue eyes, that saw her as something more than the rumored Beast and held her like she was some normal woman, made the small phial in her chest pocket grow as heavy as iron.

"Oh, oh, oh! My turn, my turn! I want to learn how to dance too!"

With one last dip, Jaune brought Eve back up and turned to face Belle as the bookworm ran up to them with excitement. It already looked like she was dancing as she waited on bouncing feet for him to take her hand in his. Seeing that, Eve rolled her eyes and nodded at Jaune as he looked to her with a weak smile.

"Go ahead, I don't want her breaking my feet now that I've started to get a handle of this." Eve said with mirth. Letting go of Jaune's hands, she stepped back to the side of the room by the tables as she watched Belle happily grab the blond's hands. A small smile made its way to her lips as the first step resulted in another crushed foot to the knight.

"Well, it seems that everything is going along smoothly, don't you think?"

A clatter of porcelain brought Eve's attention to the table beside her, finding Ms. Potts hopping on with her son Chip. The little boy turned teacup stared with stars in his eyes after Belle and Jaune dancing in the middle of the ballroom with awe as his mother looked up at Eve with a small smile.

Eve gave the teapot a small glance and grunted as she turned back to the dancing, Feeling a tad envious at Belle's quick grasp of the steps, "Right, smoothly. Sorry to let you all down, but nothing's really changed. All we've been doing is stumbling around with sore feet. I don't think I'll be capturing anyone's heart today." she said with weak grin.

"Bah, never mind all that curse business! Are you having fun, young miss?" Ms. Potts asked with a shake of her head.

Eve quirked a brow at the question. Fun? What did that have to do with anything?

Seeing that her mistress didn't understand her, Ms. Potts turned back to the dancing pair, smiling widely as Belle giggled as Jaune dipped her low.

"You know, no matter what happens at the end of the night, we all only care about your well-being. If it is our fate to remain cursed in these bodies, then so be it. I've actually come to enjoy it." Ms. Potts said fondly, "But we do wish that you too can find happiness in whatever may befall you. Be you human, beast, cursed, or blessed, I believe that you can find happiness and joy in whatever form you may take. The only thing that's truly stopping you from finding such peace is you."

"Me?" Eve scowled deeply at the words from her trusted servant.

Ms. Potts nodded, "Yes, You. It's your heart after all. There is no other master to it than you, you stubborn girl." she chuckled warmly.

No other master than herself? Eve found her hand touching said heart, feeling the beat of the unloving container to her emotions. Absently, her fingers grazed the glass phial held in the inside of her breast pocket for safety. Ms. Potts followed her hand with a knowing stare.

"Be honest with yourself, Eve. There are no wardens or prisoners here, just friends enjoying a lovely night together. Don't let something as silly as some fool's curse stop you from being you."

 _'Being me?'_ Eve stared off into nothing as something resonated with the pot's words. Again, she felt the weight of the phial grow, weighing against her conscience. She grit her teeth inside her mouth, shutting her eyes as her thoughts began to cloud.

To be herself was to be The Beast. The monster that was blamed for all the trouble of one village. A monster that could only snarl and howl in rage with eyes of pure hatred. A being that held no love for the world around it, only violence. A creature doomed to be left alone.

"Now, let's you and I try, Eve!"

A warm, giddy, energetic voice snapped Eve out from her thoughts as her eyes opened to the sight of gentle hazel. Eve was lost for a moment, forgetting her surroundings before her wrist was taken from her again. Belle didn't wait for her friend to respond, taking her by the wrist and dragging her back to the dance floor as the music in the air began to rise in volume and beat. Taken by surprise again, Eve was left speechless as she was led along to several steps they had just been taught. The beast woman's feet moved along with Belle's, already familiar with the movements she was being led along to as her hands were held firmly in the bookworm's own.

"Aren't I suppose to be the one leading?" Eve couldn't help but ask as Belle twirled her around.

"What, you don't like being the damsel for once?" Belle grinned cheekily before bringing in the red horned woman close to her chest. She smiled cutely at the tall woman with wheat skin brought upon by her curse, bringing a light blush to Eve's cheeks.

Her a damsel? Wasn't that a joke. And yet, Eve couldn't say another word as she let Belle lead on in their dance. If anything, she found her heart beating faster as she stared off into her friend's beautiful brown eyes. A lump formed in her throat that she swallowed nervously.

With one last twirl, Belle came to a stop, confusing Eve greatly as the brunette grinned widely with mischief. That didn't bode well.

"Now, let's try it with three partners! I've always fantasized about doing it with more than one!"

"Wait, WHAT!?" Eve blushed madly at the implication. Her mind had shut down for a second, struggling to deal with the lewd images brought up by her friend as Belle left her side. A moment later and a grimacing Jaune was led up to her.

"You too, huh?" Jaune said sympathetically, his own face bright red after what he heard. The strange bookworm's dirty mind seemed to have rubbed off on the both of them sadly. But before Eve could nod in agreement and bark at Belle for the dirty thoughts, both their hands were taken from them and brought together. They blinked, growing confused as their free hands were gripped by Belle as she grinned widely at the two of them.

"If we can have this much fun with only two, why not make it even more fun with all of us together? I think we've gotten the hang of it to the point we won't be stepping over each other's toes." she said brightly before her beautiful hazel eyes fell on Jaune with a wink, "Do you think you can keep up with two newbies at the same time, Monsieur Arc?" she said playfully with a roll of her tongue.

Jaune nodded with a playful bow to the two ladies, his face stretched back with an amused grin. He had seven sisters, dancing with two partners was child's play!

"It'll be my pleasure! An Arc never turns away from dancing with beautiful women such as yourselves after all!" he said proudly before gripping the hands of both woman tightly and leading them on with the rhythm of the music.

The music in the air fell to a soft beat as wind instruments were brought out and the melody turned gentle. Eve's blush refused to leave, growing brighter as Jaune's strong hand pulled her close along with Belle. Warmth grew inside her and she felt faint as the two people she had trapped in her castle stared at with beaming smiles. Her heart was going crazy! She bit her lip as her heart fluttered in the face of the knight who had saved her and the bookworm who had stayed with her by her own will.

Something strange began to grow inside her blistering, cold, and unforgiving heart. A burning seed that shone like a beacon. An emotion that struggled to fully form, fighting against the chains around her heart. Chains that were created by no one other than herself. Eve's usual furious amber eyes, narrowed and stern, melted as laughter from her two friends filled the air and mixed with the music. Her lips twitched, slowly lifting up in a small sign of happiness.

That feeling, that emotion, what was it? It felt so familiar. Her lips trembled, struggling to form the single word. Her heart beat rose, her cheeks felt warm, her eyes had grown soft, and for once, she forgot about the bestial markings on her body as Jaune spun both her and Belle around him in crossing spins before holding them back with his annoying simple warm smile.

Jaune's face grew a worried frown as he stopped their dance. Eve's face had lost its usual sharpness and suddenly looked so frail. The cursed woman full of rage was gone, leaving behind a conflicted woman who appeared to be fighting without even speaking. Even Belle had lost her upbeat smile and grown worried as her hands slipped from Eve's.

"Eve, are you all right?" Jaune asked as he let go of the redhead's hand.

The loss of both their hands left Eve feeling emptier than ever before. She bit the bottom of her lip as she brought her clawed hands to her chest, feeling her heart continue to beat rapidly. For once, she felt vulnerable.

The word, the one just out of the reach of her tongue, she knew it. It was a long-forgotten emotion, one she thought she'd never feel again. She knew its name, she always did. The music came to stop as her sudden quiet presence brought the worry of all her castle staff running over. Her eyes lost all their fire, growing gentle as she stared at the many faces suffering from her curse. From Lumiere, always staring at her with his smooth features and charming ways, to Cogsworth and his uppity and formal nature, Ms. Potts and her motherly aura and words, Chip and his innocent curiosity and happy smile, to even the many staff always at her beck and call with never a complaint. Everyone standing in front of her looked to her, to Eve, and not The Beast.

Eve knew that word, that emotion, that feeling that was held in all hearts. And she was now ready to speak its name.

A warm smile blossomed on Eve's lips as she focused onto the two people in front of her, the two who had called her friend, the two idiots who put up with her wrath and abuse through her curse. To Belle and Jaune, the two who saw a heart inside her. Eve's lips parted slowly, gathering the strength to finally speak.

"Belle, Jaune, I-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

The castle's walls suddenly trembled and the floor underneath all who resided within shook violently. Above those inside the ball room, the chandelier began to shudder as cracks formed at the chain holding it up. Whatever Eve had been about to say was lost to the sound of an explosion rocking the entire enchanted castle as several more booms hit its structure. Bits of the ceiling began to break, raining down onto the ballroom floor. The beautiful moment was shattered along with the chandelier above as the next resounding boom broke it off to fall onto people below.

Jaune wasn't sure what was happening, but his body moved on instinct as he threw his hand up at the crashing ornament from above, " ** _Reflect!_** "

The crystal piece shattered as it made contact with Jaune's magical barrier, sending its remains shooting in several directions. Panic and confusion consumed the staff as the world around them was filled with the sounds of explosions and screams from the other staff within the castle.

"What the hell is that!?" Jaune shouted as another explosion nearly brought them falling back. He flinched as the action aggravated his cursed wound, whispering a foul word as his HP fell a bit.

Belle shut her eyes as her ears rang. It sounded like one of her father's creations failing and blowing up. Opening one of her eyes, she looked towards Eve for answers. But instead she found herself growing even more worried as the cursed woman's eyes were wide in shell shock.

"Eve?"

A midst the rocking explosions, the wide door to the ball room was slammed open with the sounds of metal clanking rushing in. Jaune formed another Reflect as more rubble fell upon them and turned towards the new presence, frowning in confusion as he was met with several suits of empty armor.

"Who are they?" he grunted as he fought to keep up his spell.

"The castle guards!?" Ms. Potts gasped in alarm, the sight of the dozen armored servants taking her by surprise, "They were originally responsible for protecting the castle from unwanted attention and bandits. But once they were cursed, they fell into silence and would only ever show themselves in times of trouble."

The head of animated suits of armor rushed forward to the huddled group under Jaune's spell, stopping still with a salute as it addressed the still shocked form of Eve.

"Madam! We are under attack by an armored force at our bridge! We currently have a small party battling against the enemy trying to make its way to our doors, but we are under fire by their ballistics! I'm afraid we don't have the numbers to combat them, so I suggest we make haste and leave the castle!"

Eve lightly scrunched her face at the knight's words, struggling to make sense of what she had heard. The words 'under attack' and 'castle' struck to her, causing her eyes to widen in panic.

"My Rose!" Eve shouted in worry, forgetting everything else even as part of the ceiling above was blown apart. A flaming wrecking bolt of a burning ballista flew down from above the wrecked ceiling, crashing through the room with a deafening boom that sent whips of wind flying past all those in the room. But Eve didn't pay it any mind as Jaune's Reflect shattered and ran past the knights for the open door. The floor under her trembled and cracked as whatever forces outside her castle kept on the assault. She didn't care though, too focused on the rose that represented her dwindling humanity.

Several more hellfire ballista shells fell down upon them, crashing onto the ballroom and setting the area on fire. Squinting past the gales slamming into them, Jaune looked after Eve's running back as he held Belle protectively. The damn idiot! Didn't she know that now wasn't the time to be worrying about some cursed flower?

Another aching stab dropped Jaune's HP as his Curse reminded him of his still weakened state. Of all times to be low on health! A larger than normal explosion caught Jaune's attention as the ceiling was completely demolished by an iron spire of burning rubble falling through. His eyes flew open wide in panic and fear as he caught the direction the ballista was heading for. Any sense of tactic knowledge flew out the window as his feet moved before the words left his mouth.

" ** _GALE SPEED!_** "

Just a few steps away from running out the door, Eve suddenly stopped as the way out was blocked by blazing debris falling in front of her. She cursed loudly, her yellow eyes wide in utter rage as her body began to morph into The Beast. But just as the darkness of her curse crawled over her jaw, her attention was suddenly drawn to the loud sound of snapping fire and falling debris. She looked up, her eyes frozen in shock as the tip of a burning ballista shell appeared only seconds away.

Then pain.

* * *

Red liquid gushed from a newly opened wound to form a pool around Eve as her eyes trembled and teared up. A weak grin greeted her as she laid on her backside from a shove, staring up at the tired and fading blue eyes of her savior.

"J-Jaune?"

Standing before her, Jaune stood with his arms spread out wide to protect her from further harm. A burning, rusted bolt ran through his sternum cleanly, its point stabbing into the ground before Eve's feet. His well-tailored suit bled red from the spraying of his lethal wound.

Jaune released a rasped chuckle, spitting blood onto Eve's dirtied and singed suit.

"I-I made it. Thank g-god." Jaune stuttered happily.

Wasn't this a familiar scene? What was this, the second time he died protecting someone?

 **Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **-8,534HP/8,800 HP [ Cursed/SVRE Bleeding].**

 _'Blood Oath isn't going to save me this time, huh. Just my luck.'_ Jaune grimaced as he felt his thoughts begin to slip past him. His arms lost the last of his strength and they fell by his sides limply. His eyes fought desperately to remain open, blinking rapidly as dark spots began to eat away at his vision.

Dying in a world that wasn't even his own. Go figure.

Taking a potion now would be useless, even an Ambrosia wouldn't help him with his status still Cursed. If only Oswald had arrived as he promised, maybe he would have had a chance of surviving.

Legs finally giving out, Jaune's body slid along the lit bolt to fall to the golden floor with a meaty thump. He grunted lowly as he felt his body begin to become numb to the intense pain. With the last of his remaining strength, he looked up to Eve, finding the cursed wrathful woman's eyes filled with tears and horror painted on her face. Her hands hurriedly flew to her chest pocket for something before moving it to his mouth, only to fumble in her panic and drop the phial of clear liquid.

Purity. The cure for all ailments befalling a Gamer. Sorry to say that wouldn't be of much help now.

Again, he was leaving someone behind with his sacrifice. He couldn't even leave them with any words of encouragement to keep them going. All he could give the redhaired horned woman was one last smile.

Then darkness welcomed him back to its arms.

* * *

Whispers filled his ear, hushed and arguing as three... people? Argued with one another about something he couldn't understand. Was it important? Where was he?

Who was he?

Bleary eyed, he opened his blue eyes to see nothing but pure white. A plane of white, empty and devoid of any form of life. It was like it didn't exist. Was there air to breath? Would he die of suffocation?

Die.

...Was he... dead?

The three arguing voices stopped, confusing him greatly as he tried to find the voices owners. He made something out, three bodies floating in the nothingness, their features blurred.

An odd fuzz of wavering blue, like fire. A red coat and funny hat. And was that a bag on their face? The final one was harder to see, he could only make out what look like skin colored like light dirt, raven hair that flowed and wavered like a night sky, odd fluff that looked like clouds around their head, and weird tattoos constantly shifting on their skin. Suddenly the voices cut themselves off, growing ominously quiet. In the blank plane of existence, a gold light shined and appeared in the center of the three. A figure stepped out, radiating like the sun as the three figures became still like statues.

Jaune frowned, squinting as the radiating figure looked at him and smiled warmly. Was he seeing things, or was that-

 **ERROR. PAGE NOT FOUND. A GLITCH HAS APPEARED. SCRIPT CORRUPTED. A NEW FILE HAS BEEN ADDED TO JOURNALS.**

 _ **B $E 6^4.**_

* * *

 _ **The dance has come to a close. Death has come and taken what you've cherished. Your heart. . .what does it fill with? Rage, anger, hate, sorrow? What monster is left behind?**_

 _ **ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. Something has intervened. A greater will. What lies under the surface of your reality?**_

 _ **The clock is ticking. Midnight is drawing close. A heart is drowning in negativity. Abandon the visage of prince charming, and FIGHT! For you are a Huntsman.**_

 **And that's a wrap for now. Chapter 33 is already underway with editing and will be published next Monday at the latest. And A Jaune of All Trades should be uploaded again next week as well. So, look forward to those.**

 **Multiplayer Journals has been updated! And I've got two pages of Monty's Missing Journal up as well. Oh, and I've got something special too. A Glitched Page, corrupted by The Game. I've left a hint at the end of the chapter on how to decode it, but ya got to decode the hint as well. I laugh maniacally. That missing passage is special in a way, so good luck finding out what it is.**

 **Now, off I go. I'm going to be playing Monster Hunter World on my PS4 for a while. If any Hunters are out there, my gamer tag is SolNoche. Would love to chat with anyone on a hunt.**

 **Remember to Read and Review. It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	33. Fallen Petals

**And from the ashes of time, the great darkness rises back from its long slumber to spread its wings! And update their fanfiction to the net.**

 **Yo, NeoShadows here with a new, long awaited chapter to Multiplayer!**

 **Alright, so apologies for all those who have been waiting for so long for the chapter. Especially seeing as its been done for a good two months now. I even promised to update a week later after updating AJOAT. And we all know how that went. I've been silent for over a month now with no update to either story. But! In my defense, I've had to wait for the chapter to be edited by my Beta who was sadly very ill. He's better and he's getting treatment, thank god, but due to his sickness he couldn't edit. Thankfully I just got the chapter and ran it through my own final checks.**

 **Hey, at least in the time I haven't published, I've completed about two chapters for Multiplayer, almost two chapters for AJOAT, finished planning the endgame for AJOAT, and even completed a one-shot for an Xover I have planned for the future. At least I got some things done during the month.**

 **Anyways, this is the Finale to the DLC Special. We'll be back to good old Remnant soon and will begin Act 2! Oh, how I've been waiting to get here. It's good to be fun~! Almost as fun as Act 3 is going to be. So, let's get these reviews out of the way!**

 **Ssjzohan: Dear god, not the wae. Should have known someone would bring that meme up here. Sure, he knows da wae.**

 **The Gamer24:** **Soy un bastardo diabólico, eso es verdad. ¿No te gustan los cliffhangers? Confía en mí, todavía no tienes nada. La Ley 2 se aproxima al próximo capítulo. Y cuanto menos se diga de la Ley 3, mejor será para tu corazón frágil.**

 **Matvize: Yes, I do know I'm evil. It brings me a sick pleasure. At least you'll get a happy ending here.**

 **Lsilver19: HA! Well, it is one of my favorite games. I may have had some inspiration from it for this story going further in.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: Good to hear from you again, hermano! Sorry again for joining you in your hunt last time, I was working and my brother was probably either watching Hulu on my account or playing Bloodborne. We should really hunt together sometime, we'd make the most deadly of Huntsman! Anyway, again, glad you loved Eve and Belle. They were my favorite girls to come from the DLCs. I'm sure you love them even more after this chapter. As for Gaston, we'll see what happens to that vain bastard. Sadly this Special will come to an end here. Say goodbye to the girls. But, who knows? We may see them again if all goes well. Now, get yourself some dizzy juice, and vodka, and enjoy the chapter amigo. That orange fruit cake hasn't taken us just yet! If am to be taken back to my country, they'll have to drag me out of my home, drunk off my ass and swearing in spanish! VIVA LA REVOLUTION!**

 **Semi Profesional Scotsman: Whoa, that's all lot of words. Thank you for the wordy review, I love those more than any other. And after reading, I understand what you're saying. Now, let me answer however I can.**

 **Jaune is a new Player. Compared to his fellow Players, he's a greenhorn who doesn't' understand that he's holding himself back by playing The Game as if it wasn't a game. He still sees everything as it originally was. Ren, Adam, and Roman understood The Game in their first lives, got over the shock, and grew stronger through it. Course they died in their playthroughs and learned from their mistakes. Jaune is actually an oddity in that he hasn't died in his first run yet. Not to mention he was already weak, weaker than any other player who gained the powers of The Player. The Game itself had to learn to scale it just a right amount so he stood a chance. Its confusion due to The Game true nature, so I won't get into that yet. Now, for Jaune's character growth. Trust me, I know how Jaune comes off. I'm actually laughing when I think to whats to come in Act 2 and better yet, Act 3. Its been about, what four months since he awoke to The Gamer? Trust me, he's going to grow as a character. Plus, he now just proved that he's Huntsman material. He's at a level where he can now stand beside his friends and actually fight as they do. That's what Act 2 will be about, his growth. Oh, and less said about Blanc, the better you're not spoiled for whats to come.**

 **I got to thank you for the review. I've actually begun to think more on how to write out Act 2, still filling a few holes here and there. I'm just glad I still have you as a fan. And I hope I can keep you this wild ride to come.**

 **Slenderbine: You degenerate. . . .We think alike.**

 **Hillcube: I do my best. Glad to have you on the edge of your seat. Don't fall off now.**

 **NatsuxErza12345: Man, its been a while since I thought back to fairy tail. That pairing takes me back. As for the lateness of the chapter, yeah, Beta was horribly sick. Had to wait for him to get better. Sorry for the delay.**

 **Alright that's enough for now. We got a finale to get to. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** _ **I do not own the rights to RWBY. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a Bagel to hunt down for its precious Gem. That god damn B52 Bomber Jet of a monster. Monster Hunter World is officially my favorite MH of all times just because of Bazelgeuse. I only wish they had sexier armor for the ladies. But then again the sexy hunter fighting beside you is most likely a 35 year old man. Makes me think twice about picking up girls on a monster hunt.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 33: Fallen Petals.**

A sharp gasp escaped Jaune's lips as he sat up straight with wide eyes and a jack hammering heart. Whatever pain he had been feeling before had vanished to nothing, including the wound over his chest. A bolt had pierced him clean through, leaving nothing but a searing pain in it's wake, he remembered that! His hands patted the dried red stains over the hole in his expensive suit and he marveled at the patched-up flesh.

"W-What happened?" Jaune whispered lowly.

Something... happened? Right? A faint image of plain white and flying sparks came to mind but that was it. Like he had just woken up from some dream only to forget the moment he tried to recall it. He did die, right? So, how was he alive?

"It seems I came back just in time, Mr. Arc. I knew it was a good idea to stick around a bit longer tonight. We would have lost you otherwise."

That voice.

"Ozpin?" Jaune frowned groggily as he turned his head to his side, finding a familiar set of enigmatic brown eyes kneeling by him.

Oswald shook his head with a small smile as fires continued to blaze behind him, "It's Oswald, Mr. Arc. I believe your disoriented after such a traumatic shock from near death. I was almost worried that my magic wouldn't have any effect on you in such a state. It's good to know that you're back with us again." he said with relief before standing back up with some difficulty. The shaggy dark-haired man with glasses gazed upon the hellfire consuming the once elegant ball room, wiping his forehead of sweat with a scowl.

"Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

With a grimace, Jaune slowly stood back up as he held his aching temple. The sounds of crackling fire, debris snapping, metal clashing and smaller explosions filled the air in place of the once melodious atmosphere. The fires raging around the once golden room ravaged everything in sight to the point he could make out heat lines in the air.

 **'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.**

 **350HP/8,800HP.'**

At least he wasn't Cursed any longer. But his health was still in the red. Standing up alone was taking just about everything he had too. While he was cured and alive, he still suffered from heavy exhaustion.

"What going on, Oswald? Where are the others?" Jaune grunted as he blinked away the fatigue.

Oswald sighed tiredly at the question and rolled his stiff shoulder.

"I'm afraid things are worse for wear. While many of the staff have taken refuge in the safe rooms below the castles floors, the armored guard have been pushed back to the gates. I fear that a few of the attackers have already invaded the main floor while the rest are dealing with… IT." the sorcerer said with some struggle as his brows knitted solemnly.

"It?"

"Your 'death' was very traumatic to both Belle and Eve, but more so Eve. Something inside her snapped and devoured what shred of humanity she had left in her body. The magic that I had placed on her to help her control her curse has been shattered willingly, reverting her to her beast form with no shackles. All she can see now is the white-hot rage of her hatred. Not even Belle's words can reach her as she is."

Nearly stumbling from taking a single step, Jaune was thankful to be caught by the metal fingers of a castle knight behind him. His body was still recovering from all the pain and energy drained from before. The moment he heard Eve was going crazy with despair he had shot up to find her.

The castle walls trembled as a monstrous roar the likes of which Jaune had never heard of filled the air, sending more debris falling around them. The sound of the familiar roar caused Jaune to grimace deeply as he forced his feet to take a few steps. He made it a few feet to the torn apart door to the ballroom before stopping as his knees throbbed and trembled, locking him in place. He snarled at his weakened state, fighting with his own body to move.

Oswald sighed at Jaune's state and he stepped over to the heavily breathing blond. Using any other magic on the boy wouldn't do him any well, some force seemed to reject any other spell he attempted earlier. It took all of his current power to bring Jaune back as he was now.

"Mr. Arc, I wouldn't advise going out into the war-zone that has consumed the castle entrance. You can barely walk, let alone fight." Oswald urged sternly as he held back Jaune with an arm on the boy's shoulder. Jaune shook the sorcerer's hand off with a deep grunt of effort, shaking his head with a tired blue gaze. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do to help Eve any longer. What we should be focusing on now is taking Bell away somewhere safe while we still have the chance!"

"Sir!" One of the knight's spoke up suddenly with hesitation, bringing both Jaune and Ozpin's attention to the lone knight accompanying them, "Moments before I brought you to the boy, I was given word that Bell had escaped our protective custody and left to who knows where. And we haven't much time left before we are completely overrun!"

Oswald frowned at the new piece of information, feeling ashamed at what the knight was about to suggest.

"Are you saying we run?"

The knight shook his head, the motion causing his helm to clang as it stamped its long elegant silver spear onto the flame warped floor.

"We Knights will continue to fight on until our bodies no longer remain! But it is our duty to protect our Master and the Master's loved ones as well. Master Eve may no longer be in her right mind any longer, but I know deep down she wishes for her friends to make it out safely. So that is what we must do!"

"I'm not leaving!" Jaune spat as he threw a sideways glare at the soul bound knight, "I didn't come back from the literal brink of death just to run away!"

The knight moved to argue with the exhausted blond, lifting its spear up to intimidate him. But just as he lifted his spear's hilt, a thunderous crash appeared behind it, stunning all three as an avalanche of rubble fell onto the middle of the large room. The knight went on immediate alert and spun around to face the new foes.

Jaune's eyes snapped open, his blue eyes trembling as several white lines crossed over the armored suit guarding Oswald and him from harm. The sound of glass shattering rung out in the roar of flames around them, deafening all sound as the knight's body fell to wrecked pieces. A snow-white soldier's blade gleamed at the hands of the attacker now standing before them along with two others.

The three knights wore white short sleeved trench coats that cut off at the knee with metallic blue buttons, a black long sleeve shirt underneath with one heavy blue and white stripped cuff at the left of their arms. They also wore baggy black trousers with light silver white greaves, and white furred hoods over their helm heads. Each held a brilliant snow themed silver sword on hand that were soon aimed onto Jaune and Oswald.

The head of the three snow knights stepped over the broken pieces of metal, never taking their eyes off of the two in front of him as he spoke coldly.

"By order of her Majesty, all who inhabit this domain will be executed with no quarter. I suggest you accept your fates with dignity."

" _ **FIREBOLT!**_ "

A streak of burning plasma met the head snow knight, forcing him and his comrades to scatter out from Jaune's aim. The fires over the ground were ignited further with the magical flames, sending flaming shrapnel flying. Jaune fell to a knee and gasped with a grimace. A simple Firebolt was enough to nearly knock him back. This wasn't good.

 _'I'm back from the brink of death, but I can't even muster the strength to fight?! Is this some kind of cruel joke? This is just the kind of thing Will would throw at me.'_ The snow knights quickly fell back to their earlier positions, swords sheathed as they faced their glowing palms at Jaune.

There had to be something he could do! Maybe he had an item in his Inventory he had forgotten about that would replenish all the energy he had lost?

"Boy... can you hear me?"

The rasp whisper caught Jaune's attention, turning him to the cracked slit visor of the defeated knight. A fading blue light peeked out from the knight's visor, blinking as the soul bound to the metal fought to remain.

"This is... the end for me. My soul can no longer reside in a broken vessel... my curse in a way... has been lifted. But my Master needs me... she needs you. Yet your body is too drained to fight, and my Soul is wavering."

A frost gathered in the snow knight's hands, warning of a deadly spell ready to fire away. Oswald stood behind Jaune in face of the danger, ready to use whatever magic remained to defend them. The magic energy in the snow knight's hands winked, unleashing spires of ice like mad gunfire. Time slowed as the attack rocketed towards them, threatening to reduce them to frozen pin cushions.

Jaune stared at the fallen knight, mesmerized as the light from their helm reached out to him like a hand of wisps. A familiar sensation overcame him before a flash of light blinded everything in the room.

"My soul may be leaving, but I feel an odd pull from your own soul. I do not know what it means, but I feel that if I accept the magnetic sensation, I can give you what you need to fight at your best. We are knights, you and I. Kindred spirits who wish nothing more than to protect those near and dear to us. So, from one knight to another, please protect my master."

A certain gauge on Jaune's HUD dinged, pulsing angrily as his body welled up with renewed strength. And in that flash of light, an oath was uttered and swords danced.

* * *

Red.

"It's taken out the second platoon! Rearm the main gauntlet cann-GAAAAAAAAHH!"

Pure, unfiltered, Red.

"It won't stop! Prepare to r-AAAAAHHHH!"

Everything was Red. Red as the fires of hell. Red as the blood of their maimed bodies. And the very sight of the Red further consumed it in its anger.

A single knight trembled as a large shadow fell over them, their eyes glued in horror at the blank eyes staring them down as a large set of triangle teeth cracked open with a mad grin. The sword in the knight's hand fell with a clatter on the stone bridge, their fear completely taking over their thoughts before their sight was blanketed with roaring flames. Ceasing the bellow of dark fire from its mouth, the monster swatted the charred metal body away with a monstrous blow.

Several knights moved out of the way of one of their own sent flying past them like a ballista. Their eyes returned to the monster who had pushed them all back to the middle of the bridge leading to its domain. What had once been a standard siege to the most veteran of the knights had completely fallen apart once the beast within the castle had barred its fangs. Even those who had entered the castle to continue the siege dared not to leave the safety of the stone walls in fear of the devil walking outside.

Standing menacingly with its dark clad knuckles touching the bridge stone, The Beast raised its head up to the moon and howled, releasing a visible shock wave that pushed them all back further. Only two held their ground against the whipping waves and pushed on past the knights to reach the beast of beasts.

Gaston shielded his face from the gales, flinching as his skin was stung by the howl's force.

"My, my, it seems the monster has grown weaker since last we fought." he grunted as he dug his feet in.

Goldi spat to the side, paying the man beside her little attention as her furious gaze was glued on The Beast.

"Everyone, fall back!" Goldi commanded loudly, turning all the heads of the knights to her back. She didn't glance back, keeping her seething eyes on the monster, "We've lost too many men! Return back to the Queen to regroup and send for reinforcements! We'll hold back The Beast and wait for your return!"

The knights nodded firmly, not one of them speaking against the blond outlaw's orders. Leaving the two behind, the knights made haste back for the entrance of The White Grove for more help. Left alone with The Beast, Goldi glanced at the handsome hunter with a quirked brow.

"You saying it was stronger than this?!"

The Beast stood before them, its claws dripping with the blood of its victims as its white blank rage filled eyes fell onto them. The very sight of Gaston caused it to take a deep breath and roar with such volume the stone pavement in front of it shattered, sending bits of gravel along with a pressurized blast of air at the two. Again, the two fought to stay their ground and their hair was blown back and skin was cut by the few bits of sharp gravel whizzing past them.

The bellowing roar calmed down, giving Goldi a change to attack. Her hand reached for the explosive shotgun on her waist and took aim with a pump of its grip. That's when she felt it, the feeling of her sweat turning cold and her skin growing goosebumps. The outlaw's limbs turned to jelly as her heart rate went crazy. Her breath ragged, her blue eyes trembling as she stared at The Beast's towering form.

Terror gripped her, leaving her to fall to her knee's as the monster's very presence robbed her of her anger and replaced it with fear.

Gaston shook his head at the sight of the buxumous woman on her knees with tears gathering in her eyes. This was why woman shouldn't be allowed on the battlefield. Some just didn't know their place. What an ugly sight.

Musket in hand, Gaston took aim at The Beast as it fell on all fours and snorted with a flare of miasma. The Beast ran forward with its horns aimed to run them both through, only to be met with resistance as a mirror like wall was formed in front of Gaston. Its horns sent sparks flying as it fought to break apart the magic.

Gaston smirked at the seething beast, staring directly into its hollow white eyes smugly. He flicked the reflective wall he had created with a wink of his eye. The wall of magic turned red and bounced The Beast back with explosive force. The Beast skidded on its side as its own power knock the wind out of its lungs. Its rage grew as it struggled to stand back on its hind legs, only to slip on its front arm and fall back with a guttural grunt.

"Is that it? I have to say, I am disappointed with you." Gaston taunted softly as he reached for the ammo pouch on his waist. Loading several iron balls into the chamber of his musket, he took aim at the struggling monster and fired. The bullets danced in the air, twisting in confusing patterns before diving for The Beast. The Beast howled as the enchanted bullets pierced its body, digging through its dark flesh and ripping out to do it all over again.

"I wanted our final bout to be one to be told for ages to come, a true story of a dashing hero defeating a vile and demented beast! But this? This is just almost too sad to watch."

The words leaving Gaston's lips seemed to push The Beast to stand against the agony of the bullets piercing its body. It roared, releasing a shock wave that blew away the iron balls and force Gaston to shield his face from the cutting winds. The blood seeping and trickling onto the bridge stone meant little to it and it pounced. The Beast threw down a mighty fist onto the huntsman, it struck hard and crushed the stone pavement.

Gaston grinned with some strain as held up his arms against the blow, surprising the king of beasts.

"My muscles aren't just for show." he grunted smugly before leaving one of his arms to block. His right hand reached for his musket, spinning it around with a flourish, and jammed the butt of his weapon underneath its chin. The blow stunned The Beast, leaving it open as Gaston loaded a burning red ball and pumped his musket.

An explosive plume of flames erupted onto The Beast's chest, sending it flying and falling on its back. It groaned, its pure red vision flickering as some semblance of control came back to it. It moved to stand in its haze but failed and found several bolts of azure lightning rain down onto it. Flashes of pictures flew past its eyes as it screeched in agony.

A head of golden messy blond hair and blue eyes smiled at it before flames burned away the image.

Gaston let his left arm fall back to his side as he canceled his spell. Wafting black smoke rose up from the scorched crater he had created as The Beast laid silent. He patted himself on the back and walked over to the defeated monster, leaving behind Goldi as she gasped sharply and regained her composure.

Goldi scowled in distaste, feeling ashamed at what she had become. It had been so long since she had felt such utter terror. She had frozen up and fallen to her knees like a puppet with its strings severed. The Beast was truly unlike any other beast she had fought. Getting back up on her feet, she watched as Gaston stopped before the monster. She walked over to his side, meanwhile glancing at all the destruction their fight had resulted in. A sour taste made its way to her mouth at all the armored bodies cast around the bridge.

"Disgusting, isn't it?"

Goldi nodded at Gaston's words to the death around them. Then she remembered who had caused it and the one who had also taken someone precious to her. Goldi eyes narrowed sharply as her fist popped. And now, she could finally put an end to the monster responsible for it all. She turned her eyes away from the death and followed Gaston's line of sight.

Goldi's anger had faltered.

Laying in the burnt crater was not the king of beasts that had cut down her men but instead a woman now lay before her. A tall woman with red hair, dark skin, and tattered clothes. The woman was badly injured by their attacks, struggling to stay conscious as she fell back with a weak moan. The only thing that would mark down as The Beast would be the red horns on her forehead.

Gaston didn't appear as surprised as her as his hand reached for the beast like woman. He grinned proudly, his fingers tangling themselves in the woman's hair as she glared hatefully at him before he pulled her roughly by the hair.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Goldi shouted angrily as Gaston pulled the woman closer to himself.

"Hmm? What does it look like?" Gaston scoffed mirthfully before his fingers tightened around Eve's neck. He had to give the beast woman some respect, even as weakened and wounded as she was, she still had the strength to glare at him.

"I'm putting an end to The Beast."

"The Beast?" Goldi was thrown for a loop there. Her eyes found themselves pinned on the suffering woman, trying to made heads or tails of what she had heard.

"Yes, The Beast. Though I suppose you might not see that with its witchcraft at work here. Tricking others that it has some humanity by taking the appearance of a ravaging woman." Gaston licked his lips at Eve, grinning as her clawed hands scratched at his arm for release. "Even I find myself hesitating to behead such a fine and alluring wolf in sheep's clothing."

Magic? Goldi grew conflicted as the woman's face twisted as Gaston slowly crushed her windpipe. So, it had evaded capture by taking on the appearance of a woman? It made sense, even she was hesitating. But if this was true then there was no reason to stop now. Goldi hardened her resolve, digging into her anger and sorrow caused by The Beast.

After all, it was the reason the love of her life had died.

"Then I should alert the Queen that we've brought The Beast's to its knees. After all, she should be the one to deliver the finishing blow." Goldi said seething with a glare aimed at Eve. She moved closer to The Beast, fighting with herself from ending the beast here and now as she bared her teeth in a snarl.

"You are about to pay for all the death you've left behind in your wake, bitch. And it's all thanks to Juan and his sacrifice."

Eve glared hatefully at the two, struggling to speak as her breath was robbed.

"J-Juan? Who the f-fuck is that?"

Eve's eyes snapped open and choked on what breath she had left as Goldi's trembling fist dug deep into her stomach. She nearly blacked out from the pain before finding the outlaw woman's blue seething eyes in front of her.

"Juan's the man who you killed back in White Groove and probably ate up! The one who's death had led the Queen to take arms and finally stop you! Juan Arc is the love our lives and you'll pay for taking him away from us!" Goldi shouted tearfully as her hand gripped her shotgun tightly.

Goldi's anger was too much, she couldn't control herself anymore. Pumping her shotgun with two shells of explosive ammunition, she set its aim for the beast's wide eyes. She would have to apologize to Snow later for taking away her moment.

"J-Jaune."

Goldi's finger paused at the trigger. The red-haired woman fought Gaston's suddenly iron tight grip, turning her own tearing up yellow amber eyes to Goldi.

"Shoot her, NOW."

Hearing Gaston's sudden command, Goldi glanced back at the huntsman. That's when she saw it, the dark shadow falling over his stern face. His blue eyes met her own, almost hypnotic as she could have sworn a flash of energy came over his eyes.

"She killed your love, right? Why are you hesitating? Shoot her, kill her, end her." Gaston cooed smoothly, his words alluring as she found herself taken over by some unseen force. Goldi bit her lips, fighting off the odd allure as her aim fell back on the bestial woman.

But in Gaston's focus on Goldi, he had slipped up for a just a moment. And that was all Eve needed. Eve's dark curse fell over her arms, giving her back her beast's arms. Her claws dug into Gaston's wrist, spraying blood as he hissed. He let go of her out of instinct, leaving her to fall on her knees with a coughing gasp. Gaston cursed loudly, his eyes wide with fury as he gripped the puncture wounds.

The odd controlling force falling over Goldi's body vanished as she blinked away the sudden fatigue.

"The Beast is back on her feet! Don't just stand there like a ditzy fool! KILL HER!" Gaston shouted furiously.

As much as Goldi found herself suspicious of the man for the controlling force, he was right. She couldn't pause and let the monster free to attack again.

"HIS NAME WAS JAUNE!"

Again, Goldi stopped herself from pulling the trigger. She found herself listening to the beast woman as she gasped deeply, her yellow eyes staring dead ahead not at her, but towards Gaston.

"STOP HESITATING AND TAKE THE FUCKING SHOT!" Gaston roared madly, the veins on his head bulging visibly in his anger.

Goldi's face twisted in confusion. Something inside her was holding back the trigger, the creeping sense of wrongness at the situation stopping her from listening to Gaston. And then there was that look, the look in the monster woman's eyes.

Those yellow, tear filled eyes.

Eve couldn't stop the tears from falling. Her curse subsided, her rage wilted away as she nearly crumbled to her feet. Just remembering him was enough to drain her completely.

"His name was Jaune, Jaune Arc! And he was my best friend!" Eve cried loudly before her glare fell back to Gaston's livid features, "And he's the one who killed him! All of you damn humans are at fault for killing him! He was alive until you bastards started attacking my home!"

"He was alive?" Goldi whispered softly.

Red faced with rage, Gaston roughly shoved Goldi to the side and he fixed his aim on the cursed woman and fired a single shot. Eve grit her teeth as she moved her feet to dodge, only to hiss as her previous injuries cut her off. Blood gushed from her right shoulder, the bullet missing her chest as she fell back on her knees with a pained grunt. Gaston tsked, annoyed before taking one last aim.

"STOP!"

Gaston swore a vein was ready to burst violently. How many times was he going to be interrupted!? To save himself anymore headaches he spun and aimed for the voice. He stopped suddenly, his voice caught in his throat as a familiar head of brunette ran into view.

"Belle?"

Belle's breath was heavy, her lungs crying out for air as she ran ahead. Her once rich gold dress was torn, the skirt now rags clinging to her hips as a loose strap did its best to hold her dress up. Her loose brunette locks clung to her sweaty face matted with dirt and ash. Eyes set on Eve's back, she ran past her friend and put herself right in front of her without a second thought. Her hazel eyes glared at Gaston as her chest heaved and gasped tiredly.

Eve squinted tiredly at the figure in front of her as she clasped her bloody shoulder. _'Belle?'_

"Belle?" Gaston gasped. Her dirty appearance took him back for a second, but found himself only smiling back at the exhausted woman charmingly. "My Love! Why it appears you've finally escaped that monster's dungeon! I must say though, you look rather ravishing even with dirt on your face." he purred as his eyes roamed over her body to the visible skin.

Belle scowled at the leering eyes of the hunter. She never did like the way he looked at her.

"What do you think you're doing, Gaston!? Haven't I told you that Eve doesn't mean any harm? She's not the monster you claim her to be!" she shouted in frustration, getting a look of disbelief from Gaston.

"No harm?" Gaston almost sputtered before waving his hands around to the bodies around them, "Do you not see the carnage surrounding you? The monster has killed many today. It is far from innocent!" he laughed.

"That's because of you!" Bell cried in anger, tears running down her face as her features twisted in sorrow, "You kept pushing her despite her wanting to be left alone! She was fine before you attacked us and killed our friend!"

On the sides, Goldi wore a growing frown before her eyes narrowed dangerously at Gaston. Everything she was hearing from the two women was worrying and painted Gaston as the one who had killed her love. And he was alive? What was she hearing?

"What's going on here?" A hard stare aimed itself at Gaston from Goldi, causing the handsome hunter to sweat. The grip on his musket grew tight as he swallowed.

"S-She's delusional! The cursed beast, it's using its magic to manipulate her mind! I mean, why would I lie about such things?!" he laughed nervously before giving Belle a strained smooth smile. "My sweet Belle, why don't you come here? Get away from that foul beast and explain yourself properly to the fine lady." he cooed as his eyes gained an odd glint, his words running sweet as honey, "Please?"

Belle flinched, grimacing as an odd force came over her. She fought from moving over to the man, digging her feet in as she shook her head furiously.

"You... you aren't human!" Belle cried out angrily, breaking through his spell as tears ran down her face, "How can you lie so openly and try to kill another innocent person?! Eve is my friend, the only friend I have left in this world! Unlike you, who keeps calling me strange for loving literature, for wanting to be more than some damsel, for not falling for you like the rest, or for not wanting to be your silent obedient wife! You call Eve a beast, but the only beast I see here is you!"

Gaston's eyes snapped open in disbelief. Belle's very words hit a nerve deep within him as he fell silent. He stared at the beautiful woman, the only woman who wasn't infatuated with him and held no love for him. He frowned softly before speaking in a low whisper.

"You... you truly do think of me as a beast, don't you? Are you saying, that you would rather be with a monster that breathes fire and malice, than with me?" Gaston's voice was vulnerable, as if the entire world was about to fall apart in front of his very eyes.

"Yes, I do." Belle said harshly, her eyes revealing all the truth and honesty of her words.

 **SNAP!**

Goldi moved quickly to raise the barrel of her shotgun at the back of Gaston's head. Anger came over her, putting the pieces together quickly. It was all a ruse, a trick to hide his guilt. She knew that Gaston's smooth act was suspicious. If what she was hearing was true, then there was hell to be paid. She was close to being livid and firing lead into the bastard.

Eve panted tiredly as she fought against the pain over her body, her eyes fixated on Belle's dirty back. She was at a loss of words right now. The woman who she had kept as a prisoner, yelled at, and threatened was still willing to protect her? She was free now, she could leave. But she was still willing to stay by her side. Eve was close to tears again.

 **BANG!**

Blood gushed from Belle's chest, taking her by complete surprise as the bullet dug out her back and spun around in the air. She was speechless, left in shock as she fell back. Blood flew out into the air. She fell to the ground in front of Eve with a heavy thud, a pool of blood quickly forming under her in seconds. The world around her became blurry as she weakly tried to sit up and find where the shot came from. Her eyes trembled.

Gun barrel still smoking, Gaston shook his head with a dramatic sigh. Behind him he could hear another body hit the ground. He glanced back briefly, finding Goldi laying back with a shot knee from his dancing bullet.

"How dreadful. The Beast has not only taken one of the Queen's friends, but my own sweet Belle! Does its terror know no bounds?" Gaston grumbled sourly as he made his way forward. Belle was frozen by the stalking hunter, unable to move a muscle in her current. She looked to Eve for help, only to find her friend unresponsive from shock. Belle couldn't even call out to her as the only thing that came out of her was a sharp gasp as Gaston drove his foot on her stomach. She nearly blacked out and she stared up at the smirking dark-haired hunter with blood trailing her lip.

"W-Why?"

Gaston looked at Belle strangely, shaking his head with a sneer.

"A woman who does not see me with love and adoration cannot possibly exist! I had thought I could seduce you with a little bit of magic thrown into my speech, but you're simply immune to my Charm. I had thought it would be fun to finally capture your heart and even give you the honor of being my bride, but alas you're simply not worth the effort any longer." Cocking his musket, Gaston aimed its sights on the bleeding woman. He grinned nastily with a lick of his lips. "I suppose I'll have to settle for another. The Queen seems to be lonely and sullen, perhaps my Charm would work on her? She is a beauty."

"N-No. P-Please."

Gaston paused, his attention suddenly falling on Eve. The woman's eyes trembled, filled with tears and despair as she watched him. It didn't look like she had the strength to do anything else. All she could do was beg. The sight brought a grin to Gaston's face as he lowered his musket. He lifted his foot off of Belle and walked to stand in front of Eve.

"What was that, Beast? You don't wish for me to kill her? But you are the one who killed her. As you did that Juan fellow." he sneered with a lift of Eve's chin. He pursed his lips smugly, loving the look in the woman's eyes. Helpless, afraid, sullen. It was delicious.

Negativity. Born from dark emotions of fear, cruelty, arrogance, helplessness, sadness, and sadism. Such darkness breeds monsters. Both figuratively. And literally. Unknown to either Eve or Gaston, a budding black essence budded on their chest. A single red light could be seen from each bud like an eye.

"Beg. Beg for her life." Gaston grinned widely before his eyes roamed over the woman's body. He leaned in closer, his mouth close to her ear as he breathed, "Or better yet, take her place. Play beast and become my pet. Make me a hero to all those clueless fools and satisfy my needs, wench. I'll let her go, as long as you become my plaything too! So, how about it!?" he laughed cruelly.

In Eve's eyes, the ma-The Monster above her wore a twisted grin and warped eyes along with a vile tongue hungrily licking at her. The monster had robbed her of her life, her friends, her peace. It was the reason everything had fallen apart. And it angered her. Frustrated her. Pure rage consumed her.

Gaston shut his eyes smugly, awaiting to hear the weak plea to become his. A pet that could rampage about to play his beast to forever make him a hero, and become a sexy woman when he wanted her to? What a score!

"So, how abou-!"

 **CRUNCH!**

Gaston's eyes went wide in alarm and pain as his windpipe was crushed. He couldn't even make a sound as he found himself lifted up by his throat by the Beast's dark seething claws ripping through his flesh and muscle. Eve sneered at the squirming human worm in her grasp, her entire being overflowing with lashing wisps of black energy as her left arm transformed under her curse.

"Disgusting. You humans, you're all the same. Feeding your own lust for bloodshed, sex, and vanity. This world is just ridden with you worms. Clearly there is only one solution." Eve grinned darkly, her teeth sharpening to daggers as she licked her lips. It was Gaston's turn to look at her in fear as his body quivered.

The dark budding flowers on their chests squirmed, raging wildly as a tendril from one another connected them together. The darkness flowing from Eve enveloped Gaston, taking them both over as a dome of malice began to form over them. A shout could be heard, someone calling her name.

"I'll kill you, every last one of you. I'll rid this entire world of your blight!"

From her spot on the ground, Belle watched as she struggled to breathe, her friend being overtaken by her anger and hate. Goldi tried to rise up and interfere but fell back on one leg, her right leg useless with her knee crippled by the enchanted shot. They both looked on as the dome of vile energy devoured both Eve and Gaston whole, eclipsing them like a black, pulsating sun. An odd red tribal eye sigil formed on the top of the dome, spreading red and purple veins over the surface before it cracked. Something broke through the barrier with a black muscle massed arm, plated with bone like growths. It clenched its fists before swiping away the darkness that fell like shattered glass.

The Beast was freed and reborn. The Beast had grown in height to stand at an even seven feet just by standing on its four legs, its muscles bulging and dark hide forming bone like growths as armor. Its narrowed face had gained a face mask of bone like a visor with red tribal prints and slits for eyes. Its red horns had curled upward like a devil's horns which almost resembled reigns to a carriage. The white of its eyes were now dyed red and yellow as a black miasma blew out of its jack o'lantern like jaw.

" _UuhGHUha~!_ "

Goldi felt her skin crawl and her eyes caught something twitch on The Beast's back. A lanky lump of flesh squirmed, groaning in agony as it slowly rose up. Something snapped audibly with a sickening bone like snap. That's when it looked at her.

The upper half of a man was fused to The Beast's spine like a growth. Its skin was pitch black like tar, bone spines stabbed out of its back, its arms were thick with muscle, and its yellow and red eyes followed her. The half man wore a tattered cloak with an emblem of an odd eye stitched on the beaten fabric and a hunter's hat that matched its grim appearance. The bone mask was half hidden by its cloak, leaving only its haunting stare.

Pure terror was all that Goldi could feel from what she saw. That thing was not a beast, it was an abomination of nature.

The monster's heads twitched, snapping as they fully turned their sights on both Goldi and Bell. The half human growth grabbed onto its beast's horns, gripping them like handles before a piercing screech escaped its throat. The sound chilled Goldi's bones, her body shivered as she broke out into a cold sweat. The monster charged, its beast head opening its jaw wide for an eager taste of the two women in its sights.

Goldi was terrified, terrified of the nightmare coming straight for her. But her eyes fell on its line of charge, finding the wounded brunette woman laying back with no way to escape. The woman who had suffered because of them. Goldi bit back a scream as she forced her shattered knee to steady herself for a just bit before she broke out into a sprint for Bell. Her running was broken as her knee collapsed, leaving her to fall in front of Bell as the monster came closer.

"STAY AWAY!" Goldi wasn't sure what she was doing anymore, she didn't understand a damn thing that was going on anymore. But she did know of one thing. She wasn't just about to let some innocent woman die in front of her. Her shotgun was aimed straight for the monster's face as it jumped high into the air, ready to plunge its greedy teeth into their feet.

She'd be damned if she died shaking in her boots.

" _ **REFLECT!**_ "

Goldi's eyes went wide as a familiar shout turned her forward to find an odd glass like orb of pixels shoot straight for her. She shut her eyes on instinct as it hit, shattering on her body as the monster sunk its teeth. Instead of immense pain, the strange feeling of nothing washed over her. More seconds ticked away and still nothing, her morbid curiosity getting the best of her, she opened her eyes. To her surprise the monster was held back by a crystal-like dome of magic surrounding her and Bell from harm. Sparks flew from in between the monster's teeth and the dome until it was bounced back forcefully.

The monstrosity flared its nostrils in annoyance before unleashing a roar that shook the entirety of the stone bridge. It unhinged its jaw, creating a basketball sized flame in its mouth that it was ready to fire before a cold fog fell in between its leg.

" _ **GLACIATE!**_ "

With a white flash, the fog around the monster had clung to its skin, freezing it in a glacial spire of misting ice. The monster was frozen in its prison, unable to move a muscle.

The magical barrier around Goldi shattered, falling harmlessly onto her and Bell as she watched two blurred figures run past the frozen monster with haste. Her voice caught in her throat as head of blond hair and blue eyes came into view.

"J-Juan?" Goldi said weakly.

An annoyed frown came over Jaune's face before shaking it off as he knelt in front of both Goldi and Bell.

"It's actually Jaune, Jaune Arc. I can only guess who told you that was my name." he growled lightly before reaching into his Inventory. A large Aura Potion fell into his hand that immediately moved to hand to the blonde outlaw. Oswald's hand suddenly held onto his wrist, stopping him from handing the vital potion as he glared at the young sorcerer.

"Sorry to say, but your medicine won't be of use to them." Oswald explained sternly before moving his emerald cane up high. He shut his eyes, concentrating as a light coat of magic came over his body.

" _ **Bright Light.**_ "

A shining beam of holy light fell from the sky above, its rays shining down onto the wounded women. A twinkle of energy washed over their wounds, healing their broken flesh in moments. The light dimmed, breaking apart as the spell ran its course and gave way. Oswald smiled tiredly, his feet wobbling slightly as he leaned on his cane for support.

"There, they should be out of the woods now." Out of breath, he gave them a small grin.

"Bringing me out of death's door really did drain you, huh?" Jaune frowned.

Oswald chuckled softly, "Like you wouldn't believe."

The shot knee, twisted flesh, shattered bone, and shredded muscles had been healed as if Goldi had never been shot. She poked her knee in fascination before taking a step. She was a bit unbalanced but regained her footing. Now able to walk and out of harm's way, she marched straight up to Jaune.

Jaune gulped as the busty outlaw stood in front of him, face staring down and shoulders shaking with teeth openly gritting. She didn't look as happy as he thought she would at his appearance.

"Where were you?"

Goldi's voice lacked energy. She sounded hurt, betrayed. Jaune couldn't stop the frown that made its way to his face even when he found Goldi's eyes locked onto his. Those brilliant eyes swimming with repressed tears.

"You left us, without so much as a single word or even a note! We've scoured the entire land in search for you! And when we finally do get word of your appearance, it's when some idiot's spouting on about your heroic death! Do you have any idea how heartbroken we all were!?" she shouted angrily as a few tears slipped.

We? Jaune blinked, wondering who Goldi could be referring to before his lungs were robbed of his breath as a fist buried itself in his stomach. He coughed roughly, grimacing as he could feel a few points drop from his Health before he found himself pulled into a warm embrace. His eyes were wide as silk gold hair tickled his nose and smelled a pleasant perfume on Goldi.

Goldi sniffed, gripping the back of Jaune's head tightly as she pushed Jaune closer to her body in her embrace.

"You stupid idiot! You're lucky I don't have it in me to make that damn lie true." Goldi cried softly.

While Jaune still wasn't all too sure of what was going on, he did know that Goldi had been worried about him. He hugged her back, patting her back gently as he smiled in apology.

"Sorry for worrying you, Goldi. I didn't mean to run off from you like that. Trust me, I didn't have much choice." The Game was at fault for that.

Sniffing back her tears, Goldi released Jaune from her hug as she cleaned off her tears.

"Well, you have a lot of explaining to do once this is all over with. Better have something good up your sleeves." she smirked weakly, "Snow's going to be even more pissed off than she already is when she finds out your alive."

"Snow?" Jaune squeaked in fear, his mind flashing back to the sadistic raven with a cracking whip. If only he had stayed dead. For a brief moment, he contemplated running away just so he could escape the sadistic woman's wrath.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Goldi's strong arms wrapped around Jaune's neck, taking him into a headlock as his head spun frantically around for an escape. She grinned widely as she ground her knuckle into his scalp, earning a yelp from the noodle blond.

"Don't be a chicken, hubby! Take your sexy welts like a man!"

"But I'm not into S&M!"

Struggling to escape Goldi's surprisingly strong grip, Jaune finally wormed his way out with a gasp as he rubbed his neck. Annoyed at the manhandling, he was ready to open his mouth to protest until something wrapped itself around his back. His eyes softened, hearing soft sniffles and a growing wetness on his back.

"Jaune, your alive."

Jaune gave a small smile to the brunette woman hugging his back, patting her head as he turned around and returned the gesture. His brows furrowed at the sight of blood on her torn gold dress.

"Bell, I'm sorry for scaring you and Eve like that. I never wanted any of this to happen. I'm just happy that your safe now." he said warmly as he stroked her long hair back. He felt Bell hug him tighter, almost afraid to let him go now that he was here.

But the nice, heartwarming atmosphere wasn't to last.

A groaning crack echoed in the night, the sound of a low rumbling increasing in volume with every second. Jaune and Oswald scowled as they felt the stone bridge under them begin to tremble, watching as cracks began to form and spread out to the entirety of the structure. They turned their eyes to the glacier and stepped back instinctively. The frozen prison was sweating, emitting steam as chips of ice began to break off the trembling prison. The eyes of the monster pierced through the fog created by the melting ice, targeting the humans who had frozen it before a thundering roar erupted from its cold shell.

"Mr. Arc, it appears we don't have much time for pleasantries. The Beast will be free to run rampant soon, so we must finish what we've started before it's too late!" Oswald said urgently as he shielded his face from the bellowing wind created by the monster's roar.

Jaune gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn't argue. That thing was Eve? It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The monster was grotesque, something straight out of a nightmare or better yet. Something out of his own world. A Grimm.

Bell grew confused as Jaune's fingers tightened around her. His body muscles seemed to coil, readying themselves for a fight.

"Jaune?"

Knowing what he had to do, Jaune carefully pulled back from Bell before walking to stand beside Oswald to face the threat.

"Belle, Goldi, I want you both to run back to town and warn everyone to stay away from the castle. Don't send for any help either. I promise," Jaune glanced back to the worried eyed girls with a warm smile even as the glacier housing the monster shattered completely with a thundering crack, "Everything's going to be fine. I'll have Eve back to normal by the stroke of midnight. I swear."

Goldi scowled in annoyance. She just got him back and now he was leaving again? She wanted to fight too, but knew she wouldn't be able to do much against that thing. Not to mention the queen needed to know of what went down.

Belle hesitated, wanting nothing more than to help after seeing what her best friend had become. But she was just a normal civilian, she didn't have any powers or combat experience. She would just get in the way. All she could do was leave it to Jaune. She smiled bitterly as she felt the busty blond woman take grip of her arm and led her out of the way, her eyes watching Jaune's back as they left.

"Just come back to us, both of you."

Jaune picked up on the soft whisper in the wind and nodded sternly as he watched the monster shake off the cold chill. As if he was going to keep dying. He had already proven to himself he was a legitimate Huntsman, he wasn't about to let it all go to waste.

Turning to Jaune, Oswald spoke, "Are you ready, Mr. Arc? This won't be an easy battle, especially if you plan on freeing Eve's heart as you said."

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've had to mend someone's heart." Jaune said confidently as he gripped Crocea Mors.

Ridding the last of the ice and gaining back its focus, the monstrosity glared at both Jaune and Oswald with a seething growl. It stood up on its hind legs, towering both men as the human growth on its back slumped, showing off its clawed fingers dripping with sizzling embers. It shrieked as it brought down its claws to the bridge, destroying the last of its stability as large chunks of the bridge fell to the ravine below along with the dead bodies of the knights. A large hole was created by the impact around the beast and the two men, leaving them to fall along with the monster into the waters below.

Jaune's mind went into panic as the stone gave way and he shut his eyes as he fell to his death. He tried to think of a way to soften the impact into the waters littered with deadly stone rising up like spires before growing confusion as his body became light. Opening his eyes, he found himself floating in midair and slowly drifting down like a feather with a glitter of golden energy around him. He turned to his left and found Oswald calmly floating down alongside him with his emerald cane extended, the man clearly casting a spell of some kind.

"Don't worry, Mr. Arc. While I may not be able to perform my more impressive spells at the moment, I can still perform some mediocre magic to assist." Oswald reassured him with a smirk as they came close to the bottom of the ravine. The young sorcerer frowned as he noticed the deep waters below had diminished along with the sight of wafting hot steam rising up. The monster must have evaporated a large portion of the waters once it touched down. What a horrifying display of power and heat.

Jaune smiled in thanks before turning his sights to the challenge below. Their feet soon touched the shallow ravine waters lingering with steam as they began to search for the monster. The ravine was almost drained of its water, leaving only the bottom of the ravine filled with water three inches deep. The bottom was large and wide, the walls wet with moisture and moss.

Instincts ringing, Jaune turned back in time to raise up his shield to block an attack. What felt like a slug hit his shield with a ding, warning him of gunfire. He readied himself for another shot, only to be taken by surprise as he was sent flying to the side of the wall alongside Oswald by a charging flame rushing through them. They both grunted from the attack before turning to the fireball standing in the middle of the diminished ravine floor.

The ball of malicious fire dispersed, revealing the monster beast/human crouched as its human growth held a familiar musket in its buff arms. Visible flames danced around its dark skin, flaring as it narrowed both sets of its eyes and growled lowly.

 **WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! BOSS, INCOMING! Grimm Malice, The Loveless Monstrosity. GET READY!**

 **'Grimm Malice, The Loveless Monstrosity.**

 **31,120HP/38,000HP.'**

An unseen wall of digital code rose up around those below the ravine, forming an impenetrable wall with no escape. The only way of escape was to fight and win.

"This won't be easy." Jaune said tiredly as he unsheathed Crocea Mors from Ignis Mors. He couldn't even switch out his Abilities or Skills, they were locked since he had come to Fey. It looked like he was just going to have to work with what he had for now.

Oswald chuckled as he stood next to Jaune, shoulder to shoulder as he flipped his beloved cane to wield it like a saber. "No, but nothing worth ever truly achieving is ever so easily handed. One must fight tooth and nail to achieve what they desire. And I desire a happy ending for young Eve. Don't you?" he asked whimsically.

Jaune grinned widely as he answered.

"A happy ending for everyone. That's why I'm still up and kicking!"

 **FIGHT!**

" _ **KEEN EYE, ACTIVATE!**_ " Jaune shouted quickly, activating one of his skills as both he and Oswald ran forward with their weapons ready to strike.

 **'Grimm Malice, The Loveless Monstrosity.**

 **31,120HP/38,000HP.**

 **Weak: Ice/Light.**

 **Resistant: Fire/Dark.**

 **Absorb: Fire.**

 **Grimm Vanity.**

 **20,500HP/22,000HP.**

 **Weak: Light.**

 **Resistant: Fire/Dark.'**

Keen Eye was a special Skill unlocked thanks to his Friendship with Professor Port. Only useful when fighting Grimm, it revealed weakness and any resistance to elements or weapons. Since it seemed a Grimm had been born in this world, what better time to bust it out? Jaune frowned though as he caught a second enemy in the description. His eyes turned up to the human growth aiming its musket's sights at the both of them. It looked like they would have to take out the growth as well.

"It's weak to Ice and Light, so if you got any spells like that, hit it when you can!" Jaune shouted to Oswald, receiving a nod in return, "And avoid using any Fire Spells! It'll just absorb them!"

The Grimm Vanity shot several rounds from its musket after the two humans, enchanting them with magic to dance across the air to hone in on. Knowing how deadly the magic bullets could be, Jaune cast his Reflect spell as the bullets dove in on them both. The bullets drilled against the magical dome, fighting to pierce it before they were bounced back. The Grimm Malice shrieked at the incoming bullets with such volume and force they were knocked out of the air before they could do any damage. Catching something out of the corner of its eye, it swung its head to find Oswald jumping up with his cane swung back. The young sorcerer swung down with all this might, cracking the Grimm's face with enough force to send its face falling to the ground. Oswald then swung his free hand to the side to cast an ice spell, only to forget about the monster's growth. The Grimm Vanity flipped its musket and copied Oswald's attack, taking a crack at the man's face with a bat swing.

The blow disoriented Oswald as he was sent flying back and Jaune charged forward. The Grimm Vanity narrowed its eyes and tossed aside its weapon. It then flung its arms to the side as two dark portals formed at its finger tips before reaching in. Pulling back, it began to pepper Jaune with rapid shots of two handguns it had summoned. Ignis Mors blocked the deadly fire as Jaune charged ahead of the boss before vanishing in a blur.

" _ **Hyper Blade!**_ "

With a burst of high speed, Jaune zipped around the Grimm Malice and Grimm Vanity with several wild swings of his blade. The Grimm Malice spun its head around, its eyes trying to pin down the knight as it watched Jaune appear in several after images to slice at its skin. Growing fed up it fired off an air rippling roar as Jaune appeared right in front of it with a forward stab at its masked face. Jaune grimaced at the shock wave and was sent him flying. He had no reprieve as The Grimm Vanity took the chance to unload its bullets into him. Falling on his back with a grunt, Jaune quickly stood up in time to see the boss rush after him while clad in flames.

Activating Gale Speed, he avoided the flaming charge and skidded on the shallow waters back to its previous spot. The Grimm Malice spun around and opened its jaw wide. Several volleys of fireballs were fired after Jaune, following after him as he ran to avoid them.

With its attention drawn to Jaune, Oswald went on the attack. Steadying himself on his feet, he began to concentrate, gathering whatever magic he could in his state. Eleven dazzling orbs of light began to form around him before he locked onto the Grimm Malice.

" _ **Eleven Rays of Light, Fire!"**_

The orbs of light shot after the boss, cutting through the air as they pelted the dark beast ruthlessly. The Grimm Malice flinched from the attack and interrupted its fire and left it reeling. The Grimm Vanity screeched as its mount fell on its stomach before reaching for a new weapon. A quad barreled missile launcher was hefted over its shoulders and fired several locking missiles onto the spectacled sorcerer. Oswald didn't pay the missiles too much thought as he dashed forward and swung his cane at the first missile. The explosive shell was sliced in half by the blunt weapon and flew past him to detonate against the rock walls. He swung his cane again and again at every missile, cutting them down as he charged another attack. The Grimm Vanity screeched as Oswald stopped in front of it before rearing back its fist to knock him away.

But before it could throw its fist it felt a sharp stab on its back before a heavy weight fell upon where the pain had erupted. Crocea Mors dug itself deep into its shoulder and Jaune threw down his sparking hand onto its head, " ** _SPARK!_** "

Sparks danced across the boss's skin, scorching its nerves as it was lit up by yellow lightning. It was stunned by the spell, leaving it helpless as Oswald attacked.

A luminescent blue glow surrounded his cane as he ran his hand over it, forming a long blade of light that withdrew like an actual blade. He narrowed his eyes at the beast as Jaune jumped off and fell beside him with Crocea Mors raised up high.

" _ **Drawn Light!**_ "

" _ **Lunar Divider!"**_

A drawing slash of brilliant light and a falling slash of cursed energy cut through both the Grimm Malice and Vanity, scoring deep wounds as its Attack fell. The Grimm Vanity cried out in anger and gripped the horns of the Grimm Malice before pulling it back. Its monster half whined before following its human half's orders. It jumped back and began to dash around them while cladding itself in flames. The flames on its body grew hotter as its blurred to the point a wide ring of fire grew around Jaune and Oswald. A funnel of flames grew from the ring, trapping them inside as the heat rose and the ground underneath was blanketed with flames.

Oswald kept his eyes trained on the faint blur within the flames as he stood by Jaune. His eyes suddenly caught the blur vanish before his senses warned him of his right. He turned, finding the Grimm Malice bursting out of the wall of tunneling fire with its claws raised high.

"Mr. Arc!" he warned Jaune, getting the blond knight to turn around and find the monster at his back.

Jaune didn't waste another moment as he shielded them both with Reflect. The magic dome rose to block the falling claw slash, sending sparks flying while the Grimm Malice fought to break through. The beast suddenly grinned cruelly, confusing Jaune before his eyes turned to its back. The Grimm Vanity rose up from behind, its musket locked onto him before firing. The single shot pierced through the spell, shattered its defense, and drilled through Jaune's shoulder. He shouted as he fell onto his knees, clutching the gaping wound before panicking, his eyes shooting up at the following attack. The Grimm Malice slammed its claws down freely with no resistance.

A spray of blood splattered to the side of the scalding earth as Oswald grimaced, his breath coming out strained and his back bleeding from the assault. He stood over Jaune, his back to the Grimm Malice. The dark beast reared its fist back and swung with all its might, sending Oswald flying out of the flames to leave only Jaune and it within the inferno. It growled lowly before its cheeks bulged. A flaring jet of flames spewed from its open mouth, intent on turning Jaune into a crisp. Still reeling from the bullet to the shoulder, Jaune could only swing his shield as the flames fell over him, blocking most of the deadly fire.

" _ **Air Slash!"**_ Several blades of compressed air cut through the flames, smacking into the Grimm Malice's masked face with enough force to break through the attack and daze the beast. It flinched and stumbled before something flew straight through the dying flames. A pointed shield rammed into its face before an explosion engulfed it.

" _ **Point of Impact!**_ "

The Grimm Vanity let out a dry chuckle as the flames of the eruption were drained into its beast half, healing a small amount of its HP and the Grimm Malice roared. Jaune cursed at the slip of judgement before parrying several wild swings of the boss's claws. He deflected a wide swing from the left, countered a falling slash that tore the burning ground, rolled out of the way of another breath of fire, and bashed his shield against a heavy straight punch once he came to a stop.

The drop in Attack wasn't having much of an effect on the boss seeing as Jaune could watch as he lost a thousand HP just by blocking. This wasn't a normal boss. The damn thing was on another level.

The Grimm Malice threw down another fist, sending Jaune skidding back to the edge of the vortex of flames he was trapped in. He bit back a shout as the flames burned his back, wishing more than ever he was dressed in his combat attire instead of the simple villager's clothes he had been handed. Feeling his shoulder ache from the bullet, he quickly downed a potion and watched as the Grimm Malice rushed at him. He rolled away before it could sink its teeth into him, leaving it to dive back into its flame. He went on guard, watching out for the dark beast. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a blur racing inside the flames. Several bullets flew out of the vortex, twisting in their flight to hunt down their prey. Jaune could feel his sweat fly off of his face as he stood his ground and parried the shots once they came close enough to strike.

Something broke through the fire as Jaune swatted the last bullet away. Turning around, he panicked at the sight of the Grimm Malice coming in hot with claws scraping against the burning ground. An attack like that would be fatal. Would a Reflect even be enough to guard against it?

" _ **Single Frame!"**_

The Grimm Malice swung upward, sparks trailing its hot claws as it grinned cruelly. But the world stopped, the twisting flames paused, and the boss was frozen with its claws inches from opening up Jaune's chest. Jaune was confused with what just happened before he found his body being pulled out of the flame trap and onto his back beside Oswald.

The young dark-haired sorcerer must have been concentrating intensely seeing as he kept his eyes shut while his cane was stabbed downward, a clock like circle having formed below him. A single eye cracked open and glanced at Jaune as Oswald spoke.

"Mr. Arc, I do not have much magic left in me. Its last attack has done quite a number on my body. I fear I won't be of much use any longer." Oswald chuckled hoarsely as one hand gingerly held his right side. He grunted from the pain before he continued, "I'll only be able to throw out one more spell before I have to retreat some distance to recover my power. In the meantime, you'll have to keep it distracted for as long as possible. Do you think you can do that?"

Jaune cracked his neck while drinking a Large Aura Potion before nodding with a sigh, "Yeah, I can hold it off for a bit. Just don't leave me hanging for too long." Jaune grinned ruefully.

Oswald smirked at the young knight before lifting his cane. The world came to life and the bellowing roar of a beast shook the ravine walls. The flaming vortex dispersed as the Grimm Malice noticed its prey missing before its eyes locked onto the two humans. It stamped its feet as the Grimm Vanity took hold of its horns and sprinted after them in a flaming charge.

" _ **Glaciate!**_ " Swinging his cane forward, a chilling wind carrying a mist crashed over the dark beast. The drop-in temperature flash froze the Grimm into a block of hard ice. Jaune didn't hesitate while Oswald retreated. He had a certain Link to deal with a monster weak to Light. If there was ever a time bust it out, it was now.

" _ **By the Light born by our Bond, I call on upon the sword shining the proof of our Link, shedding away the darkness clasping our Souls! Unlimited Light Works!**_ "

Jaune's wardrobe morphed into his ULW gear from his bond with Velvet. Creating a sword of light that replaced his normal weapons, he stopped in front of the glacier housing the Boss before slashing an X into the ice. Finishing the brilliant sigil, he then stabbed into the marker while shouting, " _ **Piercing Light!**_ "

A bolt of light speared into the glacier, tearing the glacier to pieces and stabbing right through the Grimm Malice. It howled in agony and its human growth held its head. Narrowing its eyes, the Grimm Vanity grabbed its musket and aimed to shoot down the annoying human clad in light. Its red eyes widened, finding blue eyes staring straight into its own as Jaune appeared in front of it in burst of speed. It watched the boy rear his fist back, clenching his digits tightly with a hard scowl.

" _ **Brilliant Impact!**_ "

Light magic coursed through his fist and he smashed it into the masked face of the human Grimm. It screeched sharply as its mask cracked from the blow and slumped in a daze. Feeling the beast half notice his presence, Jaune jumped high from the mount and spun to face his glowing palm at the beast. He fired a machine gunfire of light knives at the Grimm Malice as it reared its head back at him, knocking it down onto its stomach from the stabbing shots. Falling back on his feet, he began to dance on his light feet as the Grimm Malice recovered quickly and began slashing wildly at him. A magical copy of Crocea Mors formed in his hand as he dodged the vicious claws and threw in his own slashes.

 **'Grimm Malice, The Loveless Monstrosity.**

 **18,210HP/38,000HP.**

 **Grimm Vanity.**

 **9,809HP/21,000HP.'**

 _'Just keep hammering it with spells until Oswald's recovered!'_ Jaune told himself as he ducked under a sweeping blow before firing a light attributed Firebolt at its chest. The Grimm Malice staggered back from the brilliant flames before throwing its fists high above its head. It swung the two blazing fists down at Jaune only to be blocked by a copy of Ignis Mors. His free hand grew cold as he faced his palm at the beast and shouted, " _ **CHILL!**_ "

Again, and again, he spammed the only Ice spell in his arsenal at the boss, chipping away at its health with blasts of cold frost. The Grimm Malice grunted as bits of ice formed on its upper body and it tried to apply more force against the blocking light shield. It roared madly, cracking the shield copy before shattering it to bits. Jaune grimaced and thought quickly, swinging a Power Strike against the hammer blow. The two colliding blows created an eruption of force, cracking the wet ground below them as the copy of Beaufort shined. Its tips parted, reacting to the Critical Hit to fire an explosion of light.

The Grimm Malice's jaw opened wide as it screeched from the damaging elemental explosion, its sight blurring out as everything became white. It lost the strength in its legs, collapsing on its stomach with a whine. Jaune took a deep breath as he jumped back, flinching as his arms ached. He swallowed a lump as his eyes glanced at his ULW gauge.

Only a few minutes left, two at best. It was hard to believe that he had already nearly spent seven minutes fighting in this form. With his time running out, he had to make the next few moves matter.

An agonized groan caught Jaune's attention, bringing his eyes to the slumped figure of the Grimm Vanity. It cracked its limbs audibly, disgusting Jaune at the sound before it raised its arms up high. A bigger and wider portal formed above it, chilling Jaune to the bones as something odd peaked out. His jaw dropped to the floor.

"IS THAT A FUCKING MISSILE!?"

Not just some rocket launcher missile, what was peeking out looked like a military grade ballistic missile, the kinds used for war. The Grimm Vanity screeched in a high pitch, like a clergyman singing gospel as it slowly summoned the deadly missile.

There was no way in hell he was letting the thing fire something like that! It would collapse the entire ravine and everything above it. Activating Gale Speed, Jaune blurred right in front of the Grimm Vanity with his light sword drawn for a stabbing thrust. A tangle of dark tendrils suddenly rose up from the body of the Grimm Malice, looping around Jaune's legs, waist, and arms. They tightened before he could dig his sword into the Grimm Vanity, stopping him as his face twisted in discomfort.

The Grimm Vanity grinned widely, its neck snapping to the left as it stared Jaune dead in the eye. There was no escaping its attack this time.

"I believe that should be enough time. Thank you for waiting, Mr. Arc."

Grimm weren't known for displaying human emotions. Which made it all the more confusing to Jaune as he noticed the Grimm Vanity's eyes widen in surprise. Its body shook as it found a single lance of ice spearing through its chest, causing Jaune to suppress a squeak of fright as its cold tip tapped his chest. The cold weapon emitted a pulse of cold energy, freezing its upper body as the portal it created waned. The missile became distorted, twisting before it was sucked back to wherever it came from.

As the human growth of darkness squirmed in pain, Jaune moved his head to look behind the Boss and found Oswald smiling. It looked like he had thrown the spell just in time. With the Grimm Vanity distracted the tendrils trapping Jaune wilted, leaving him to move again.

 **'Grimm Vanity.**

 **1,120HP/22,000HP.'**

One more hit, that's all he needed!

Jaune raised his sword of light up as the Grimm Vanity screeched in his face, blowing back his blond locks.

" _ **Brilliant Divider!**_ "

 **Critical Hit!**

Oswald leaned into his cane with a smile as from his point of view, a thin line of bluish light cut down the center of the dark human growth. A blade of light blew out from the Grimm Vanity's back as its HP hit zero.

At least, that's what should have happened.

Jaune lost the breath in his lungs as he found the monster's fist ramming into his stomach. Spit and blood shot out of his mouth as he was sent flying off like a rocket to the ravine's walls, cracking it upon impact as he slid down. He wheezed and held his nearly punctured stomach, struggling for a decent breath as he glared at the Grimm Vanity while his ULW form ran out.

The Grimm Vanity was split down the middle, still standing upright despite the fatal wound. It flexed its fingers with a split grin, the very sight haunting Jaune as it groaned.

"J-Just what does it t-take to kill the damn t-thing?!" Jaune coughed hoarsely before cleaning off the blood from his lips.

Oswald scowled as he was forced to dodge the monster's homing bullets. His cane danced around him, deflecting the shots as he ran forward before jumping high in the air. He twirled his weapon in one hand and landed behind it before swinging it against its fiery punch. He countered another punch and threw it to the side, leaving the beast wide open. With blurring speeds, he stabbed his cane into the grotesque monster with a shout, leaving behind clock like stamps before moving his cane to block. The force of the punch sent him flying to the same spot Jaune was before he flipped to land on his feet. Catching the Grimm Vanity aim its musket after him, Oswald simply snapped his finger, causing a chain reaction of explosions to erupt from the stamps on its skin.

And still, as the smoke parted, the damn thing was still standing.

Oswald nearly fell on a knee as he gasped and held his side. He wasn't in good condition like Jaune. With how low on magic he was, he couldn't even perform a healing spell. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep this up much longer.

 **'Grimm Vanity.**

 **1HP/22,000HP.'**

 _'Thank god I'm stocked full of potions. But how long can I keep this up?'_ Jaune frowned as he threw out another bottle of potions to the side. Potions were great to heal the body, but not his energy. Healing was draining and it wouldn't be long until his body gave out on him. He needed to put a stop to this now.

The damn thing was left with a single hit point! It should have already been dead! So, why was it still standing?

A low whine escaped the Grimm Malice's throat as it slowly stood up on wobbling legs. Jaune found himself watching the beast half as its human half roughly pulled it up by its horns. The action pissed him off.

He saw it. He saw what had happened as Eve lost complete control after Gaston had pushed her. He and Oswald had only made it out of the castle in time to see the end before they fused together to create a Grimm of all things. And Jaune had a good idea as to who represented what on the monster.

It was why he wanted to get rid of the Grimm Vanity first. He didn't care what happened to the thing, it wasn't human anymore. And a part of him wasn't so sure he wanted to save the vain hunter. But Eve was different. She could be saved, he knew she could. All he needed to do was find a chance to Dive into her heart. A Dive could only work when his target was weak and unable to fight.

"How much you got left in you?" Jaune asked Oswald tiredly as they both stood up, shoulder to shoulder for support.

"I have enough for one big spell. And that's it." Oswald answered with a rough groan, raising his cane along with Jaune's sword. "I'm not sure I'll be able to be of any use after that. I've already gone beyond my limit after nearly being drained of my magic. If I were to use magic after that, I'd be using up my own life force."

Jaune frowned, not happy with risking Oswald's life. So, only one spell? Well, if it was a big one than maybe that was all they needed. The Grimm Vanity wasn't going down no matter how hard they hit it, which left the Grimm Malice. It was low on health, they just needed to hit it hard.

"Can you cast something that can bind it?" Jaune asked.

Oswald's brows furrowed as he went into thought before nodding.

"I have something in mind. But again, I need you to hold it off for at least a minute. That's all I'll need."

Jaune groaned but nodded stiffly. Just a minute, he could do this.

"Then get to casting!" he shouted as he dashed at the boss.

The Grimm Malice barked as the Grimm Vanity commanded it to attack. It fired a blast of fire at Jaune, missing as he rolled out of the way. It then stabbed its claws at Jaune, meeting only Ignis Mor's shield. Jaune swiped the claws away, ducked another stab, and swung his sword upwards to carve its chest. The Grimm Malice howled before it raised its fist up, lit them with fire, and slammed them down with a thunderous impact. A ring of fire blew out, hitting Jaune and burning his skin as he was left stunned.

The Grimm Vanity cackled as its left dangling side lifted its musket and took a few shots at Jaune. Blood erupted out of Jaune's back as the bullets struck, nearly dragging him to his knees from the pain. But he pressed on and openly grit his teeth and swallowed a shout. Just a bit more, he kept telling himself.

A mouthful of fire barreled down on Jaune, the Grimm Malice giving him no quarter. He couldn't dodge, but he did have something to save him.

" _ **Activate Skill, Kindle!**_ "

The devouring flames swallowed Jaune whole, cooking him alive. At least that's what would have happened if he hadn't activated Ann's Skill. He parted the flames with a swing of his shield, feeling relief as his body absorbed the flames to heal some of his health. It wasn't much, but he'd take what he'd get right now.

A falling swing of claws brought Jaune back to the fight. He moved out of the way, watching as the Grimm Malice dug into the earth. Multiple cross hairs appeared in Jaune's sight as he reared his sword back before firing a rapid series of stabs at its face.

" _ **Target!**_ " One of the stabs hit home, dealing a Critical Hit and sent it back with a screech. It was open!

Another gush of blood exited out of Jaune's back, courtesy of the Grimm Vanity's smoking barrel. Even with half of its body hanging, it still had good aim. Now Jaune was left open while he held the left side of his chest. A set of hungry teeth sank into Jaune's shoulder as the Grimm Malice attacked, keeping him still as its claws held onto him. Jaune couldn't fight it, he screamed.

But despite the pain, a minute had passed.

" _ **Blinding Starlight!"**_

From the heavens above, a single twinkle of light winked down onto the Grimm Malice before a ray of pure white fell down upon it. Its very world was swallowed by an inferno of light. The Grimm Vanity screeched, its body wriggling, suffering under the brilliance as the Grimm Vanity simply whined. It bit down deeper into Jaune's flesh, crying out from the burning light.

 **'Grimm Malice, The Loveless Monstrosity.**

1,203HP/38,000HP.'

Jaune smiled softly, patting the masked face of the beast. That should be enough, more than enough.

"It's alright, Eve. I got you. And I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. That's an Arc promise." Jaune smiled through a grimace. The old blade of Crocea Mors gained key like teeth and began to glow with a golden light. The center of the Grimm Malice's chest shined and something was unlocked.

With all of his energy spent, Oswald fell back onto his backside with a groan. He couldn't find it in him to stand, he was drained. All he could do was watch as a bright light erupted from Jaune and the monster, growing in strength before everything was enveloped by the light.

 _'My part in this story is finished. For now. It's all up to you, Jaune.'_

* * *

 **? Core.**

Blinking rapidly, the first thing to hit Jaune's senses was the cold. Flakes of snow fell down onto his body as he found himself laying on a bed of snow on a dark cloudy night. From the looks of it he was in the middle of a blizzard. His body shuddered, his breath coming out in visible puffs.

Eve's Core didn't appear like the other two Cores he had entered. While he could visibly see the darkness devouring Ren's and Helios's hearts, he couldn't find any of the familiar signs here. That was until he peeked back to the tree line behind him. What awaited him was a wall of pitch black shadows and wisps ebbing out like beckoning hands.

"Well, it doesn't look like I'll find anything there." he chuckled weakly before turning forward. He didn't need to look for where the heart of the heart was for long as he spotted a familiar set of massive doors leading into a majestic castle. The candle lights could be seen from every window, telling him that the owners were inside. Jaune could feel his teeth chatter as he held his arms and shivered as he walked up to the wooden doors.

Giving the door a few knocks, he waited for the owner to answer as he tried to warm his own hands. It wasn't long until the twin doors creaked and parted a bit to let out some light. Jaune grew confused, finding no one at the door.

"C-Can I help you?"

The soft voice brought Jaune's attention lower, finding a single blue eye nervously looking up at him. A few locks of red fern fell around the little girl's face, bringing a small smile to Jaune's face.

A cold winter's night, a horrible blizzard, and a little girl who thought she had lost everything. Wasn't this a familiar story?

A strong breeze of chilling snow hit Jaune, reminding him that he was freezing. With a friendly wave, he greeted the little girl.

"Hey there! I'm sorry for knocking, but would it be too much trouble if I could come in? I don't know where I am and its deathly cold out here."

The little redhead girl visibly shuddered, gripping the door tightly as she looked down.

"N-No! You can't come in! No one's allowed in!" the little girl shouted angrily.

Jaune frowned at the outburst as his skin began to turn ice cold.

"But it's so cold outside. Please, I'll catch my death outside! I promise, I mean you no harm."

The little girl shook her head furiously glaring up at the blond boy.

"NO! No one's allowed inside! My mom and dad said to never let strangers inside! I can only let them in if they say it's okay! And they're... they're not home." the girl's voice quivered at the end as her small body shivered.

Jaune sighed sadly, knowing where the girl's parents were. He couldn't blame her for responding like that. His parents had told him the same exact thing.

The little girl swallowed back a sniffle as she returned her glare at the stranger, refusing to budge.

"So, go away! This is my home and no one is allowed to come inside if I say so!"

"Alright."

The little girl made a noise of surprise as Jaune took a step back. The second he stepped back, the terrible blizzard wind fell over him like waves. Snow coated his favorite hoodie and the chills could be felt in his bones. In just moments his skin visibly paled as he gave the red-haired girl a chattering grin.

The little redhead frowned at the stranger standing in the middle of the blizzard.

"What are you doing?

"Waiting." Jaune stuttered simply as another cold gale blew by and covered him with a veil of snow.

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to let me in, duh."

The little redhead's frown grew furious as the blond stranger chuckled amusingly.

"Well then you can wait forever! Because I'm not letting anyone in! Why don't you get that!" she shouted loudly, only growing more furious.

Jaune couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face. "You don't have to repeat yourself. I know you won't let anyone in, trust me, I do. But that doesn't mean I'll just give up. Besides, I'm kinda turning blue over here." he laughed weakly as he revealed the white skin of his hand turning a pale blue.

The little redhead visibly flinched at the sight, witnessing his entire body quiver out in the freezing night. For a moment, she hesitated as she leaned on the door. But she shook her head angrily and returned to glaring.

"Then you can stay out there and freeze to death! Because no matter how long you wait, I won't let you in! This is my castle and I can do whatever I want! If I say no one is allowed inside, then I mean it! I don't need anyone else here but me!" the little girl's shout had fallen into an angry cry at the end as she gripped the edge of the door tightly. She was done talking to the stranger, shutting the massive doors with a loud bang that shook the castle.

Jaune smiled sadly as he was left in the dark and cold night by himself. The darkness lingering back in the tree lines twitched, slinking by the wind to flow around his freezing body. Clawing hand like wisps surrounded him as his body stopped shivering completely. His breathing became shallow, his heart rate began to drop, and his body grew heavy with exhaustion. Legs shaking, he fell onto his knees as snow began to pile over his body. And despite his condition, he never lost his somber smile, his vision landing on the curtain windows of the lonely castle.

Even now he felt his eyesight begin to blur, but he could see it. The slight movement of the curtain and shadow illuminated by the candlelight.

"D-Don't worry, I-I w-won't leave y-you by y-yourself." he stuttered even though he struggled to even speak at this point. To anyone looking on the scene, it looked like he was speaking to himself, delirious from the telltale signs of hypothermia. But he knew that there was one stubborn ear hearing his words somehow.

"My s-skin c-can t-turn to i-ice! M-My h-heart can s-shatter! M-My b-body c-can turn to s-snow! AND I STILL WON'T LEAVE YOU!"

The clawing hands of darkness gripped at Jaune's frosted over hoodie, digging into his flesh and the night grew darker and darker with the howling winds. His blood froze as the cold reached inside and crawled over every organ before death's chilling, menacing, clicking fingers stopped over his heart. The cold chill flexed its fingers, eager to clench the fading rhythm.

With heavy, dark circled eyes, Jaune's fought on against the blizzard and darkness swallowing him whole.

"I'll wait, f-for e-eternity until y-you're strong enough to l-let someone into your h-heart. B-Because I c-can't stand t-to s-see you s-suffer. I-I j-just can't b-bear i-it!"

A bead of ice fell onto the snow, standing out from the blanket of snow. The bead of ice seemed to sizzle and melt away the cold. By now Jaune's face muscles had frozen, leaving him with a sad smile on his face and ice trailing down his eyes and cheeks. The darkness had finally closed in on him, latching onto his body and devouring every inch of his being until only half of his face could be seen past the clinging darkness. His single blue eye began to fade with only a glimmer of light staring back.

"Because I can't live with myself if I turn away a friend who can't see she's surrounded by love. That heart isn't empty, it's bursting with warmth. So much, it's afraid to let someone back in only to lose them." Jaune's voice grew soft, hardly audible as the blizzard's winds howled and screamed to drown him out. The world outside the castle's door became pitch black, leaving nothing in sight but a faint blue glimmer that blinked. "And that's alright, that's what makes you human. And no one has a right to say otherwise and mark you down as a beast with no heart. So, I'll wait right here, not moving a single inch, until you're strong enough risk that pain again and let someone in."

These past few days with Eve, Belle, and the rest of the staff inside the enchanted castle were fun. It was a nice get away from his burden in a world controlled by whimsical forces. In a world that should not exist, he had found friends, adding onto the long list he was surprised to have found. A loser like him could never be so lucky.

The frozen muscles on Jaune's face twitched, defying physics as they stretched audibly in the darkness and smiled brightly.

The cold flexed its fingers, done waiting and viciously snapped to snuff out the last beat of life.

"You're my friend, Eve, and I love you with all my heart. And I would risk dying several thousand times over until you understand that."

Death's grip fell over Jaune's heart and eagerly moved to crush the beat-less organ in one motion.

Then warmth reached its fingers.

A single thin beam of light pierced the pitch-black world, the massive wooden door creaking open. The light cut through the darkness swallowing over Jaune's body, eating away its malice and warming up his cold skin. The thin golden beam grew wider until the door was slammed wide open. The warm gentle light from inside spread out to extinguish the world's dark clutches as the blizzard ceased. All around the reaches of the small world, light burst and showered everything in sight.

Hurried crunches of feet running in the snow were all that could be heard as Jaune began to regain consciousnesses to the world around him. The frozen ice trails turned to tears and his skin began to regain its color before he found small blue shoes standing in front of him. With his strength back, he looked up and found a small little pale skinned girl with curly red fern hair falling down her neck and over her right eye, staring at him while biting her quivering bottom lip. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed as her blue night dress blew in the dying wind.

"W-What did you say?" she sniffed, fighting back against the tears on her face, the small girl gripping at her heart.

A humored and fond sigh fell out of Jaune's lips and his hand fell over the little girl's head. The single gesture broke the damn. Little Eve cried, bawling out loud as her falling tears melted the ice on the ground.

"Do you really need to hear it to believe it? You really are blind, Eve." Jaune grinned widely as he patted the sobbing girl gently, "I love you, just as I love all my friends. We may not have known each other for very long, but I can honestly say that you have a special place in my heart. One that no curse could ever take away. And I'm not the only one."

Another hand fell over Eve's head, then another, and then another. It wasn't long until she felt the warmth of over a dozen people on her. With tears still falling down her face, she looked back and found a sight that only made her sob more.

Her mother, her father, the human forms of Lumiere, Ms. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, all of her staff, and even Belle stood right behind her. Each one wore a loving smile on their faces as they gathered around her.

"They've been there this entire time, loving you even as a beast. It's not that you've never held any love in your heart, it's that you've been too afraid to accept any more in your heart. That old hag that cursed you was as blind as you are. Because I see plenty of love waiting to be accepted in there."

Eve shut her eyes, hoping to stop the tears to no avail. She rubbed her eyes, trying everything to stop while hiccups rocked her body. But it was all too much. All the warmth, it was just too much to bottle up.

Strong hands fell over her shoulders and took her into their welcoming embrace. She didn't need to open her eyes to know who it was holding her close and letting her cry her eyes out into their chest. She was done holding it in, she was done looking away, she was done pushing them all away, and she was done shouting them down.

The doors to Eve's heart had been wrenched open by her own hands, leaving them wide open for others to step in.

Jaune grew happy as he noticed a bright smile on the sobbing girl's face before everything in sight was blinded by a flash of light. If there was any speck of darkness left over, it had faded away with the little girl's last words.

"Please, come inside."

* * *

Groaning lightly, Oswald forced himself to stand up, his hand rubbing his face of sleep. He had dozed off for a few minutes after the flash of light. Why not? It seemed the fighting was finally over with, he deserved some rest. After some shut eye and time to recover a decent amount of his magic in case things went wrong, Oswald decided it was now or never. It was time to see if Jaune had pulled off a miracle.

With a quick cast of a small healing spell to mend some of his wounds, Oswald walked over to the spot he had last seen Jaune and the beast. An idle glance around the area and he was slightly stunned to find a muscled body with disheveled raven hair laying on the ground. He recognized the extra body as Gaston and snapped his fingers. A magical rope slithered to the arrogant hunter, tying him up to prevent him from escaping. The man would suffer for all the bloodshed, he would make sure of that.

A gentle smile did make its way to his face. He looked down, finding a head of messy blond hair, torn clothing with dried splotches of blood, and blue eyes staring up at the sky. In the boy's arms laid a chocolate skinned woman with fiery red hair who appeared asleep. He did frown lightly as he noticed something odd.

Eve, while retaining her human appearance, still retained her signature red horns and sharp claws.

"Was... I too late?"

Oswald made a noise of surprise. He turned back to Jaune, finding the boy staring solemnly at the stars as he gently stroked Eve's hair.

Oswald contemplated what to say as he hummed and stroked his chin. He took a peek at the watch on his wrist before speaking.

"It is seven minutes past midnight. But," Oswald added once he noticed Jaune's face twist in guilt, "It does appear her curse is no longer out of control. If anything, I'd say she has gotten control of her curse. So, don't think you've failed her. You saved her, and even opened her heart."

Jaune chuckled weakly, attempting to sit up but failed as he fell back with a hiss. It looked like he wasn't going to be getting up for a while. That was fine, he honestly didn't feel like getting up right now.

"Yeah, that was a stubborn heart. All she really needed was someone to patiently wait for her to open up. That's all. After all, what makes a beast is not the appearance but the inability to love others and accept them into your heart. Eve already had accepted people into heart, she was just too afraid to admit it."

"She really is the stubborn one, isn't she?" Oswald chuckled before turning his own eyes to the skies above. "After the night I've had, I could really use a good cup of tea."

"Tea?" Jaune mumbled as he stared at the enigmatic man. "I would have taken you for a coffee guy." he said as he thought back to a certain headmaster.

A bitter smile fell on Oswald's lips as he spoke wistfully.

"I despise coffee."

The sound of marching footsteps and the glow of fire lights above the ravine drew both Jaune and Oswald up. Shouting could be heard, almost as if they were searching for someone.

"Well, it appears that your two friends have finally brought Ms. White up with the latest news. No doubt all plans for invasion have ceased now that she knows she's been manipulated. The night of terror and roaring flames is finally over." Oswald spoke with relief.

"Yeah, it's finally over." Jaune sighed deeply. It was over, and with Eve returned to her former self he wanted to call it a happy one. His eyes washed over the ravine and any such notions evaporated instantly. Corpses trapped in broken armor scattered the battlefield. Some had melted, burned beyond the point of recognition. Others crushed by overwhelming strength while more had simply fallen to their demise, thrown aside by a raging beast.

So much death, and for what? The hubris of a hunter to far gone from reality in his quest for glory? These men had families, loved ones, friends. People who will never see them again and likely not even know how they died, merely that they did so in some random corner of the world.

It was disgusting. There were no words he could find to express it, his growing anger at Gaston clouding everything else. How could one man be so vain as to be willing to sacrifice others just to become famous? How could one man lie through his teeth and send dozens to their death? How could anyone be so self-!

"An Ending is an ending, Mr. Arc. Not everyone can be saved, and not everyone can be stopped. All you can do is strive for whatever end lays in front of you." Oswald spoke softly, his voice sullen as he noticed the dead around them.

Jaune laughed emptily, gripping Eve tightly as he shook his head. His anger escaping him, leaving him somewhat hollow, his eyes never leaving those that did not survive.

"I don't think I can accept that. Maybe I really am naive. Because all I want is a happy ending for everyone, even those stuck in the background. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes, it is." Oswald answered simply, "But no one's perfect. That is what makes you human. The imperfections and impossible wishes are what separate us from monsters. To ignore your naivety and hopes is to lose your humanity."

Jaune nodded absently and his eyes grew heavy. He was too tired to think much right now. Eve was safe and help was on the way. It wasn't a surprise when the second he shut his eyes, sleep came to him.

Oswald smiled at the scene of a knight and a beast sleeping peacefully in the remains of a scarred battlefield. His eyes found themselves back to the deceased, his mind deep in thought before a tired old sigh escaped his lips. He'd be putting an immense strain on his already ragged body, but stories like these weren't to be marred with grief and guilt.

A static blur fell over everything in sight as the tap of Oswald's staff echoed across the land. A luminescent emerald hue washed over the bridges rubble and the bodies of the deceased knights before an unknown force lifted them all up. The broken pieces were slowly lifted like puzzle pieces to repair the bridge along with the dead, the bodies of the knights began to move, as if rising from some deep sleep, and the evaporated water below began to slowly fill the empty ravine.

Watching the stubborn blond sleep with a snore along with Eve, Oswald looked over his work as the bridge completed above with not a single bit missing. He laughed, watching the once dead men begin to shout in surprise and were met with happy shouts from their comrades before returning his attention to Jaune.

"You certainly out did yourself with this one, old man." Oswald smiled fondly before lifting both Jaune and Eve up with his magic.

Just this once, he would play the Great and Powerful. If only so a naive boy could have his happy ending for once.

* * *

Soft sheets welcomed Jaune as his face twisted in discomfort. Call him strange but it was just too soft. By now he was used to the old cot in the infirmary after all his time in Eve's castle.

EVE!

His eyes snapped open, his body bolting upright in the foreign bed with a breathless gasp. For several seconds he sat there, gasping for air with sweat running down his face. He sucked in one more deep breath before releasing a long sigh as his face was hit by a cool breeze. His eyes found a window on the other side of the room, cracked open. How long was he asleep? Better yet, when did he fall asleep?

The last he remembered was staring up at the sky with Eve held in his arms after returning from her Core. His eyes were growing heavy when he was talking with Oswald. Guess it was no surprise he had fallen asleep without noticing.

Jaune's mind returned to Eve, remembering the last she had seen of him. She still thought he was dead! Now wasn't the time to be napping, he had a woman's heart to ease again.

Throwing off the dark violet sheets, Jaune jumped out of the large queen-sized bed with haste. He looked around for his clothes, picking them up as he noticed his commoner's garb sitting perfectly folded on a chair by his bed. Putting them on, he finally looked around the bed he was resting in.

The room appeared to be a master bedroom, garbed with lavish décor and fine arts. It was what he would expect to see when walking into a rich person's bedroom. But there was just one thing wrong about the whole scene. Everything was pretty much ruined. Or broken, that sounded much better. The curtains were torn by claw marks, the furniture was either cracked or smashed, and Jaune could even make out woman's clothing lying around in strips. The only thing that wasn't in shambles was a drawer.

And a wilted red rose sitting in a glass case.

This was Eve's room. Jaune was in Eve's room. He was sleeping in Eve's bed. A place she had once warned him to stay out of with a strangling.

A chill crawled down Jaune's spine as he turned for the claw ridden wooden door. He was pretty sure she wouldn't be happy to find him sleeping in her room. He would die all over again because of the nonexistent fuse on that time bomb. Pulling down his shirt's hem, Jaune ran for the door and swung it wide open to escape his death sentence.

Jaune stared blankly ahead, his blue orbs met surprised hazelnut brown. Belle stood outside the room, probably hoping to check on his condition as a good friend would. That was fine. What wasn't fine was her state of dress.

Belle wasn't wearing her usual baby blue dress he had come to know. No, she wasn't wearing anything but some lacy white bra and panties with stockings. He could see just about every inch of the girl's creamy, soft, supple skin. Her thighs, her cleavage! And that damn pout!

Belle huffed at the statue still Jaune, crossing her arms over her chest as she pouted.

"Darn! I was hoping you'd still be asleep. I was ready to crawl in there and have your strong, muscular, lean arms hold me against your bare chest. And then, you'd dream of holding me naked in your arms and lose the last restraint holding you back and-" Belle gasped into both of her hands, her face bright red as she shook her behind from the erotic fantasy in mind. She bit one her fingers with a moan, her lust hazed eyes peering into Jaune's eyes as one of her hands strayed for the waist of her panties.

"You finish the sentence." She whispered hotly, her teeth biting her fingertip teasingly.

Jaune could not. He would not. Instead, he simply stared at the sexy bookworm in lace with a gaping mouth. He couldn't even look away, his eyes drawn to the shaking breasts in his view. He swore to god, he was this close to just saying fuck it.

Literally.

"My, my! Madame, I do not think it would be wise to tease monsieur like that, especially when he's just woken up from a fight." A familiar yet slightly different toned voice chuckled amusingly, causing Jaune to turn his eyes away.

Jaune's eyes went wide in surprise, finding a tall lanky man with dirty blond hair tied back in a short ponytail and dark blue riding jacket and white slacks standing across the hall. His face was familiar, like he had seen it somewhere on a certain candlestick.

"Lumiere?!"

Lumiere chuckled as he bowed to the stunned blond knight. He grinned brightly, happy to see that their guest was healed and walking about.

"The one and only! My, I do say that it does feel wonderful to be able to move about so freely with a human body again." The once candlestick chuckled mirthfully as he walked over to the two. "I almost thought I would have forgotten how to simply walk, but it's like riding a bike. You never forget such things." he said wistfully.

"So, the curse was broken?" Jaune couldn't help but ask as he looked over Lumiere's human form. He thought he had only freed Eve's curse, not the others. Or was there something he wasn't understanding?

Lumiere shrugged, "I suppose? I can't say for sure that the requirements were filled seeing as Cogsworth's clock read three minutes past twelve when our bodies began to return to their old forms. A lot of strange things had happened those few hours ago. I heard that even some of the knights who had perished had somehow came to life. Though I wouldn't question it." Lumiere said brightly with a pat of his human chest, "Miracles are not to be understood, but accepted after all."

Questions filled Jaune's head and he scratched his head. Did Lumiere say something about the dead coming to life? Wait, few hours ago? How long was he asleep? It looked like he had slept for a day.

Seeing the questioning look in Jaune's eyes, Lumiere decided it was time to continue with what he had come to do. He couldn't keep those girls waiting any longer.

"I would love to explain everything to you, Monsieur Arc, but I insist that we hold off on those questions for the moment. I was told to bring you over to the Main hall by my mademoiselle." Lumiere's said with a smile as he began to lead both Jaune and Belle to the meeting spot.

"Eve?" So, she was awake? That was good. Jaune sighed in relief as he followed behind the fancy gentleman, eager to see his friend after all she had gone through. Hopefully she wasn't hurt, he and Oswald didn't hold back in their fight against her Grimm form.

Jaune didn't have to wait long on seeing how Eve was doing as he recognized the large mahogany doors to the main hall. If the nights events did happen only hours ago, it made sense to see the door cracked and splintered by the ballista that had been fired into the castle. He could still make out scorch marks here and there as he found the now human staff working on cleaning the place up. He smiled as the staff noticed him and waved at him with smiles on their faces.

 _'I guess everyone really is free of the curse. Maybe the time was off or something?'_ No big deal, he supposed. As long as everyone was happy and unharmed, he didn't really care how the curse had been lifted.

Jaune found himself gulping as Lumiere slowly pushed the damaged doors open. A sense of anxiety filled his being. Why? He was just going to see a friend he had saved. Yet he couldn't shake off the odd-

"Hello, my love."

Snow White greeted Jaune, Lumiere, and Belle coldly as she sat in the middle of the extravagant hall on a lone velvet seat. All around her, the castle staff and even her own knights scrambled to fix the place up to proper shape with nervous faces. She nodded gratefully at Goldi, the blond outlaw now wearing a maid's outfit of all things, as she served her a glass of wine. Snow took a small sip, a small smile making its way to her face as she rested her feet on her lovely new footrest.

Eve stared at Jaune with pleading eyes as Snow wriggled her toes on her back, mortified at her current position as a footstool.

Clearly, this was not what any of them had expected.

Jaune wore a blank expression as he stared at the odd sight. He had just come back from death and fought a Boss. He was not dealing with this.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Before Jaune could turn around and hightail it the fuck out of there, the soft giggle of Snow reached his ears along with the horrifying familiar sound of a cracking whip. The beaten black whip she kept on her cut through the air and caught hold of his waist, reeling him in as he fell on his stomach. He clawed the heat warped floors desperately as he was dragged to his doom, his pleas falling on deaf ears as Belle simply watched with a cheery smile.

"WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING!? SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Jaune cried.

"Oh, Jaune, why would I interrupt such a happy reunion? Besides, I'm an S too!" Belle giggled.

Why the hell did he think Belle would help him?

Dragged close to the queen of the ruling kingdom of the land, Jaune was left on the floor by Eve the footstool. Their tearful and joyous reunion after a dark night was put on hold as they stared at another with fear.

"I tried to stop her, but that fucking whip hurt like shit!" Eve cried. Even her newly controlled beast form wasn't able to protect her from that ice bitch's whip. How was something so simple so deadly?

A cold breeze fell over Jaune, confusing him until he found himself rising up by ice growing underneath him. With his lower body encased in a block of ice, Jaune found himself staring into the deep blue eyes of the sadistic queen of Fey, Snow White.

"Uhhhhhh... Hi?" Jaune grinned nervously, sweating as the beautiful raven-haired queen quirked a brow.

"Hi?" Snow drawled with boredom dripping from her voice. She swished the contents of her glass around, her eyes narrowing on the blond before her.

"You disappear for several months after making love with me, forcing me to conduct a manhunt across the lands for you, leave me with nothing but your description, and finally appear after I had thought you for dead because of some vain piece of human garbage, and all you have to say for yourself is 'Hi'?"

"... You look very pretty when you're angry?"

"Thank you for noticing." Shutting her eyes pleasantly, Snow smiled as she snapped her whip. She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with a mixture of love, warmth, and pain for one blond knight. The sadistic grin growing on her lips made Jaune whimper.

"Now, why don't we act out our first meeting?"

"Oh, dear god, No."

Jaune could only watch in vain as Snow lifted her deadly whip up above with a blush and giggle. No amount of squirming in his ice prison could save him now.

At least he got some confirmation on his status of virginity.

"JAAAAAAUUUUUNNNNEEE!"

Snow paused her act of affection and her eyes went wide as dinner plates in surprise. The familiar shout was accompanied by a blur of red breaking Jaune out of her ice. Surprised by what just happened, she found herself falling back with a squeal no queen should make.

"I'M FREE, BITCHES!" Eve shouted in victory, standing proud over her tormentor with a wide grin. She chuckled evilly, her right arm forming into The Beast's with a fireball in hand. Sweet, sweet, payback.

Dazed and confused as the room spun around him, Jaune found himself lying on his back again with a weight settled on top of him. His nose tickled, catching a whiff of cookies and... roses? With his senses coming back to him, Jaune looked down to the weight and found eyes of gleeful gray.

Red Riding Hood, the first person he had met in the world of Fey, greeted Jaune with a happy grin.

"Jaune! Oh, I'm so happy that you're alive and well! You know, you had me worried to death once you disappeared, mister!" Red grumbled as she jabbed her finger into Jaune's chest. "I spent months trying to find you, but you never gave me your name. Guess we did get lost in the passion of the moment, huh?" she giggled in embarrassment.

Jaune gulped anxiously, recalling the day he had arrived to Fey and met the young red caped girl.

"Y-Yeah, guess we did." Now that he thought of it, he never did give his name to any of them. Too much had been going on at the time for introductions.

"DIE, YOU ICY BITCH!"

"How unruly! It seems I will have one of my men fetch me a leash to heel you in, beast."

Both Jaune and Red winced as Eve and Snow ran around the main hall, throwing their respective magics at one another and causing more damage to the area. The poor staff and knights could only watch the mayhem since they wanted no part in getting in between their masters.

Still stuck in the embarrassingly revealing maid uniform, Goldi had finally had enough. Eyes searing orange, the outlaw threw her hands out and caught the back of both Eve and Snow's clothing, stopping them mid swing of their fists and whip. She glowered at the two-powerful woman, her eyes narrowed dangerously as a small whimper escaped their lips.

"Ya done? Because Goldi Locks ain't afraid to beat down some childish punks when they're supposed to be having a heartwarming reunion!"

Eve and Snow nodded shyly, almost too afraid to speak up under the eyes of Goldi. Happy that they understood, Goldi dropped the two women, earning yelps of surprise as they hit the floor, before turning her now blue eyes to Jaune and Red. She smiled warmly as she walked over, feeling at ease now that Jaune was up.

"It's good to see you again, bub. I should have known better than to believe some random asshole that you were dead. My man would never die so easily!" Goldi grinned widely as she pulled both teens up on their feet.

Dead? Putting together the bits he had gathered from the girls, Jaune wasn't happy with what he came up with.

"Let me get this straight." Jaune groaned as he pinched the bridge of his brows in annoyance, "Gaston, I believe, spread a rumor that I had died to The Beast. And he said my name was Juan?" There it was again, the eye twitch. That dirty son of a bitch.

The fairy tale girls all nodded together as Belle came over to stand with the rest.

"Well, for the record, my names not Juan. It's Jaune, Jaune Arc." Jaune grumbled sourly.

Snow rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "I already know that by now. Oswald had informed us all of the situation once we've taken Gaston into custody. I'll be sure that buffoon suffers for the rest of his days for making a fool of me." Snow whispered the last part to herself with a growl.

Oswald? "Wait, where is he? I have to thank him for everything!" It was because of him that he had been able to Dive into Eve's heart in the first place. Jaune wasn't sure he would have stood a chance against the two bosses by himself. Most of the heavy damage had been dealt by the aloof sorcerer.

Hesitation grew in Snow's eyes. It didn't look like she wanted to say anymore concerning Oswald as her eyes glanced away, ridden with guilt. That worried Jaune.

Seeing that, Red stepped in with a small smile.

"Don't worry, Ossy's fine! He did get hurt in the fight like you did, but he's recovered more than enough of his magic to heal himself. He's just... busy at the moment." she said weakly.

Jaune frowned, "Busy? Is there something he needs help with? I owe the guy for all that he's done, so I could hel-"

"It's nothing you can help with, Maggot." Eve snapped, her eyes narrowed bitterly as she clenched her fists. She couldn't stare at him any longer, turning her eyes down to the ruined floor as she spoke softly, "It's to help you. To help you go back home to wherever you came from."

Silence grew as Jaune's eyes widened in surprise. Go home? Oswald could take him back to his world? Why hadn't he done that earlier? If he had gone back to Remnant, then he could have simply had Ren or Professor Antheia heal the Curse. Why now?

Home. A longing smile grew on Jaune's lips at the idea. How long had it been? A week? Almost an entire week since he had woken up to the sight of his team gathered around him, waiting for their leader to wake up and start the day with them. After so long apart from them all, he found himself stricken with homesickness.

But that meant leaving this world.

Jaune could see it, the solemn glint in Red, Snow, Goldi, Belle, and Eve's eyes. They had searched for months to find him, the knight in white armor who had helped them in their own way. And after finding out that special someone was still alive and back in front of them, he was leaving again.

Without even meaning to, he had created another set of bonds. And he was abandoning those bonds for others.

"You don't belong in this world, do you?"

Jaune was broken out of his thoughts by Belle, the woman staring at him with knowing eyes.

"... Why the hell are you wearing only lingerie?" Goldi couldn't help but ask in the middle of the tense moment.

Her question went ignored, sadly, as Jaune struggled to say something back. Revealing that there were other worlds was not a good idea. Who knew what could happen if they knew that they were all simply part of some odd world contained in a dusty old book? But Belle seemed to have caught on to his origins. She may have been strange and kinky, but she was wiser than she looked.

Belle took Jaune's silence as an answer, "I came to realize that after talking with the other girls about their encounters with you. And put together with you lack of the basic knowledge of our world and Oswald's clarification, it wasn't too hard to guess. A random sweet looking guy popping out of nowhere is too out of the ordinary even in a world of magic, you know?" Belle giggled with a wink.

"No, seriously. I can see her tits and everything."

"So, it only makes sense that you would have to return to your world. We can't keep you here to ourselves, not when you still have people who actually know you back home." Belle added sadly.

Not one of them knew much about Jaune Arc. Even Belle and Eve who had known him the longest of all five of them didn't get too much out of him. Not when he was always bedridden and nervous about speaking about his home. Which made sense now, he didn't want others to know he was not of this world. And as much as they had all come to love Jaune in their own unique way, he wasn't theirs's.

"That does not matter."

Breaking the silence, Snow stepped forward and stood in front of Jaune, her features set in a stubborn scowl. Like the rest of them, she knew of his foreign origins thanks to Oswald. That didn't mean she accepted them.

"I have worked too long and hard to find my beloved to let him go again. And I don't care what that brat says, I'm not letting him go back. Not when I haven't even had a single minute alone with him!" Snow declared angrily, her voice quivering at the end as her hand fell on the rapier on her waist.

"Snow." Jaune looked down in guilt. He remembered what Goldi had said when he had saved her from Eve's corrupted form. Did they all feel the same way? Abandoned and used? He hadn't felt this low since he had ignored Pyrrha's helping hand when he was being bullied by Cardin.

"Too bad, Ice bitch. It's not your decision to make." Despite the more serious threat of harm by the ice queen, Eve stepped up to Snow with a hard glare. She wasn't happy either with Jaune leaving, she had half a mind to keep him prisoner like she did Belle, but she had come to learn a lot thanks to both her friends.

"We can't force him to stay here with us, not when he still has people that need him. The idiot's got his own responsibilities to think of first."

"Responsibilities? If we're talking of such things, then we should talk about the responsibility he's come into for bedding a queen of a nation." Snow replied flatly.

 _'I still can't believe that we did it.'_ Jaune thought incredulously. There didn't appear to be any lies in her words, and what reason would she have to lie about having sex with him of all people?

"You did kinda force yourself on him." Goldi added before scratching her own neck with a nervous laugh, "Though I can't say much else myself. I did drag him into a threesome, what man would say no to that."

Eve had to hold herself back from attacking the blond knight in a fit of rage. That smooth son of a bitch! And here she thought he was innocent and all that crap! She had been this close from crossing a very delicate line with him, if it wasn't for Snow getting in the way at the last minute. From the looks of it, Belle had the same idea.

"Getting back on track." Eve said through ground teeth and a raging fist, "Jaune has his own problems to deal with, I'm sure, back where he comes from. And we can't keep him prisoner here against his will. Love can't be born from imprisonment." she said softly with her amber turned to Jaune.

Snow's face twisted in conflict, fighting with her own desires as she took in the beast woman's words. She could feel all their eyes on her, pleading with her to calm down and not draw her blade. Her shoulders trembled as she tightly gripped her hilt.

They didn't understand. The loneliness she had suffered at the hands of her family. To be tossed aside simply because of her beauty threatening a vain woman. And to fall into a deep sleep, seeing nothing but darkness around her. She had been alone, without even a single person caring that she would ever wake up.

But not him, not Snow's knight in white armor. He had broken her out of her cursed sleep with a loving kiss. And the kiss, it felt as if she had already known his lips. His voice. His eyes. In those tender moments together, she had felt as if she had always known him. To have Jaune leave again after she had finally found her, it broke her heart. She would be alone all over again.

A warm pair of strong arms found themselves circling around her waist. A small gasp escaped Snow's lips as Jaune brought her close to a hug, calming her sword hand as the raven-haired queen gulped anxiously.

Jaune couldn't take it anymore. He could hear it, the sadness and the loneliness in Snow's voice. He never really put much thought into how his sudden departures would affect the girls in this world. It was just some mini world that granted him bonuses after all. It was all just part of a game. Why put that much thought into NPC's?

But that was exactly how Ren, Adam, and Roman saw the people in their world. And that was exactly what Jaune had been fighting to avoid.

Wrapping Snow in his arms, Jaune held her close as he spoke.

"I... never meant to make you feel so alone and abandoned, Snow. That was the last thing I wanted. Trust me, I didn't have any control over how long I could stay with any of you." Jaune said to not only Snow, but Red and Goldi. The two girls felt the same, he was sure. It was painted all over their faces. He laughed weakly as he thought back to the last moments he shared with either girl, "I can't even remember what I did before I found myself going back to my world. But it seems that I've shared very intimate moments with you before I left. I really am the worst and deserve whatever I have coming to me." he said bitterly with acceptance.

He wasn't surprised to feel Snow pull away from his arms, finding the snow themed queen's rapier whipping out to stare him directly in the face. That was fine, he deserved whatever punishment he had in store for using them and leaving them behind without so much as a goodbye.

Snow's eyes displayed anger and sorrow as tears gathered in her eyes. He didn't even remember their special time together. She really did feel used. But, her grip weakened as she stared into those solemn blue eyes. She just couldn't find it in her to strike him down.

And it was her own fault.

"Why? Why did I have to fall for some good-hearted idiot?" Snow's voice quivered as she spoke softly and dropped her blade to her side.

Stepping beside her friend, Goldi patted the raven-haired queen in comfort as she smiled weakly.

"You're not the only one, Snow. We can't exactly place any blame on the guy when we're the ones to make the first move. We all pretty much jumped the gun when he saved us without giving him any say on the matter. I guess we all just got caught up at the thought of first love."

It was ridiculous when Goldi thought about it, falling in love with a man she knew nothing about. Guess she was still a kid at heart to fall for some fairy tale scenario like that.

Jaune frowned sadly at the hurt in their eyes. This wasn't how he wanted to leave them again. For once, he wanted to leave on a positive note in this world.

"That's fine, you don't need to explain yourself too much Jaune! I understand."

All heads spun to Red, the younger of all five not at all upset with Jaune's departure again. She was still beaming with a sunny smile on her face.

Goldi was extremely confused at what Red had just said, "What are you saying, Little Red? You of all people should be upset about this! Hell, you're the first one of us to have met him and have him abandon you!" she said in frustration, earning an annoyed glare from said riding hood.

"He didn't abandon me, it was beyond his control. He's not the kind of person who would do such thing!"

Eve quirked a brow as she addressed Red with an irritated stare, "And how would you know that? If I'm hearing things right, you all haven't spent more than half an hour with him. How would you know the kind of man he is?" she scoffed at the naive girl.

"Because, I can feel it in my soul." Red answered simply and honestly, her hands clenching the area over her heart as she smiled, "I can't explain it all too well, but I can feel the kind of person he is. Almost like I've always known him. The sense of familiarity tells me enough to know he's not some scumbag. He's Jaune, my friend."

With a skip in her step, Red walked past the other girls and stopped in front of Jaune. She grinned brightly, taking Jaune back as he swore another cute redhead's face overlapped her.

"You know, it's not nice to keep a girl waiting. Right?"

One by one, Red, Snow, Goldi, and Belle's features were overlapped by four similar women in his life. Each one of them waiting for him to return. All with smiles on their faces. It choked Jaune up as he shut his eyes tightly and held back a tear. He knew what he had to do, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"I leave for ten minutes and you all can't stop yourselves from turning what should be a heartwarming scene into drama? I swear, you all don't know a thing about happy endings."

The doors to the main hall had creaked open as Oswald stepped in with a cup of tea in hand, his aloof smile plastered on his face. He let out an amused chuckle at what he found. An out of this world knight and five girls who refused to let him leave. Guess he had some fault for that.

"Oswald? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked as the young sorcerer gave him a flat stare.

"How hard were you hit in the head, Mr. Arc? I'm pretty sure you know why I am here. After all, I'm the only one capable of sending you back to your home." Oswald said with a calm sip of his hot tea. With his trusty cane in hand, the dark bed haired man gave it a fancy twirl before raising it up high. The round emerald head of the cane grew bright, giving off a growing light.

"Now then, how about we get this over with? I'm sure you're tired of this little world and wish to return back to your own. After all, there's nothing left for you here."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

Oswald grew curious as he found Jaune's blue eyes glaring into his own passive hazel. The outburst was certainly uncalled for.

Reigning in his sudden temper, Jaune frowned in the light of the magic gathering in Oswald's cane.

"This world has so much to offer, as if I would grow bored with it! And there's plenty here for me to stay for too!" Jaune shouted strongly before turning to the eyes of the five girls behind him. His frown softened as he smiled gently at the new friends he had found inside this oddity of a world.

Because they were his friends, he couldn't think of them as anything less. Not with how emotional they felt at him leaving them.

"I don't want to leave you guys, not when there's still so much I want to learn about you. I want more than anything to make more memories with you and have fun together. But there's still so much I have to do back home."

There was a game to be played. Fates to be altered. And friends that still needed him along every step of their adventure.

Jaune couldn't stay in Fey. But that didn't mean he was leaving forever.

"I'm not abandoning any of you, I would never do something so wrong to a friend! So, don't worry, I'll be back again to see you girls again. You're my friends too. Which means I have to protect you all with everything I've got! And I don't abandon my friends so easily!" he proclaimed loudly as he thumped his chest. He then smiled nervously as he spoke, "Just, how about next time we don't jump straight into any drama or romance? I'm just one guy after all! I'd just like to hang out with you all first and have fun. Think you can do that?"

The five girls, each from different walks of life and their own unique stories, were not happy with their beloved knight bidding them farewell. They had each found him back in their lives after losing him, they weren't so ready to have him leave again with no idea when he would return. But they knew that there was no stopping Jaune from continuing whatever self-imposed mission he was on. They just knew, that no matter what kind of happiness they would promise him here, in this world untouched by the laws and rules of his own world, that he would not budge in staying. After all, that wasn't the kind of man they had each fallen for. The kind who would make friends with complete strangers with a bright smile on his face.

And they all understood that in this moment, watching the knight become shrouded by the ethereal emerald light of Oswald's spell. A hero like himself would shrug off happiness for bringing happiness to others. And he still had an entire world to work his magic.

Snow breathed in a deep, longing sigh before straightening up her face. No tears, she would not have the man who had awoken her from eternal sleep leave with the memory of her teary face.

"I suppose there is nothing left to say on the matter. No amount of whipping or threatening will stop you from your return to your home world. I must accept that." Snow huffed before narrowing her blue eyes at Jaune, those orbs promising what was to eventually come the next they met, "But that does not mean I will forget of you. You still have to take responsibility for bedding the queen of an entire nation! When next we meet, you will accept your responsibilities as the future king of Fey! I will not go on another man hunt for my king!"

"B-But can't we just be friends!?" Jaune sputtered with a nervous blush.

"Nope~!" Goldi said flatly with a pop of her mouth before grinning mischievously, "Waaaaaay too late for that! A friend doesn't make love the way we did. Whether you like it or not, you are my hubby. Even a notorious gang leader such as myself needs someone to love and pamper her! Plus, theirs Scarlet, ya gotta take responsibility for her too."

"BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DRAGGED HER INTO IT!" Jaune shouted incredulously with an annoyed expression on his sweating face. How was he at fault for that?

"No fair! How come they all got to screw around with you, but we didn't?" Belle pouted angrily as she crossed her chest, knowingly pushing up her creamy mounds. Jaune's face went red in both embarrassment and frustration as she winked and grinned, "I guess I'll just have to wait until next time. In the meantime, I'll just have to take out my sexual frustrations on literature... and Eve."

"Wait, WHAT!? LEAVE ME THE HELL OUT OF THIS, YA HORNY BITCH!"

"Seriously, put some clothes on." Jaune said blankly, his blush gone as he stared at the sexy almost nude brunette bookworm with a spazzing brow, "Read the room, damn it."

Belle giggled at the annoyed face on her knight before her eyes went gentle. She moved swiftly, catching Jaune by complete surprise before the gasp on his lips were deafened. A pair of subtle lips locked his own shut. It was a simple, innocent kiss that warmed both party's souls. Slowly pulling back from the kiss, Belle grinned happily at the stunned blonde with a pink dust on her cheeks.

"I truly am thankful to have gotten to meet you these last few days. You've changed my life and became someone I can honestly say is my closest friend too. And to see you breathing after losing you, I've cemented the love I have for not just one person, but two. You made me believe that there truly is beauty in a soul." Belle said softly with teary hazel eyes of joy.

Fighting off the deep blush on her own face, Eve looked towards Jaune with conflicting emotions. There was no fire in her usual wrathful gaze, only a bitter acceptance. She took a step forward, causing Jaune to gulp anxiously after Belle's surprise attack on his lips. She rolled her eyes at the man, though her own emotions were wild with fear and excitement.

"Maggo-... J-Jaune, I... I..." Eve struggled to speak as she stood in front of Jaune, the man who had somehow opened up her heart and cleared her vision to the sight of all the love gathered around her. The one who had put up with her abuse, her shouting, her cruelty, and hate. All with a smile on his face. Not of pity, no, she was sure of that now. It was understanding, sympathy. She swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes trembling and her face hot as her lips quivered. She shut her eyes, hating herself as she bowed her head.

"I'm sorry!"

"Sorry?" Jaune said in confusion at the sudden apology, "For what? You didn't do anything wro-"

A vial of clear liquid swished in front of his face, courtesy of Eve's outstretched arm, shaking with her emotions.

"Oswald completed the Purity Potion a day after you gave him the recipe. He handed it to me, trusting me to hand it over to you so you could leave my castle sooner than expected. But I didn't give it you, I've kept it to myself all this time!" Eve cried in guilt, her eyes trailing with tears as she stared at the ground. She didn't care that anyone saw her in her weakest, sniffing as all the pent-up emotions inside came flooding out.

"I didn't want to admit it then, but I didn't want you to leave. I didn't want Belle to leave. I didn't want anyone to leave me all alone again! I would rather keep you prisoner in my castle, wounded and bedridden by my side for all eternity! Anything so that you would never leave me with only half a heart!"

If she had just given Jaune the damn potion, he wouldn't have died as he did. She didn't know how he had come back to life with them, but she knew he had passed from this world protecting her from harm. Had his cursed been cured, maybe he would have had the strength to not just save her, but himself. Right? Or wouldn't it have mattered? Would he have still died protecting a beast?

Eve's thoughts were interrupted suddenly as she felt a fist softly hit the top of her head. Her blurry amber eyes filled with hot tears parted open, finding the damned, stupid, idiot, simple minded, soft smile facing her.

"Is that it? That's why you're sorry?" Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the usually violent redhead. "Well, I guess I can accept it."

"Eh?" Eve blinked, not believing that Jaune would accept her apology. With his character and all, she expected him to fight her and say she had nothing to feel sorry about.

Seeing the confusion, Jaune ruffled the beast woman's hair, careful to mind the horns as he smiled warmly.

"To feel sorry, is to feel regret, sympathy, and empathy. Only someone with a loving heart would ever apologize! So, you see, you do have a heart full of love! And you should never turn a blind eye to it, okay?"

For a good minute, Eve just continued to stare at the blond boy in stunned silence. The jumble of emotions grew still, calming down as a single emotion stood out from the rest proudly. The emotion she had denied for far too long.

 _'Be honest with yourself, Eve. There are no wardens or prisoners here, just friends enjoying a lovely night together. Don't let something as silly as some fool's curse stop you from being you.'_

For once, Eve would listen. And be honest with herself.

Again, Jaune's eyes went wide in surprise as Eve jumped him and her lips fell softly over his own. He stared up at the tall woman a good few inches taller than him, not sure what to do with his current situation. One thing was for sure, he could never admit to anyone that he never had a kiss. Especially one as loving as Eve's.

Breaking off from her first kiss, Eve took Jaune by further surprise as she grabbed him roughly by his collar and glared down at him. All with a soft blush on her ticked off face.

"I don't care how long it takes, but you will come back to us! Even if I have to roar to the heavens to part a way to your world! Because I refuse to have half of my heart leave Belle and I ever again!" Eve shouted hoarsely, her face fresh with warm tears again. She didn't care though, she was done hiding her feelings.

"You're my friend too, and I love you. So, please come back again."

Internally, Jaune was running around in circles, clasping his rosy cheeks with babbling lips and wide eyes as he had not one, but two kisses from two different women in a single moment. But right now, he simply pushed all that aside for another time as nodded simply to Eve's words with a promising smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I promise. And an Arc never goes back on his word."

The ethereal energy twisting around Jaune's body grew stronger in rotation, signaling the near completion of the spell. All that was left was one last goodbye.

With all the other girls stepping back to give them some room, Jaune and Red were the only ones left as they stood across from one another. Jaune found himself confused again as he stared at Red, the first girl he had come to know when he had arrived in this strange yet magical world.

Dense, Jaune may be, but when someone kisses you as they had all done, he was sure to get the picture. Hard not to. But each of them had a reason for their affections of him being so deep. Snow, because he had freed her from a cursed eternal sleep with true love's first kiss. Goldi, because he had saved her at her weakest, from a rival gang who aimed to kill her, like some knight in white armor. And Belle and Eve because he had showed them both love in each other. And then there was Red.

What did he do to deserve such accepting friendship and adoration from the young red head? Before he left, he had to know.

"Don't keep them waiting too long, okay?"

Before Jaune could open his mouth and ask Red the question in mind, the red riding hood girl beat him. She smiled simply at him, her gray eyes full of mirth as her hands fell behind her small back.

"Them?" Jaune asked, puzzled as Red nodded her head energetically.

"Your friends, duh! You've been gone for so long, they're probably worried as we were. Hopefully they didn't go overboard like Snow and go on a manhunt for you. That would be embarrassing." Red snickered.

"Yeah, that would be." Jaune said slowly, blinking as he stared at the odd girl in front of him. Seeing his stare, Red tilted her head innocently to the side, staring back at him oddly.

For a single moment, Red's was overlapped again besides Ruby as they both spoke as one.

"What's wrong, Jaune? Are you feeling alright?"

A small smile grew on Jaune's face as he shook his head. There was no need to ask her why it seemed. Not when her soul was as simple as another girl in red.

"Nothing. I guess I'm just going to miss you girls is all." Jaune said with a bittersweet tone in his voice, addressing all the girls around him before his eyes fell on Red, "I just wish I had more time to spend with you all. Especially you, Red. We've hardly had any time to talk with another since you jumped me back in your grandmother's cabin."

Red wasn't upset with the current situation, her smile still intact as Jaune's body began to fade like an aging photo. She knew, just like the others, that their knight would return to them someday in some way. Until then, she would just continue to wait alongside her friends. She wasn't alone after all.

Red's arms wrapped themselves around Jaune's waist as she rested her head against his chest. She felt at peace, comfortable from the warm energy he gave off. She couldn't help but close her eyes, almost as if she could snooze off there and then in his arms.

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to hang out with each other when we meet again. This time, we'll start things off right as we should have. Our story isn't over yet, so I'll wait for you to continue where we left off." Red said warmly, her own blush spreading as she felt his protective hand tussle her dark red locks.

Jaune chuckled at the girl, glad that she of all people understood where he wanted to start off. Sadly, there wasn't much time to talk, he could feel whatever magic Oswald was performing pull him to his home. This story was coming to an end. For now.

"I'll see you again then, Red. I can't wait to see where our story takes us next."

The sound of a bell like chime echoed across the walls of the main hall as Ruby felt the warm body disappear, almost like his body had become air bubbles that softly popped. The absence of her friend's body caused a somber smile to fall on her face for a second before her usual happy lift came back. Now wasn't the time to be feeling sad, not when she had friends feeling the same. Someone needed to bring joy back into their lives.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see him again, Ms. Riding Hood." Stepping down to the girls gathered around the hall, Oswald gave them his patent aloof smile.

Goldi cocked her brow at the strange man, being one of the few who had no idea to who he was. Only that he was some powerful magician or something.

"And how would you know?"

Oswald smirked to himself as he took a calming sip of his steaming cup of tea.

"Just a feeling, I suppose. After all, a hero is never satisfied until he's achieved a happy ending for everyone." he answered cryptically.

And this world's stories were yet to be opened. There were quite a few more tales to be told in this vast world.

* * *

"He's still sleeping! Ren, I think he's caught your sickness."

"How is this my fault? You can't be infected with laziness. Otherwise you wouldn't be so you."

"He did have a rough day yesterday. Most likely his wounds and stamina have taken a toll on him. Perhaps we should let him rest? Jaune's certainly deserved it."

"Nope! We may have the next few weeks off, but that doesn't excuse sleeping!"

"Yes, yes it does."

"Eh, too late! I've already prepped myself for a cannonball!"

"NORA NO!"

Groggily opening his eyes, Jaune slowly rose himself up with a yawn before the shout of a hyperactive hammer girl sent fear down his spine. Looking up, he could only shriek as Nora flipped gracefully in the air before performing a dive bomb overhead.

"Cannonball!"

Nora was not hefty, she was actually more muscle than anything else despite her petite and cute form. So, when the so called self-proclaimed queen of the castle dropped down onto Jaune's stomach, it was to be expected that his breath was robbed of him as he sat up in a silent shout. The bed wobbled, threatening to break under her famous cannonball but held true as he fell back with a hoarse moan. The world spun around him, his lungs failing to recapture the air they had lost.

Was it too late to go back to the world of fairy tales?

Regaining his senses after the rude wake up call, Jaune gingerly sat up, Nora removing herself with a snicker. He glared weakly at his very energetic teammate and rubbed his aching stomach. He was pretty sure it was bruised now.

"I only ask why?" Jaune grumbled.

"Because it's eight in the morning, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora answered with a scoff, ignoring the shaking heads of both Ren and Pyrrha behind her, "I know we have the next few weeks off and junk, but you can't spend them sleeping in bed for all of your vacation. Not even Ren would."

"That I would." Ren added in objection, fully dressed in his usual wear as he yawned, "But when you live with Nora, you can't stay asleep for more than eight hours a day. Not even on holiday." he grumbled sourly.

While Pyrrha wasn't happy with the way Nora had woken her partner up, she was glad that Jaune was up. No matter how many times she tried to wake him he wouldn't respond. Which she couldn't blame him. He did go through a lot in his exam, not to mention his fight with Helios must have drained him completely. If it was up to her, she would have left him to his sleep. But they did have plans today.

"I'm sorry for the wakeup call, Jaune." Pyrrha apologized with a weak chuckle, "But you know Nora, when she's up to something, there's not much that can be done to stop her."

She wasn't wrong there. Sighing, Jaune scratched the back of his head as he began to fully wake up. Did Nora say eight in the morning? That meant he was asleep for a good ten hours. How many of that was spent in Fey?

"It's alright, other than some internal bleeding, I'm fine." Jaune yawned while he stretched his back. Funny how despite the fact he had been fighting earlier and spent several days inside a world separated from his own, he found himself refreshed.

Nora rolled her eyes at her leader, waving off his grimacing face, "You've survived worst and you know it. Now come on! I've already messaged team RWBY that we'd meet them for breakfast, so doll yourself up, drama queen!" she grinned before following Pyrrha and Ren out, leaving himself to his privacy.

Fighting off another yawn, he got off his bed, Jaune automatically turned for the bathroom to freshen up and change before frowning. An odd little clink entered his ears as something fell off of him. Out of curiosity he turned his eyes down and found the oddest thing.

A dark red marble rolled to his feet, hitting his big toe softly with a glass like clink. Picking it up, he found it was only two inches tall and smoother than any other ball he had ever touched. Inside the marble was filled with dark red twisting energy like wisps. It gave off an odd emotion as he squinted.

As dark and vile as it appeared, it didn't feel dark, evil, cruel, malicious, or corrupt. It felt, it felt-

"Spiteful." Jaune frowned as he rolled the marble around his fingers.

That was the only word to describe it. Using his Scan, he frowned deepened at what he found.

Nothing. No description, no name, no nothing. The Game, Will, or Husk didn't have anything to say about it. Almost as if it didn't belong in the world.

"Jaune, hurry up! If we miss out on breakfast because of you, I won't be to blame for a certain set of bones on you breaking!"

Gulping in fear at the threat, Jaune decided to worry about the odd little marble some other time. Despite it not having any in game description, he was happy that he could still pocket it in his Inventory. With a reminder to ask Ren about it later, Jaune rushed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

The bookshelf by Jaune's bed trembled lightly as the door to the bathroom was shut. From its shelf, a rather bulky old dusty book fell to the floor with a thump. The book twitched, flipping open to the first page as a glow was released from its pages.

 _Table of Contents:_

 _1\. Innocence._

 _2\. Duty._

 _3\. Bravery._

 _4\. Love and Spite._

The letters on the page flashed. An ink like dot of gold suddenly began to furiously scribble on the old page by some unknown force before burning itself out, leaving behind four new contents.

 _5\. Glory._

 _6\. Peace._

 _7\. Joy._

 _8.?_

The old book shut itself with a snap. All that could be heard was the sound of a shower as it laid on the floor.

Waiting for the next chapter of a long adventure to come.

* * *

 _ **This tale is finished. A Happy Ending, what all seek in this world.**_

 _ **But that is just the world of fairy tales. Can such a thing be possible in your reality?**_

 _ **It's a new day outside. Let's welcome a new Act in this world with a promise. A promise to continue on as you always do. To never lose sight of what makes you a 'Hero'.**_

 _ **But when you're fated for an infinite life, can such a promise be kept? Or has it already been broken by some cruel chance? How long can you continue on as 'cliche'?**_

 _ **Beware of your own naivety.**_

 **Act 2, here we come! Just how will things chance as we head into V2? New characters, enemies, an organization following negativity, and a fated clash of white and black to come! I'm excited, I hope you all are too. Especially the time before the dance. Oh boy, is that going full of drama and conflict. I've already got it mostly planned out, so what the hell? This isn't cemented, but this is what's to come as Arcs for Act2.**

 **Arc-1: A Special Place Tucked Far Away~!**

 **Arc-2: Arrivals.**

 **Act-3 Part 1: Unrequited Affections.**

 **Arc-3 Part 2: A Grimm Order.**

 **Arc-4: A Breach in Soul/Finale.**

 **I hope not to make this Act as long as Act 1, I hope. But we'll see how it goes as I type. I'm already working on the first Arc, that's going to be a fun one for those who watch a certain cartoon.**

 **Now that the special is done, I'd like to know how it went. Was it good? Or should I have just skipped straight to Act 2? I know originally it wasn't suppose to be more than two chapters, but I got carried away with the story I was writing. I know have something like this planned again at the end of Act 2. Trust me, that old book will become very important down the road. At least we'll be back into the good old DLC's at the end of every few chapters. While you're at it, got any ideas for DLC? A Developer must always get some feedback on DLC.**

 **Now, it's time for me to go. I got to finish writing the next chapter of AJOAT while my Beta edits the next chapter to be published. Time to find some rock for this fight scene! I just ask you all to be patient, I don't want the guy to rush if he's still feeling ill or pressured to finish quickly. A good story comes to those who wait.**

 **Oh! And for those who're interested, I've joined Discord under the same name, NeoShadows. I'm under the Arkos Server since DragonManMax invited me to chat. Cool dudes, I've had some good laughs since I joined the chats. Now if only I can remember when I created an account for Discord. It was literally there and logged in for me when I got in. Weird.**

 **Remember to Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	34. Lineage

**And after surviving another lunch rush, sweating and smelling of coffee and pastries, the Great NeoShadows is once again back to update~!**

 **Damn, am I tired. But as I've said, works been keeping me busy. That, and Monster Hunter World is addicting. Like coffee. Actually, I should probably be finishing my taxes instead of updating and writing. But I've been away for far too long!**

 **Gotta say, I'm happy to see that the DLC Special received so much positive feedback. I was nervous to try something that new, but glad I did. And you all liked it. Makes me happy for what I have in stores for the next special. Because we ain't done with Fey. Been those are stories for another time. Let's get to the main course for now.**

 **This chapter is the aftermath after Jaune's test. Something small to get things going before we really dive into things. But still important. I'm sure you'll still enjoy it. Plus I got something for you all at the end of the chapter.**

 **Now, to Reviews!**

 **Selias: Yup. I got Specials in the works for V2. V3. . .that's complicated. But I do plan on something for the break.**

 **Ssjzohan: Aw, ya leaving? Well, be sure to come back. I'll have lots of chapters up by the time you return from wherever you travel. And hopefully KH3 will be out. We've been teased too long.**

 **DracoArtemisLeopin: Funny you should say that. I have a DLC like that in mind with Ren in the center. To be released at a later point.**

 **To Broach or To Put Up: I got something similar in the works, don't you worry. And knowing me, the Special will be just as long. It sure does help me develop both characters and the story as we move along.**

 **Matvize: Happy that you liked how the Special came out. It was truly a labor of love. . .my own need to see more hi-jinks. I really did my damnest to make those characters that people thought of as one-offs as real characters with their own lives. Especially with Red who had the littlest of screen time here. And I gotta admit, Jaune's Dive to Eve's Core was my favorite scene to write. Very emotional and heartwarming. Now to V2! I promise to deliver.**

 **Ultimate Pervy Sage: Yeah, I tend to aim for the feels. I show no mercy. The Knight did leave Jaune something, and you'll fine out soon.**

 **Abyss Emperor: From small beginnings, great things may emerge. I swear, those Fairy Tale DLC's first started off as me wanting to try my hand at writing erotic scenes and for shits and giggles. Than I finished the first DLC with Red and my brain began a thinking. Plot was a forming and I got busy when working on the last three. With Bell's supposed two-shot turning into a Special with four chapters. And even now, the plot is still going under the scenes. Man, am I happy to have encrypted that original first part of the first chapter of the speci-And I'm shutting up now.**

 **DragonManMax: That book is important. Too early for it to be put down now! And Chapter 8 is going to be fun~! Not all those stories are made up. A great war story lies in wait. As for Gaston, who knows? The story's length still surprises me. IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE 100K FOR V1! How the hell did it reach 700K+? Note to self, add Epic in Length to the summary at some later point.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: It's fine, mi hermano. I know I've had to stop playing once work got hectic. My brother sticks to my profile most of the time to watch hulu while I sit back and try and write. Though I find some time now and again to hop on and skin me some monsters. Can't wait till we fight alongside one day. Ah, Eve. I fucking love her to death, same as Annabelle. If only I could draw, I could show her off. And Red is also great too as the Lancaster in me shows. Though I mainly ship WhiteKnight since the beginning. Also Belle, because she a sexy freak. Oh, that spiteful orb is important. Though it will be some time before we ever see what it does. And I'm glad you loved the DLC Special. More to come, I can tell you that. Continue on, my spicy comrade who smells of fine booze! Survive whatever trails await you with an explosion behind your back as you stare ahead, because that's cool. For one day that naranja will be peeled and trashed, and we will rise again! As a wise man once said, I'm too drunk to taste this chicken. Irrelevant, but true.**

 **Slenderbrine: Oh, he'll be back. As for quality time, I might have something in the works alongside a certain smut writer for that.**

 **Reflective599: Question, what is a Reading Version?**

 **WyattMoore: Happy to know you'll wait patiently. You are a true fan, my friend. To be compared to someone as great as Couer is flattering. I hope to be up to his standards one day and even get a review from the guy. And I did my best to keep Jaune's growing power in check while not making him OP or weak. The DLC Special really helped to work on what I have planned for V2 since some things weren't completely hashed out. For it to make you close to tears at the end is something I'm glad to hear. It means I got the emotions written out just right. I got plans for more DLCs, but do keep suggesting. Though I've never read Eragon or played Mass Effect, sadly. I hope to keep ruthlessly hitting you in the good old feels.**

 **Azalmega: Reality Marble? Hmm, not entirely. We won't be seeing what it's truly capable of for some volumes now. But it does hold a connection with a certain someone. The DLC was fun to work on, so I'm glad it worked out and received love. Eve's character was by far my favorite to work on along with her design. Those nicks here and their may attribute to a good 18,000K+ being cut out of the original Special and reworked. You know, originally I had planned that Jaune woke up with both Eve and Belle in his arms, remembering all his little adventures with the girls and different goodbye. But I wanted some more impactful and meaningful, so that was scrapped. I think I did the right thing. Now we go back to V2, and a certain Jaune look alike makes his appearance. Oh, he'll be shown more in this volume, believe that. And I already got a Neo DLC in the works alongside the four Players with her. Look forward to that.**

 **Trey of the Rebellion: Gotta sadly say, No. Your theory is nice for both Oz and Oswald, but their connection is actually much deeper. As for Monty, he's dead, but his words live on.**

 **GhostAngel14: The Grimm Vanity and Grimm Wrath were fun to create. Especially the Vanity's big move, Nuke Gospel, the missile it was ready to fire before Oswald interrupted. God, I wish I could create games. I'd have so much fun on creating enemies and fights.**

 **. . .And if that man's asking about me rhymes with Bris Manseen, I'm out. I'm far too drunk and knee deep in certain servicey anime to have my door kicked down by the FBI again.**

 **And that's it for reviews. Keep 'em coming, I love responding back. PM if you want too, I'll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.**

 **Now, let's scroll away!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : _I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth._**

 _ **It's Friday, I have off tomorrow, and I got nothing planned for the next two days! Which means I got typing to do, drinking to do, and monsters to hunt! Plus add in some more new anime to watch in my spare time.**_

 _ **No, wait. I just forgot I'm a 23 year old adult and I got responsibilities. Fuck being an adult. I wish I was a eighteen year old hooligan again. At least then I was always surrounded by girls in highschool, even if they were friends.**_

 _ **Actually, scratch that. I was abused by those girls in ways only a protagonist would understand. Never again do I want to have my wrists, ankles, arms and legs tied together or my mouth duct tapped by a sadistic raven chick again.**_

 _ **I'm not a masochist, damn it.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 34: Lineage.**

"Everything is going according to plan."

Breathing in the fine rich smoke, Roman didn't give the smug faced fire witch much attention as she went over their oh so progressive plans. Poor little Cinder, if only she knew that her brilliant machinations would end up in smoke half the time. Except for the whole Fall of Beacon, but that was preordained. Once that passed her plans would eventually fall by the hands of one courageous little red head who wanted to play hero. Sometimes. Honestly, things went topsy turvy depending on the actions of the Players. But the only one who really made an effort to change things around the Story was Adam.

Unless Roman himself felt like screwing around out of boredom. An immortal had to find ways to have fun after all.

Currently, Roman was resting against the many crates of Dust he had stolen from across Vale within the storage unit that acted as their base. The stupid law enforcement was none the wiser of their location, something he added up to The Game. Or they were just that incompetent. He liked to believe both. And after another night of playing suave Dust Thief, he was called in by his so called 'boss' to discuss the progression of their plans. Just when he was planning on kicking back with a few high price cigars he had snatched from some posh executive roaming the night. The smoking dark temptress sure had a way of turning him off sometimes.

To his side, his ever-faithful adorable little assistant, Neo, dipped her head in show of her boredom. She wasn't one for meetings. She was only ever attentive when it involved her next target. And frozen sweets.

At least he wasn't the only one bored with Cinder's meeting. To the far end of him, leaning back against another set of Schnee Dust crates, Adam was flicking his favorite red blade mindlessly from its sheath as his Lieutenant stood by him.

 _'What was his name again? I swear, I can never remember that man's name.'_ Roman mused, more out of boredom than anything else. He eyed the silent White Fang Lieutenant. Roman swore he never saw the chainsaw wielder ever take off his mask. Ever mysterious, _'Great, now this is going to bug the hell out of me all night.'_

Why was it so hard to remember one simple NPC's name? God's sake, The Game even had the guy registered simply as White Fang Lieutenant!

"Are you paying attention, Roman?"

Making a noise of surprise, the smooth orange haired criminal glanced over to find Cinder sending him an irritated frown. Oh no, he was caught.

"Of course, Cinder! Why would I not be paying attention to your grand plans that don't currently involve myself?" Roman drawled with a tip of his cigar. The response got the usual glares from her favorite little lackeys.

"Remind me again why we keep him around?" Emerald uttered in annoyance as Roman gave her a wide grin.

"Why my filthy little jewel, it's because I am the only one who knows this city inside out! Who else other than myself could effortlessly rob this town blindly of its Dust without having to use such low tactics as mind tricks? You?" Roman grinned mirthfully at the mint green thief, earning a ticked off glare, "I'm a professional, sweetheart. Even our dear sweet Cinder recognizes that."

As loath as Cinder was to admit, he was right. As annoying as the self-proclaimed gentleman thief was, his skills were top notch. The amount of Dust he was capable of stealing in only the half year they had worked together went beyond her original plans. Though his skills sadly didn't make up for his showboating ways. It was almost like he wanted the entire world to know who had stolen from them.

"While your skills are a great boon to our cause, do not think yourself so important, Roman." Cinder glowered with burning amber eyes, "Is it not in a gentleman's ways to show respect to their superior?"

Roman scoffed to the side. Superior, what a joke! Until she attained the Fall Maiden's complete aura, she wasn't a serious threat. Then again, he'd been learning lately to be wary of even under leveled opponents. He didn't need another broken arm again, nor a gloating ice cream midget.

But he didn't feel like going super villain this playthrough, maybe the next. So, he was just going to have to play along for a while.

 _'I can always ditch this little party when the attack on Beacon starts. Won't that be a fun escapade?'_

"Yes, Cinder. I apologize, Cinder. Please forgive me, Cinder." Roman bowed with a bored tone in his voice.

Cinder furrowed her brows at the man but chose to ignore Roman's tone for now. She had much more important things to do than lash out at a thief.

"As I was saying, we're nearing the essential amount of Dust needed for Phase 2. Originally, I had planned for a two-metric ton of burnt Dust, ammunition, and energy powder for the plan. But after discussing with both you," Cinder pointed out to Roman with a glance before moving over to brooding form of Adam, "And Adam of the number, I've decided on another metric."

 _'This is going to be fun~!'_ Roman inwardly chuckled. So many fireworks were going to lite up the sky!

Adam smirked, his own mind going over his own plans for the extra Dust.

 _'We do have a new friend in the game, why not show him what he's in for?'_

"Currently, we are at 70% of what we'll be needing. I'd say another month of attacking the SDC shipments to Vale will net us what we need. I've already had Mercury gather the next shipment schedule for this month." Nodding to the gray-haired assassin, Cinder watched as Mercury handed over the information to Roman with a tempting smile, "Please, make sure things don't go awry. We don't need another repeat of your late-night heist at the docks, do we?"

Roman snatched the slip of information from Mercury as the teen grinned mockingly. The shipment schedule immediately created a Mission notification and the usual rewards he'd receive for completing it.

 **' Robbing The Dusty Heavens: According to the shipment schedule given by Mercury, a large shipment of Wind and Lightning Dust will be arriving to Vale next Tuesday! Due to high number of robberies by train, ship, and truck, the shipment will be delivered by bullhead. The SDC has taken measures that it arrives intact with help from General Ironwood's machines. The heist must be completed before it touches land, so complete the mission before the time limit ends!**

 **Rewards : 81,000 Lien. Sky Heel Ability. Chrono Gale.**

 **Penalty : Unable to continue allegiance to Cinder. Loss of CC: Infinite Dust.**

 **Mission Start : 3 Days.'**

More than enough time to get ready for the mission. Mentally sending the notification away, Roman tilted his head lowly so that Neo could hear him, "Inform Perry to prep a ship with stealth mods. We're going for a joy ride Monday~!" he whispered mischievously.

Neo grinned at Roman, giddy for their latest heist. With a playful salute and wink, her form shattered like a mirror. She was nowhere to be seen a second later.

"Is that all?" Adam grunted, wandering why he was even here. He had been busying racking up EXP to finally reach the Level Cap for Act 1. Which would be impossible now, tonight marked the final day. Once the clock reached twelve, Act 1 would be over and Act 2 would begin, raising the level cap by ten. He never did like falling behind Roman in the strength department.

Cinder shook her head as she directed her attention to the bull horned faunus leader, "No, there is another matter that I'd like you to address." Snapping her finger, she signaled for Emerald to walk over to Adam. The dark-skinned thief then handed him what looked like a portfolio with an ID.

"Due to the events of the FoF, General Ironwood has become a bit paranoid. The illustrious headmaster and general has begun to up his production of Atlesian Knights along with preparing new machines to deal with certain threats. And with information from one of my sources, he's put one of his captain's in charge of protecting a cargo of new model prototypes."

Taking the portfolio with a simple nod, Adam began reading over the information.

 _'Captain of the 3rd Unit, Cull Berg. Master Marksman and Robotics Expert.'_ The information was dry cut, detailing blood type, age, profession, education, the works. All of which mattered little to Adam. None of it would matter in a fight, other than the helpful hint to his accuracy.

"And why does this human matter?" Adam said with disinterest. It wasn't as if he hadn't fought an Atlas military captain before. It was rare to find one that could put up a fight at his level right now.

"Well if we're going to proceed with Phase 2 soon, we'll need some new toys." Cinder smirked darkly, "My source has informed me that the cargo also holds new weapons that will help in our operations if reprogrammed. Besides, why not send the general a message? In all the commotion created from the FoF, it's almost like he forgot about your little group." she purred.

She was luring him, Adam knew that. And still, he couldn't help but grin. He'd be lying if he said he didn't love messing with the tin man. Plus, he could use a good old boss fight.

"I suppose I could wet my blade for a bit." he agreed and handed the papers to his lieutenant.

 **' Cold Gears: A cargo of Atlesian weapons in development are headed for one of General Ironwood's labs, guarded by one of his top men! Steal the cache of weapons and eliminate the target before they reach the lab.**

 **Rewards : 70,000 Lien. Defense Boost. Genocide Skill Boost: Mech.**

 **Penalty: White Fang Moral Decrease. Difficulty Spike and increase of Aggression with Atlas forces.'**

At least he would have something to occupy his time until The Breach. He was already grinning at the thought of meeting a certain blond in the chaos.

 _'I wonder how strong you've gotten, Jaune. And-'_

Wilt's red blade gleamed, wishing to carve a certain knight's flesh as he chuckled lowly.

 _'How much more hate I can sow?'_

Ah, the things boredom had him doing for a good time.

Satisfied with Adam's compliance, Cinder clapped her hands with a pleasant smile. She herself had things to do as well. While Roman's forged impressive transcripts, she still had to have them run through Mistral's systems. She couldn't have Lionheart growing cold feet this early in the plans.

"I suppose that will be all for now. Remember your missions and do not fail. The fun hasn't even started yet after all." Cinder smirked alluringly.

Those gathered inside the hideout nodded wordlessly, moving to prepare for the coming days.

Adam paused as he pushed off the crates, narrowing his eyes behind his mask as his HUD beeped. Outside the doors of the storage compound the two blue dots representing two of his men on watch blinked and dyed red. The odd sight put him on edge as the two enemy dots slammed into another. A second later they faded away.

Did two of his men just kill the other?

Roman quirked a brow, noticing right away as Adam tensed up. Having trained the boy himself many lives ago, he was quick to read his body language. Unlike the other Players, Roman didn't have the ability to see NPC's or enemies with his HUD.

"Something the matter, Adam?" he asked suspiciously, bringing the attention of all those gathered to the revolutionary leader.

Adam signaled for his lieutenant to stand by as he silently moved for the storage door. Once his men were taken out, a pulsing dot moved in. But unlike the other markers it wasn't blue or red, it was black. It was color coded.

Just like Roman, Ren, Jaune and himself.

The wide hangar like metal door creaked, slowly rising up as everyone within brought out their weapons for whatever awaited. Mercury was the first to react, dropping his stance in confusion.

"One of your grunts?" Mercury scoffed in Adam's direction.

A simple White Fang grunt stood outside the rising door, wearing the standard uniform and mask. But something was off. The grunt grinned widely at all those assembled inside before a chuckle rose from his chest.

"My god! How have you not been found yet!? This has to be the worst hideout ever!" the grunt roared with laughter, gripping his sides as they all stared at him strangely. Controlling himself, he aimed a knowing grin to two certain people eyeing him warily. "Then again, when you have some kind of Will looking out for you, you can get away with anything."

The grunt's hand moved over his face, removing the common White Fang mask, pulling aside his hood with the same motion. Shaggy silver hair fell around his neck and red eyes greeted Cinder's party, but it was his face and tone of voice that took both Roman and Adam by surprise.

The face of one Jaune Arc, albeit swapped with an opposite color scheme.

"Sorry for not knocking, guess I got a little too excited. Name's Blanc, short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

* * *

"Burp!

Jaune grimaced as the stench of one Nora Valkyrie's burp drifted over to him. How was a girl who had only eaten pancakes with numerous sweets and milk able to create a smell like that?! His face was turning green as he swallowed back a bit of breakfast.

"Maybe I should have Weiss teach you some manners. It definitely wouldn't hurt." Jaune mumbled with a groan.

Today was Saturday! The first day on their three week break from classes before the second semester began. And Jaune's first legitimate day as a true, honest to god Huntsman in training. He even had the authentic papers to prove it for once. The first day of his honest school days should have felt refreshing.

If you know, he wasn't living his life as if it was a game. And he wasn't still lying to his friends. Did things really change? Thinking about it gave him a headache, so he chose to forget about all that to enjoy an uneventful Saturday morning with his team.

Shortly after enjoying a nice breakfast with his team and team RWBY, they had decided to walk around the school for a bit to burn off some of the large breakfast. It was Pyrrha's idea and there really wasn't any reason to disagree. It had been some time since Jaune could simply stretch his legs without having to worry about anything. And after the week he had he could use a nice little stroll.

Or was it just a dream? Jaune couldn't really tell, the workings of Lost Fairy Tale were still a mystery to him. To the rest of the world in Remnant, he had been asleep for a good seven hours when he had really been stuck in a world with a cursed lung for a good week. At least he earned some rewards for his trouble.

The first was Bestial Grind. An Ability that cost 38MP and 20AP that allowed Jaune to create a beast like roar from his sword that lowered Attack and lowered Accuracy while dealing a small amount of damage. The second was a new Boost item, Talent Boost. It allowed him to level up any Talent by one, which he had already used up with his recent unlocked Talent, Firearms. At least he now had some experience, enough to not shoot himself at least. Then there was a new Perk, Knight's Soul. The perk would grant him a boost in Strength when his HP dropped half way and allowed the use of a new Ability, Helm Splitter and Rampart. And the last reward was another item, a Special Gift.

Stardew Fruit. A special item that he was actually unable to use on himself. It was an item to be given out, not used. And its ability was still an unknown. Jaune scratched his head as he looked over the item on his scroll, eyeing the odd fruit with interest.

 **'Stardew Fruit [ Special Gift]: A fruit like no other! This special green-yellow fruit cannot be found in the world of Remnant, only existing in a world of fairy tales. Strangely enough, it possesses no benefits when eaten and lacks any flavor despite its exotic appearance. Though some believe that the fruit always bears a twin alongside it for a reason and might hint to how to properly eat it.'**

The fruit was oddly shaped. The fruit was attached to a green hoop of vines and were constantly covered in beads of dew. They fruit came with a twin that stayed close to itself and was shaped like a smooth five-pointed star. It kinda reminded him of a star themed earring.

As an award, it was pretty lackluster. It didn't do anything and it wouldn't even taste good. It was basically taking up space in his Inventory, sitting without a purpose.

Well it wasn't the first item Jaune had received with no purpose. There was still the odd little red marble like gem he found when he woke up this morning. At least Stardew had a description. The red marble simply read **'?'**. Another mystery to scratch his head over.

"Hmm? Are you still playing games on your scroll, Jaune?"

Jaune nearly jumped out of his shoes as Pyrrha spoke over his shoulder, her voice right by his ear. The spartan themed girl looked at him with furrowed brows, appearing annoyed with his eyes glued to his trusty device.

"And here I thought you finally got over your video game addiction. Is it really that much more fun to fiddle your thumbs with a game then talk to your partner?" Pyrrha said with a pout on her face.

"You're just saying that because a certain someone sucks when it comes to video games of all kinds." Nora snickered.

Pyrrha's pout stayed as she crossed her arms stubbornly. At first it was refreshing to lose at games, it was nice to know she wasn't as perfect as many believed. But eventually the joy passed and left behind sourness. She couldn't even beat a simple arcade game! When it came to games of skills, she was a natural, but even a puzzle game would have her beat. It was frustrating to say the least.

"It's not healthy to be staring at a small screen for so long, not to mention it messes with posture! I'm simply looking out for him as his beloved partner, that's all." Pyrrha huffed.

Nora nodded dryly, spying a pink dust on Pyrrha's cheeks. How their team leader was still oblivious to his own partner's affection, she would never know. Not even her precious Ren was that dense. Just lazy.

Slipping his scroll back into his pocket, Jaune apologized to Pyrrha with his trademark nervous smile.

"Sorry, Pyrrha. I was just reading over some rewards I was given for a mission I played last night."

One of the few good things Jaune could say about The Game was that it helped to hide away his powers like his scroll's game display. So, all that Pyrrha had seen when she was peering over his shoulders was some game. No need to worry about getting struck down by The Game for a slip up there.

Seeing the frown still on Pyrrha's face, Jaune coughed into his fist as he scratched the side of his neck, "So, what were we talking about again?" he asked nervously.

"We were talking about our plans for the day." Pyrrha answered, dropping her displeased frown with a sigh. He was lucky she was sweet on him, "Originally I had thought we would do something with team RWBY, but it looks like they have plans of their own in Vale later. So today will be a team JNPR outing instead." Pyrrha was actually happy with the lack of their sister team. As much as she loved to spend time with the girls of RWBY, she still couldn't help but feel some jealousy when they were around Jaune.

The only reason she didn't feel that way with Nora was because Nora was Nora. There was nothing to fear there other than her monstrous strength and shenanigans.

"I had suggested we all enjoy a nice little picnic in the park today." Pyrrha smiled at the idea. A nice day like today without any work to do just begged to be spent outside. And it would leave her an excuse to be by her partner's side as they ate under a shaded tree. The perfect romantic scenario!

"I said we should rehearse for our next big performance of RWE!" Nora grinned excitedly as she began rubbing her hands together with a chuckle that sent warning bells off in her team's head, "The next big showing is going to be a special event I like to call Hell in a Cell! And I've just written the perfect script for the show!"

"Don't you think people would be upset that it's all fake?" Jaune couldn't help but ask with a frown.

Nora waved off the concern with a scoff.

"Who am I to shatter their hopes and dreams? All I know is that I get a good 23% of all profits made along with future merchandising rights when I graduate. Sadly Ms. Goodwitch was very persistent in the terms of the contract Ozpin and I came up with. Said something about me going crazy with Lien at my age."

"Which I applaud her for." Ren added in flatly. The only one capable of reigning in his best friend was the headmistress. He could always leave it to Goodwitch to stop Nora in his place.

"I'm still upset with the headmaster for even allowing the RWE." Jaune grumbled. He was even more upset that he didn't even get a cut from the profits! Something about student athletes or some bull. Glancing back at Ren, he grew curious. "What about you? What did you suggest we do?"

Ren spared Jaune a glance before keeping his eyes forward, "I simply suggested we all just stay in our room and relax. Maybe watch some movies and eat snacks for the rest of the day." he shrugged.

"I could actually go for that. After yesterday, I don't really want to do anything." Jaune agreed as he rolled his shoulder in discomfort. While all the damage had healed from his fights, he was still sore here and there.

Both Pyrrha and Nora looked at another, passing along a message before sighing together in surrender. They both wanted to do their own things but knew that their two friends always did what they wanted. For once, they decided to let them decided. Even if one wanted romance and the other action.

"Well I suppose we could always go out some other day. We do have three weeks off after all." Pyrrha smiled as Nora nodded.

"Yeah, I can always reschedule practice. Not to mention I need team RWBY for practice too. That and any excuse to stuff my face with more sweets must be accepted!" Nora grinned.

Ren blinked, stunned that they were so willing to go along with his idea. That was kind of a first. His ideas were usually passed aside in favor of someone else, so he kept them to himself most of the time. He found himself taken back as Jaune sighed in relief beside him.

"Sounds great. A nice lazy day to start off our vacation. After the semester we all had, we could use a day of doing absolutely nothing." Jaune said with a growing lazy grin. Movies, snacks, Ren's cooking, and just laying back on the floor in their sleepwear with friends. Nothing sounded better than that.

But, before that, he did have some business to take care of today. He had to know for certain if a certain Rockstar was out of the dark end of the woods.

"First though, I got to step back and visit Helios." Jaune said with apology, scratching the back of his head nervously as Nora aimed a pout his way, "I got a message from Tsuki that he was being holed up in the nurse's office for the next few days as he recovers. The wounds he had suffered during his mission have finally healed, but his body is lacking the energy to move about coupled with our fight taking a toll on him. Not to mention they're running some... tests on him." Jaune said the last part with a grimace, already knowing what they would be looking into with the star obsessed huntsman.

Helios had been falling in front of the first and second years hunters, displaying signs of the negativity he was containing was ready to turn him into a beacon of negativity. And while Jaune had stopped him from Falling before any serious damage to his soul could be done, Helios could still be at risk of further episodes of negativity. That would put others at risk of Grimm attacks growing in intensity and volume. Professor Port had gone more into detail about the subject of Falling, expressing just how dangerous it could be.

If any huntsman showed signs of breaking out into Falling, they would have to be let go for the safety of others.

Hopefully what Jaune had done within Helios's Core would be enough to lead him away from that dark end. He did all he could, it was all up to Helios to rid himself of his source of negativity.

Ren nodded in understanding, already knowing of the situation involving Helios. Of course, Jaune would want to make sure one of his friends was alright.

"That's fine with me. Nora and I can work on getting things ready. I'm guessing I'll have to work on cooking for two teams?" Ren said flatly as he glanced back at Nora. The Valkyrie grinned, her face glued to her scroll as her fingers tapped away.

"Yup! I've already sent an invitation to team RWBY and any other friends who want to chill out and watch crappy movies. So, about maybe three teams worth?" she guessed, already bouncing on her feet in giddy anticipation.

Ren, while not too thrilled with having to slave away at the stove, didn't appear annoyed or bothered with the estimate. He scoffed at the numbers with a smirk on his face.

"Three teams worth? What, are you dieting again?" Child's play to a master cook such as himself. Being a Gamer simply added on to his skills at the culinary arts.

Seeing as Ren and Nora were already planning on handling setting up everything, Pyrrha decided to join Jaune, taking the chance to hang out with her leader.

"You don't mind if I tag along, do you?" Pyrrha asked Jaune with smile. As if he could say no to a face like that.

Jaune shook his head, not minding the company, "It's alright if you come along. I could use the company in case things get awkward between Helios and me. I'm still not sure where we stand after our fight. Things could get heated."

Hopefully there would be no need to pull Crocea and Ignis Mors out. Nurse Sprig would have him joining Helios if a fight broke out in her office.

Happy to be going along with Jaune, Pyrrha moved up beside him as they began to wave back at their teammates with plans to meet up later. They began to go their own ways, Jaune and Pyrrha heading to the infirmary, and Ren and Nora off to find what they needed for their movie day.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach Nurse Sprig's office. The quiet atmosphere around the room always settled Jaune's uneasy nerves after a strenuous day of training.

That was not the case today as Jaune and Pyrrha stood outside the room and watched the door shake and thump along with the sound of shouting from inside. It was almost as if the room was alive and bucking like a bull. Jaune was afraid to even reach for the handle. He heard something break in the normally peaceful nurse's office.

"Should we come by another time?" Pyrrha whispered nervously, her eyes glued to the thrashing door.

Jaune gulped dryly as he shook his head.

"We'll be too busy with the team once we go back, might as well pull off the bandage." he laughed uneasily as he reached for the door handle.

Within seconds of turning the knob and opening the door, Jaune found himself shouting in alarm, something smacking his face which knocked him on his back. He groaned weakly, his vision blinded by fluffy white.

Where pillows supposed to hit with the force of a bullet slug?

"Jaune! Oh, not your pretty boy face!" Pyrrha cried in alarm. She bent down to help her leader back on his feet, fretting over his slightly red face.

A puff of feathers escaped Jaune's lips as he rubbed his face.

"Who the hell still uses pillows stuffed with feathers?" he groaned with a glare aimed at whoever shot the fluffy ammunition at him.

Inside the room several pairs of eyes fell on the two freshman hunters in surprise. Jaune automatically recognized Hera, Rue, Tsuki, and Helios as said second year laid back in his bed with freshly applied bandages and gauze over his shirtless chest and face. But the four new colors stumped him before his face scrunched up. Four more students were inside with team HRTH, wearing their uniforms despite the start of their break and for some reason they looked familiar. The first one he noticed was the short chestnut-haired girl with a small cutesy ponytail on the side of her head standing over Helios's bedside with a red face, her blue eyes narrowed as she leered at the wounded boy. A tall lanky, pale skinned boy with green eyes stood to the side of the room, fixing his rectangle lens glasses with a lift of his finger as he sighed and scratched his unkempt raven bed hair. To his side, a dark-skinned woman with lavender hair as equally tall as him could be seen etching the entire scene with gusto with one gentle pink eye honed in on her etch book and friends.

The three familiar faces suddenly clicked inside Jaune's head, bringing a smile to his lips.

"Vylla, En, Lavender, what are you guys doing here?" he asked curiously as the three third years turned back to him.

The three hunters in question were third years, Juniors and their upperclassmen. Jaune had actually met them back during his search to find a club to join, which ended disastrously. But through that ordeal, he had made a new friend in the tactful minded En Tensho. As it turned out, the three of them were all part of the same team, VLET. The only one of the team he hadn't met was the T. His blue eyes wandered the room, hoping to find the last of their team. He could have sworn he had just seen someone else inside the room with them.

"So, what do you say we get out of here and head back to my dorm? We could go a round or two and practice some grappling moves. I promise, I'll be gentle...ish."

Annoyance filled Jaune's being as he heard a soft, suave, sweet talking voice behind him and the sound of his partner stammer in embarrassment. Well, it looked like he found the missing member. Time to properly introduce himself to the deadman.

"Listen, buddy-!"

As Jaune spun around to tell the third-year boy to back off his partner, he found his words dying once he got a good look at the man in question.

And by man, he meant woman.

Pyrrha stood ram rod straight, her face blushing madly as the third-year woman hugged her from behind, her strong arms circling her waist and her pretty face pressed closely to her own as she giggled. The woman stood an inch taller than the spartan themed freshman, her skin a light shade of tan and eyes a dark grape purple. Her sandy blond hair was tied back in a knot with two distinctive bangs hanging by the side of her face and curled up like horns. Behind the girl, Jaune could make out what looked like a bushed tail wagging happily behind her as she grinned widely with a blush.

The bull faunus woman didn't pay Jaune any mind, entirely focused on her prey as she nuzzled her cheek against Pyrrha's affectionately.

"Come on~! A sweet thing like you shouldn't be spending her time in a nurse's office. Not unless you want to get kinky." she giggled with a lecherous smile.

"JAUNE~!" Pyrrha whined with plea, her face now matching her hair.

"I honest to god don't know what to do here." Jaune helpfully replied, his mind stumped at the alluring scene in front of him. He should help, he knew that. Yet his body refused to comply and get in the way.

"TERRA, HEEL!"

Terra, the faunus woman invading Pyrrha's personal space, pouted like a child denied their sweets. Slowly, her arms released Pyrrha from her loving hold and stepped away from the young girl.

"Aww, I was just teasing! I couldn't help it! Just look at her!" Terra whined loudly as she pointed her waving hand at the bundle of embarrassed nerves that was Pyrrha, "Those legs, those thighs, that CHEST! And she's so innocent! How could I ever resist!? HOW!?" she demanded frantically with drool escaping her quivering lips.

All those gathered in the room gave the faunus girl looks of disgust and sneers, feeling ashamed at her behavior towards woman. To which Terra didn't mind, skipping back to the side of Lavender with a cheery smile on her lips.

Giving Helios a smack on the back of the head, Vylla ignored the shout of anger and curses as she strolled over to Jaune who was busy comforting his partner. She couldn't help but giggle at Pyrrha bent over on her knees, breathing deeply with her blush still present. Poor girl, probably never had to deal with such intense flirting before.

"Apologies, Jaune. My partner can get... overly frisky around woman." Vylla weakly apologized.

"It's… alright, Vylla. I'm sure she didn't mean to frighten Pyrrha." Jaune laughed nervously while helping Pyrrha back up on shaky legs.

Pyrrha breathed deeply, calming her features as she coughed into her fist and straightened her back. Dear god. She had never gone up against such an intense attack before in all her time as a reigning champion. It wasn't the first time someone had ever flirted with her, it had happened back in her early days while in the tournament circuit and eventually died down once she became well renowned. But this was the first time someone, especially a girl, had ever rushed her like that.

If only a certain leader of hers could take note.

At least the encounter had caused Jaune to comfort her and worry over her. The blush came back, feeling his arms over her shoulders, rubbing over the bundle of muscles in comfort.

"Yes, it's all well! I was just taken by surprise is all!" Pyrrha smiled, her face still sweating as they stepped in and shut the door behind them.

Vylla gave Pyrrha a look of scrutiny, not believing her words as she leaned in and whispered.

"You sure? Just give me the word, and I'll get the rolled-up newspaper ready for a thwacking."

Jaune frowned, "Isn't she a bull faunus?" Her tail was an obvious give away.

"More like a horny mutt." Vylla muttered lowly.

"HEY! I don't like to be ignored, you assholes!"

Both Jaune and Vylla spun their heads around to see Helios glaring at them with hostility in his amber eyes. His bandaged fist was raised, shaking in threat of laying down some beats.

Vylla scoffed at the second year, "It's not all about you, you smug poser. Go back to sleep, it's all you're good for right now." she smirked with a leer.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU HOLIER THAN THOU BITCH! I DARE YA, I TRIPLE DOG DARE YA!" Helios shouted angrily before grimacing deeply with a wince. He rolled around his bed, holding his chest and he let out a string over violent curses too foul for innocent ears.

Jaune winced at the sight, his hands carefully placed over Pyrrha's ears as his partner grew confused. He looked back to Hera, the small leader of team HRTH standing at the front of the bedside, hiding her face in shame.

"Has he been like this all day?"

Hera nodded with a low laugh, her eyes bagged with exhaustion.

"He hasn't shut up since he woke up. Which is good, I guess. He's definitely shown some improvement." she explained tiredly, fighting off a yawn, Helio's bed shaking next to her.

"AND WHAT THE HELL IS THE HERO DOING HERE!? BITCH, LEARN TO KNOCK BEFORE OPENING A DOOR!"

"Improvement? Where?" Jaune said flatly as he found Helios's seething yellow eyes glare straight at him.

Rue held his ribs, rolling on floor beside his partner as he laughed out loud while Helios let loose another string of curses. His eyes were tearing up, a loose tear fell from his tightly shut eyes as he struggled to breathe through his own laughter.

"I-I-I can't b-breathe!" Rue gasped in between laughs, kicking his legs in the air before he found himself roughly pulled to his feet. He snickered, finding his partner giving him a seething leer.

"What's so funny, bastard? Ya wanna die? HUH?! DO YA!?" Helios roared, the injured huntsman apparently still capable of shaking Rue around like a rag doll. He gasped soundlessly, feeling one of his wounds act up before he fell back in agony and an ocean of curses.

Tsuki rolled her eyes at her two male teammates behavior. She tilted her head up, her red eyes meeting puzzled blue that belonged to the strong arms around her waist.

"I apologize for the idiots. I'll be sure they're punished for making our prideful team look weak and foolish in your eyes."

Jaune opened his mouth, sputtering as he found Tsuki laid back against his chest and wrapping his own arms around her in a lover's embrace.

"How-When did you get here?!" Jaune shouted with question.

"Irrelevant. Prey never question a hunter's tactics when they are being ensnared. They only accept and surrender." Tsuki answered simply with no emotion. Her blood red eyes softened, alluring and captivating her prey as her lips parted, open for attack, "So, surrender."

Pyrrha's smile strained, creaking as she fought with outright glaring at the ebony temptress taking her beloved leader's attention away from her. Without even knowing it, her semblance reacted to her emotions, causing all the metal in the room to twitch and shudder.

Everyone in the room took a step back from the jealous redhead watching her partner deal with an emotionless flirt. Even Helios stopped complaining and eyed the younger classman warily.

All except Terra who appeared to have hearts in her eyes.

His heart skipped a beat and ran wild while sweat started to roll off of him like a broken facet. Jaune carefully pushed Tsuki off of him, a nervous laugh accompanying the action. Unaware of the tension in the air created by his partner or the warping metal.

"I-It's good to see you too, Tsuki! How you been doing?" he said lamely, still reeling from the bandit girl's tactic.

Tsuki furrowed her brows, grumbling under her breath as she turned away and buried her face inside a book on hand.

"It appears my ploy has failed. I was sure that would be enough to shred what remained of your resistance. I'll have to study more and work on my seduction. What page was that on again?" she said lowly in frustration as she walked back to the side of Helios's bedside.

Jaune sighed at the mysterious ebony girl's behavior. Nice talk. It seemed she was still hell bent on making him fall for her. He looked back to Pyrrha, finding her with a huffy glare on her face aimed at him.

"Eh? What's wrong? Did I do something?" Jaune asked in confusion while pointing at himself.

Pyrrha's brow furrowed deeper before she sighed in annoyance.

"No, nothing. Nothing at all." she muttered with a pout.

Sometimes she both cursed and thanked that dense head of his.

Now that things had settled down somewhat in the room, Jaune decided to continue where he had left off as he looked back to Vylla. The musical upperclassman was back on Helios's bedside to his left, arms crossed as she glared testily at the redhead.

"So, what are you and your team doing here, Vylla?"

Vylla quirked a brow at the question before glancing away with an annoyed sigh.

"While Helios may be an idiot showboating asshole, he's still a comrade of sorts. Not to mention we're both partners in charge of the Music Club. So, I just wanted to check up on my lowerclassman." she said with a smug smirk and a pat of Helios's undone red hair.

"Who ya calling lower class, cu-"

Whatever Helios was planning on saying was cut off with a chop to the back of his head.

Vylla smiled in thanks as Rue lowered his hand with a bright grin on his face.

"Thanks, Rue. At least I know that the dumbass has a gentleman by his side at all times."

"Nah, I just like smacking him at his weakest!" Rue answered honestly.

"Right." Vylla drawled, paying the odd boy little mind before returning her glare back at the wincing rocker too weak to put up any fight.

"I'm actually disappointed, Helios. For all the crap you pull and disrespect you show, I had always thought you were at least a good huntsman. But then I hear that not only were you banged up before taking a fight with a first year, but that your aura was out of whack. I keep hearing rumors that you were about to Fall! Seriously, that's the worst thing you could ever do!" she shouted with a smack to the back of her friend's head.

Helios didn't shout back or add in a curse this time, only rubbing his head with a scowl on his face. He gripped his bed sheets tightly, eyes turned downward with an open show of gritting teeth.

It was obvious he wasn't proud of what nearly went down during his fight with Jaune. All that hate, anger, jealousy, and envy had withered away. Now he was left to look back at his actions with a displeased scowl and sour taste in his mouth. No one had to tell him just how bad things had been. He was fully aware of his own negativity.

Vylla sighed tiredly, letting her hand fall back on Helios's head. Despite how upset she was, she gave a small smile and ruffled up the rocker's loose red locks.

"Seriously, you should thank Jaune for snapping you out of that funk you were drowning in. If it wasn't for him, who knows what could have happened." she said softly.

Helios stopped gritting his teeth, his fingers letting go of his sheets as he let his head fall back against his pillow. He grew silent, not showing any emotion as he stared up at the plain white ceiling. Looks of worry fell on him before he finally spoke.

"Hey, could you all give me and the hero the room? I'd... like to speak to him alone. If I can."

Hesitation grew on Hera's face at Helios's request. She was afraid of leaving her teammate alone, especially with the guy who had been at the center of his falling state. It was still too early to be sure. He had only just recovered use of his aura and been cleared of Falling. She didn't want to risk her teammate falling back into old habits.

A reassuring hand fell on the small leader's shoulder, catching her off guard as she looked up to meet matching blue eyes.

"It's alright, Hera. I promise, there's nothing to be worried about." Jaune assured her with an easy grin. He saw the hesitation and understood it. But this was something he wanted to be sure of too. "Trust me, Helios will be fine."

Hera bit her bottom lip, still not keen on leaving them both alone. But she had to trust both Helios and Jaune. After all, the knight had been the one to save her friend from his own negativity. She sighed in acceptance and nodded. She moved to ask the others to leave, only to stumble as she found the room already empty. She blinked, taken back before her eyes strayed to the open door out of the infirmary where she could see Rue standing in wait.

Rue smiled coyly at his leader, pointing his thumb to follow.

"Come on, fearless leader! Got to give the boys some time to hash things out. And, we could use some help keeping Terra's molesting hands to herself. She's stronger than she looks." he added weakly as some commotion could be heard outside the room.

"COME ON! HOW ABOUT A MASSAGE!? I PROMISE, I'LL GO EASY ON YOU! I'LL EASE YOU INTO IT! I JUST BOUGHT THE MOST SENSUAL OIL!"

"KEEP AWAY! DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO USE FORCE!"

Rue winced, catching the distinct sound of a certain semblance being activated and a pleased shout of glee echo as they were flung to the end of the hall. It seemed Pyrrha was done playing nice.

Hera grumbled under her breath as she followed Rue out, only to glance back at Jaune with worry. He smiled reassuringly, waving her away before the door shut behind her.

"You got a real caring leader, Helios. I can see why Headmaster Ozpin made her leader." Jaune chuckled warmly before turning back to said rocker.

Helios scoffed at the comment as he sat up, tossing his long hair back as he stared at Jaune with mixed emotions.

"That shrimp? Tch." Helios clicked his tongue in annoyance, "She doesn't even want to be leader, let alone a huntress."

Jaune scowled, not sure whether Helios was telling the truth or being his usual jerk self. Helios shook his head, not wanting to get into that headache of an issue as he crossed his arms over his bandages chest.

"That aside, why are you here, Hero?" Helios asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked as if it was obvious. He stood at the foot of the medical bed, his hands in his pockets while his eyes scanned Helios's damaged body.

Several bandages wrapped around his chest, his face, and arms. He could smell what could only be ointment underneath the wraps, most likely to treat the burns he had suffered at his own hands. An IV was connected to his wrist and Jaune could make out the heavy wrappings around the rocker's fingers. All that, and Helios's aura was up and healing him. Just how heavily wounded had he been? Did he take their fight too seriously?

Helios clicked his tongue again, spying the worry and regret in Jaune's eyes.

"Wipe that sorry look off your face, Hero. I can still make a fist and beat ya down if I wanted to." Helios growled.

Jaune threw up his hands in a sign of peace with a nervous grin, "Sorry about that. I can't help myself most of the time. I get worried when one of my friends is wrapped head to toe in bandages. I'm only used to seeing myself like that." he said with a weary laugh.

Helios scowled, "Friend? The hell are you talking about? When did I ever say we were friends?" he scoffed.

Jaune wasn't sure what to say to that. He had actually been hoping to become friends with the rocker after all that had happened between them. It was time to bury the hatchet, though he still wasn't sure what he had done to deserve so much hate to begin with. All he knew was that it had to do with all the recent attention he had been garnering since the fall of the FoF. Something about being a hero and hogging up the spotlight.

It was why Jaune was here. He wanted to understand Helios better, which was what he should have done when they had first met. Instead he had brushed the rocker off as just another arrogant huntsman like Cardin had been. For all Jaune knew, Helios could have been brought into his life as a bully to replace Cardin now that said huntsman was walking down a brighter path. Just another unfortunate soul created by this game.

There was a chance for a bond to be created between them, Jaune knew that. He had caught snippets of Helios's reasons for wanting to be a hero to the point of obsession. All he needed was a way for the stubborn redhead to open up to him.

Helios for a lack of a better term was the same.

Left alone with the guy who had been the reason for his already sour state turning toxic, Helios had wanted to speak to Jaune about what had went down between them. When all was said and done, he found that he couldn't hate the blond idiot any more than he could hate others like him. All that hate had trickled away, leaving behind the ugly mass of guilt for his actions. He remembered how hard he had come after Jaune, fighting him with every intent to break him in front of the other students, or worse. All so they could see him as their better, their hero. What a twisted sense of logic he had.

Now Helios wanted to apologize for everything he had done and said. To start anew in a sense. But he was still the same old stubborn idiot who had started the tension in the first place. His own pride refused to acknowledge his own faults. It seemed even after he had lost his negativity, he was no different than before. Like nothing had changed.

The two huntsmen in training remained silent within the modest nurse's office. Both unsure as to how to approach the other. It wasn't until a familiar growl erupted from Helios's stomach that one of them finally said something.

"Where the hell is that bubblegum haired nurse? I thought she'd be back with my breakfast by now." Helios growled along with his stomach as he scratched the back of his head in annoyance. Nurse Spriggan had said she would stop by with his food at some point before she left. That was almost an hour ago! "Damn lazy nurse." he muttered spitefully.

"You're hungry?" Jaune asked with a light frown, getting another click of annoyance from the rocker. "Actually, I might have something. It's not much, but it'll do until Nurse Sprig comes back." Reaching into his Inventory, Jaune brought the only Food Item he had on his person that wasn't a fuzzy grape flavored beverage. Helios watched Jaune curiously as the blond brought out some weird fruit with a small shower of white pixels. The so called famous semblance around campus, Summoning.

"You use your semblance to store food? Typical, only an idiot like you would do something so wasteful to a semblance." Helios sneered, receiving a dry stare from said huntsman in training.

"So, you don't want any?"

Helios visibly cringed, the tremors in his stomach kicking him for the poor response.

"I mean, you already have it out to share. Why be a dick and turn down free food?" he chuckled weakly as he looked anywhere other than Jaune.

"Oh, now you're worried about being a dick?" Jaune sighed tiredly at Helios's reaction but chose to be the bigger man. Walking to the rocker's side, he took a seat and began to snap off one of the star shaped fruits to hand over to his... rival? Frenemie? He wasn't really sure what to call him since Helios didn't recognize him as a friend.

"I warn you though, they're not exactly tasty. I've heard they're bland and-You're not even listening to me, are you?"

Helios didn't respond to Jaune's dull question, instead more than happy to feverishly tear into the odd fruit with gusto. The second his teeth bit into the green star's flesh, he froze as the juices entered his mouth and washed over his taste buds. It was an odd sweet, not too powerful, not too mild, just right. Like tasting water in a desert. The refreshing taste was hard to describe, like no other fruit he had ever tasted.

Jaune had decided to follow along Helios's example and bit into the fruit warily. Like Helios, he froze at the exotic foreign sweetness that seemed to clear away any drowsiness he had been feeling. It really was out of this world. Why did The Game text say it was bland then? It was one of the sweetest things he had ever tasted! He was sure even someone who hated sweets would adore this one with one bite.

 **Stardew's affect is now in effect!**

 _'Wait, what?'_

As Helios was caught off guard by the flavor of the star shaped fruit, an old memory resurfaced. The memory of a little red-haired boy, wearing rags and covered in dirt, lying in bed with a fever. The room he stayed in was rundown, torn and dirtied. By his bedside was a woman with creamy pink hair, her smile loving and enough to light up the dim room while she hummed to herself, peeling an apple. The woman brought the simple treat to his lips and he bit down with a small smile.

He remembered, the sweetness of that simple apple slice. A flavor like no other.

Helios's gaze grew forlorn at the memory. One that could no longer be replicated. Yet the taste could. Why?

"You're just like her. Too caring and optimistic for your own good."

Jaune was caught by surprise as Helios finally spoke up, his voice soft and heavy with melancholy. He frowned at the normally arrogant and loud rocker, seeing only a boy left vulnerable by the world.

Helios didn't wait for Jaune to comment, his gaze pointed up to the ceiling, "My mother was the same, wanting nothing more than to befriend those around her. To bring them out of whatever despair fell onto them. Just like a hero would. I can see where I got my obsession from at least." he chuckled with no real joy behind his words, "She told me she would go out in the streets of Mantle, finding whoever was in need of help and did whatever she could to help them. It was actually her dream to be a Huntress, to go into Atlas Academy and make her love for helping others a career. It's just too bad fate had other plans."

"Other plans? What do you mean? So, your mother didn't become a huntress?" Jaune asked, wanting to learn more to the woman he knew of as Selena Lyre. He still remembered the helpful character from his dive into Helios's Core. Without her, he would have lost thanks to the Will's cheating interference.

Helios shook his head, his face twisting into bitterness and engraved hate.

"No, unfortunately for her, some asshole took interest in her. Bought her with sweet words and false promises to a better life where she could help others with his money. That asshole, who I despise with every fiber of my being, is my father, Horace Hyperion. Otherwise known as the head of the Hyperion Investment."

"Hyperion-what?" Jaune asked dumbly, getting an annoyed glare and twitching brow from Helios.

"You really are dumb, aren't ya? Though, I can't say it's no surprise you of all people don't recognize the name." Helios sighed wearily, "Hyperion Investment is a corporation that deals with investments in high end technology, supporting military advancements in weapons and Dust, and profits from conflict. It's a name that's only really known to people who deal with that sort of shit, especially if you're from Atlas. Though it's not as famous as the Schnee name by any means, that asshat of a father has been working on making it well known. By any means necessary." he spat venomously.

From the sounds of it, Helios's father was not the best father. Jaune scowled at the revelation and the look of hatred on Helios's face. So, that was the source of all the negativity.

"My father," Helios's face turned to disgust at the very word, "Is a pompous, overweight, greedy, self-centered, vain, pig of a man. He knows how to play his role, manipulating others and stealing from them with underhanded tricks. He's got a talent for playing a corrupt businessman, I'll give him that. Even my own mother was unaware of what he was doing to her. Even as she passed. Not me though, I saw through all the bullshit, as did Apollo."

"Apollo?" Jaune had heard that name in Helios's Core.

Helios nodded, looking conflicted and bitter, "My older brother, Apollo Hyperion Lyre, the true heir to the Hyperion Investment lineage. But he gave all that up to join the military, leaving me to deal with our sack of shit of a father." Helios laughed bitterly, playing with his hair as he thought back to his brother, "Lucky bastard. He got most of my Ma's genes. Not me though, some of that man's old business partners say I look exactly like he did."

Taking all that information in, Jaune began to try to piece together it all together. Helios was an heir to a rich company, just like Weiss. Which meant he could have whatever he wanted. There was no need to leave all that behind to become a Huntsman. It wasn't exactly a high paying job and it was high in fatality rate. From riches to scars and bloodshed.

"So, you're the rich heir to an investment company? Then why are you here?" Jaune asked, wanting to get down to the reason Helios had left his home and the source of all the negativity that still lingered in his heart.

"Because I'm not my father's son!" Helios shouted angrily, shaking the bedpost with his outburst as his long red hair flew up. Narrowing his eyes, he forced himself to calm down or else risk his wounds reopening. "I've seen the things he's done. The people he's used. The lies he's said and false hope he's created. If I had stayed back in Atlas, I would have become just like him. A fat bastard who believes name is more important than hard work. Who's only gotten by with the money left to him by his family and the gift passed down the Hyperion bloodline. So, I left with the clothes on my back and the Lien I've been hoarding to Beacon. I'm not my father's son." he said softly, his eyes growing distant as he looked down.

"I'm my mother's son. I'm a Lyre, not a Hyperion."

"You ran away then. All the way from Atlas to Vale. I got to say, that's impressive." Jaune admitted as he thought of the distance between the two.

Helios shrugged, taking another bite of the Stardew fruit, "I had about 600,000 in Lien stowed away in a secret account inaccessible to anyone other than myself. Got to say, I did learn a thing or two under that bastard's teachings. Smuggling money was one." he said in distaste.

"SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND LIEN?" Jaune blanched at the large number. The way Helios had said it was like it wasn't that big of a deal, "Why would you need all that money for? I could get saving a few thousand, but nearly a million?"

"I had a reason. How else was I going to be accepted into Beacon?" Helios frowned as he thought back to his plans of long ago. He slouched in his bed, combing some of his long bangs back as he spoke, "I had no experience as a fighter. I was a complete greenhorn obsessed with becoming a hero like my mother wanted. The only way to be accepted into such a prestigious combat school was to buy my way in. Which didn't exactly work out as I planned.

Jaune's face grew a dry stare, thinking to what would cause what would normally be a sure-fire way to get into whatever school to fail.

"Ozpin?"

Helios chuckled with a wry grin, "Headmaster Ozpin is no greedy bastard, I'll tell you that. Not to mention Headmistress Glynda was there to smack him if he so much as thought as buying in. Let's just say it took a lot of begging and forking over almost all of my Lien for the guy to allow me a chance to at least take Initiation. He said if I wanted to prove my worth, then show him. Which I did, only thanks to Hera, Tsuki, and Rue." he smiled at the old memory, of an odd bunch of hunter's in training grouping up together to fight off the Grimm.

It was only because of his friends that he found himself as a huntsman in training. Funny how he only just realized that now that he could see clearly.

"I'm not like you. I didn't get accepted into Beacon because of my outstanding skills or accomplishments. I bought my way in for a chance and only got accepted because of the help of what would become my team. A guy as pitiful as me doesn't deserve to call himself a huntsman if he couldn't get in by himself." Helios said bitterly with a forlorn smile. He sighed deeply, leaning back into his bed as his eyes grew somber.

"I'm just an arrogant idiot who got stuck in a tree while his friends fought for their lives."

 _'I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in a tree while his friends fight for their lives!'_

In that moment, Jaune swore he saw himself in Helios. For all their looks and clashing personalities, they were more alike than he realized. Both left behind their families to become heroes, with no experience whatsoever, and had to rely on the support of the people around them to stay where they were. Just two idiots with a dream to become heroes. Jaune couldn't help but smile in sympathy.

"Well, you're not alone in that. I can't say that I'm any better than you there." Jaune chuckled lowly, getting a look of confusion from Helios. Jaune grinned, pointing at himself, "I'm not really a qualified huntsman in training. At least, I wasn't when I first got here. I faked my way in with some fake transcripts I got my hands on. I'm just a normal guy who hails from a family of warriors, nothing else. I never trained to get here and only just started to learn to fight too."

"I'm no different than you."

The news stunned Helios. Wide eyes stared at the object of his recent obsession. Jaune faked his way in? How?! That shouldn't have been possible. Beacon was the elite of the elite! Even they should have been able to see through some phony transcripts. Why would Ozpin let some greenhorn slide through?!

No, wait. It was exactly like Ozpin to let a greenhorn slip into his school. Helios sighed, knowing first hand of the aloof headmaster's strange ways. Still, it was hard to believe Jaune was just like him. He didn't remember being as strong as the blond his first year. It was only thanks to Tsuki and Rue's training that he came to be as strong as he was now. But Jaune had somehow leaped several bounds over to his level in a span of four months.

Hearing that, Helios found something crawling up his throat. His lips quivered until he found himself chuckling. That chuckling soon erupted into laughter, almost howling at what he had learned from the Rookie Hero.

Leave it to Ozpin to allow two wannabees with no experience into his school. It was funny to think that they of all people were alike. While their backgrounds were different, their beliefs and foundations were just about the same. Just two idiots willing to do whatever it took to make their dreams come true.

Controlling his laughter, Helios patted down his aching chest with a grin as Jaune stared at him nervously.

"You're not lying, are you?"

Jaune shook his head, still surprised at what he had seen from the normally rude rocker, "It's the truth. Ozpin knew the whole time and decided to give me a chance, just like you. He wanted me to prove to him that I had what it takes, that it would be a waste to leave my potential wasted. That's actually why we fought." Jaune said awkwardly while scratching his neck, "I had to beat you to stay in Beacon. It was all a test to prove my strength. I'm sorry by the way for beating you up so badly."

Helios dismissed the apology with a scoff, "Of course that coffee loving old man would pit us against each other. And don't apologize. I had that ass kicking coming a mile away. I pretty much deserved it for treating you like shit these last few months." Helios scowled sourly.

It was an ass kicking long overdue in Helios's opinion.

Jaune disagreed however and shook his head with an equal scowl.

"It didn't have to come down to that. If I had been brave enough to talk to you about what was happening, then we could have resolved this. Fighting is not always the answer, not when you have the ability to speak to one another." he said with a smile.

Helios stared at Jaune strangely, making the blond uneasy. After a few moments, Helios smirked and crossed his arms over his bandaged chest.

"You really do remind me of Genos, the hero said the same thing in the old stories my mother read to me." he said fondly as Jaune grew a confused frown.

"Genos? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Jaune thought out loud as he scratched his head.

"You don't know? Genos, Genos Arc, the Wandering Knight of the After Years? The hero of several small villages? The guy has your last name for fuck's sake!" Helios fought the shout on his lips as he stared incredulously at the still confused blond, "Do you even know of your own ancestry? You have literal heroes in your bloodline! How do you not know that!?"

Jaune snapped his fingers in realization, the name finally clicking.

"You mean Genos Arc from the old book Remnants of The After Years!" Jaune smiled as he thought back to old weathered book back at home. Remnants of The After Years was a book that contained hundreds of stories from the after years of The Great War, detailing stories of small heroes and great deeds following the end of the war between all the continents of Remnant. It also contained a few fairy tales and a collection of stories from the war. It had been a long time since Jaune thought back to his favorite childhood story book.

The book was old, very old. To the point there were many rewrites of the book due to the original works being lost to time. Only a few of the original copies remained. One still held in the Arc family's library, carefully tucked away from time. Within it held some of Jaune's ancestors, the heroes that inspired him to become a warrior too. Genos Arc was one of those heroes, being the first Arc to be born just as the war ended. He had trained to fight and participate in the war, only for it to end as he readied himself to join the fray. With his purpose lost, he had left home to wander the world for a new purpose in life.

The Wandering Knight, Savior of The Forgotten, The Radiant Spear, The Root of the Arc Lineage. Genos had wandered from village to village, caught up in their struggles as the fallout of the war took a toll on their resources and land, helping however he could while he searched for a new meaning to his life. Little did he know, he had done more good than he would have as a soldier. There were tales of a knight with no purpose saving people from Grimm, bandits, and themselves. He was just a knight passing through, gaining names without ever meaning to.

The newer additions of Remnants of The After Years had lost a good portion of the original stories, like the Arc lineage and their heroics. Replaced like many others with made up stories to inspire the younger generation with grander tales. So, for someone else to know of Genos Arc and the Arc family in general, was surprising.

Helios nodded, his smile growing fonder at the mention of the old book. His mother had held an original copy that he had kept with him to this day. It was the origin of his dream.

"' _'Fighting is not always the answer, not when you have the ability to speak to another'_. It's one of the last quotes Genos made when his journey came to an end. My Ma always adored that story. I can't count how many times she read me the story of the Wandering Knight. To the point I even grew to love it." he said softly, reminded of those golden days spent with his mother before she was taken away. And here one stood in front of him, an actual Arc, a descendant of his childhood hero.

A future hero stood in front of him, one who had walked down a similar path as him with the same dream. Helios found himself smirking. Jaune had no idea to his family's bloodline, to how special it was. To him, it was just a bloodline of warriors, no different than others. That didn't mean he was special or was gifted, it just meant he had a lot to prove himself to. To him, bloodlines didn't matter.

It was the history you made in your name that mattered, not the name of those behind you.

"You still have a long way to go to deserve the name of Arc in my opinion. You're still a third-rate huntsman in my eyes." Helios smirked smugly as Jaune glared.

"Didn't I beat you in our fight? You lost to said third-rate you know?" Jaune said flatly, only to get a challenging grin from Helios.

"Exactly! Beat down by a poor excuse of a knight, it just boils my blood! As the next Genos of the Lyre name, I have to train myself even harder if I hope to kick your ass without anything getting in the way! So, don't count your stars lucky yet! Currently we are at Arc-1, Lyre-0! And I aim to turn that around!" Helios said eagerly with a clench of his fist.

Jaune sweated nervously at the sudden 180 of emotions. Before, Lyre looked at him with hate and envy. Now? He was looking towards him with eyes of challenge and determination. It was a little too intense in his opinion. Cardin was the same to some extent, but what he was seeing from Helios was a little excessive. Was he hearing chuckling?

Helios was indeed chuckling to himself, imagining his future victories to come. He would make the blond knight fall to his knees and admit defeat! Then he would be the one looking at him with envy and respect!

Sitting up straight, Helios pointed his bandaged finger at Jaune with a wide grin as he declared his intentions to the world.

"Listen up, Hero! Enjoy the damn spotlight while you can! Keep it warm and bright for me because I aim to knock you out and stand proudly as the hero! Consider this a declaration of war between Arc and Lyre! Because from now on, you're my rival! And I aim to show everyone who the better hero is!"

 **'Congratulations! Helios Lyre Hyperion's Friendship has been Unlocked! A new Ability has been Unlocked! Flurry Beat, Unlocked!'**

Jaune stared dumbfounded at the new Friendship unlocked to him and the new bond forged between Helios and himself. A smile made itself to his face in the face of a new friend.

"If you think you can beat me, then keep dreaming!" Jaune grinned back with equal energy. He felt some confidence build now as he found another rival. The old scrawny Jaune would have never found himself at the attention of others who saw him as their equal to surpass. If they wanted a rival, then he would give it to them with everything he had, "I'll take you on whenever you want! And I'll take you down with all the strength that the name Jaune Arc's gathered!"

Helios liked the sound of that, his eyes full to the brim with excitement. If only he wasn't still wounded, he would have leaped out of bed and started round two!

"And I'll take you down with all the power the name Helios Lyre has gathered!"

A new bond had been created, forged through conflict and understanding. Another bond that should have not existed in this ever-repeating world. One to be cherished like all others.

* * *

After staying a bit longer to talk with Helios, Jaune finally said his good-bye and promised to visit sometime as he shut the door behind him. Jaune was more than happy with how the visit had turned out. Another friend had been added to the list. Another enemy turned friend. That was how it should be.

Now that he was out in the hall, Jaune grew curious as he found both team HRTH and team VLET along with Pyrrha gone. A quick check of his scroll and he found a message from Pyrrha. Apparently, the others left to give them some space and she had gone back to the dorm to get ready for their little slumber party. Even said that she met up with team RWBY. It looked like they would be joining them. Which he had no problem with, the more the merrier.

"You know, it is rude to ignore someone's presence, Mr. Arc." A strict feminine voice spoke out to him, causing Jaune's head to swing up and find a certain platinum blond huntress standing beside him.

Glynda Goodwitch stared passively at the suddenly nervous blond outside the nurse's office. She quirked a brow at the young man as he gulped and smiled weakly.

"Hey, Ms. Goodwitch! What are you doing here?"

The Deputy Headmistress tapped her infamous riding crop against her crossed arm as she addressed Jaune with a stoic gaze.

"I'm simply here to check on the condition of Mr. Lyre. There are still a few more tests we'd like to run before he is free to be released sometime this week. It's important that we make sure he is perfectly healthy after his little... hiccup." she said sternly with her eyes narrowing towards the door.

Jaune nodded in understanding while glancing away somberly. Helios was still considered a danger to others after his near Fall. They would need to make sure he was eligible to continue on as a huntsman in their academy. It wouldn't be safe to allow a huntsman seeping in negativity to continue.

But Jaune knew for a fact that Helios was fine. Even better than before if he was honest. His friend was no threat to any of them.

Resting his hands in his pockets, Jaune gave Glynda a confident smile as he turned away to continue on with his own business.

"Then I shouldn't keep you waiting. The sooner you all go through the tests, the sooner he passes. Because I know for a fact that my friend is fine. Something like this won't get in his way of becoming a proud huntsman of Beacon Academy. Not after fighting his own darkness."

Watching as Jaune left back to his own devices, Glynda waited until he was completely gone before turning back to her tablet. Her usually stern eyes grew soft as she read the message she had personally typed up.

 _'Due to proving to be a danger to those in the Huntsman community and displaying signs of an excessive amount of negativity during combat against others and disregarding orders, Helios Lyre is to be considered a danger to Beacon Academy and its teachings. As of today, he will be banned from attending Beacon, expelled from its grounds, and blacklisted from other Combat Academies.'_

The fate of Helios Lyre's attendance in Beacon would be decided by herself, as per Ozpin's instructions. And as a Huntress, she would not go easy on the young man. Not when he displayed such negativity. It would be foolish to allow him to continue attending classes when he could Fall and bring onto them a stampede of Grimm. It was the correct course of action.

Yet, once she reached the door to the soon to be expelled student, Glynda found herself standing outside and listening to the conversation between the two boys. She had taken out her riding crop, readying herself in case Helios fell further into himself as he talked with the source of his peaking negativity. But in the end, there was no need for hostilities. Helios's aura had remained docile, showing no signs of going berserk again.

Glynda had heard it all. A bond of rivalry between two boys. To better themselves to prove to the other they deserved each other's respect. There was no negativity in either one's words. Only promise.

With a sigh, Glynda tapped away on her scroll, deleting her statement to the Headmaster until further notice. She still wasn't sure about allowing Helios to continue his stay in Beacon, but for once she would just have to have some faith. Faith in the trust of a promising huntsman had for one who had fallen to their own despair.

"I suppose I can see some inkling as to why Ozpin allowed you into our academy." Glynda said to herself with growing signs of a smile on her face. Shutting off her scroll, Glynda gave a few knocks to the door and waited entrance to her student's room.

There was still work to be done. Better to finish it quickly so she could return back to the office. It was never a wise idea to leave Ozpin by himself with a mountain of paperwork.

* * *

 _ **Bond. A connection born from understanding and promise. Such is the power of ones heart to create a better future for one another. A power unlike any other.**_

 _ **But where there is a Will, there is a way. A way to turn even bonds into something. . .unknown.**_

 _ **A new tomorrow comes again. And where the sun rises, shadows peak. Strength covets challenge, so what powers lurk at the signs of a powerful Heart?**_

 _ **Tell me, dO YoU KNoW THe wAY?**_

 **FoGD.**

 **And it begins! V2 of Multiplayer is officially rolling out with this chapter! We begin with a small Arc coming soon, inspired by a certain RoosterTeeth cartoon I've come to love. I remember coming up with it during the very early stages of Multiplayer's writing, so I'm excited. Especially at the new threat to come. Gotta love cults. Makes me wants to sing a certain song by the campfire.**

 **OH~! There's a certain placed tucked far away, a place where you and I can stay~!**

 **Moving along though. Apologies for the very late chapter. As I've said before, my work schedule has become very heavy with me moving over to a new location to help out. I'm usually too tired to open up my laptop as of late. But, I'll try my damnest to finish writing my chapters and updating when I can. So, expect my updating schedule to be hectic. But a man has got to work to get that rent check.**

 **Sadly, I was planning on adding a DLC I was working on along with this chapter. But it's not finished yet. Gonna have to wait until next time. Oh well, whatever will I do to lift your spirits and reward you all for your patience?**

 **. . . . .Oh. OH. OOOOHHHHHH!**

 **I think I got something. Or two somethings.**

* * *

 **Project X-Over #1:** _FE._

 _ **A world of Ruin. And a Princess turned warrior.**_

This time could no longer be saved, the woman had grudgingly accepted that. Yet that didn't mean she couldn't save another time from the same fate. Their was still a future worth fighting for within the reach of her fingers.

The slit of light suddenly opened wide. Crystal like lashes formed along with the aqua blue eye of a being staring straight at her. Its size dwarfed the young woman in both height and width with star constellations and zodiac symbols circling around it. The very presence of the odd portal promised the young woman a chance she had thought been lost to her.

The hope for a better future to all those lost to the monsters rule met her gaze.

"FOOOOOOLISH CHILD!"

 _ **A World of Bloody Evolution. And a Blond Noodle, Aspiring to be a Knight.**_

The first thought to enter Jaune's head as he flew across the treetops of the Emerald Forest?

 _'I'm going to die, aren't I?'_

Depressed at the recent events that had transpired, Jaune sighed as his body continued to fly high across the air. The sheer speed he was flying at caused the wind to sting his face and flinch. How long had he been flying for? It felt like hours!

When Jaune had thought he found the Relic within a cave alongside Pyrrha, he had really thought he had proven his father wrong. He was still alive and he was just one step closer to becoming a huntsman just like the rest of them. Despite his lack of training he was going to pass initiation and be welcomed to one of the best combat schools of the land along with his new friends. But the moment he latched onto the Relic, he had seen his bright future stripped away by the menacing red-yellow eyes of the glowering scorpion themed Grimm. And than he was sent flying off into the sky like a daytime star.

What a way to kickstart his official day as a huntsman in training.

 _ **An irregularity. And a course veered slightly off.**_

Jaune's blue eyes flew open wide at the sight of a creepy eye like portal open up above his soaring form. Jaune had seen some interesting and weird things since stepping out of his quaint little village into the world of huntsman and huntresses, but what he was seeing unfold before his eyes took the cake. He couldn't even form a gasp when a figure seemed to slip out slowly from its eye and fall into his direction.

"What th-!"

An incredible amount of pain hit Jaune as the figure fell down onto his like an anvil weight. His eyes flew open in pain, losing the air in his lungs. His flight was finally cut off due to the weight of the figure sending him crashing down back into the forest grounds. Before time resumed to its normal pace, Jaune swallowed the pain down and got a good look at the figure against his chest.

He saw blue hair tied back in a bun, a masked face made of some kind of metal and designed after a butterfly, and gritting teeth. A single thought ran through his mind above all else.

 _'They're going to get hurt too. I can't let that happen!'_

The hero in Jaune spoke for his body as his arms linked around the slender figure's waist line. Once the flow of the world returned, he gripped onto the stranger as tight as he could and brought them closer. The wind rushed past both their forms plummeting to the unforgiving earth below. And all Jaune could do was gnash his teeth together and brace himself for the impact.

 _'I guess it's time to see if my aura can withstand an impact from this height!'_

 **A meeting never to be set.**

"Name's Jaune, Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue! Ladies love it." he said smoothly with the best winning grin he could show.

The woman stared dryly at Jaune, finding herself reminded of a certain noble archer.

"Does it?" She couldn't help but ask. Jaune immediately slumped, defeated. It looked like that little line wasn't a winner. He should have known better than to trust anything his father said to him.

"So far, no."

A small chuckle left the blue haired woman's lips, finding the blond knight amusing. At least she was assured he wasn't anything like Virion. That would have been worrying. Seeing as he introduced himself, it was only right that she returned the favor. She opened her mouth to speak only to shut them swiftly. She wasn't from this world it appeared, but she would have to get use to be addressed by her alias while she was here however short it would be.

"My name is Marth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jaune." Marth said introduced herself with a small smile.

 _ **And a New History written by accident.**_

The many growls behind him caused Jaune to look back to the many, many Grimm eyeing him and the slowly vanishing gate. He gulped anxiously. There was no way he would be able to take on all those Grimm, especially with his aura gone. He wouldn't survive another minute. And sadly, he had nowhere to run without being mauled to death.

Well, there was one way out of this.

Jaune had no idea what the gate thing lead to. He was still finding it hard to believe that he was fighting beside someone that came out of nowhere and was possibly from another world. But he did know wherever it lead to would take him away from the Grimm.

Sheathing Crocea Mors, Jaune turned his back to the Grimm horde and ran straight for the closing gate. An other worldly energy swallowed him whole, devouring him into a tear of space and time before the eye blinked. With the blink, the dragon's gate shut itself and vanished from the world it didn't belong in. The loss of the alluring mass of foreign energy stunned the mass of Grimm still, almost as if they weren't sure what to do with themselves now.

Unknown to those participating in Initiation, two sets of eyes had been watching the students closely through hidden cameras placed around every inch of the Emerald Forest and had seen everthing. A certain gray haired headmaster with hazel eyes full of wisdom had one thing to say to the events that had just transpired as his platinum blond headmistress gaped at the screen.

"Well, shit."

 _ **And when you Awaken again, your history will be written. For you've already lived your life in this world. And you've failed.**_

 _ **Well, let's hope that second times the real charm. Time travel, dimension hopping, it's all confusing stuff.**_

 **AFT** : A Huntsman's Awakening.

"So, zombies exist? And dragons? There's no way that girl's a thousand years old! And how the hell can one girl have that many twin sisters?!"

 **To be released, December.**

* * *

 **Project X-Over #2:** _MNS._

 _ **A fate repeated once again.**_

The Griffon's head was lobbed cleanly off by the heavy blade. With its death, its body began turning into smoking ash.

Jaune spared the withering body a small glance before setting his eyes to the sky above. He made out several circling Grimm, waiting to dive in on the feast of negativity created by the fighting. In the distance, he could make out the growls and howls of other Grimm drawing close.

Again, it was repeating again. The fall of a school, the end of peace. Another school for aspiring Huntsman would fall tonight. Just as it had a year ago.

Jaune gripped his hilt tightly, his knuckles popping as he held his face.

"Not again, never again!" Jaune whispered harshly, his blue eyes peeking out through his fingers with something unlike him.

His feet had already moved before he knew it. He was running through the fighting, passing by the battling faunus from Menagerie and the White Fang, ignoring everything else but what he could see overhead the night of Haven Academy.

 **An unlikely meeting. Of Knight and Bandit.**

"You!"

Raven chuckled softly at the blond knight, waving her hand carelessly at him.

"You? Is that all you have to say? I would have thought an ally of my daughter would have something more scathing to say." Raven said amusingly before her face twisted. Her hand pressed itself harder on her wound as blood leaked out. From what he could see, it looked like something had dug its finger deep into her.

Jaune flinched, the sight hitting an old part of himself that worried for others. His father had once said to always help a woman in need. But that was quickly squashed after all that he had endured from people like Raven.

"You have no right to call Yang your daughter. Not after all that you've done." Jaune spat, remembering how broken Yang had once been.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to kill me?"

Jaune grit his teeth as Raven's eyes glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She wondered if he even realized that he had already formed his claymore blade for a decapitating swing.

 _ **But in the midst of the chaos, a change of fate is created.**_

Firing off the spot with a boost of both her sheaths recoil and lightning, Raven appeared in front of Cinder's eyes with her odachi ready to cut her down. Cinder grew frantic, knowing she wouldn't be able to block or evade. The attack would most likely tear away her aura and leave her vulnerable for the next fatal attack. But then she watched as Raven passed by her, her sword still sheathed as she became a blur of azure sparks.

Cinder was even more confused at the sound of the odachi cutting through the air and feeling nothing. Why would she-

Cold metal snaked around Cinder's throat suddenly as she felt someone drop behind her, popping out of literal nowhere as they held her in a choke-hold. She grew furious, practically burning up as she recognized the white greaves and the blond hair she caught at the corner of her sights as she tried looking back.

Ruby gasped, stunned as she watched Jaune of all people step out of the portal drawn by Raven behind Cinder. The knight didn't waste any time in holding the Fall Maiden back, capturing her in a hold as he held her closely to his chest. What was he doing here with Raven of all people?

"RAVEN, NOW!" Jaune shouted urgently as he felt Cinder struggle to escape his grip. He winced deeply as he felt the fire growing on her body try to eat away at his dwindling aura.

A last ditch effort. To protect those dear

Raven appeared right behind Jaune and Cinder, sword drawn as a portal opened below their feet, growing wider and bigger in size compared to her normal portals. But something was odd about the portal, it looked unstable, dragging in the loose debris close by like a blackhole. She even saw what looked like ribbons of black and red energy drawn into the gate.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Cinder screeched in agony, feeling as if she was being torn apart by a strong pull of gravity. Even without her aura, she could still use her magic, allowing her to burn away at the annoying knight keeping her still.

Despite the pain as his aura weakened and the long sword cut through his lower organs, Jaune grinned through his grimace with bloody lips.

"T-Taking you out of the picture! Permanently!" Jaune answered hoarsely, flinching as the portal began to devour his feet. It was like they were coming apart, piece by piece. Pulling him away to wherever the other end of the portal lead them.

With a twirl of her odachi, Raven stabbed the pure black gravity infused Dust blade into the portal, driving it deep into the swirling energy gate as she felt her body sink in. She began to sweat, focusing all her attention and focus on her semblance as it went haywire.

 _ **Time to Say Good-Bye.**_

"JAUNE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Ruby shouted at the top of her lungs before running towards the three caught in the portal. She grunted as a powerful gust of wind was released from the gate, sending her flying back forcefully into the arms of her partner. There was no getting close.

Glancing back towards the four girls, Jaune gave them a somber smile as he began to lose the strength in his arms.

"Please, be the heroes I couldn't be. And never lose the smiles on your faces. That's all I ask."

 _ **And if you survive, say hello.**_

"Kamo, you shouldn't run off in the rain! You'll catch your death out here!" Negi scolded as he waggled his finger at his friend.

"My death? What about that guy!? I don't think a little rain will make it any worse."

Negi blinked, puzzled at Kamo's words. What was he talking about? Following the small animal's line of sight, Negi gasped.

Caught in a bear trap's jaw clamped down on his ankle was a man. A blond man in what looked like a black hoodie and jeans with red scarf tied to his waist. What was odd about the man was the pieces of armor on him and what appeared to be a sword on his belt. The man laid faced down in the muddy grass, littering with wounds, burns, and a gaping hole on his back. Negi grew even more alarmed as he noticed blood seeping into the rain water.

"This is bad, bro! Who knows how long this guy's been out in the rain like this. If he doesn't die from his wounds, he'll die of sickness for sure."

Negi didn't need to be told something that obvious. The alarming amount of blood he could see should have been enough to kill a normal person, let alone the hole piercing right through organs. But despite all that, when he checked the blond's pulse, it was still there. Faint, but there. Which meant he was still alive and in need of help. Someone needed to save him.

"Bro, don't push yourself! I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can even do with a doctor's help! You're just carrying around dead weight!" Kamo explained to deaf ears.

"If there's a chance in saving him, I'm not going to let it go! A hero never turns his back on those who need saving!" Negi declared passionately, his determination stronger than that of any seven year old.

Unknown to the two, one of the blond stranger's eyes had briefly opened partially. The blue eye saw nothing but blurs in his haze, unaware of the small flame growing in his eye before falling into unconsciousness.

 **For a fascinating new world awaits. Where the impossible is possible, where demons walk, vampires breath, and magic flows through the air. And lessons old will once again be taught. The student turned warrior becomes. . .the aide?**

 **AFT** : The Teacher's Aide. 

"There's something wrong here. The orange haired girl with bell's in her hair is stripped at least once a day by luck! That girl is a robot! That girl talks as if she's a thousand years old, and I'm pretty sure she swore to suck my blood! That miko girl carries a gun around for some weird reason, and don't even get me started on the lolis! Not to mention I swear I feel a chill go down my spine every once in a while in class. Oh, and lets not forget all the molestation. If another group of girls chases me around campus naked again, I'm suing this place."

 **Date of Release, TBD.**

* * *

 **Well. . .THAT was a thing. Brownie points to those who can guess what crossover's are mentioned. Just somethings I've been working on in my little spare time after writing my main stories. To be released in the coming year after finishing what I need. First I just got to get my main two stories updated more though. But at least you got something to look forward to if it interests you. Might even update Arc Works with three more chapters dedicated to the crossovers. That's right, I still got one more in the wait.**

 **But for now, remember to Read and Review. It's common courtesy after all.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	35. Marks For a Dream

**Man, what a day it's been. NeoShadows here and coming at ya with a new chapter. Finally.**

 **As I did on AJOAT, I apologize for not updating quicker. Work related stuff got in the way of my time, but that's all settled for now. That, and I've been busy working on making my own game with RPG Maker. It's a nice way to relax and still keep me productive after writing fanfiction. All that's behind me for the moment though. I'm back to writing and got my groove back to boot.**

 **The next Arc to the story for Act2 begins here. Setting us up for one hell of an adventure for our boy Jaune. I'm very happy with what's to come here. But this will also be a special and unique Arc this time. It's not going to be too long, possibly three chapters. Maybe. Who's placing bets? But the story doesn't end there. Well, for Jaune it will. I like to think as this Arc as a coin, two sides to the events of the week to come before the second semester begins. I'll reveal the real name at the end.**

 **For now, let's get to those Reviews.**

 **Ssjzohan: Yup! Two of my favorite games and manga. And I'll do my best to churn out as many chapters until September for ya!**

 **ShadowIke: I had those two X-Overs in mind for a long time. I thought, why not just stop thinking about it and write a first chapter already? I'm already working on making chapters for them both in my spare time and plan on releasing each story once I've gotten a decent amount done and planned out. As for the original casts thoughts of strength compared to the others, don't worry about it. I know, trust me. I've already got something planned out for this Act, especially this Arc to even let them figure it out. Stay tuned.**

 **CorEagle: . . .I see that. Clearly.**

 **WoodXVii: Oh, how fun it is going to be. There's a special emotional fight I can't wait to write for this Volume that I'm sure you'll all love. As someone who use to read Negima fanfiction, I know how desperately it needs quality fics. Hopefully I can measure up to your expectations.**

 **GhostAngel14: If you start playing Fire Emblem, play Awakening. That's the game that got me playing all the others. Plus it feeds my inner shipper. The Volume has officially begun and we got so much in store. Trust me, Jaune vs. Blanc will be a great event to look out for. But while they may not meet each other for some time, that doesn't mean others won't. This Arc is going to be fun. Hmm, I thought I heard of that name before. Remind me never to chaperone a group of troubled kids to a prison. Anyone capable of doing that to Hanseen is not one to mess with.**

 **Solomon07: Fan of Negima, huh? And of course the Manga version! Which is funny since I started off with the anime first as a kid. That was then when I still didn't understand that the manga came first.**

 **Lordrednight: Awesome indeed, my friend. It's my favorite, next to Volume 3 which is still in development, but full of oh so many moments I can't wait to share. Jaune is going to have one hell of a time in the Negima universe, I'll tell you that much. I'm doing my best to make it stand out compared to the many crossovers that share the X-over. For now though, it's still in development and will have an announced date for its release by the end of the year. Don't worry though, I already got a second chapter almost complete.**

 **AFan1204: And who's to blame? You keep my pills, clearly you are to blame. The fans seem to enjoy it when I'm off my meds.**

 **Soleimon Berserker: You're welcome? Honestly, I'm still not sure on my writing skills here. I can only do my best to get out a top quality fic for ya. I'm doing it for you, bud.**

 **Yexius: Yes, squeal! It's what keeps me in business.**

 **NugiSpringield: Damn. You haven't even read the first chapter yet! Only a snippet. Now I really got to make sure it turns out well.**

 **ZHsteve: Finally! Someone who understands my plight! That Raid with that gold digger didn't help. So much gold. Who says all that glimmer isn't gold?**

 **DJexe: Glad to get a smile out of ya. And you can't burn out what's already smoldering!**

 **WyattMoore: Right, that is a meme, isn't it? You know I laugh. I didn't intend for that. Well, you'll see why eventually.**

 **Reven228: I think you are one of the few who realized that. I feel in love with that show on episode one, and it had my heart at the last episode of the first season. I'm sure you'll love this spin I have going on.**

 **Slenderbrine: Tell me about it. It was funny at first, but too much of a good thing is always bad for you. I didn't intend for that to be connected to a meme. There's more for what's to come with that. But no spoilers for you!**

 **NaguraFlames: Another Beta? I don't honestly know. I'm fine with my buddy A Fan1204, but I wouldn't want him overworked when I got more stories going out. I'll think about that down the road.**

 **CorEagle: Damn, what a review. While it was a joke, it was still entertaining to read. I liked it. Keep 'em coming.**

 **That's all for reviews for now. We'll talk more at the end. So, get to scrolling already!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: _I do not own the rights to RWBY. All rights are reserved for RoosterTeeth. Currently, I'm very anxious. It's June, E3 is here, and we'll finally know the release date of Kingdom Hearts 3. I've waited 13 fucking years for its sequel, had fun with its spin-offs, but enough is enough! i need it in my hands, NOW. I got the fever._**

 ** _Maybe I should just get working on an X-Over with RWBY already to get me to settle down? That section needs some good stories. Nothing but highschool fics and slash littering it. Which is fine, but too much is too much for god's sake! Just for that, I'm going to hide under my covers and read me some. . .research material. Jiraiya, have I made you proud yet?_**

* * *

 **Chapter 35: Marks to a Dream.**

Waking up to what could only be described as a sugar intoxicated hangover was not what Jaune wanted after a night of movies and snacks. With a gurgled moan, Jaune slowly sat up from the popcorn and candy wrapper carpeted floor. His vision was blurry, adjusting to his surroundings as he held his throbbing temple with a grimace. Several cans of Everybody Loves Grapes Soda were strewn around him, clinking as he tossed a half-eaten chocolate bar stuck to his face to the side. That was the last time he had Nora provide the snacks or play hostess.

What had happened again? His memory was fuzzy at best. He could only remember watching Final Location 4 while chugging his favorite soda along with Yang. When it had become a contest of who could drink more, he had no idea. All he knew was that his mouth now tasted like grapes. He was sure his tongue was dyed purple.

Something heavy seemed to be settled on Jaune's lap now that he was awake. Rubbing his eyes with a yawn, Jaune glanced down at the warm weight before his yawn transformed into a shriek midway through. Sweat ran down his temple at the head of snow white hair, undone and snuggled against his lap.

Weiss Schnee awoke to an odd sound. Annoyed at whoever interrupted her beauty sleep, she slowly blinked as she found herself laying on the floor. A dirty floor littered with junk food and wrappers. Her nose wrinkled in disgust before she realized that she was wrong in her earlier thought. She wasn't on the floor per say. Her head was actually resting atop something warm that acted as her pillow. Whatever it was suddenly grew stiff, confusing her greatly as something poked her cheek. This was the oddest pillow she had ever slept on. Rubbing against it only seemed to make it harder. Was it throbbing?

"And now I'm dead."

With a frown of confusion as she caught Jaune's voice, Weiss's mind finally made out her so-called pillow. A furious blush erupted on the heiresses face as realized where she was and what was poking her cheek. Both embarrassment and fury consumed her.

The two teams laying about the room of team JNPR were suddenly awakened by the shrill scream of a girl and the furious shout of an angered heiress. They were all confused to find Weiss standing up right, her face red and livid as she glared at the ceiling. Turning their eyes up, they all found the odd and worrying sight of Jaune pinned to the ceiling by several ice stakes in a cross formation. The blond leader of JNPR whimpered, tears trailing down his face as he awaited his execution.

Yang was the first to respond to the scene after shaking off the popcorn from her lovely hair.

"I have no idea what I'm seeing, but I know I don't want it to end." Yang snickered.

Weiss paid them no mind. Her shoulders slumped as her rapier's point touched the floor, her form resembling a haunting spirit with a shadowed expression. Jaune could have sworn he saw red glaring back at him. His Snow Angle was gone. The devil was in.

"Y-You perverted buffoon." Weiss whispered hauntingly. Her rapier was shrouded in flames with a click of its Dust chamber. Jaune stared in fear of the inferno consuming the lovely thin blade now aimed to set him ablaze. Any attempts to calm her down from his lips would only go ignored in her present state, "It seems I've been too friendly with you as of late. Don't worry, I'll rectify that mistake shortly."

But the execution of one blond noodle was set back as Pyrrha hastily jumped in.

"Weiss! I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding! Whatever Jaune did, I'm sure he didn't mean it!" Pyrrha said hurriedly in panic.

Weiss only narrowed her eyes further, "Oh, I'm sure he meant it. He wouldn't have had that kind of reaction if he didn't." she spoke dryly.

Jaune laughed nervously to that. She wasn't exactly wrong.

"In my defense, I have no memory of last night or how we woke up in that questionable position. It's almost like someone spiked my grape soda." Jaune groaned and rubbed his aching temple. Seriously, he could swear he tasted alcohol on his tongue too.

Yang whistled discretely while stepping away from the scene. The flask in hand was stuffed back in her secret compartment, which was her cleavage. Hey, it was a party! And a party wasn't a party without some alcohol and a drunk blond. Too bad all it did was give Jaune a headache along with some memory loss of the night. Next time she was bringing the hard stuff.

While Weiss wanted nothing more than to make Jaune pay for the humiliating wake up, she knew that she couldn't execute him. Not in front of witnesses. With a sigh on her lips, she fired a few harmless fireballs at the ice stakes pinning Jaune to the ceiling and watched as he fell to the floor with a yelp. She rolled her eyes at the blond knight's dramatic fall.

"Consider yourself lucky, Jaune. If you were anyone else, I would have skewered you and made it look like an accident. But the next time your... blade comes within distance of my face again, I'll be sure to break it and melt it down." Weiss growled with a light dust of pink on her face.

Ruby blinked, not understanding what Weiss was referring to, "What blade? And why would it be anywhere near your face?" Crocea Mors wasn't even out in the open.

Jaune simply nodded feverishly under the Snow Angel's glare. He got the message. No need to say anything more. But now that the little commotion was over with, he went back to gazing around his room. He couldn't help but frown distastefully at all the trash and junk food laying around. It was just like the slumber parties he would have with his sisters back home. At least he didn't have his mother around to nag him about cleaning the place.

Still they would have to clean up the place. That was the price to be paid for a night of fun.

"Well, since we're all up now, we can begin cleaning. We can't just leave the room a mess like this. Especially if we're to get rid of the soda stains on the carpet. Wait too long and they'll become a pain to get rid of." A wave of groans erupted at Jaune's suggestion from all but Weiss and Ren. Even Blake was too tired to help clean as she laid back against his bed with several cans of tuna laid around her.

"But I'm hungry!" Nora proclaimed with her head poking out of the large pile of candy wrappers she slept under. The hammer Valkyrie aimed a pout to her beloved leader, "Can't that wait until we've had breakfast? I really don't feel like cleaning up first thing in the morning. Plus, we're on break! Do we really have to take any responsibility for all the messes we make?"

"Yes, yes we do." Jaune chided as he took the posture of a lecturing parent, "We still have to keep proper care of our room even if we're not in classes. I'm pretty sure Ms. Goodwitch is still making rounds around campus to inspect the dorms. If she finds the place like this, she'll punish us, break or no break." he shuddered to think of what the strict Huntress would do to him. That riding crop of hers would always send a shiver down his spine.

"I agree with Jaune. Better to get it over with than to put it off for later." Weiss was in agreement before her eyes went wide in disbelief. Since when did she ever agree with Jaune of all people?

While everyone wasn't as on board with the idea as Jaune and Weiss were, Pyrrha was all for it. She moved around the room to pick up the discarded cans of soda alongside the knight and heiress.

"We can grab breakfast once we're done cleaning up. I'm sure if we all work together, we can finish in no less than an hour!" Pyrrha remarked brightly, getting stubborn nods from all those within.

Now that everyone went about to clean up the mess of last night's slumber party, it didn't take too long for the room to resemble its old state. But while in the midst of tying the several trash bags, Jaune's scroll rumbled, alerting him to a message.

 _'Ozpin: Good morning, Mr. Arc. I trust you've slept well. While this may seem a tad early for one your age, I would like for us to meet once you've received this message. It pertains to the subject matter I alluded to when we're discussing your official status as a Huntsman in training. I hope this doesn't inconvenience you and await your arrival. Have a good day, Mr. Arc.'_

Jaune rose a brow at the message from the Headmaster. Subject matter? It took him a few seconds to realize what the gray-haired man was talking about as he recalled when he received his huntsman in training transcripts. Opening up his Game Menus, he scrolled through the various missions he had on hold. The missions were simple requests by the people around him that simply had him roaming around the city of Vale or forests for certain items. Nothing too important but they did yield Lien. But one mission stood out from the rest, highlighted in red as urgent.

 **Amber Dreams:**

 **Headmaster Ozpin wishes to speak with The Player about a special task. This is a top-secret meeting that no one must know about. Further explanation on the mission will be revealed upon acceptance.**

 **Reward: Unlock Headmaster Ozpin's Friendship! Unlock the Event, Inner Circle, 180,000EXP.**

 **Failure Penalty: Mission line lost.**

The mission had popped up when Ozpin had been speaking to Jaune about wanting to speak to him at some point during the week about an important matter. What it was, Jaune had no idea. Ozpin was being as secretive as always. It was a mission he couldn't refuse, locking on as urgent and activated. Whatever it was seemed to be very important. At least if he completed the mission he would unlock Ozpin's Friendship. That would certainly grant him some boons. And if he failed it didn't seem it would be a big deal. The penalty would only result in the mission line no longer being available.

 _'I might as well go see what the Headmaster wants. I can always catch up with the rest back at the cafeteria when I'm done with whatever he wants to talk about.'_ Firmly tying the last knot on the trash bags, Jaune hefted them over his shoulders while making his way to the door.

"That's the last of the trash. I'm going to go ahead and toss them out. You all can head over to the cafeteria for some grub if you want. I can meet you guys later when I'm done." Jaune spoke over his shoulder casually. If it was a secret meeting then there was no need to let them know where he was really going.

Receiving nods as the two teams finished fixing the room, Jaune began to make his way to the Headmaster office.

* * *

After making a quick stop to dispose of the trash, Jaune now stood in front of the base of Beacon's Tower. He could already see many of the students and civilians of Vale coming and going from the CCT. With the academy giving the students a break from their lessons, many of them were out to talk to relatives about any plans for visiting. The thought of relatives and family caused guilt to form in Jaune's chest. Just a month ago he had come to do the same as many of them did. And it had been a month since he had come back.

The news of his father's condition had shaken him to his core. Not to mention the guilt that stayed with him for leaving his family behind to watch over their bed ridden father. Since then, he had been ignoring all calls from home. It was a despicable thing to do, he knew that. His mother was suffering with her husband fallen under a deep sleep and her only son was refusing to talk to her. All she wanted to do was make sure he was doing okay and apologize for dropping such a heavy bomb onto him. Then there was his memory loss that she had learned of. There was so much she wanted to speak to him about.

But Jaune couldn't do it. He couldn't stand by listening to his mother, the sorrow, despair, worry, and pain in her voice was too much to bear. Especially when he had no way to comfort her from Beacon. He could only listen and offer words that would do nothing to ease her pain. He was conflicted, at odds with himself with wanting to be there for his mother and family, and with not wanting to go through the pain of the reality of his father.

He was a terrible son, there was no denying that.

Right now, though, Jaune wasn't here to deal with that pain. He wasn't sure when he would be ready to deal with it. He needed to put it on hold however, speaking with Ozpin was what he needed to focus on right now. He would just continue moving forward as he always did.

Stepping inside the tower, Jaune made his way over to the elevator to head up to the highest level. But as he moved to enter the elevator, he was stopped by two voices behind him.

"LemonHead? What you doing around here?"

"Mr. Arc? Ah, just the man I needed to see."

Turning back, Jaune found both Professor Pithos and Professor Kusanagi walking towards him. The two veteran Huntsman waved at him with small smiles.

"Professor Pithos, Kusanagi? What are you guys doing here?" Jaune asked politely.

Popping a bubble of lemon flavored gum, the always lax Professor Pithos spoke first, "Had to stop by to speak with the Headmaster concerning something important. While you kids have the next few weeks off, we teachers are still at work. Lucky little brats." Pithos grumbled sourly.

"I had a call to make to some family back home in Vacuo when I ran into Hope. We were actually planning on heading out for a couple of drinks before meeting with Ms. Goodwitch and the rest of the staff. With the arrivals of those students from the other academies coming in the next month, we have to go over changes to the lesson plans to fit all hunter's in training." Kusanagi explained before reaching into his kimono. With a slight smirk he then handed Jaune a pocket-sized notebook, "It's actually a good thing I caught you, Mr. Arc. I hadn't finished explaining the full potential of Ignis Mors with you yet. I'd actually sit down with you to go over it in full detail, but I have plans. So, I'll just hand you its Maintenance Manual."

 **Ignis Mors Manual, Received!**

With the notebook in hand, Jaune began to flip through the book. It wasn't a surprise to him that a Game Hub took over to easily reveal the important information on his newest weapon. As he looked it over, Professor Kusanagi furthered explained its details.

"Ignis Mors is more than just a shield as you've already noticed. Along with needing Fire Dust to keep it running and to perform its more explosive attacks, it actually comes with a second form. Unfortunately, I'm missing a certain part for its transformation. Don't worry though, it should arrive next month at best. I should also note if you overload the shield with Fire Dust while Crocea Mors is sheathed, you can augment the blade with fire too."

 **An Ability has been Unlocked to Ignis Mors Ability Tree! Ignis Blade, Unlocked!**

 _'Looks like I can add Fire to my sword attacks now. That's good to know if I have to deal with any enemies weak to it. Too bad about Ignis's transformation though.'_ That was actually what he had been hoping to use in his fights yesterday. But it wouldn't activate. For now, he would have to wait and just stick to its explosive jab for heavy damage. With a mental note to head to Vale sometime to stock up on Fire Dust Powder, Jaune pocketed the handy manual.

Professor Pithos suddenly snapped his fingers with an expression of realization. Right, he almost forgot to hand the blond something important as well. Parting his open lab coat to reach into the inner pockets he moved to hand Jaune something as well.

"Actually, I got something for ya too, Lemon Head. After returning to my office, I was able to etch the Sigil for Ignis. Might as well give it to ya."

Jaune stared at the next journal in awe. The journal in hand was dark blue with odd symbols printed around the Dust crystal stamped on it. Just touching it gave off an overwhelming sense of magic. Opening the pages revealed that most of them were blank. Except for one page displaying a candle wick flame made of red lines.

 **Fire Sigil, Unlocked! Access to low leveled Fire Spells now granted in fights freely! Ember and Firebolt now usable! By equipping a Sigil, the cost of the elemental spell attributed to the Sigil is cut in half and adds 10% increase in damage!**

"Right now, I'll start you off with a low leveled Sigil. I'll upgrade them for you when you show me that you're ready and have more knowledge of Dust, so be sure to pay attention in class." Professor Pithos smirked before going into detail, "To apply the sigil, I've noted down the process of creating it and any warnings of long time use. Just as fusing or injecting Dust is dangerous to the body, so are Sigils. Don't spam them or focus too much power to them, or you'll end up harming yourself in various ways."

Jaune winced at the harmful effects he was reading. Apparently overuse of a Sigil will inflict a negative status effect. In this case SVRE Burn and Attack Down. He was going to have to be careful with that.

Glad to have given Jaune the manual for Ignis Mors, Professor Kusanagi patted Jaune's shoulder before moving back to head on his way.

"Just remember to take proper care of your new partner. Unlike Crocea Mors which seems to keep its sharpness without much care, Ignis Mors does need regular maintenance. If you need any help on it, don't be afraid to stop by the forge, or ask Ms. Rose. And remember to ask her for help on teaching you how to use a firearm. Don't want you shooting your own foot." he chuckled as he left for the door.

Professor Pithos snickered at the more than possible thought. With the kid's luck, he'd be stuck in Nurse Spriggan's office. Another reason for the bubblegum haired woman to drink. Ready to follow along with his co-worker, the sweet loving Dust professor stopped. His eyes slightly narrowed when he glanced at Jaune.

"You'll be meeting with the Headmaster to talk about something important, right?" he asked knowingly. The look of surprise was amusing on the blond knight before Pithos features became stern. "Listen, I'm not too keen on what he hopes to share with you. It's a touchy subject that normal huntsman have no need of butting their head into, let alone a student of ours. I just want to tell you that you don't have to go up there. You're more than free to go back to your friends and continue on with your normal school life."

Jaune frowned at the professors warning, his frown only deepening as a message popped up on his HUD.

 **Abandon Amber Dreams? WARNING: Abandoning the mission will not yield any rewards and prevent progress on the mission.**

 **Abandon? Yes/No?**

Was the mission that important? The option to abandon the mission was a first for Jaune. Not to mention the expression on Professor Pithos normally lax face said it all. Whatever awaited Jaune once he spoke to Headmaster Ozpin was not to be taken lightly. From the sounds of it, it would change his life. Jaune had to stop himself from chuckling at the thought. As if his life wasn't out of the ordinary or dangerous enough as it was.

 _'I really don't have any reason to not take the mission. Besides, Ozpin's done more for me than I could ever repay him. Not to mention if it's so important, I have to take it. I'll take whatever experience I can get from this.'_ Jaune was still a greenhorn compared to the other Players. What he lacked even now that he was an official Huntsman in training was experience. And he would need to continue growing if he was to hope of having any real chance of fighting people like Adam and Roman.

As much as Jaune appreciated the sweet loving professor's concern, he had no need for it. He wasn't the same boy who found himself turned into an ice sculpture in his class. With a mental command, he rejected the option of backing out. It was too early to just quit.

"Thanks Professor, but I think I'll be fine." Jaune reassured Professor Pithos, "I can't say I understand what awaits me up there or what the Headmaster wants to tell me, but I know I can't just back out. Besides, I owe him for everything he's done for me." Jaune added softly, his eye turning up to the ceiling, past the obsidian tiles to the very top of the tower where a certain aloof coffee lover awaited.

"A guy with no talent or real hope of becoming a huntsman could never be so lucky to have entered a place like this after all."

Jaune wasn't talking about the person he was now, the one gifted with the power to break the limits of human potential. No, he was talking to the blond boy who had cheated his way into Beacon long ago. Who thought he could grow stronger with a chance. The one Ozpin had turned his eyes away to and allowed to step into his grounds on the notion that he could become strong if given the chance. Anyone else would have caught onto the fake transcripts and barred him from entering the school. Someone with no combat training whatsoever would surely fail and die at initiation alone. He was unqualified.

But Ozpin saw something in Jaune in his first life. Before he had died trying to become a hero. Before he was gifted with power to become more than just a huntsman. The headmaster gave that naive blond the chance he was always denied. And because of that chance, Jaune now walked a road he thought he would never had been lucky enough to have even seen.

If Ozpin needed a favor, whatever it may be, Jaune wouldn't hesitate to do whatever in his power he could do to grant it.

Professor Pithos chewed on the inside of his lip. He was contemplating something. He really wanted to steer Jaune off this path. What laid ahead was truly something no normal huntsman, let alone a huntsman in training, should dabble in. There was a world lost to all those beyond their inner circle. One better left as fables from the dark force that thrived within those who knew of the knowledge. And Pithos himself often times wondered whether he would have cared to remain ignorant of what Ozpin knew.

Jaune though had proven that he wasn't a normal huntsman. He was more than met the eye. Now he could see what Ozpin had seen when he let the boy with no transcripts enter his school. There was potential. And that potential would be wasted if let to its own devices.

Not to mention that the determination in those blue eyes meeting his own was hard to talk out of. Internally sighing at what would normally be a sound and logical reasoning, Pithos instead reached into the deep pockets of his lab coat for another gumdrop. He popped in the cherry flavored treat, savoring the sweet taste before speaking again.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. I have my doubts about you being of any help with our resident sleeping beauty tucked away, but you did help Mr. Lyre out in his negative state. I guess I just have to wait and see." Professor Pithos said with a slight smirk on his lips.

Resident sleeping beauty?

Before Jaune could ask more of the odd cryptic meaning, Professor Pithos had already walked past him with a pat on his shoulder.

"Well I got to meet that old weathered blacksmith for a few rounds of drinks. I'm going to need to be a little buzzed if I'm going to be stuck in a room with Ms. Goodwitch about some boring old meeting for the Vytal Festival. Just remember to keep an open mind when the time is right. I know for certain that coffee junkie won't spill the beans until you've really proven your worth again."

In truth, Pithos was a little too early to be worrying about the matter. Not even Ozpin would be so careless as to throw the kid down the rabbit hole so soon. At least whatever worries he had were put to rest. Jaune was a creative kid, he was sure the knight would be able to at least bring something new and unheard of in a dead end.

Left by the elevator with more questions then he walked in with, Jaune found his eyes drifting back to the twin elevator doors with a puzzle frown. A random question arose suddenly at the ding of the doors parting to welcome him to his way up top.

This was an academy for training huntsman, right? Why did he just now feel like there was more to that?

* * *

Above the tower of Beacon, with its glimmering green lights, connecting the region with the other three kingdoms, within the office of one of the youngest huntsman to become Headmaster of Beacon, an air of foreboding filled the room. Standing to the side of the ever calm gray haired headmaster was Glynda. Her position as his right-hand lady of sorts was the same as ever. Her face calm yet stern, ready to lend her word to whatever matter was at hand.

This time though was different. For once, a light sheen of sweat could be seen on her face. Her features appeared to be slightly shaken as if she had been giving some grave news.

And Ozpin? For once, his face was no longer aloof nor neutral. He was not calm nor relaxed. For once, he was... well, for the lack of a better word, pissed. His age was truly beginning to show as he conversed with a certain Atlas Headmaster through holoscreen. General Ironwoods own features were stern yet sullen as he spoke once more.

"You could finally rest." he said softly with genuine care in his voice.

Ozpin stared deeply into General Ironwood's eyes. When he spoke again, his voice was heavy with age and regrets that dwarfed the planets own.

"But at what cost?"

General Ironwood knew it wouldn't be so easy to convince his old friend of seeing things his way. They'd been talking for hours about a very important and highly sensitive subjects since last night. He should have known bringing his skeleton out of the closet so early was a bad idea. Perhaps the others were right, he was too arrogant and gung-ho. But that was alright, he was more than ready to do whatever it took for them all to finally understand that everything he was doing was just.

 **DING!**

Sadly, for General Ironwood now was not the time. It seemed the Headmaster of Beacon already had an appointment set up. The headmaster of Atlas had to wonder if Ozpin may have had this set up beforehand. It was what it was though. Their call would have to end and be put on hold until the next time their inner circle had gathered together during the Vytal Tournament. Not to mention he was still prepping for his departure from Atlas to Vale. Who knows how long he would be gone this time, better to make sure everything dealing with his projects and soldiers were taken care of.

"It appears that question will have to wait. I know you have your duties to attend to. Even if Glynda is the one who manages most of Beacon's paper work." General Ironwood said amusingly as Glynda couldn't help but nod with a tired sigh. He looked to Ozpin one more time before the call ended, his face set in a stubborn frown.

"I just want you to know that everything I do is in support of our cause. I know you don't see that, but I hope one day you're able to see through my eyes and know what must be done. The world may be at peace, but we are all still at war."

Ozpin's shoulders sagged momentarily as the video chat went offline. Of his Lieutenants, Ironwood was the most stubborn and hard to control. The man's heart was in the right place, but he wondered at times whether that heart was truly human or machine. He'd have to ask Nurse Spriggan, the woman knew more about the General than anyone else in this world.

For now, though, Ozpin would have to put such matters on the back burner. The elevator door dinged, signaling the arrival of a rather special student. Ozpin couldn't help but smile a little as he waved Glynda off to leave him alone.

If all went well, there would be no need for such of weapons.

Stepping out of the elevator doors, Jaune grew confused at the strange air lingering in the room. Did it suddenly feel stuffy in here? It was almost as if he had just walked in to talks of a doomsday event or something. Hopefully he didn't trigger any kind of Event just by coming over.

Ozpin smiled at Jaune, gesturing for the blond to sit down on the seat in front of his desk. Ironwood's proposals could wait for the time being, someone else deserved his full attention at the moment. Funny, it had only been a few months since he had last spoken to a blond boy who was unsure of what he could do as a leader, let alone being a huntsman. That boy was no longer here, that wet behind the ears warrior was no longer present. Sitting before him was Jaune Arc, a boy who had fought alone against an old associate of General Ironwood and came out on top as the sole victor. Someone who had even fought against a well-known, skilled, and powerful worldwide criminal, Roman Torchwick. It was hard to believe the present knight and the one he had allowed in without any training or combat experience were the same.

It brought a wry smile to his lips.

Sad to say that the boy's once old gray blade was now stained by unseen red. Experience didn't always come in the kindest of fashions.

"Good morning, Mr. Arc. I take it you had yourself a fun night?" Ozpin spoke knowingly, eyeing the messy blond hair with a few crumbs and bits of snacks still tangled in his blond hair.

Jaune smiled sheepishly, shaking off the junk in his hair, "Well, break did start yesterday. The teams thought it would be fun if we all hanged out. Guess we did go a little crazy."

Ozpin shook his head with a bemused smile, "No, I'd say that it was the tamest your team has been in the last few months. I would have thought that I would have to call in Ms. Goodwitch to work her usual magic to clean up after Ms. Valkyrie's usual shenanigans. It's a wonder and a miracle that you can tame such a rambunctious warrior."

"She's not that bad... most of the time. Honestly, I'm surprised that she listens to me. I would have thought that Ren would be the only one capable of reigning her in." Jaune said honestly with a shrug. He had asked Nora once why she listened to him. The orange haired sloth lover had simply responded with a 'Why not?'. Jaune was pretty sure she didn't even know why. No reason to question it though, he was just happy she followed his orders.

Remembering why he was here in the first place, Jaune sat up straight and looked to the headmaster curiously with an underlining anxiety. "So, what did you need to speak to me about, Headmaster? You said you wanted to speak about something important after I passed my Initiation exam yesterday. What's it about?"

Ozpin shut his eyes momentarily. Safe to say, he did have his doubts about what he wished to indulge the blond knight in. The world Jaune lived in was a beautiful ignorance, one that he wished the whole world would continue to lull in. But such bliss wasn't long to remain, not if the recent rumblings from a certain dark witch were to say so. He needed as many pieces on the board as possible to combat her own pawns. He just hated the idea of using his students to fight his long-waged battles. And he didn't need another Hazel appearing if something were to happen to Jaune. The people around the boy were rather attached to him.

The memories of the negativity engulfing Helios returned to Ozpin. An abnormality arose. Three minutes he found unaccounted for. In that time, the Negativity replacing Helios's aura had been reduced to but a small speck, barely noticeable to anyone not gifted in such sights. Because of Jaune, one of Ozpin's students had been saved from themselves. He had no idea exactly how Jaune had did it, but he knew it was thanks to Jaune that it had been possible to free Helios from his darkness. Just as he had done with Ren.

Ozpin made a firm decision in that moment. He was too old to be second guessing himself. If there was a way to save a certain someone in his care who would become a great asset in the chess game between him and Salem, he would take it. Though he knew better to jump into things so eagerly. He would need to make sure his newest piece had the strength to handle what was to one day come.

"Mr. Arc, in the past four months since you've arrived to Beacon, you've displayed an incredible rate of growth that continues to surprise me. And that's saying something for one as old as me." Ozpin said with a light chuckle, "I'm proud to see the son of Alexander Arc become such a warrior. You truly hold promise as a great huntsman one day if you continue to follow Beacon's curriculum."

Jaune frowned. He sensed a-

"But,"

Yup, their it was.

Ozpin's face grew stern, his tone serious as he leaned on his tented fingers, "I feel as if you could become more than your average huntsman in time. Not to mention your gift to restore the aura of Huntsman on the brink of despair." he said knowingly, causing Jaune's eyes to widen.

"My gift to restore aura?" Jaune said softly in confusion. He found his eyes on his hand, squinting as said aura of his momentarily pulsed. He knew he could restore the Core of a person to save them from Falling. But restore Aura?

Ozpin nodded, his brows knitted together, "I know of the conditions of Mr. Lie and Mr. Lyre's tainted auras. When one's aura is corrupted by Negativity, their reserves dwindle until they are left with only Negativity. Not many in the world know this, but Negativity is its own form of energy, just like Aura. You could say that the two are brother's, like two sides of a coin. It is normally impossible to restore the aura of a Falling individual, though there are recent advancements in Atlas that can help treat the symptoms. Yet your involvement with both Mr. Lie and Mr. Lyre had resulted in their auras restoring themselves to combat their negativity. I'd say that such an ability was due to your Semblance, but for as long as I've been alive, I've never known others to wield two semblances. Not unless you count Gifts."

"Gifts?" Jaune frowned at new term, his mind thinking back to Helios's ability to summon a titan made of flames of aura.

Ozpin waved his hand of the matter, "You could call them a second form of abilities not tied to the manifestation of one's soul. You'll learn more about such things on your second year with Ms. Goodwitch. Back to the matter of hand though. Whether what you did was the power of your Gift, or something more." For a second, Ozpin's eyes sharpened in his gaze of Jaune, causing the blond to fidget slightly in his seat before the headmaster shrugged, "I believe that whatever you did could help in a certain situation. But before I can ask you for your help, I'd at least like to know how you were able to restore your friend's auras and if such actions come at any cost."

Jaune crossed his arms with a conflicted frown at what he was being asked. Revealing information on his abilities as a Gamer would be problematic. There were rules set in place to prevent them from letting others know of the game world. Telling Ozpin that he could jump into the Cores of ones' soul and fight bosses was a no-no. He did want to help Ozpin though after all the old headmaster had done for him. He would have to think of how to answer in a way that would work in the settings of the world.

Jaune smiled inwardly with a mental snap of his fingers, quickly coming up with a way to explain himself.

"I guess you could call it a Gift. I never knew how to explain it, seeing as it had nothing to do with my Summoning semblance, but it sounds right. I found that I can basically intertwine my aura with someone else to spark their aura. It's not something I can do easily though, it takes a lot of concentration to perform. It was hard enough to do in my fight against Helios." Jaune explained sheepishly. It sounded reasonable enough to him, learning of second abilities was also rather convenient.

Ozpin hummed, his brain wracking the new information. Aura intertwining? It wasn't the oddest thing he heard of concerning Gifts. He knew of a few who possessed odd Gifts such as one of his own Lieutenants. Thought that little Gift was born thanks to Ozpin himself. Though all Gifts did come at their own costs.

"Does your ability come at any risks?"

Jaune mulled it over before answering, "I suppose it does have its own risks to it. My own aura could be infected by the person's Negativity if I'm not careful or strong enough to endure their souls. You could say that the strength of the individual affects how much resistance I have to deal with in reigniting their aura." Jaune tried to explain with a complex frown.

"So, your own strength must be greater or equal as the individual in question." Ozpin stated with a growing scowl. That would be a problem. Even with half the person's aura in mind, someone like Jaune would be in danger. Strong Jaune may have been, but he still had a long way to go.

But if Jaune could come close to that person's strength, then maybe, just maybe, there was hope. There was time before the Vytal Festival after all. Ozpin's mind went into planning for the stages of his newest player on the chess board.

"Mr. Arc, you have an extraordinary gift, one I believe may even help in rescuing a dear colleague of mine. One that has been robbed of her own aura and left to slumber in the recesses of her own mind. Sadly, such a thing is bound to damage her own soul with negativity. And I believe that only you can save her." Ozpin spoke seriously to the young boy, his words weighing on Jaune as his brows furrowed in confusion.

"You want my help in restoring the aura of someone you know? Is that all?" Jaune said slowly before a smile rose up. He chuckled lightly at the tense atmosphere filling the room, "You know you didn't have to bring me into your office for a favor like that. I'd be happy to help if it means saving someone. I almost thought you would be asking me of something dangerous or secretive."

Ozpin deeply frowned, "I'm afraid the situation is a lot more serious than it sounds, Mr. Arc." he sighed, knowing he had to be careful of what he was about to say. "The person in question is an individual of rather... unique talents and strength. Safe to say she is no ordinary person, even in huntsman standards. And even worse, the people responsible for her conditions are not the ordinary criminals you would find on the streets. I know even now they are still in search of her and are willing to do whatever it takes to retrieve the remaining portion of her aura for themselves."

Retrieve? Jaune scowled at what he was hearing. He had thought by robbed of the person's in questions aura, Ozpin had meant their aura had been severely damaged or something. Not literally. How could it be possible to rob someone of their aura? Jaune knew he was no expert on aura, but he was pretty sure it wasn't possible to steal a person's soul like it was some object. Could anyone even live without their aura?

Then there were said criminals that were responsible for the condition of Ozpin's friend. Automatically Jaune could guess who could be involved, _'No doubt Adam or Roman are connected to this in some way. I just have a gut feeling about this, and said gut still remembers that blow from Roman that nearly pierced right through me.'_ Jaune subtly scowled in frustration. Another connection to The Game that Jaune would have to fix.

Well, it wasn't like Jaune could just turn down Ozpin when he asked for help. Even if said help would lead to greater troubles. That was his life now anyways.

"Headmaster, you've done so much for me since I first stepped foot on your campus. It's because of you that I'm even a student or have any hope to becoming a huntsman like everyone else. I owe you more than I could ever hope to repay you." Jaune said softly to the quiet gray-haired headmaster. He looked down to his hand, still amazed that he come this far. Both in this life, and the last before his death. All because of the man in front of him, ever mysterious, but so assuring and full of his own hope. "I'm not sure what kinds of troubles will await me with helping you, but I know it's a good start in paying you back for everything that you've done for me. Besides, it's a huntsman's duty to save others in need. I may not know who needs saving, or who might get in my way, but I'll do whatever is in my power to save them! I'm an Arc! We're kinda known for playing hero, even if others have forgotten!" Jaune grinned determinedly. Ozpin couldn't help but smile softly at the more than eager huntsman in the making. There was little doubt in his mind that Jaune would agree to lend his special gift to save another. Not to mention the young boy felt indebted to him for allowing him to attend his school. It actually made Ozpin feel some bitterness.

All according to plan. Sometimes having an over calculative mind had its negatives. But the sincere emotions were at least not false. He truly did feel grateful. But it was too early in the game to be making any more plans. Not when Jaune was still growing as a warrior. The boy needed to hone his skills and mind for what would await him.

"It does me well to hear that, Mr. Arc. But I am afraid it's not that simple as we would hope."

Jaune frowned, confused as the headmaster reached into his desk.

"It's not? Honestly, the Dive wouldn't take long to perform. I can restore your friend's aura in less than a minute!" Jaune said eagerly, before flinching at the slip of the tongue.

Ozpin quirked a brow as he began to sort through several documents in hand, "Dive? Is that what you would call your Gift?"

Jaune quickly nodded. He had to be careful not to divulge too much about his ability to Dive into Cores, "Well, when my aura intertwines with another, it sorta feels like I'm diving in. It's weird, but it's what I like to call it. I thought to give my Gift a name since my Semblance has one." he explained before eyeing the sheets of papers in Ozpin's hand, "So, why isn't it so simple to use my Dive?"

"Well Mr. Arc, you said so yourself. The strength of the individual's aura affects how much resistance you will deal with. Not to mention the high risks of yourself being infected by Negativity. And while you yourself are indeed strong, one of the strongest first years, I'm afraid that you would immediately succumb to your aura falling to the negative emotions tied to the individual's aura." Ozpin said, "I can't in good sound of mind ever allow any of my students to risk their lives for my own needs. You are simply too... how would I put it?" Ozpin mulled over before snapping his fingers with a grin, "Under-leveled, that's it. At the level you are now, you would not stand any chance of doing any good for my comrade. But that can change with time."

A document was slid over to Jaune that he quickly read. It took him a moment to realize what he was reading as his eyes widened.

 _'Registration for The Vytal Tournament.'_

"You want me to enter the Vytal Tournament?" Jaune asked slowly. Granted he was already planning on entering like he had hoped on his first life, but he never got to the paper work or qualifications since he kicked the bucket. It was kinda surreal to be holding the documents, especially this early in the year. Registration didn't begin until the end of the second semester.

"That is the goal of every team in Beacon. To test their skills and teamwork against other huntsman on or above their level. It's also to build relations with huntsman of other regions that you may work with one day. More importantly though, only the best of the best will qualify to enter the tournament. And that's what I hope for you, Mr. Arc." Reaching for his mug, Ozpin moved up from his chair and turned to stare out window of his office. The sight of students moving about, enjoying their free time with one another, and the beautiful sight of the peaceful skies above their heads always helped to set him at ease and remind him what he was fighting for, "You are strong, Jaune. You seem to have an unnatural growth rate as well. But you must go beyond your strength, break your limits, and become not a powerful huntsman in training, but a Huntsman."

"A… Huntsman?" Like the real deal? Not just a trainee? Jaune was dumbfounded by what he was hearing. He knew he could grow stronger faster than the rest with his powers, but to grow to such leaps and bounds that quickly?

"Yes, a Huntsman. Jaune, by the start of the Vytal Festival, I want you to be as strong as a graduate of my academy. I want you to be ready to face the world and all that awaits you once you leave my school. Only then will you be ready for the task at hand. Of that I'm sure of."

"And to be as strong as a real Huntsman, I have to participate in the Vytal Tournament?" Jaune asked, still unsure of what the headmaster was asking of him.

Ozpin nodded, still staring out to the campus outside his school, "Yes, for I will not be the one to prove that you are a Huntsman true and true. No, it will be the world that tells me that the boy I had allowed into my school, with little to no training, who fumbled his way onto my grounds, who believed that faking his way was his only choice, who doubted himself at almost every turn, became a Huntsman. On that grand stage with the eyes of all four kingdoms watching, you will prove your strength and readiness for much more than being a Huntsman."

Jaune felt a sense of foreboding at the end of the headmaster's words. Much more than being a Huntsman? What more could there be?

Noticing Jaune grow silent, Ozpin turned around to see the blond knight thinking to himself. He could understand, he was asking a lot of a child. No doubt Jaune was taken back. But he needed to start making plays before it was too late.

"Jaune, I will only ask you this once, and only once. This is the only chance you'll have of backing out." Breaking Jaune out of his thoughts, Ozpin walked over to the blond knight to stand in front of him. He reached out his hand to Jaune, his normally aloof hazel eyes soft and somber as he spoke sincerely.

"Will you lend me your strength and follow my every word? Will you help me in saving a friend from one of my own mistakes? For the path before you is not one to be taken lightly. I must know that you will be willing to give your all on this. So, please, will you help me?"

Foreboding. Everything leaving Headmaster Ozpin's mouth was foreboding. Already, Jaune could see a notification pop up on his scroll as the world froze.

 **Amber Dreams, Suspended. A new Mission has been discovered!**

 **Huntsman Dreams :**

 **Headmaster Ozpin has a request to save one of his comrades from Falling! But in order to initiate a complete and successful Dive to complete Amber Dreams, you must prove your strength and then some. Prove to the world that you are a Huntsman with acts of great heroism and skill. Complete all the Marks of a Huntsman and gain the Title of Huntsman to begin the mission Amber Dreams.**

 _ ***Mark of The Hero!**_

 _Through great odds and the dawn of a new Darkness, shine as a Hero to the brimming flames of youth._

 _ ***Mark of The Leader!**_

 _At the sirens of despair and howls of bloodlust, lead the charge against an overwhelming horde of negativity._

 _ ***Mark of The Warrior!**_

 _When all is lost, break those limits that hold your ideals back and erupt with newfound power against unbearable odds._

 _ ***Mark of The Light!**_

 _Seeing the darkness flowing from the young maiden, initiate the beginning of your mission and spark the first dream._

 _ ***Mark of The Promise!**_

 _Stop the man who calls to the DoL and ushers despair to prove your resilience against the worlds horrors._

 _ ***Mark of The Supremacy!**_

 _Compete in the Vytal Festival and defeat all those in your way to prove your worth to the world._

 **Rewards: 100,000Lien, All Boost EX, Stop Spell, Sigil Slot, and Chrono Figment.**

 **Failure: None.**

 **!NOTICE!**

 **Huntsman Dreams is a unique mission! There are three ways to successfully complete the mission to begin Amber Dreams. Each option will affect the Third Act.**

 **1. The Warrior that Burns Brightly:**

 **Gain the Marks of The Hero, The Leader, The Warrior, The Light, and The Promise before the end of Act2. Bonus Reward: Brilliance Ability.**

 **2. The Radiant Blade:**

 **Gain the Mark of Light and defeat the Grimm Origin. Bonus Reward: All Sigils.**

 **3. The Huntsman above Vytal:**

 **Complete either all the Marks of a Huntsman or gain only the Mark of The Supremacy. Bonus Reward: 1,000,000 Lien.**

 **Accept? Yes/No.**

No penalties? Jaune found that very hard to believe. All of these rewards being offered for one mission that led up to a bigger mission? There was no way. One of the rewards was a million Lien for crying out loud! And what was that about each option affecting the Third Act? It didn't occur to him that he was even playing in Acts until he noticed a notification popping up earlier this morning on his way to the tower. He was going to have to ask Ren about it later.

The mission was optional, so there was no reason to accept it and no consequences for even failing it. Nothing to gain but Exp and loot. But the headmaster had done him more good than Jaune could ever repay. He didn't need to think twice about pressing Yes. His scroll dinged, bringing a smile to Jaune's face as the world began to resume. He stood up, reached his hand to Ozpin's and clasped it.

 _'It's because of you that I'm here. That my dream can become a reality. Whatever it takes, I'll do whatever I can to pay you back everything in full and then some! That's my word as an Arc!'_

 **Huntsman Dreams, Accepted!**

"As if I could ever turn down my headmaster!" Jaune said brightly, giving Ozpin's hand a good squeeze. He was a little worried about the new challenges that would arise for accepting the mission, no doubt The Will was salivating at its chance to once again see him squirm in its games, but he wasn't going to think too much about that anymore. He just had to keep moving forward to reach his happy ending. "I promise to make you proud, Headmaster. I'll become a Huntsman by year's end no matter. So, you can rest easy! I swear I'll save your friend, maybe even before the end of the Vytal Festival!" Jaune grinned widely as he rested his hands behind his head, "I'm actually really curious what kind of person you want me to save. Maybe we could even become friends for saving their life."

Ozpin chuckled at Jaune's words, his normally calculative gaze warm with thought, "Perhaps, Jaune, perhaps. I'm sure she'll be more than grateful for leading her out of the darkness with that smile of yours."

"She?" Jaune said curiously before nodding in understanding. It made sense, most of the powerful people he knew were girls. Other than his fellow Players of course. But then again, what could be as strong as a Player?

"I'll be sure that you meet her at some point in the semester. It wouldn't do if you don't even know the name of the maiden you're waking from her slumber." Ozpin said in amusement. With Jaune's odd luck with woman, he wouldn't be surprised if yet another girl fell for the blond's charms.

But that was quite a way away. There was still much to be done before Jaune met Amber. For now, it was just reassuring to know there was hope to save the Maiden. The search for a worthy candidate for Amber's remaining aura would be put to the back burner. That was another hefty weight off his shoulders he wouldn't be missing.

With that out of the way, there was no need for Jaune to be in his office anymore. He knew it must have been intimidating to be in the Headmaster's office this early in the day. And it was vacation. It was better to let the young man return to his care free days. Because once classes began again, that simple school life would no longer be available for him.

Sitting back in his chair, he gestured Jaune out the door with a small smile.

"I'm happy you've accepted, Mr. Arc. I know that you'll become a great Huntsman by years end. But for now, how about you enjoy your break? I'm sure your friends have plenty of plans to fill up the weeks. Just keep Ms. Valkyrie under control. We don't want to give the arriving students the idea that the students of Beacon are all trigger-happy sugar heads." he chuckled lightly.

Jaune could only ever try, "I'll do my best, Headmaster. Honestly though, I make no promises. Not even an Arc can keep a promise like that." he said lightly before heading for the elevator door. He still had no idea what was on the good old JNPR agenda for the break. He just hoped it was nothing too exciting or anything that would once again trigger a crazy Event. He didn't know how many times he had to stress he didn't want another Friends of Faunus Event again.

A certain blue haired punk came to mind, causing Jaune to smile softly.

 _'I wonder what Ann's doing? I haven't spoken to her since the fall of the FoF. Knowing her though, she probably hates my guts. I wish I could make it up to her somehow. But how do you make up for killing your adopted father? It didn't really matter that he was a far-gone butcher who led a terrorist group against a species. For the one's you loved you could look past almost anything. I don't think they sell apology cards like that.'_ If they did, there was something seriously wrong with the world. Other than being controlled by three sadistic beings in place of god.

Ozpin chuckled warmly, knowing it was just as an impossible task as the one he was already asking. Watching Jaune stepping into the elevator, he called out to him one more time before the door shut.

"Who knows, Mr. Arc? Perhaps you may even prove yourself a true Huntsman before the start of the Vytal Festival. You are known for pulling off miracles."

With the ding of the elevator door sending off the young hopeful knight, the clock had begun ticking. Ozpin eased back into his seat, his mug of freshly blended coffee still steaming without showing any signs of ever cooling off. Sometimes being an immortal being with magical powers came with some nifty perks. His coffees never lost their scalding taste.

"Amber, I pray that you continue to stay strong." Ozpin's gaze became sullen as he stared off into the pool of caffeine, the color reminding him of the sleeping beauty locked away from the world deep below his school. A young woman's face replaced his reflection, her skin a dark tan and with a face scarred on a side of her face. He gripped the handle of his mug tightly before staring out into the school, his eyes growing soft at the sight of unkempt blond hair running out with a smile on their face.

"Those bitter dreams will turn sweet one day."

* * *

"Marks, huh? Figures I have to complete some cryptic achievements if my life's a video game. You'd think I'd get use to this, but I'm not."

Now that Jaune was free to go back to his dorm room, he roamed the school grounds and took his time getting back. All the while going over his newest Mission, blue eyes glued to his scroll like many other students passing him by. Today's youth truly was obsessed with their scrolls, Jaune nodded as he put his own away. Too busy texting and taking pictures of themselves in his honest opinion. He was different, he played games. Totally different.

Jaune yawned as he rested his arms back against his head, his eyes turned up to the blue sky with not a single cloud in sight. Classes were over for a few weeks and he had all the time he could ever ask for to go back to his old routines, playing games, snacking, and hanging out with his friends. Just like his first life. Or every other day before he even thought of entering Beacon.

His life was a game though, so he was constantly playing. It was depressing when he realized he had played very little video games not dealing with his life since he began training seriously. He didn't have much time with his duties as a leader, working on his powers as a Gamer, and building up his Bonds with his friends. Jaune time was a very rare thing indeed.

Actually, now that Jaune stopped to think about it, he hadn't gotten a message from any of his friends since he left. Usually he'd at least get one message asking to hang out, a chance to increase his Bond with them. Just like Jaune time, it was very rare not to get a message in over ten minutes. The realization made Jaune's eyes widen with a giddy grin growing on his face.

This, this was his chance! His Jaune time! For once in a long time, he was free to do the things that made him Jaune! The things that made him happy, that defined him as a dork! He didn't have to act like a huntsman in training, a warrior, a protector of the worlds peace of mind, he could finally goof off!

Quicker than most socially dependent girls in high school, Jaune whipped out his scroll with the wide beaming grin still plastered on his face. His fingers feverishly tapped away, bringing up the latest releases in games, the newest issues of comics he had been missing out, and adding whatever else his inner dork had been depraved of. He didn't know how long he had until someone in his large circle of friends asked him out, but he was going to make the most of whatever time he had.

In the back of his head, Jaune knew he had already played a good amount of the games he was ready to buy and read some of the comics he had in mind, but that didn't matter. He needed to relax after all he had gone through these few months. What better way than beating up bad guys taking over the world? That didn't involve his own world.

"Kingdom Souls 3 is out?! SINCE WHEN?! That games been in development for thirteen years! I must be dreaming." Jaune nearly had a heartache as he found of his childhood favorites finally releasing the long-awaited sequel. That didn't happen in his original timeline. Oh, the joys of altered timelines. Best part, he didn't have to worry about the price with all the Lien he had on him. If he was never appreciative of his status as a Player, he was now.

The muscles to his face were ready to rip as he added the game to his cart on screen, his eyes practically stars. Now he just needed to find a nice, quiet place to play. _'I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm going to be ignoring you all for the next twenty-four hours. I think I deserve a day of gaming for all that I've done.'_

Being immersed in his plans of possibly finding a holoscreen to play for a bigger view, Jaune had forgotten to pay attention to the where he was going.

"Oww."

Or where he was stepping. Or who he was stepping on.

With a shriek that would make his youngest sister shake her head in disappointment, Jaune fell forward to land on his face, his feet tripping over an object on the ground. He groaned in pain. In his fall he dropped his scroll, the pristine white tablet clattering and skipping across the hard surface of the ground. His eyes trembled with unshed tears, his heart ready to plunge into the darkness at the thought of his screen cracking. Or worse, breaking.

"M-My precious Jaune time." he whimpered pitifully, before blinking. Only now did he realize his body didn't meet the same fate as his scroll, his fall cushioned by what felt like... a body?

"Sigh."

Was whoever below him audibly sighing?

"Sigh, again."

Scrambling to get off the stranger, Jaune went to help his human cushion up with an apology already on his lips. Except whoever was lying on the ground didn't accept his helping hand, instead choosing to stare off into nothing while on their stomach. Their pink eyes were bored, appearing upset with a pout as they drew doodle figures with a chalk on the ground. He actually knew that stranger upon closer look.

"Lavender?"

With dull, uninterested eyes, the third-year huntress glanced up at Jaune from her spot on the ground. It was an odd sight to see the older student lying on the ground while many other students passed her by. With the way she was acting, he was reminded of one of his younger sisters in a tantrum. From what little interaction he had with the artistic huntress, she did act like a child.

"Hi, Yellow. Fancy meeting you here." Lavender spoke sourly. She turned back to her doodles, etching a quick Grimm chibi after the vicious Griffon. Jaune was sure that if Hera had seen it, she would be gushing.

Quickly stepping over Lavender for his scroll, Jaune looked down at the dark-skinned woman curiously.

"Um, Lavender? Why are you on the ground? Don't you know you're kinda of a hazard to everyone walking around you?" Jaune asked with a small chuckle.

Lavender blew sputtering breath, lacking her usual energy. It didn't look like she was getting up. She continued to gain odd stares from those walking by her and Jaune.

"Can't a girl just sink into her own despair peacefully? I'm not doing any harm to anyone." she pouted. The chibi Griffon made of odd colored chalk suddenly shined, surprising Jaune a moment later when it came to life. The cutely drawn Grimm flew up above Lavender's head, cawing as it flew over Jaune's head in circles. He gazed in amazement at the now living drawing, noticing it was made of red. It left their sight, flying off to follow some nameless student.

A second later, he heard a shout of panic and a mini explosion from its wandering direction.

"Did... did that thing just blow up?" Jaune gaped. Was that her Semblance or something?

Lavender whistled innocently. Her hands hadn't stopped drawing more cutely designed Grimm with her chalk that he figured was made of Explosive Dust. It wasn't long until a small herd of Griffons flew around to blow up in small balls of explosive force and disrupt the walking traffic.

"Please, stop."

Balling her hands up, Lavender flipped over to her back and kicked her legs up in the air with a more profound pout on her cheeks. Jaune wasn't sure what to do in the face of the adult child tantrum.

"STUPID JERKS! WHY'D THEY HAVE TO LEAVE ME ALL BY MYSELF!? I WANT TO GO HAVE FUN TOO!" she whined loudly into the air. Her hands were a blur swinging with a new piece of chalk, this one glowing an ominous orange that scared off what students were wandering by. Jaune was sweating and edged back slowly. He was in a dangerous situation that could lead to him going kaboom. He had to be careful with his next move.

"W-Who's the stupid jerks, Lavender? Did you get left behind or something?" Now that he thought about it, where was her team? They should be the ones calming her down.

Lavender nodded, sniffing as her hand began to draw lines in the air. Jaune grew even more nervous.

"My team had plans set up and left to go visit their families yesterday. They left me behind to go have fun without me. I would have gone with one of them if I didn't already have something planned in advance. I was actually hoping they could help me with it." Lavender's newest drawing was almost complete, terrifying Jaune to having a heart attack at the menacing drawing of an Ursa Major. Why an Ursa Major? Why was it always an Ursa Major?

"Why didn't you go with your own family? Don't you miss them?" If he wasn't currently dealing with his own issues with his family, Jaune would have gone to visit. He couldn't help but guiltfully cringe at how horrible he was being.

The barring fangs of the deadly Dust born Ursa Major faded away. Jaune grew concerned seeing Lavender cringe like he did.

"Things with my family are... complicated. I can't exactly say Father and Mother were happy with me entering Beacon. Even after all these years." Lavender said humorlessly. The artistic huntress sighed, pocketing her Dust infused chalk into a small clip on satchel tied to her waist. It didn't look like she was in the mood to be causing mayhem.

Jaune could relate. When he first left, his parents weren't happy either. Eventually they calmed down but still believed he would come back home. So much for faith.

"Guess you and I are in the same boat, huh?" Jaune smiled bitterly, earning a small smile from the older student, "Though my team is still here."

"Really? Then why aren't you with them?"

"I-uh, wanted some Jaune time. I haven't really get too many opportunities to relax by myself since coming to Beacon."

Lavender giggled at Jaune's dejected form. Poor kid, she knew her leader was very adamant of her own alone time.

Seeing Lavender brighten up a bit, Jaune continued.

"So, you're all alone during the break? That's gotta suck. Why don't you... hang out with my team?" Jaune couldn't help it, he grimaced. He had been really hoping to play the sequel to his favorite video game. What if this was his only life to play it!? But he couldn't just leave Lavender to herself. He'd kick himself later for it. Or she would.

Lavender appreciated the thought. She also found it funny how Jaune didn't seem too happy with the idea since it would mean sacrificing his Jaune time for her. But she had something important to take care of. She shook her head with a thankful grin.

"You're sweet, Yellow! But I did have something planned out in advance. I knew everyone was planning to visit their families, so I got a mission set up to take up my time." she suddenly grew back her annoyed pout, her fingers itching to reach into her pouch to draw another Grimm, "Sadly, I won't be able to go out on said mission. It's a three-man mission and I don't have my team to help me out. I have a friend who just volunteered a while ago, but I can't find anyone else. And the final check in is in three minutes."

"You have a mission during break? Why not just relax and work on your paintings? I know you're always on the lookout for something fun and exciting to draw." Jaune said brightly before staring at the woman flatly, "Just don't paint me. Ever. Again. I'm still on the hunt for the last of the naked portraits your class drew."

Lavender grumbled at the stare as she leaned closer to Jaune. He grew nervous, noticing her voluptuous chest tickle his own chest. She was definitely a third year with that curvy body of hers.

"We all need Lien, Yellow. Once you become a second year, you're viable for taking missions with your team that offer Lien for your services. At third year, you can even take solo missions or joint missions with others. And my fighting style revolves around using Dust, something that's become rather expensive thanks to all those Dust robberies plaguing the country. That, and top-quality arts supplies are a necessity for a creative mind like myself."

Jaune gulped anxiously at her closeness, "I can understand that. Lien would be tight if my parents didn't send me an allowance every now and again."

"You still get allowances? Oh god, you really are a kid, aren't you?" Lavender snorted in laughter, her attempts to politely not laugh failing. Jaune slumped in shame before Lavender ruffled his golden locks playfully, "Don't worry, most girls would overlook that with your cute looks."

"Really?!"

"Well, most is strong word."

The depressed cloud hanging over Jaune's head and his pitiful whimpering was enough to brighten Lavender's mood. There was just something amusing about picking on him. She had half a mind to trick him into posing heroically nude again just to see his sweating, blushing expression. Too bad she was out of the perfect pigment to paint such a masterpiece again.

A thought suddenly struck the older huntress. Now that she thought back on it, Jaune was pretty strong if the rumors around school were anything to believe in. One of the strongest of his year. He even beat a second year yesterday. Not to mention he was a leader to his own team full of powerhouses. An eager grin fell on her face.

"Say, Yellow? You wouldn't mind doing a friend a favor, would you?" she asked hopefully with a twirl of her violet hair with her finger.

Jaune groaned, the world stopping as his scroll buzzed.

"One day, just a day to myself. Can't you even give me that?"

 **New Mission[Optional]**

 **A Special Place Tucked Far Away:**

 **Lavender is in a bind! Join the third year in her mission patrolling a camp alongside another student. The mission will be a week long, so be prepared! Who knows what awaits outside Beacon's grounds? Be sure to pack marshmallows!**

 **Reward: 3,000Lien, Ignite Spell, Scout Perk.**

 **Failure Penalty: Unknown.**

 **Reward for Accepting: Unlock Lavender Brosse Friendship.**

 **Accept? Yes/No**

Jaune bit his thumbnail, struggling with his own want to relax with some games. This was his day! The one chance to relax and be Jaune. Why did he have to go on a mission? He knew he didn't have to, but he also knew he couldn't turn down Lavender's request. Plus, he'd unlock her Friendship.

With a begrudging sigh, Jaune accepted the mission. It wouldn't be so bad, right? Hell, he'd get to hang out with a pretty, older, and womanly huntress for a week. Most guys would kill for a chance like that! He couldn't help but blush at the thoughts entering his head. Damn his hormones.

Coughing into his fist, Jaune nodded as he looked away, "I guess I can't say no. A friend wouldn't leave you like that. And we are friends, right?" he grinned.

Lavender squealed, tackling Jaune into a hug that nearly knocked him over. Someone was overjoyed.

 **Congratulations! A new Friendship has been Unlocked! Lavender Brosse's Friendship, Unlocked!**

It looked like Jaune would have to hope for another day for Jaune time. Because he was going to be busy packing and explaining to his team why he would be gone for a week. He might as well stop by Professor Anthiea's class for some extra potions.

"Wait until I tell White!"

Wait, White? Jaune blinked as a chill went down his spine. Why did that sound familiar again?

* * *

Off to the farside of the Emerald Woods, away from the city of Vale and Beacon's grounds, was a nice little countryside untouched by the high tech modern world. A few towns lived in peace, making do with what they had and their simple ways. And in the deep center of the forest laid a special place, one said to be tucked away for all to stay. A special little camp for you and-

"DEAR GOD, MAX! PUT DOWN THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER! IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE USED THAT WAY!"

"FUCK OFF, DAVID! NIEL, NICKI! LET IT RIP!"

"ADVENTURE!"

"B-BUT MY CALCULATIONS SAY THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!"

 **BOOM!**

Well, almost everyone.

Inside the common cabin of the Camp Cambell's CampCamp, a dark-skinned woman with chestnut hair, tired purple eyes, and scout's uniform sighed as she smacked her face. The growing fire was the least of her concerns, it would actually be a blessing if the place burned down. She looked down to her clipboard, ignoring the chaos around her to stare at the form in hand.

 _REQUEST FOR HUNTSMAN SERVICES: ACCEPTED._

"Maybe people trained in dealing with monsters will be able to help us?" she said tiredly with some hope. That was until her face was splashed with foam and her hair was blow back by another explosion.

"Fire! Everyone, stop, drop, and roll!"

"Anarchy, anarchy!"

"Burn down the establishment!"

"Science never lies!"

Gwen groaned, smacking the clipboard against her forehead.

"Who am I kidding? These kids are worse than Grimm."

Hope those huntsmen liked campfire songs. Because there were going to be a lot of them.

* * *

 _ **To a special place tucked far away, you will stay. A simple mission at a camp with friends to enjoy the outdoors for once. What could go wrong?**_

 _ **To become more that what you are, you must leave your Marks upon this world. Remnant will test you. Even at your leisure, the darkness will crawl at the nape of your neck. And consume those flickers of light gathered around you. For Heroes don't exist. Get real.**_

 _ **Do you know the way? The way to your salvation? The way to your souls release from this wretched world where you don't belong?**_

 _ **Do not worry. They'll show you the way.**_

 _ **FoGD.**_

 **That's right! If you haven't already guessed, this next Arc will be mixed with CampCamp! Man, I've had this in mind during the beginning and now I'm finally writing it out! Oh, this is going to good. Expect comedy, drama, action, and a good camp fire song. And now we have Marks this Volume. Marks of The Hero, The Warrior, The Leader, The Promise, The Light, and The Supremacy. I'm sure not even you all can guess what I can in store for those fun events. Can ya?**

 **That's not all though for this Arc. No, it's special as a coin. For a coin has two sides. We have the side of The Heart, but what about the other? What do you think I have in Mind? Wink, wink.**

 **Arc-1 Begins!**

 **H:A Special Place Tucked Far Away/M: To Act Once Again.**

 **I'll do my best to get these chapters out as fast as I can. Let's hope life doesn't smack me around again. For now though, I'll take a little break and work on my original script for the game I got in mind. I always did want to learn how to write programs. Funny how I consider this relaxing. Man, I'm really going to burn myself out at this point, aren't I?**

 **Meh, I got this.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


	36. A Special Place Tucked Far Away

**Alright, NeoShadows is back! Guess who got a new laptop? Yo, yo did.**

 **So, my old, sweet, trusty laptop before may have been busted. I abused its keys to hell and it would refuse to respond to my furious, hardcore, taping! Heh, innuendo. Anyway, I had to wait a week to get a new one to replace the old gal, so my writing had to be left on hold until then. Luckily I was nice and rested to get typing again and finished A Jaune of All Trades newest chapter. I was on fire since it had only taken me three days to finish it, so I decided to get to work on the final X-over project I had in mind.**

 **I. . .I went overboard. That's my only excuse for why Multiplayer took longer to finish then it should have. I was suppose to stop and get back to working on Multiplayer's chapter once I had about half of the final project's first chapter done with. But I didn't stop. I didn't stop when I finished the first chapter, I didn't stop when I finished the second chapter, and I certainly did not stop when I finished the third chapter. No, I stopped when I had about 3K+ on it's fourth chapter. I forced myself to get back to my published work for crying out loud!**

 ***Sigh* At least I know have all three crossover projects first chapters done with. More on that at the end of the chapter. Right now, I believe you all have been waiting for this. So, let's get to Reviews and get to business.**

 **Sentinal Slice: The meeting of those two will be great for us, but hell for those who have to suffer to their sing alongs.**

 **SsJzohan: Kingdom Hearts? Huh, funny you should mention that. . .**

 **GhostAngel14: I can't escape him? But I've been practicing my exercises! HE SHALL NOT HAVE MY BOOTY!**

 **CorEagle: I felt that you had some seriousness in all that crack. Should have known someone would connect Spatial Rend to Pokemon. As for my process for little details with big impacts, I got that covered by writing it down in some notes. Plus I'm always re-reading my work in case I forget something important. Trust me, if it's important, I won't forget it.**

 **Ncread: Well I do have more than just Salem in the horror department, might even get a peek with this Arc. As for the movie idea for table chapters, eh, not my cup of tea really. I already got DLC's and they're for when I feel like adding extra content I can't work into the main story.**

 **Slenderbrine: Hmm, indeed it will. Maybe. Nothing's set in stone after all.**

 **Benthino: Glass the camp? That's. . .a new one.**

 **WyattMoore: Got us a CampCamp lover, huh? Well then I hope I can please ya with this one.**

 **Lordrednight: Oh, we got some a lot coming up with just this half of the Arc. Got a lot more fun on the other side of the story when all is said and done on this half. That part's got me equally excited!**

 **Doodle: We'll see how things go. All the opportunists won't just line themselves up for Jaune to take, he'll need to take the first steps to activate them. I like all your idea to the Marks, but I got to say that none of them involve facing other Gamers. But oh are they so fun and exciting. The DoL especially is my favorite little horror. And we will see more of Ren's Gamer system pretty soon.**

 **Summer Soldier: No spoilers as always. As for why CampCamp, I really don't know. When in development of this fic, it just popped up in the space between V1 and V2, originally taking place of the DLC Specials. It's been reworked several times and I decided to add it in for reasons.**

 **Skrubstar: Camp Camp is definitely going to be fun. New reader, huh? It still honestly impresses me that any of you can make it to the 700K+ mark of my story at all. That's a lot of reading. Been told I got a writing problem. Glad to have you onboard though. We still got another Volume ahead of us, so hold on. It's a long way to the finish line here. Enjoy.**

 **FluffQK: Damn, aren't you a fan? To read all that in a binge, that's dedication right there. Happy that it could stave off the boredom. And yes, you may call me Neo.**

 **Well, done with that. It's time to get on with the show!**

 **BUT! Please, stick around at the AN. I got to reveal the last X-Over project that's completed. I'll give you a hint until you reach the end.**

 **Don't Think Twice.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights are reserved for RoosterTeeth.**

 **Currently, this old man is facing sleep depravation. Tends to happen when you work 5-6 days and have to wake up at 5 in the morning to open up the old deli/coffee shop. Add in working on personal projects and Fanfiction, and you get a man who starts dozing off mid work. Remember people, set some time for sleep.**

 **If you don't, you'll find yourself lolling to sleep while serving hot food to pretty rich girls. Eh, at least I got a few laughs and a wink.**

 **. . .I need to sleep less.**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: A Special Place Tucked Far Away.**

The second morning to the start of break was a lot different than Jaune expected it would be. He had originally thought he would be trying to sleep in with the others for once without classes to wake up to. Even Nora would give in and sleep a little longer before jumping out of bed to wake them all up for a day of shenanigans. He had also planned on finding some way to enjoy himself with games and comics galore. He may have been a huntsman in training, but that didn't mean he had to be training all the time. A guy like him needed some time off after all the crazy events of the last few months.

But, sadly for Jaune, he wasn't a normal student. He was a Player, 'blessed' with the body and gifts of a Gamer. Things such as breaks didn't exist for him. For everyday was simply another day to activate an Event.

Like yesterday's run in with a dark-skinned beauty with a knack for art. Just talking with someone would lead to another adventure in the day of one Jaune Arc.

"Are you sure you've packed everything you need, Jaune? Extra clothes, Dust, toothpaste, underwear! You didn't forget your Captain Pete's sleeping pajamas, did you?!"

Red faced in embarrassment, Jaune gestured Pyrrha to calm down as the red headed worrywart fussed over him. At the docks of Beacon's Bullhead bay, the members of team JNPR were seeing off their leader on his way to a mission. While everyone else was enjoying some free time to relax their weary bodies and stressed minds, Jaune would be gone for an entire week on a patrol mission. They hadn't expected that when he came back to the dorms with scuff marks on this clothing and singes. Jaune had explained to them that he had run in with a friend who was in need of one more person to join her team to set out on the mission. It wasn't a surprise to hear that he had agreed to join. It was just like their leader to help anyone in need.

But what Jaune had failed to mention was that said friend was an older, curvy, dark skinned, third year huntress. Pyrrha fumed when she found out said friend was Lavender. She still hadn't forgotten how the older huntress had tricked her gullible leader to pose nude for a portrait. But Pyrrha couldn't just tell Jaune that he couldn't go on the mission. That would be rude. Lavender was also a sweet and caring girl too, if not a little flirty and childish. Still, she wished she could have at least gone with them too.

Moving Pyrrha's fretting hands away, Jaune gave his partner an easing smile, "Pyrrha, I'm fine. I have everything I need for the mission. Can you please stop acting like my mom already? It's kinda embarrassing for a girl as pretty as you to be hovering over me like her." he coughed uncomfortably with a burning flush over his cheeks.

That was enough for Pyrrha to back off with her own blush. Did he say pretty? Were her subtle attempts to get her leader to notice her finally working? Was this the beginning of her long awaited romantic romcom?!

It was clear someone was reading too many romance novels lately. Blake was to blame somehow.

To the side of the usually lively team, the members of team RWBY were saying their own good-byes. A certain Dust heiress could be seen vainly hiding her face from embarrassment from the red blur of roses running around her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay!? You've never spent a night out in the woods, right?! What if you forget your underwear!? Or you have to go number two in the woods? Wouldn't that cause a scandal or something? Can you even survive without your BFF by your side? Can't you take me with you? OH! What if-"

Having had enough, Weiss snatched the hood of Ruby's cape amid her blitz. Ruby choked, her finger scratching at her neck from the tight grip. Not again! Not like this, not like this!

"What do you take me for? I'm a huntress, I knew that at some point I would be camping out in the outdoors. And it wouldn't be my first time. I have gone on a trip with my beloved sister to experience firsthand the hardships one faces while settling down in the wild. I'm not some dainty snow angel." Weiss rolled her eyes.

Yang snickered, her eyes focused on another blond being fretted over by his team, "That's not what our resident knight says. This must be a dream come true for him. Spending a week away from his team, your team, alone, together on a mission with no boundaries or prying eyes." she teased in a low husky voice that brought an almost unnoticeable dust of pink to the heiress's face, "In that time he'll comfort you, fight alongside you, might even share a room together. And finally, that mighty, cold, Snow Angel will finally fall for idiot knight at long last! Go White Knight!"

Weiss growled, snatching the annoying small decorative flags in Yang's hands. She thought she put an end to the dragon's annoying shipping shenanigans months ago!

Yes, it was true. For the next week, Weiss would be away on a mission patrolling a small camp alongside a third-year huntress. Normally first years wouldn't be allowed to take missions until the second semester ended and they had passed their first mission alongside an actual huntsman. But because the mission was low level, a simple patrol for a week at most, it was fine. Not to mention she would be working alongside a third year as part of their team, so she would be following their lead as support. It wasn't a combat heavy mission, just watching out for any Grimm wandering too close to a camp site. Nothing serious compared to the many mission second years normally take once they've been cleared for missions under the academy's watch.

Honestly, Weiss hadn't even wanted to go along on the mission. While it would have been a learning experience for when she did start taking missions with her team, she had wanted to spend her free time off actually relaxing with her team. She wouldn't admit it, but she wanted some quality time with her friends. It had been a crazy first few months since she had arrived. From initiation, a battle with butchers invading the city, the epidemic arising from Forever Fall, and the revelation of Blake's past, it had certainly been nothing she could have ever expected. After all the chaos had finally settled, Weiss had wanted to simply relax and enjoy her time with her team doing normal activities for once.

But then she had run into Lavender, the mature, yet childish artistic huntress two years above her. Since joining the Art Club a month back, Weiss had found a friend in the Atlas born huntress. Funny enough, Lavender was a Brosse, a family of artists responsible for some of the most valuable pieces of art around Remnant. Her own family was lucky enough to have had Lavender's father commission a family portrait for them. Not Weiss's fondest memory, but it was still an impressive painting. The two had quickly became friends, finding their situations rather similar. And as one of her cherished friends she had made without the help of her status or name, Weiss was willing to do just about anything to help her. To an extent of course.

A pout later, and some begging, and Weiss had found herself now a part of a three-man team. With Jaune of all people. Weiss wasn't even going to question how Lavender had roped Jaune into this. The artsy woman's impressive bust and curves probably helped in some way. Weiss supposed it wouldn't be all that bad. Lavender was a good friend. Jaune... was also a good friend. It was hard to believe that, but it was true. Leaving her team for a week wouldn't be so bad. Now if only Yang would stop with all the ridiculous accusations and teasing.

Blake sighed as she pulled Weiss back from jumping the grinning blonde bombshell.

"Can we say good-bye like normal people?" she asked hopelessly.

Yang shrugged, "Normalcy is for boring people."

Fixing her combat dress's skirt, Weiss huffed.

"I'll only be gone for a week. There's no need to make a big deal out of it. And it's only a patrol mission, nothing overly dangerous about it. The worse Grimm to wander about the forests of the Emerald Forest are Death Stalker's, none of which as big as the one we fought against in Initiation. I'll be fine." Weiss rolled her eyes before fixing her belongings.

Blake eyed said heiress's belongings. The many briefcases of carry-on luggage were stamped with the Schnee emblem. No doubt packed to the brim with expensive junk in the cat ninja's opinion.

"Are you sure you're going to need all that? Didn't Lavender say you need a week's worth of clothing, toiletries, and your weapon? From the looks of it, you're packing to move out." Blake said mirthfully.

"This is all essential! The forests are a treacherous place for huntsman and huntresses. I need all the ammunition I need." Weiss said stubbornly with a pat of one of her briefcases. The case snapped open, revealing to the girl's flat expressions the many vials of Dust held within.

"Weiss, I know your fighting revolves around Dust, but I don't think you need a small army's worth with you. What's in the rest?"

Weiss crossed her arms over her chest with a huff, "First aid, several pairs of outdoor clothing, towels, cleaning products, rations, a disposable toilet, spare parts for my weapon, bottles of fresh water, cooking utensils-"

"But you don't even know how to cook." Yang cut off Weiss quickly, hoping to stop her friend from continuing. She was still taken back at the disposable toilet bit.

Weiss simply pointed back to Jaune, now trapped in one of Nora's famous bear hugs, "But Jaune does. If need be, he can cook for me. Camp food is not famously known for its flavor." she said distasteful wrinkle of her nose.

"So, you're not against going on a mission with Jaune? A few months ago, you would have been up in arms with the idea. I thought you didn't like him." Ruby asked curiously.

When they had all first arrived at Beacon, Weiss had shown her clear dislike for Jaune and his flirtatious ways. If it wasn't for their teams being friends, Ruby wasn't sure that Weiss would have ever bothered to talk with her best male friend. If she remembered right, the heiress had believed Jaune was only interested in the benefits of the Schnee name. Which was dumb.

"That was months ago." Weiss clarified with a lecturing tone. She glanced back at the blond knight, her eyes softening ever so slightly, "Things have changed since then. Jaune's a... friend, I suppose. While his flirting and false bravado were off putting, the more I got to know him, the more I realized I was being a hypocrite. I never liked to judge books on their covers alone. I treated the dork the exact way others did me. Hard to believe, but there's more to meets the eye with Jaune."

Jaune had been a complicated puzzle to solve once she bothered with him. He was nice, goofy, friendly, overly simple minded, insecure, an idiot, and yet so complicated. After learning about all of the things he had survived and gone through, Weiss was still surprised he could be all that and more. She had learned so much of the blond knight she would have never thought to believe. And if she never bothered to talk to him, she would have missed out on such a friend.

This mission with Jaune would actually help to get know more about him. And Weiss was actually happy for that. She didn't want to simply be a better friend with her team, but with her other friends as well.

That, Ruby could understand. She nodded her head proudly in reference to Jaune. A dork he may be, but Jaune was pretty cool.

"It just sucks that you're going to be gone. What are we going to do without the W of RWBY? It's not fair that you're the only one going on a mission." Ruby grumbled.

"I'm doing it out of a favor for a friend. Lavender has been a great help with my own semblance during our sparing matches. And a Schnee always repays the favor."

"Hurry up, White! The Bullhead's ready to leave now! We can't miss our ride or we'll miss out on introductions at the camp!"

Hearing the loud hurried shout from her team leader for the mission, Weiss went to finish up her good-byes. She was more than ready to leave, until she found Yang and Blake holding back a large majority of her luggage. She fumed.

"What's the big deal!? I need those in order for my mission to go swimmingly!"

Yang shook her head, "Princess-"

"Heiress!"

The blond bombshell rolled her eyes, but continued, "You don't need all this crap. I think you'll be fine with one case full of your clothes, bathroom junk, and Dust. Like you said, it's a simple patrol. Don't go overboard, you'll only be wasting resources you could need in the future. I would have thought a chick borderline OCD like you would understand that." Yang said in disappointment, inwardly snickering at the aghast face on the rich girl's face. Sometimes the girl was too easy to play.

Begrudgingly, Weiss grabbed two of her suitcases and left the rest to her team to take back. As much as she hated to admit it, Yang was right, for once. She would just have to make do with what she had now. It was only a patrol mission, so there really was no need to take too much. This was just another test, she nodded firmly. A test of how well she could deal with such situations in the future.

Weiss was ready to leave with a wave and a smile before she felt Ruby nearly knock her off her feet with one last glomp. She sighed at the sheepish but worried silver eyes staring up at her. Against her past self, she patted her leader's head with a small grin.

"I'll be fine. I have a third-year huntress leading our small team, and Jaune if it's any consolation to you. You'll see, a week will pass by in a blink of an eye. And I'm sure you girl's will find something to occupy your time until my return." Weiss reassured Ruby and the rest of her team. As the small reaper let go to step back with the rest, Weiss gave them one last smile and lecture, "Just don't make too much of a mess while I'm gone. Learn some restraint and behave. Because I will not be cleaning up whatever mess awaits me when I come back. As huntresses, I shouldn't have to worry about you all while I'm absent. Got it?"

She didn't wait to hear an answer, spinning around to rush over to her temporary team waiting by the roaring ship out of Beacon. She already knew that her team wouldn't listen to her. And that was alright.

It wouldn't feel like home if Weiss didn't come back to a mess and sheepish grins as she opened the door.

* * *

Ruby slumped as she waved at the Bullhead carrying away not one, but two, of her best friends. It just wasn't fair! How were they all supposed to be a team if one of their members was missing? She had been hoping to make up some team building activities this week, but now all those plans written in Weiss's freshly bought binder were going to go to waste until next week.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Ruby looked up to find her sister, Yang, grinning down at her.

"Don't worry Rube's! Weiss will be fine and back before you know it! In the meantime, we can just hang out with Blake! I actually know of this club we can hang out in, the guy who owns it kinda owes me one." Yang said excitedly, "I was hoping to bring along the rest of JNPR too, but it looks like we'll have to do with six people instead of eight. Might as well invite them too, I know Pyrrha must have taken Jaune leaving pretty hard."

To prove her point, Yang pointed her thumb back to the three-man team that was JNPR. The famous celebrity huntress in question was slouched over, a dark depressing cloud drifting over head as she mumbled at the loss of her precious best friend, leader, and crush. The poor girl looked like she was ready to fall over. Someone was a little too dependent on the dense blond knight.

"I guess Pyrrha does need this sort of thing." Ruby admitted with a snicker. She like the rest of their friends knew of Pyrrha's not so subtle crush on Jaune. Ruby thought it was cute, if not hilarious. How Jaune had yet to see it was beyond her.

That was enough of a yes for Yang to accept. Pumping her fist, she was ready to run over to their sister team before the sight of a high raven ponytail walking over to the JNPR bunch caused her to pause. She frowned, watching as Tsuki Yumi began to talk with her friends.

Yang wasn't petty, at least she didn't believe so. She wasn't the kind of girl to turn a cold shoulder to others for no reason and even she would have something to say. Her mother taught her better than that. But there was just something about Tsuki that rubbed her the wrong way. The dark ebony hair, the pale moon skin, the red eyes, and the girl's own views of strength just ticked her off.

It didn't help that the older girl looked very similar to the only photo she had of her birth mother.

"What does Tsuki want with JNPR? I would have thought she wouldn't have any reason to talk with them since her Vomit-boy's flown the coup." Yang scoffed.

Blake wasn't sure either. She eyed the deadly huntress with skepticism as Tsuki nodded her head to Ren in some kind of understanding before glancing back at them.

"Well you could always ask her. It looks like she's coming over."

Yang scowled mildly, watching as Tsuki was indeed walking over. Even while they were on break, the ebony bandit girl didn't bother to change out of her combat gear. She appeared as serious as always.

"What do you want, Devil-Tits?" Yang glowered, earning an eye roll from the older huntress.

Tsuki cocked her hip with a distasteful scowl aimed at Yang, "Still with the names, Little Dragon? I would have thought you'd grown out of them by now."

"Look who's talking? Now, what do you want?"

"It's more of what I need from your leader, not you." Tsuki ignored Yang in favor of her attention falling on Ruby. The younger girl couldn't help but gulp under the eyes of the stern woman.

"Uh, what can I do for you?" Ruby asked nervously, shifting under the intense gaze.

A small smile came to Tsuki's lips, taking both Yang and Blake back. The raven girl hardly ever smiled, saving such expressions for her own team and Jaune alone.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Ruby. From one huntress to another. Your friends of team JNPR already agreed to help, but I would need another team to lend me their strength as well. And despite my own feelings concerning a certain... brat." A growl and a crack of Yang's knuckles went ignored by Tsuki, focusing only on Ruby, "I do not doubt your team's strength even when short on one member. And strength is what I'm in search of."

"Strength for what?" Blake couldn't help but ask with suspicion.

Tsuki gave Blake a quick glance before sighing as she began to explain.

Reaching into her bountiful chest, she brought out a stamped document for the first-year team to see.

"Due to my own team being unable to participate in my mission, I am in search of members of six or more to lead in a hunt. Forever Fall is under the reign of four out of control King Taijitus, and I've been appointed to slay the beasts before the end of the week. Even I am not so arrogant to believe I would do it alone without giving up my life. By now I believe you know what I am asking." Tsuki grumbled.

Yang quirked a brow, finding what she was hearing hard to believe. She couldn't help but grin. Oh, she was enjoying this.

"And what, pray tell, are you asking?" Yang said with a shit eating grin.

Tsuki's face twitched but held herself back from acting on her impulses. She had to be the bigger person here.

"Will you, team RWBY, lend me your hands on this mission?"

The week for teams RWBY and JNPR was looking to be quite eventful.

* * *

The small plane ride to their destination was a grueling struggle for Jaune. A gurgled burp fell out of his lips, causing Weiss on the seat opposite of him to grimace in disgust. No doubt she caught a hint of his breakfast. If the Bullhead continued to shake like this, she would be getting a good eye of what he had ate as well.

It had only been half an hour since they had left, yet for Jaune it felt like hours had passed. Not even his Gamer's body could combat his motion sickness it seemed. He was really going to have to invest in medicine to deal with this problem if he was to be taken seriously as a huntsman. Right now, he looked pathetic.

"Oh, poor little Yellow! Don't worry, we'll be there soon enough." Feeling a hand comb back his hair, Jaune thanked Lavender for the small comfort she provided him. Why couldn't his Snow Angel be as nice?

The older dark-skinned huntress had seen how ill Jaune had grown once the plane had taken off. Smiling kindly, she patted her own lap for him to use as a pillow for the rest of the ride. Jaune didn't refuse. It was a once in a lifetime gesture! He'd truly be an idiot to turn down napping on an older girl's lap. And it helped to some degree. His stomach was still churning but he had yet to upchuck his last meal.

Though he really wished that Weiss wouldn't glare at him the entire ride there.

Being useless as he was at the moment, he could listen to the two huntresses discuss their mission.

Turning her scornful glare away from Jaune, Weiss decided now was as good as time as any to go over the details of their assignment before they arrived.

"So, what does this patrol entail, Lavender? This is my first real mission, as well as Jaune's, so we don't know what the proper proceedings for a mission of this caliber are."

Lavender made a small noise of surprise, taken away from her petting of the blond boy on her lap.

"Well, this is a patrol mission, so it's nothing too complicated. For the rest of the week, we will be provided meals, housing, and anything else they can provide during our stay. The camp we will be watching over is settled in the Emerald Forest close by to Beacon, so we won't be too far from campus. A few towns actually border outside of Vale, kinda like a fence. But unlike Vale, they prefer the more simplistic traditions, sticking to focusing on community instead of technology. You could consider them hicks, like Jaune!" Lavender said brightly.

Jaune would have argued but groaned as another wave of nausea hit him.

"We go in, watch out for Grimm wandering too close to the camp grounds, and go home with a nice pocket full of Lien! It's really that simple. These are the kinds of mission you first years will be taking soon enough once your second semester exam is over with."

"Second semester exam?" Weiss hummed curiously. She already passed her first with flying colors. Now her second exam wasn't too far off.

"It's nothing tedious like before, so don't worry. Your team will be shadowing either a local huntsman, law enforcement, or teacher on a mission. Complete the mission and boom! Exam complete. As long as you listen to your mentor, everything will be fine!"

No, they wouldn't.

Jaune frowned deeply at the thought of the end of the second semester. He knew the events that were to take place, of the horror of Grimm crawling from the shattered hole in the plaza of Vale, and the lost lives that would follow. The Breach would happen. At least that's what Ren had told him countless times when questioned. And there was nothing he could do about it.

 _'Last time, I could only do the bare minimum in the disaster. Not this time though! I'm an actual huntsman in training, just like the rest are. I can do better. I will do better.'_

This time he would save as many lives as he could. And not leave his friends with a pathetic corpse to grieve over.

"You okay, Yellow?" Jaune heard Lavender ask with sudden concern. It was then he noticed he had been gripping her thighs tightly, bringing a slight grimace to her face. Guilt replaced his thoughts.

"S-Sorry! Just got hit with a really nasty wave of nausea." Jaune apologized sheepishly.

Lavender was still concerned but dropped the matter. She was never good with dealing with people, not like her leader. She went back to explaining the mission, her hand back to stroking Jaune's soft locks.

"While this is an easy mission, it is not without its dangers. Grimm are well known for trespassing camp grounds every once in a while, so expect some combat. Though nothing as dangerous as Alpha's or, god forbid, Deviants. Just the usual litter of grunts. With our skill level, we should be able to easily clear away any Grimm before they ever touch the camp grounds. We wouldn't want those kiddies to be spooked while they have their fun." Lavender said brightly.

"What kind of camp is this anyways?" Weiss wondered curiously. She didn't have enough time to do any research on the camp when Lavender had dragged her along. And seeing as she never went to camp before, she was curious to know what they did.

Lavender tapped her lips in thought, "Well, I haven't really looked into it either. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever done this sort of thing. In the three years I've been in Beacon, my team hasn't had to guard any camp grounds before. Just little village patrols. I'd never even camped before until I began taking missions." she laughed softly.

Hearing that brought some relief to Weiss. It was good to know that she wasn't the only one.

"The life of us wealthy isn't always so glamorous, is it?" she said softly.

Lavender smiled gently, glad to know someone in kind.

"No, it truly isn't. It makes me envious of such lovable oafs, like Jaune!"

Jaune groaned at the light barb. Again, his nausea didn't allow him to comment.

 **+800EXP!**

At least the moment earned him some Exp in both girl's Friendships.

* * *

Arriving at their destination, the three huntsman found themselves dropped off at an airship docking bay still miles away from the camp in question. Bullheads didn't travel too close to the towns due to a lack of docking bays, so they would have to travel by train the rest of the way there. Which meant another hour of laying on Lavender's lap for Jaune. He was truly thankful since he hadn't once thrown up on the way there. Now that they made it to the town close by to the camp, Jaune was hoping that would be the end of anymore trips aboard any kind of vehicles.

He was of course wrong.

"W-Why me?"

Jaune dropped his head in defeat as he sat down a bench outside what he guessed was an appliance store. An old one at that. Pretty much everything in this town was old school with barely any kind of technology. Even the road was just dirt instead of asphalt. Except for the neon lights from the strip club a few stores down. That took him by surprise, it was the first time he had ever seen one.

What was his cause for distress again? Well that had to do with having to wait for a bus to take them into camp. Of all the forms of transportation he was bad with, buses were by far the worst. He couldn't recall a single time he hadn't thrown up riding in one. And he really didn't want to have the girls mad at him for painting their uniforms with his breakfast. Just thinking about the bus ride over made him queasy.

"We really have to find a solution towards your motion sickness, Jaune. It's ill-fitting of a huntsman to be defeated by something as lowly as a bus ride of all things."

At the sound of a jingle from the door to this right, Jaune found Weiss and Lavender step out of a nick knack store. With nothing to do but wait, they decided to browse to kill some time. He hadn't gone in favor of settling his stomach for the next trial ahead. From the looks of the small bag in her hand, the heiress had actually bought something.

"What you get in there, Weiss?" Jaune couldn't help but ask.

A small blush came over Weiss's cheeks at the question. Looking away from the blond knight, she answered while showing off her purchase. Jaune was surprised to see a small plush dog, white and black, seeming to have been hand knitted. It looked cute.

"It was just a compulsive buy! I n-normally don't buy such silly trinkets, I swear!"

Did Weiss Schnee just stutter? Adorable.

Jaune wasn't the only who thought so. Lavender gushed at her younger classmate, teasing her with a knowing grin on her face. Like Weiss, she had also bought something.

"What about you, Lavender? What did you get?"

Having no shame in what she bought, the artistic huntress proudly showed off the... box of crayons in hand. Jaune stared flatly at the mature one of the group. The way she was showing them off reminded him of a toddler.

"Why?" He had to ask. He really did.

"I'll have you know that these crayons are made from local wax! You can't get them anywhere else! Besides, I needed something to doodle with in my boredom. I really don't feel like wasting my expensive supplies on my breaks."

Again, Jaune had to ask, "Doodles? Aren't you a really gifted artist? Aren't doodles beneath someone of your caliber?" he asked strangely.

Lavender huffed, crossing her arms with a bounce to her breast. The reaction got the usual blush on Jaune's face... and a grumble from Weiss to the side.

"You don't paint caring about what others think of your work. You paint and draw from the heart, and if the heart is feeling silly, you doodle! Not all art has to be sophisticated or pristine. Art is supposed to be fun. Liberating. No one is beneath such freedom." the last sentence was said beneath her breath, Lavender's tone carrying sadness.

Shaking her head of such feelings, Lavender brightened back up and reached into her bag. It seemed she wasn't done showing off her recent buys. Jaune frowned, finding a pin shoved into his face. He squinted, finding a bronze pin with a silver painted shield and crossing swords decorated onto its surface.

"While I was browsing, I noticed this neat little pin! It reminded me of you, so I thought it be nice to give you a little something for coming along. Aren't I sweet!" Lavender giggled as she handed Jaune the pin.

 **'Knight's Pin received!**

 **Knight's Pin: A nice little pin bought from a quaint little town away from the kingdoms. Grants a meager +1 to Strength. A simple item with no real value.'**

No real value? Jaune would have to argue with that. The happy gleam in Lavender's pink eyes had its value to him. Ignoring the slight almost unnoticeable boost to his Strength, he pinned the little pin to his vest.

Another bag was shoved in Jaune's face, greatly surprising him when he noticed it belonged to Weiss. He couldn't help but stare at her, causing the white heiress to huff with another blush.

"I found something that you might like too. Just don't think too deeply about it!" Weiss scowled stubbornly. She knew how Jaune had always flirted with her in the past. As of recently, his attempts had dropped. It was as if he found himself more focused on more important matters. Which was good, if not a little surprising. She just wanted to make it clear that she still had no hidden feelings for him, no matter what Yang teased.

Inside the small bag, Jaune found a wrist band made of black steel chain links. Small little trinkets shaped like dark wisps were tied to the chains.

 **'Ward Band, Received!**

 **Ward Band: A small band made to wear off the dark forces that bump in the woodland night. Grants a 15% protection against Grimm/Negativity. A local item made by those who enjoy the occult. A tourist item bought for those who camp outdoors.'**

Equipping the chain band, Jaune could immediately feel a sudden bump in his aura. It was times like this that he cursed himself for not equipping the special gifts he found. He really needed to start a habit of that. He smiled gratefully for the gift. It was funny, back when he had still been a normal teen he would have been gushing at the present from his crush. But since he had begun taking his training seriously following up to his first semester exam, he felt that he had finally matured. At least enough not to start flirting with Weiss shamelessly.

Still, even he wasn't made of stone to not blush at a gift from a girl he had been crushing on.

"Thanks, Weiss. It's nice of you to think of me. Guess we're going to have start thinking twice about calling you Ice Queen." Jaune joked.

Weiss nodded her head with a smile, "Even I am not so cold hearted to not be so considerate of others from time to time." she said to herself smugly.

To the side, Lavender pouted. Her eyes swept back and forth between her gift and Weiss's. She felt shown up. And she had her pride as a woman to consider. With a huff, she sat down hip to hip with the blond knight, taking him by surprise. She looked up at him with a quivering lip, her eyes widening in her best puppy dog gaze.

"You still think my gift's better, right, Yellow? It's the sentiment that counts. And the feelings." she whispered lowly while unbuttoning one of the buttons to her school blazer.

Jaune swallowed at the now exposed dark tanned skin leading to her breasts. What was happening right now?

Weiss was irked at the display by her senior. And the large mounds she was showing off. This wasn't some competition! If it was, she would have won. Clearly her gift was better than some little tin medal. Her eyes fell on Jaune, quirking a brow, daring him to watch what he said next.

Jaune grew anxious. It felt like he was stuck in the middle of a landmine. He could already see Lavender discreetly reach into one of her small pouches clipped to her skirt containing her Dust chalk. He needed a distraction. Fast.

The sound of a blaring horn was just the thing to take the attention off him. Jaune sighed as the girls turned to the road leading into town, finding a beaten down yellow school bus. Sadly though, it meant he would have to endure a bumpy ride to camp. He couldn't help but glare at the monstrosity.

Was it possible to gain the Ability to shoot lasers out of his eyes? He'd love that right now.

A dirt cloud was kicked up as the old bus parked right in front of the nick knack store, bringing a round of coughs from the three teens. With a creak of gears and metal, the door to the bus opened and someone stepped out to greet the students with a bright grin.

"Hello Huntsman! I hope you all brought your go-getter attitudes today, because we have one heck of a day awaiting us!"

Both Lavender and Weiss had to blink for a brief second at the sound of the voice before glancing back at Jaune, finding the knight still glaring at the bus. For the strangest moment, they could have sworn they had heard their teammate talking. Once the dirt cloud settled, they were finally able to meet the driver of said bus in full view. They met a tall lanky man with pinkish skin, blue green eyes, and a pearly white grin. He wore a long green shirt with a brown vest, shorts, and boots, seeming to be ready for whatever outdoor activity would pop up. The man's hair was auburn with a puff that resembled an leaf above his forehead.

Noticing them staring at him, the camp counselor introduced himself with an even wider cheery grin.

"The name's David! And I will be personally driving you all to our sweet little camp, Camp Campbell! Or as I like to call it, paradise. I hope you all prepared for one of the greatest camping trips of your life!" David cheered energetically.

The amount of joy and energy in the man's voice was a little grating on Weiss's ears. Dear god, he sounded even more happy go lucky than Ruby, possibly borderline Nora. She had no idea such a person could exist. Not to mention those brilliant white teeth. It was blinding!

Being the leader of the small team, Lavender stepped up to greet David with a smile of her own.

"It's a pleasure to meet you David! My name is Lavender Brosse, and I will be leading the patrol team watching over your camp for the next week. We hope you treat us well during our stay!"

David nodded his head cheerfully, "Of course we will! Nothing but the warmest welcomes for our new friends staying in camp! Why, you'll feel so at home, you'll never want to leave! I know that's what happened to me." he explained with nostalgia, his eyes tearing up at the old memories of yesteryear, "I was just a young boy who never experienced the joy and wonder of camp until I saw for myself! Since then, I couldn't bear to leave! And I've never been happier!"

Weiss subtly stepped back from the man. Was she seeing things, or were their literal stars in his eyes? Not wanting to be rude, she made her way to Lavender's side and smiled politely.

"It's nice to meet you, David. My name is Weiss Schnee. And I hope we can get along during our mission." she introduced herself before her eyes went wide as David took her hand to shake furiously.

"It's super nice to meet you, Ms. Schnee! I know our little humble camp will please even a sophisticated individual like yourself! It's not every day that we get a celebrity roughing out doors with regular folk like us!" David said enthusiastically.

Weiss fought back the roll of her eyes. Celebrity? Hopefully nothing would come up with her status being known. One of the reasons she wished to become a huntress was to escape such attention. Though David didn't appear to be like the many who brought up her status as an heiress. He was at least humble.

Now that David had met the young huntresses, he turned to greet the last of the team sitting on the bench. The smile on his face faltered just a tiny bit at the blond boy glaring holes into the camp bus. Weird, but that was just another word for quirky! Stepping in front of the blond's line of vision, he greeted him with another patented grin. That seemed to be enough to snap Jaune out of it.

"Howdy, stranger! Or should I say future friend! My names David, and we will all be working together for the next week to make our Camp Camp safe and secure! What's your name, Mr. Huntsman?"

Feeling silly for glaring at a bus like it was his mortal enemy, Jaune stood up with a sheepish grin while shaking David's hand.

"Sorry about that. The name's Jaune Arc, David! It's nice to meet you!" he laughed awkwardly before finding his arm furiously shook. For a skinny camp counselor, David was strong.

"The feelings mutual, Jaune! I just know that this is going to be the best week ever! Not only will the kids get to meet real life huntsman, but the camp games are this week too! Just thinking of all the fun we're going to have has me up at night!" he cheered.

Jaune found himself smiling beside his team as they watched David go off explaining all the camp activities they offered.

"I like him. You don't meet many people these days who love camping with all the technology available to them in the major cities." Jaune said wistfully.

Weiss and Lavender weren't listening. They were too busy looking back and forth between Jaune and David. The sounds of their voice, so similar yet so different, had taken them back.

"-and knives, and chess, and dance, and weights, it's Camp Camp!" How David was able to repeat all those camp activities in one breath, Jaune would never know. He was still astounded at literally everything the small camp provided. It reminded him of his own camp activities with his sisters.

"That's a lot of activities! I can't believe you guys do just about everything. It kinda reminds me of when I would go out camping with my sisters and get dragged into all their hobbies." Jaune smiled.

David beamed, "So, you're an outdoor man, Jaune? Dare I ask? Do you know how to play a guitar?" he asked hopefully.

Jaune grinned in pride, moving his hand out to reach into his Inventory to proudly show off his wooden guitar. The sight of the guitar made David squeal before surprising Jaune with his own from inside the bus.

"You wouldn't mind if I taught you the Camp Campbell camp song while we head to camp, would you? I know the kids would love nothing more than to hear a duet!"

It had been a long time since Jaune busted out his treasured guitar. He wondered if he could still play it on memory alone. Then again, The Game made playing instruments easier since it dropped him into a mini game. At the mention of being taught a new song, a new notification dropped onto Jaune's HUD.

 **'Camp Cambell Is The Place For You and Me, Song Tutorial now Available!**

 **Begin?'**

Well, it would kill some time. And maybe even distract him from his motion sickness if he was busy with the Tutorial. Tapping Yes, he found a tutorial lesson ready to play.

"Sure, why not? I'd love nothing more than to add another song to my list!"

An excited grin spread out on David's face. Finally! Someone who was willing to sing his favorite song of all time! He couldn't stop himself as he began to lead the huntsman into the bus and teach Jaune the strings along with the lyrics. He could already tell that this was the beginning of an incredible week.

* * *

"This is going to be the worst fucking week ever."

It was still morning for fucks sake. And he was still nursing his freshly brewed mug of coffee. Max was not ready to deal with the camp's shit right now. Especially when Gwen had the entire camp up to wait for David to come back from town with their special guests for the week. Oh, they must have been 'special' guests alright if they thought it was a good idea to spend even a day in this hell hole of a sorry excuse for a camp.

Just another day in his own personal hell called camp. People might call Max a cynic, but he preferred realist. He wasn't ignorant like so many others his age. The world wasn't full of rainbows, ponies, and a fat man named Santa. They lived in a world were the worst of humanity was manifested in monsters for god's sake. So, you had to forgive him for always wearing a scowl on his face when everyone around him acted like ignorant idiots.

Except for Nikki and Neil, they were alright in his small book.

Max was starting to go off track. Where was he? Oh, right. He was too tired for standing around for nothing. He grumbled into his mug, finding some relief in the dark brew.

To his side, a girl with a short mint green haired in twin ponytails, bounced excitedly on her feet. She was more than eager to meet their special guests. Especially after David had told them of their profession.

"Huntsmen! Real life huntsmen! Oh, I can't wait to meet them! Do you think they'll tell us stories of their hunts? Do you think they smell like blood? Do you think they'll let me use their weapons? Do you-"

"Nicki, shut the hell up. When I'm done with my coffee, then you can assault my ears with endless questions." Max said tiredly. Of course, Nikki didn't listen to him and continued to ask questions about the huntsmen.

On the other side of him, a thin boy with brown hair, blue eyes, and what Max liked to call, a nerdy face appeared to be just as tired as him.

"Seriously, do we all have to be up to meet a couple of huntsmen? Activities don't start until later today, but we had to wake up an hour early just to say hello? This is bullshit." the nerd grumbled.

Max rose his mug to that, "Preach, Neil, preach."

"Aww, aren't you at least a little interested in seeing some real-life huntsmen? I mean their jobs let them fight monsters with cool weapons! It's nothing but adventures for them!" Nikki squealed in glee.

"Right, because living day by day fighting off monsters born from humanity's worst emotions, surviving on the coin from death missions, with a short mortality rate, is cool." Max scoffed. Maybe when he was younger and more stupid, he would have been just excited. But he knew better. It was nothing but a job that would lead to death. Only idiots with death wishes would ever think about becoming huntsman. Which explained Nikki.

Neal nodded, "I'd rather stick to a profession further expanding my knowledge, not one that kills me any day. Like a chemist or robotics expert."

"Basically, any job that will forever mark you as a nerd. No action or spine whatsoever. Wise choice, Neil."

"Shut the hell up, Max."

"Hey, quiet in the front row! That means you, Max!"

Said dark tanned skin boy quirked an annoyed brow at Gwen. The fuck did he do?

Sighing to herself, Gwen went back to her earlier explanation to the gathered campers in front of the camp entrance. It wouldn't be long until David came back with the hired huntsman, so it was up to her to lay out the rules to them about their new guests. She narrowed her eyes at the usual troublemakers with suspicion.

"As I was saying, when the huntsmen arrive, you will do well to remember that they are not to be bothered. And even though they are still in training, they are still huntsmen. Which means no pulling any pranks on them, no asking them to hold their weapons, no bothering them while they're working, and no questions about their line of work that leads them to the sudden realization of their own mortality." That last directive was directed at a certain dark-haired cynic. She did not want one of the huntsman to run off and quit because of Max's bleak views.

"I make no promises."

Gwen slapped her own face at Max's flat response, "God damn it, Max. Please, we can't afford your shit right now. The huntsman trainees weren't exactly cheap, you know. And you know how much of a cheap ass Mr. Cambell is. So, just chill with your shit for a few days. Can you do that?" she asked desperately only to get an annoyed glare in return.

"And why exactly do we need huntsman now? We never needed them before. What, something going on that you're trying to hide from us? Hard to believe that you guys just decided to randomly bring in trained killers for no reason. I mean, what could they possibly offer a bunch of children safely playing in the woods?" he said accusingly.

He had Gwen there. Never in Max's grueling time in camp did they ever see huntsman lurking around the camp grounds. There wasn't any need. As shitty as a camp as Camp Cambell was, with all its safety hazardous, crappy meals, dim witted staff, poorly planned activities, and crappy equipment, it never had a Grimm problem. Rat problem, yes. But no big bad wolves. So why were huntsmen suddenly visiting the camp for patrol?

To Gwen's credit, she didn't appear nervous as she answered as best she could, "They're not real huntsman, they're students here to learn how to perform a simple and basic patrol mission. All they're doing is standing around in mock guard to see how it feels when they actually have to watch out for Grimm in settlements. Consider it a lesson, or a field trip for them. It lets them get some experience and we get to talk with young huntsman, to an extent." she said strictly, getting a groan from the campers. She crossed her arms, eyeing each of the usual trouble making suspects.

 _'Gotta watch out for Nerf. I'm sure the huntsmen are strong, not to mention they have auras to protect them. But anyone that can scare off a nine-foot bear with a small pocket knife isn't someone to take your eyes off.'_ She eyed said over weight ginger boy. As usual he wore a simple yellow shirt that stretched over his stomach, cargo shorts, and wore a sadistic happy grin as he currently had held a smaller boy in a head lock. He was a problem she had no idea how to handle. A child he may be, but he was as much a threat as the Grimm, so that was a no. She'd let David fail at that.

Gwen wasn't sure what to do with the small boy at Nerf's mercy. He wasn't exactly a threat per say. He was just a small boy with dark hair, blue eyes, and an innocent smile. But something about the kid sent shivers down her spine, especially with his odd accent and dog photos, _'Dolph should be fine. As weird as he is, and creepy, he's the least troublesome one in the bunch.'_ Her eyes turned to the next campers under her gaze, finding two kids playing magic. One was a dark-skinned girl with freckles, round glasses, blue eyes, braces, and dark brown hair. She was oddly enough dressed as an elf, pointy ears and blue cape proudly displayed as she rolled a dice.

 _'Nerris might be a problem if any of them use Dust. I can't have that girl playing LARP with real magical stones. It'd be a disaster waiting to happen if she god forbid got her hands on some Fire Dust. Even without aura to activate them, she'd somehow shoot a fireball.'_ The LARP girl could be handled though. Eccentric she may be, but she wasn't a problem like many others. No, the real problem came in her rival. Gwen wasn't sure how, but the boy facing Nerris, dressed in yellow dress shirt and black vest, top hat, basically what you would see some street magician wear. But Harrison wasn't like those street magicians. The things that brunette kid could pull off still made her scratch her head in thought.

Still, he was like Nerris, Gwen could handle him. The same could be said about Erid, Preston, and to some extent, Space Kid. All of them were out of control in their own right and made her want to scream into a box and rip her hair out from the roots. But no, the real problems came from the three brats she was currently glaring at.

Max, Neil, and Nikki. The Usual Suspects. The only kids she had ever thought she'd be fine with the Grimm taking bites out of. Neil and Nikki were trouble in their own rights, there was no doubt about that. Neil despite his nerdy attitude was surprisingly diabolical and had a mouth on him when you messed with his precious science and logic. Nikki, Gwen was pretty sure was secretly raised by wolves, and always sought adventure at every possible corner. It was no wonder she was kicked out of the Flower Scouts. But when put together with Max, the little hell spawn cynic, they became the nightmare trio.

 _'That's the true hurdle here. Nikki is going to be all over the huntsmen, asking them a torrent of questions about their hunts. Neil is probably going to want to take apart their weapons for science. And Max... I'd rather not think about what he'd do to them. We can't afford their headmaster suing us for psychological damages to his students.'_

This was going to be a tough week for sure. But with the Camp Games in a few days and the odd stirrings in the woods causing sighting of Grimm from the locals, even Mr. Cambell had thought it wise to hire some huntsman to make sure everything was fine. Of course, he went the cheap route, hiring students from the local academy. Now if only he would listen to Gwen's other complaints to the camps many safety hazards.

To Gwen's relief, the sounds of the old broken-down bus reached her ear. It was about time David came back, she could only handle the kids by herself for so long. Now that he was here with the huntsmen, they could move onto introductions and try to go about their normal routines.

A foreboding tingle ran down Max's spine as the crappy dented yellow bus pulled over. For some reason, he wasn't sure about meeting the huntsmen. Something was wrong, very wrong.

"For god's sake, please stop! I will literally pay you a king's fortune to stop singing right now!"

"Even I have my limits! Oh god, I think it's stuck in my head! It's repeating over and over, and I can't make it stop!"

No sooner did the bus's doors open did Max see two blurs of white and purple dash out in desperation with cries of terror. It was only then did he hear the hell the two girls had escaped.

"OH~! THERE'S A PLACE I KNOW THAT'S TUCKED AWAY~!"

"A PLACE WHERE YOU AND I CAN STAY~!"

"WHERE WE CAN GO TO LAUGH AND PLAY!~"

"AND HAVE ADVENTURES EVERYDAY~!"

"I KNOW IT SOUNDS HARD TO BELIEVE~!"

"BUT GALS AND GUYS IT'S TRUE~!"

With their legs kicking in sync up in the air to the rhythm of that dreaded hell song, Max could only watch in slow horror as David got off the bus, grinning ear to ear, with a blond teen matching his stupid grin. Both singing along, their voices matching another perfectly like long lost twins as they played the notes to the song with matching guitars. And in harmony they finished off the song as one.

"CAMP CAMBELL IS THE PLACE FOR YOU AND ME~!"

No, god. There was no god in this shit hole of a world. The proof was right in front of him. Loud and fucking clear.

"There's two of them. Please tell me this is just some mess hall food induced nightmare." Max said lowly in horror as he stared at the two men happily singing a camp song with blank eyes, "Because I refuse to live in a world where there's another dim witted, thick headed, naive, dumbass who thinks the world is all sunshine and rainbows!"

But no, this was real. He even pinched his arm hard enough to draw blood. The nightmare was real. At least he wasn't the only one shell shocked, Gwen was gaping at the blond teen beside David. She didn't want to believe what she was seeing either.

David could only contain his excitement for so long. Sweeping his arms out widely, he just had to introduce the hired huntsman, especially his new best friend!

"Camp Cambell campers! I'd like to introduce to you our very special guests for the next week! Meet the leader of the small team, Lavender Brosse! And the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company in Atlas, Weiss Schnee!" he proclaimed loudly, pointing out the two huntresses staying far back from him.

Weiss's brow twitched in annoyance. She didn't want the campers to know her status as an heiress! She was a huntress first, heiress second. At least she only got a few small 'oohs'. Which... was kinda insulting.

"And last, but definitely not least, I would like to introduce you all to Jaune Arc! Who I am officially making a co-counselor for the remainder of his stay!"

"Co-counselor?" Gwen snapped out of it with a weird frown, "I don't think that's what he's being paid to do, David. Clearly, he has much more important things to do than help us out with activities. Did you even ask him?"

Jaune decided to answer in David's stead with a wide grin, "Yup! And I said yes! It'll be just like when I camped with all my sisters doing random activities again! Besides, I'm sure you all could use the help!"

David nodded his head vigorously, "Indeed we do! We have many events planned for this week, so I thought it would be a stupendous idea to make our special guests co-counselors! After all we have the FlowerScouts and WoodScouts coming by for the Camp Games too. If we want to make this event the bestest of all time, we need all the strong, helping hands we can get!"

He was sure Mr. Cambell wouldn't mind the free help, he would even encourage it! With so many events coming up this week, they really could use the help. Besides, it would be fun for the huntsman in training! They were still kids too, and what kid would turn down the chance to have fun in the outdoors? David knew he wouldn't.

Finally fixing herself off after the traumatizing experience, Weiss looked to Lavender with question.

"Co-counselors? I thought this would be a patrol mission? You didn't say anything about having to work around the camp."

"It's fine, White! What better way to keep watch over the kids than playing counselors? That way we always have an eye on the kids. Plus, it'll help break the boredom that usually comes with the mundane work that is patrol in simple little locations like this. Just go with it!"

Weiss huffed, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. She supposed it could be fun. Just no more campfire songs. Ever. She shivered at the very catchy song David and Jaune had song on the bus ride over. It was just too much for someone like her.

Gwen was still on the fence about letting trained warriors help out with the club activities. But some help around the camp would be appreciated. Who knows? Maybe she could finally stretch her legs out and relax a bit with the extra hands.

"Fine. But we are going to have to take them away for a while to explain to them the proper procedures. Which means the kids get a good hour of free time." Gwen relented in the end. It wasn't a bad idea, and that was coming from David of all people.

Whooping in joy, David didn't waste another moment dragging Jaune and the others along with him into their counselor's office. Gwen rolled her eyes. She felt sorry for the two huntresses about to suffer through David's very lengthy explanations on the Do's or Don'ts involved in camping.

Fighting a shiver at the thought, Gwen glanced back at the campers sternly.

"While we go get our guests situated, you are all free to do whatever you want in the meantime. Just don't cause too much trouble. We don't want to make a bad impression. If that's possible." she muttered to herself before following after David and the others.

Once the adults left the campers alone, they all went off to do their usual things. Causing their special blend of mayhem for the newest co-counselors to get a taste the moment they stepped out. But for Max, he was rooted in place. His green eyes stuck in a thousand-yard stare at what he had just seen. It was actually worrying Neil as he waved his hands in front of the cynic.

"You okay, Max?"

"Two of them."

Two of them? Neil could only hypothesize that his friend was referring to the blond huntsman in training. He began to connect the dots while Nikki repeatedly poked at Max's cheek.

"I suppose that new guy does sound a lot like David, scarily so. But so what? It's not like they're long lost twin brothers or something. Just because they sound alike doesn't mean that we suddenly have two Davids." Neil tried to reason, "I may be a non-believer of god, but even I would think that if there was some kind of omnipotent being controlling all of existence, even they would be merciful enough to only make one of him."

"Two of them."

Oh no, he was losing him. Max already looked pale and ready to begin another of his many attempts to run away from camp. And Neil didn't feel like building another contraption to get them out of this hell.

"It's just for a week. You can do this. Then it's back to the usual mundane camp activities. Be strong Max, be strong."

"But," Max said weakly, his entire world ready to crumble at a simple touch, "there are two of them!"

Neil sighed. There was no talking him out of his personal dilemma. Oh well, no one could say he didn't try. Reaching for Max's shoulder, he began to drag him away with Nikki following close behind. They might as well relax before things went crazy as they usually did. And who knows? Maybe things won't be so bad.

* * *

"And with that, you three huntsmen in training are now ready for the spectacular roles as co-counselor! Aren't you excited!?"

Jaune nodded eagerly as he was handed a spare key to the counselor's office along with Weiss and Lavender. While the two huntresses couldn't really care less about the extra work, he was excited. It had been so long since he could do something as normal as camping. He was having flashbacks to his days of camping out in the Anima woods. Good times, good times.

The tasks of a co-counselor were simple. Watch out for kids, make sure they didn't get into trouble, help with activities, and lend whatever hand they could when needed. Seeing as they were tasked with patrolling the grounds, they had decided that either Weiss or Jaune would keep watch alongside Lavender every few hours while the other stayed behind with the campers for protection. Weiss had jumped to be the first one to go on patrol with their temporary leader, leaving Jaune with David and Gwen. Which he had no problem with.

With the long-winded explanations over with, David decided now would be a good time to get the day started with some activities. Lavender and Weiss were quick to begin their own work, leaving him behind with David as Gwen lead the girls out.

"So, what's the first activity of the day?" Jaune asked as he watched David go about the room in search of supplies. His own eyes wandering around the office before stopping at an odd board. _'How Many Times Max Has Smiled: 0. Wonder what that's about?'_

"Oh, well I've decided we should start with the usual. Some archery, fishing, bird watching, scavenging, the works! After all, we got to get ourselves ready for the big Camp Games in two days!" David explained with a hefty bundle of random supplies in his arms.

Jaune chuckled lightly as he helped with the load, "Camp Games? What are those?"

"Every year we and the other two camps close by participating in some good old sportsmanship, competing in various camp activities from each camp! It's a lot of fun and allows our campers to build bonds with other kids their own age."

Now that sounded cool. Jaune wished that he could have participated in games like that. He mostly found himself roped into whatever activities his sisters were doing when he camped out. Thankfully his dad had been around to take him away from all the hair dressing to show him some useful skills.

"The kids must be excited. I know I would be." Jaune said with some envy.

At that, David stopped his searching. His back was stiff as he scratched his head in what looked like a behavioral tick. Jaune knew that tick anywhere.

"Well, they might not show it, but I know that they're excited for the games! What kid wouldn't? Times may have changed, but the fun of the outdoors won't ever dwindle!" David said brightly, his face turned away from Jaune as he hunched over a box of random items.

Now it was Jaune's turn to scratch his head. Despite the bright tone, it didn't sound like the auburn camp lover was all too sure. It almost sounded like he was trying to make himself believe that.

With the last of the activity items on hand, David quickly made his way out with a wave of his hand.

"This should be it! Just grab that last box behind ya and follow me out! We can't keep those kids waiting for long after all!"

Shutting the door behind him, Jaune was left inside the office by himself. The various supplies in his arms were quickly sent away into his Inventory as he spun around for the last box. But once his fingers grasped the cardboard box he felt the familiar twinge of the world stopping in place. Time itself was paused by godly forces. He couldn't help but sigh as he watched the wooden cabin office be replaced by pearl white walls. An all too familiar voice spoke up.

"Welcome, Little Player, to A Moment of Respite! Did you miss me?"

That wasn't an easy answer. Turning around, Jaune found Husk's bagged face grinning widely. The godly merchant casually lent back against the clean walls of his domain, tipping his wizard's hat up in greeting. Jaune was mildly irritated at his presence. While Husk wasn't the worst of the three gods, he was still one of the beings that made his life complicated.

"Husk, what are doing here?" Jaune asked with a scowl.

Husk wagged his finger at the blond knight's tone, but still found himself smiling cheerfully.

"Hey now, it's not my fault you found a Moment of Respite. That their little key David gave you is at fault, not mine."

"But aren't you the one who created these spaces?" Jaune said flatly, causing the merchant god to stiffen.

"Uh... maybe." Husk shook his head stubbornly, forgetting the matter as he continued, "Anyway, I'm actually here on business! Seeing as this is the first Moment of Respite since you've entered the Second Act, I got some explaining to do!"

Husk's grin grew wide enough to split his bagged face. Jaune wasn't sure he liked the look of it.

"Think you can spare a few minutes, Jaune?

 **Monty's Missing Page, Page #1, Discovered!**

He really wanted to say no.

* * *

 ** _Times have changed. In a world where anyone would rather be indoors, glued to their screens than another, a lone flame continues to burn bright in spirit of the great outdoors. A luminscent light to ward away the dark._**

 ** _But flames can only burn for so long until they flicker. All must return to the abyss._**

 ** _This world is full of negativity. Steer away from those sickening lights you gather around you. And welcome the loving embrace of your savior. Release yourself from this failure of a world._**

 ** _Or do you not know the way?_**

 ** _FoGD._**

 **About time I got this chapter uploaded. I did say my updating schedule wouldn't be so frequent as before. Life, what can you do? Either way, we're on the start of the first half of the Arc. We'll begin with Jaune's half of the Arc, and when we're done we'll move onto our next Player, Ren! Yup, got an Arc for our silent Player. This is a multiplayer game after all. Also, a new page to Monty's Journals will be uploaded just as this chapter is uploaded if you're interested in those little pages.**

 **Now, before we move on, a heads up for the future to explain a sudden drop in updates. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. It's more. . .selfish really. If you want someone to blame, blame Square Enix. They've been blue balling me for 14 fucking years! In January/February, I will be pausing writing simply because Kingdom Hearts 3 will be taking up all my time. I feel no shame in this. I will play the hell out of that game until I am satisfied. I'm sure many of you will be doing the same as well. But, speaking of Kingdom Hearts, I believe it's time for the final announcement of my crossover projects!**

 **Remnant's of a Heart is now in Development! We have RWBY/Fire Emblem with A Huntsman's Awakening, RWBY/Mahou Sensie Negima with The Teacher's Aide, and now we have RWBY/Kingdom Hearts with Remnant's of a Heart! All of said projects have their first chapters completed and on their way to having their second chapters done as well. Except for Remnants of a Heart. Went overboard with that one and I'm now on it's** _fourth_ **chapter. I blame my excitement for KH for that.**

 **Now, you may be asking, when can we see the release of one of these stories? And which one will it be? Lucky for you, I got answers. As you know, I don't have much time to upload as I use to, let alone complete a chapter in a week like I use to. So, I can only publish one new story for the moment. I will release my newest story in December, consider it a gift for all y'all. And to which one, well that's up to popular demand. You all got until November to vote for which story you'd like to see uploaded first. Eventually I will release the other two in the following year because I'm going to continue writing for them until I got at most 6-8 chapters ready for publishing, so don't worry about your favorite not making it. Around this week I will be posting up a Poll on the good old profile for you to begin voting, might as well update that thing while I have the chance too.**

 **So, there you have it. Let me know what you think in your reviews. Now, I must go back to working on A Jaune of All Trades. In case you haven't figure out yet, I update my stories in order with Multiplayer and AJOAT, so you won't be seeing another chapter until that's complete. That's just how I do. Hey, at least I update.**

 **Read and Review! It's common courtesy.**

 **NeoShadows fading in and out.**


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